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Cavapoo breeders

The Cavapoo is a cross between a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and a Poodle, and this guide covers crosses with the Toy Poodle.

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Broughton West Highland & Cavapoo Ltd

Broughton West Highland & Cavapoo Ltd is a limited company registered at Companies House (company number 17452608), incorporated on 11
Nation: England

About the Cavapoo

The Cavapoo is a cross between a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and a Poodle, and this guide covers crosses with the Toy Poodle. The Royal Kennel Club (RKC) does not recognise it as a breed, so it has no breed standard and no place on the RKC Breed Register. Adverts may also call it a Cavoodle or Cavoo. The RKC notes that a crossbreed's traits can combine in many different ways, so the best guide is the two parent breeds and the actual parents of a litter.

The parent breeds

The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel belongs to the RKC Toy group. Toy spaniels were favourites at the courts of Charles I and Charles II, but by the late 19th century fashion favoured a shorter muzzle. From 1926, special prizes at Crufts encouraged breeders to revive the older type, with a longer muzzle and flatter skull, and the Kennel Club, now the RKC, recognised the Cavalier as a separate breed in 1945. Its standard describes a sporting, affectionate and friendly dog that should be neither nervous nor aggressive, weighing 5.4–8.2 kg.

The Toy Poodle is in the Utility group, shares one breed standard with the other Poodle sizes and stands under 28 cm at the shoulder. The Poodle was first a water retriever working for duck hunters in Germany, and its standard describes a cheerful, good-tempered dog.

Generations

A first cross between a pure-bred Cavalier and Toy Poodle is an F1. An F1 Cavapoo bred back to one of the parent breeds gives an F1b, and mating two F1 Cavapoos gives an F2. In later generations each parent can pass on traits from either breed, so puppies in one litter may differ more from each other.

Coat, grooming and exercise

The Cavalier's coat is long and silky and sheds, while the Poodle's is dense, curly and does not moult. A Cavapoo may take after either parent or fall in between, so a low-shedding coat cannot be promised. The RKC suggests grooming a Cavalier more than once a week and a Toy Poodle every day. The RKC lists up to an hour of exercise a day for both parent breeds and rates both as suited to a flat. Crossbreeds can be placed on the RKC Activity Register for agility, obedience, rally and other activities.

Cavapoo health tests

The RKC has no health test list for the Cavapoo, because it is not a recognised breed, so each parent should be tested for the conditions the RKC recommends for its own breed. The BVA canine health schemes are open to crossbred dogs too.

The RKC names mitral valve disease (MVD), syringomyelia and inherited eye disease as the three main issues screened for in Cavaliers. Its heart scheme accepts Cavaliers from 18 months and recommends grading at 2, 4 and 6 years; red-graded dogs should not be bred from. Syringomyelia is diagnosed by MRI. The BVA Chiari malformation/syringomyelia (CM/SM) scheme grades scans and is open to all dogs, but it is not on the RKC's recommended list, so treat it as an optional extra for the Cavalier parent. The Cavalier is in Breed Watch Category 2, with concerns about eye discomfort, protruding eyes and hind movement; the Toy Poodle is in Category 1.

CC/DE and EF are recessive, so a puppy is affected only if both parents pass on the variant. From F1b onwards both parents may have Cavalier ancestry, so test both. No set of tests can guarantee a healthy puppy.

RKC recommendations for the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel:

  • DNA test for curly coat/dry eye (CC/DE): Good Practice
  • DNA test for episodic falling (EF): Good Practice
  • RKC Heart Scheme for Cavalier King Charles Spaniels (mitral valve disease): Good Practice
  • BVA/KC/ISDS Eye Scheme: Best Practice

RKC recommendations for the Toy Poodle:

  • DNA test for progressive retinal atrophy (prcd-PRA): Good Practice
  • BVA/KC/ISDS Eye Scheme: Best Practice
  • BVA/KC Hip Dysplasia Scheme: Best Practice

Choosing a Cavapoo breeder

A good Cavapoo breeder will treat the Cavalier parent's heart health as a priority. Expect to see a current certificate from the RKC heart scheme, which is graded by an approved cardiologist rather than a general vet, along with DNA results for CC/DE and EF. For the Poodle side, ask for the prcd-PRA result and an eye certificate. Because syringomyelia is a known Cavalier concern, ask whether the Cavalier parent has had an MRI scan; the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Club encourages scanning before breeding. Results for RKC-registered parents can be checked on the RKC Health Test Results Finder. Lucy's Law, named after a Cavalier rescued from a puppy farm, bans third-party puppy sales in England, and licensed breeders must show puppies with their mother where they were born. In England, anyone who breeds three or more litters in 12 months and sells puppies needs a council licence. Read our buyer safety guide before paying a deposit.

  • Can I see the Cavalier parent's heart certificate, and when does it expire?
  • Have the parents been DNA tested for CC/DE, EF and prcd-PRA?
  • Has the Cavalier parent had an MRI scan for syringomyelia?
  • Is this litter an F1, F1b or F2?
  • Can I meet the mother and see the puppies where they were raised?

Cavapoo questions

Is the Cavapoo recognised by The Royal Kennel Club?

No. The Cavapoo is a cross between a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and a Poodle, and the RKC does not recognise it as a breed, so there is no breed standard or RKC pedigree for it. Crossbreeds can join the RKC Activity Register and take part in activities such as agility, obedience, rally and flyball, and can also enter Scruffts, the RKC's crossbreed competition.

Why does heart testing matter for a Cavapoo litter?

The RKC notes that mitral valve disease tends to start earlier in Cavaliers than in other breeds. Its heart scheme grades Cavaliers green, amber or red, and advises that red dogs should not be bred from. Breeding from green-graded dogs lowers the risk, but the RKC is clear that it cannot guarantee a puppy will be free of the disease.

How big does a Cavapoo get?

There is no set size. The RKC standard gives the Cavalier a weight of 5.4u20138.2 kg, and the Toy Poodle stands under 28 cm at the shoulder, so a Cavapoo from these parents is likely to be small. The RKC points out that its standards describe an ideal, and individual dogs can be larger or smaller.

Do Cavapoos shed?

Some do and some do not. The Cavalier has a silky coat that sheds and the Poodle has a curly coat that does not moult, and a Cavapoo can inherit either type or a mix. If you need a low-shedding dog, meet adult dogs from the same lines and ask the breeder what coats earlier litters have had.

More for Cavapoo owners and breeders

Official sources