Cavapoo Puppy Traits: 10 Cavapoo Traits

The Cavapoo: A hybrid breed of a miniature poodle and the cavalier king charles spaniel. Many characteristics have been linked to this popular mixed breed like good temperament, small size, non shedding coat, as well as separation anxiety, excessive biting and chewing, and picky eating habits.  We’ve had our Cavapoo, Gracie Lou, for 6 months now and these are 10 traits we have discovered about her. 

1. Silliness
Gracie is a playful puppy and within this playfulness her silly behavior really shows.  She is a wiggle worm! Her tail is always wagging and she can jump high for her short stature.

2. Short Size
Our cavapoo does have shorter limbs which is typical for the cavapoo since the cavalier is a short dog and the mini poodle usually has short leg genes.  Gracie’s legs aren’t super short like some variations of the Cavapoo which can lead to issues with the dog's vertebrate later in life.  Now, shortness isn't always the case with a cavapoo, especially if the puppy is an offspring of a standard poodle which is a taller and bigger dog than a mini poodle.

3. Tiny Puppy, But…
We got Gracie Lou at 8 weeks of age; she was only 4 pounds! She was so small that she squeezed out her dog crate her first night home.  But, as she has gotten older, she has grown into an 11 pound 6 month old puppy and she will probably get even bigger.  Cavapoos can be really small but it all depends on their parent’s size (usually). Gracie’s mom (a mini poodle) is 13 pounds and her dad (a cavalier) is 20 pounds.
​
4. Wavy, Thick Coat 
Gracie’s coat is so soft but she is not as curly as a poodle. While she is 50% poodle, she still has genes from a cavalier which is a dog with a straight coat that sheds.  We haven't noticed much shedding yet from her but she probably will shed lightly throughout her life. First generation cavapoos like Gracie are not 100% hypoallergenic. But, even if they do shed, their coat is thick and will need a daily brush with a good comb and the puppy will have regular grooming sessions. We started grooming Gracie around 3 months of age and introduced her to brushing even earlier.

5. Sweet Pup
Even though she is a ball of energy and silliness, she is very sweet. She loves to give kisses (on the face!) and will settle in a lap to take a nap. The older she gets, the more we notice this sweet and calm temperament and less of her uncontrollable puppy craziness.

6. Anxiety
Separation anxiety is a common trait that we hear other cavapoo owners complain about. Gracie didn’t like to be by herself in her crate at first, but with time she got more used to not being with humans all the time. We crate trained by completely separating her from us by putting her in the garage at night and having no one in the house while she is in the crate during the day.  With no one to sense, she would stop barking. Now, she has a companion (our mini poodle puppy named Benny) who is crated near her which has helped a lot as well. And remember, separation anxiety will happen with almost every new puppy; the owner just has to take the proper steps and not give in to teach the puppy that it is “ok” if they are alone.

7. Biting
Gracie loves to chew on our hands which is normal puppy behavior. But, a puppy must be taught that biting is wrong. We tell her “no” and also say “be nice” if she gets a little rough. She has responded well and usually starts to lick our hands after we correct her.

8. Picky Eater
Another trait we hear a lot about the cavapoo is their picky eating habits. While many cavapoo owners have discovered this about their cavapoo and complain that the trait has continued into adulthood, Gracie hasn’t shown excessive pickiness. When she was really young, she didn’t like to eat out of a bowl. We have learned the bigger the bowl the better! We think the most important thing for a puppy diet is to keep it consistent with a good dog food brand and no table scraps. Feeding a puppy human food will make them more picky about eating their dog food. Also make sure food is available to your puppy all day.

9. Drama Queen!
Yes, the most humanlike characteristic about Gracie Lou is her over exaggeration! Puppy’s do silly things like jumping off objects, walking between your legs, and wrapping up in their leash which can lead to hurting themselves. While most puppies will yelp and then forget 2 minutes later, Gracie will carry on with depression. She will even lift up her paw even when she didn’t even hurt her paw after falling on her side. So, you can say she isn’t the biggest fan of pain and wants to make sure she shows her disapproval of it!

10. A Variety of Colors
Cavapoos come in so many different color combinations. The possibilities are almost endless. But, if you are looking for a specific color, you need to look for specific parents and their color genetics.
Gracie came from a red mini poodle and a Black and Tan cavalier which resulted in her black coat and tan markings. Coat genetics take specific gene combinations (especially Gracie’s coat phantom markings). But I won’t go deep into the specifics of color genetics. Just know that depending on what their parents express and carry, a puppy can come out looking different from its siblings and parents.

​Well, there you have it! 10 traits about our Cavapoo puppy. Feel free to reach out to us either by commenting or on our Facebook/Instagram pages