Ten things you need to know about the Cavachon dog before you buy one

The Cavachon is a small, fluffy and very cute little dog that not all dog lovers have heard of, which is because the Cavachon is one of a number of hybrid dog types that have only really begun to come to prominence in the UK within the last couple of decades.

Such dogs offer a lot of options for potential puppy buyers to pick a dog with a fairly specific range of traits that they might be looking for and that might not be present in any one formal breed – but by design, there can also be a lot of variance in terms of the traits possessed by any one dog of the type too.

If you’re considering choosing a Cavachon as your next pet, or if you’ve only just become aware of Cavachons and want to find out more, this article will get you started.

Read on to find out ten things you need to know about the Cavachon, before you go ahead and buy one of your own.

The Cavachon is not a pedigree dog breed

First of all, the Cavachon is not a pedigree dog breed, and as such, they’re not eligible for Kennel Club registration. This means that you can’t enter Cavachons in formal dog shows and breed-specific show classes, and also, there is no breed standard in place to compare dogs to in terms of their appearance and temperament.

Whilst pedigree status is by no means important to all dog owners, this is still something you should bear in mind.

Cavachons are the result of crossing Cavalier King Charles spaniels with Bichon Frises

Cavachons are a hybrid or cross-breed dog type, which is the result of crossing Cavalier King Charles spaniels with Bichon frises. Any given Cavachon might have one parent from each breed, or be a subsequent generation of Cavachon bred from existing Cavachon parents.

Sometimes, later generation Cavachons might be back-crossed to one of their two parent breeds, to reinforce certain traits that are considered to be desirable.

The Cavachon appearance can be quite variable

When you cross any two unrelated breeds and particularly, two breeds that are quite different like the Cavalier King Charles spaniel and the Bichon frise, the appearance of the pups that result from this can be quite variable, even when it comes to different pups from within the same litter.

Cavachons will often tend to be fairly middle of the road and take after both sides of their parentage equally, but they might look, and act, much more like one side of their parentage than the other, so choosing a hybrid dog of this type can be something of a lottery.

Some Cavachons have a low-allergy coat, but this is not guaranteed

The Bichon frise coat is tightly curled and low shedding, and most of the hair it does shed gets trapped in the rest of the coat rather than being dropped around the home. This trait is considered to be highly desirable by many breeders and puppy buyers, because it means less fur to clean up and also, because it may in some cases be less likely to trigger allergies in people who usually find themselves allergic to dogs.

Most Cavachon breeders attempt to achieve this low-shedding coat type in their pups as a result, but there is no guarantee that it won’t trigger allergies.

They need a reasonable amount of grooming

Due to the fact that the Cavachon’s loose fur tends to get tangled up in their coat rather than shedding, dogs of this type actually need quite a lot of brushing and grooming in order to remove it!

Without more or less daily grooming, Cavachons are apt to become matted up and knotty, and many owners of dogs of this type arrange regular grooming salon appointments for their dogs too.

They require a moderate amount of exercise

Cavachons require two daily walks of around half an hour each that should be varied and fairly brisk, but they are not overly challenging in terms of their need for exercise.

They don’t tend to be hugely fizzy or full of beans other than when on their walks, and are generally quite quiet and well behaved at home.

They’re very intolerant of being left alone

That said, Cavachons very much dislike being left alone, and will often become anxious and destructive if they need to stay without company for very long.

If someone won’t be able to be at home with the dog for most of the day, then the Cavachon might not be a good choice of pet, as they don’t thrive without almost constant company.

Cavachons may inherit health issues from both sides of their breed line

Cross breeds tend to be healthier as a rule than either one of their two parent breeds, because they have the hereditary benefits that come from hybrid vigour. However, both of the Cavachon’s two parent breeds have quite a long list of hereditary health issues found within them and some crossover between the breeds too, and so, Cavachons may inherit health issues from either – or both – sides of their breed line.

Research Cavachon health in detail before you commit to a purchase, and ask any breeder you consider buying from about health tests and breed line health for their own dogs.

They’re relatively inexpensive to buy and keep

According to our Pets4Homes statistics, the average asking price for Cavachons for sale in 2019 is £573 per dog, which is not hugely costly but on the flipside, may be considered expensive for a small dog that is after all, a mongrel not a pedigree.

Cavachons are generally fairly low-cost to keep too, due to their small size – but this does not factor in any potential unforeseen veterinary costs, naturally!

They may be a good choice of dog for a first-time owner

Cavachons are fairly middle-of-the-road in terms of their energy levels, trainability, temperament and core traits, and they’re compact enough to live happily in even small homes.

They tend to be considered to be a good choice for first-time dog owners as well as those with more experience, but as ever, they will almost certainly be a poor fit for anyone who doesn’t do enough research into the breed first and so, doesn’t prepare in advance for what to expect!