Cavalier King Charles Spaniel x Poodle
Everything you need to know about the breed.
Characteristics
A Cavoodle is a hybrid cross between a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and Poodle. Known for their diverse range of sizes, colours, and coat types.
Renowned for their gentle nature and even temperament, Cavoodles have earned the title of Australia’s favourite family dog. Their blend of intelligence and trainability makes them perfect companions for households of all kinds—whether families with children, singles or seniors.
Their affectionate, playful personality also makes them ideal candidates for therapy work, offering emotional support and companionship to those in need.
Size
As cavoodles are a hybrid of two different dog breeds they can vary in size but are generally considered a small sized dog breed. They can be categorised into two main size categories:
Toy - 4- 8kg | 25-30cm
Miniature - 8-12kg | 30-35cm
The puppies parents can be a general indication of the size they will approximate to. However, not all puppies will take after their parents direct makeup of size, sometimes approximating larger or smaller than their mum and dad.
On average most Cavoodles weigh between 6 -10 kgs and are 30 - 35cm in height to the shoulder.
Ruby Paws puppies will range between 4-10 kilograms in size when fully grown.
Ruby
Colour
Cavoodles come in a variety of colours. The most common colours are:
Cream
Apricot
Blenheim
Black
Cavoodles can also come in rarer colours, such as; merle, brindle, phantom, sable, chocolate and tri.
These colours can vary in shade, sometimes lightening with age. Puppies can either be one solid colour or have faint to prominent white markings.
Ruby Paws specialise in red coloured Cavoodle puppies. However, from time to time, we will have a variety of other coloured puppies available.
Generational Breeding
What does F1, F1B & F2 mean?
F1 – First Generation = Purebred Cavalier King Charles Spaniel x Purebred Poodle (50/50)
F1B – First Generation Backcross = F1 Cavoodle x Purebred Poodle or Purebred Cavalier King Charles Spaniel (25/75)
F2 – Second Generation = F1 Cavoodle x F1 Cavoodle (50/50)
Ruby Paws mainly offers F1B puppies, with occasional F1 and F2 litters available.
Coat Types & Maintenance
Cavoodles have three main coat types:
Fleece Coat
A fleece coat has a soft silky texture which can usually hold a soft wave to a loose curl. This coat type is the result of breeding the Poodle and CKCS together. The fleece coat is considered a very low-shedding, hypoallergenic coat. This coat type will require brushing 1-2 times weekly and need to be groomed every 8-12 weeks depending on your desired look.
Wool Coat
A wool coat is dense in texture and resembles a tight, spiralling curl. It should have the appearance of the coat of a sheep or lamb and is most similar to that of the Poodle.The wool coat is considered a non-shedding, hypoallergenic coat. This coat type will require brushing 2-3 times weekly and need to be groomed every 8-12 weeks depending on your desired look.
Straight Coat
A straight coat is soft and smooth in texture and can be flat to fluffy in appearance. The hair will grow spiraticly on the legs, ears and body with shorter hair on the face. This coat type is most similar to the coat of the Cavalier. The straight coat is considered a moderate shedding, low allergenic coat. This coat type will require brushing once weekly and need to be groomed 1-2 times a year depending on your desired look.
At Ruby Paws we specialise in fleece coat puppies but will occasionally have wool and straight coated puppies available. We understand if you prefer these desired looks and will happily put you on a waiting list for any of our future puppies with these coat types.
We cannot guarantee 100% non shedding, as all dogs shed some hair – but our puppies are still great for people with allergies.
Health & Life Expectancy
With a sound genetic linage, the Cavoodle can be considered a healthy and robust breed of dog with a life expectancy of 10-15 years. To guarantee the health of our puppies all of Ruby Paws breeding dogs are regularly examined by our veterinary specialist to ensure they keep in excellent health.
Our dogs undergo extensive Genetic Analysis through Orivet at 12 months of age to ensure none of our puppies will be affected by the parents breeds testable, inheritable diseases. All dogs in our breeding program are tested and cleared of several breed specific diseases to Poodles and Cavalier King Charles Spaniels.
Ruby Paws puppies are fully vet checked before they are cleared to leave our care at eight (8) weeks of age. Our experienced veterinarian examines the puppy’s structure, bones, eyes, heart, teeth, ears and skin.
Exercise
Personality wise, Cavoodles are a low maintenance dog breed.
During puppyhood, a 15-30 minute walk is considered ideal as daily exercise for a puppy. Over exercising during the first 12 months of your puppy’s life can lead to lasting damage to your puppy’s developing skeleton. This includes but is not limited to the early onset of hip and/or elbow dysplasia. Therefore, it is not a good idea to take your puppy out as a jogging, running or cycling partner until they are fully grown. Excessive climbing up and down stairs and jumping in and out of cars as well as onto furniture should also be avoided.
Cavoodles as adult dogs require minimal exercise to meet their daily needs. The recommended requirement is 60 to 90 minutes of daily exercise for an adult Cavoodle. As grown dogs, they enjoy accompanying their family in all aspects of their daily lives, this can include a daily walk, backyard play, swimming, or a trip to the dog park. Cavoodles also enjoy socialising with other dogs.
Trainability
Cavoodles are highly trainable canines and can easily adapt to any living routine.
Ruby Paws puppies begin socialisation from birth with people and a variety of small farm animals to ensure they are adequately social and independent to transition to their forever families at 8 weeks of age.
Our puppies also follow a strict daily routine which includes basic crate, toilet, sensory and mealtime training. We strongly encourage our puppies’ new families to continue to follow this routine to ensure a smooth transition into their new homes.