Cavoodle Puppies
The Truth about Designer Dogs and Cavoodle Puppies
Aussie Doodles, Boxer Doodles, Cavoodle puppies, Doodleman Pinschers, Eskapoos, etc. You can practically have a designer dog for every letter of the alphabet. The usual claim made for these genetically engineered dogs is that they give you the best of both breeds. They are immensely popular these days. Especially the tiny teacup breeds you often see sticking out of a celebrities’ designer purses.
But are these claims true? Do these genetically engineered designer dogs actually deliver what they claim: a better dog?
Let’s take Cavoodle Puppies as our object lesson.
What is a Cavoodle puppy?
Cavoodle puppies are what you get when you mate Toy Poodles and King Charles Spaniels. As you might expect, you end up with a mix of traits of both the Poodle and the King Charles Spaniel. Typically, this means that you will get a tiny dog with the long locks of the Poodle but the cuter more expressive face of the Spaniel. So, you could end up with a dog that looks somewhat like the Bich or like more of mutt. In fact, in any typical litter you will find a variety of looks.
Cavoodle Temperament
When I think about the claims made for Cavoodle temperament, I’m reminded of the old joke: A noble prize professor met Marilyn Monroe at a party and suggested they should get together. “With your looks and my brains our kids could rule the world,” he said. Marilyn, however, quickly quipped in her trademark sexy whisper: “But what if they end up with my brains your looks, doc?”
The goal of breeding Cavoodle puppies is to create the ideal even--tempered family pets. If things go well, Cavoodles have the intelligence associated with poodles that makes them great candidates for training, but the affectionate inclinations of the King Charles Spaniel. This would make for a very easy-going puppy--sized dog that loves play and affection but still obeys your commands.
Of course, there is no reason why the Cavoodle might not end up with the prickly disposition of the Poodle and training difficulties of the Spaniel. In addition, the whole notion of doggy dispositions are themselves open to question. How much of a breed’s disposition, after all, has to do with their actual behavior and how much is their owner’s projection and expectations? Just as in other aspects of our lives, we often prejudge by appearances.
Health Problems
Many breeders claim Cavoodle puppies successfully avoid acquiring the health problems of their Poodle and Spaniel gene pool. However, if other breed mixes are a sign, it is likely the Cavoodle puppies will display a propensity towards the same health issues of their parents.
This is, indeed, what we find when we look at the diseases objective sources claim for the Cavoodle. Take Wikipedia’s list of possible Cavoodle health problems, for example: “Mitral regurgitation, Syringomyelia, Episodic Falling(EF), Hip Dysplasia, Addison's disease, Gastric dilatation volvulus, Thyroid issues, epilepsy, progressive retinal atrophy (PRA), and ear and eye problems”. A cross reference with Poodle and Spaniel health problems reveals roughly the same set.
Conclusions
So should you be for or against “designer dogs” in general and Cavoodle puppies in particular? Well this complicated question goes to the heart of the issue of whether we should try to play God with the course of a particular breed’s development. Most of the domesticated breeds we currently have are the result of some amount of manipulated breeding. If you take the Pomeranian, for example, the size and appearance of the current dog stem from Queen Victoria’s arbitrary preference for the smaller version of the breed; otherwise, we might still see that breed’s close connection to the wolf, a fact its current incarnation completely hides.
I suppose what it comes down to is this: When you choose a puppy, it is a lot like when you decide to have children. You can hope your child ends up with your best traits, but once you have let that baby/puppy into your life, you have a responsibility to give that being the best, happiest existence possible.