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What is a puppy curriculum and is it important when looking for a cavoodle breeder?
A puppy curriculum refers to a cavoodle breeder's plan for the early socialisation and training of their cavoodle puppies. It typically includes a range of activities and experiences designed to help cavoodle puppies develop essential skills and behaviors, with people and animals, basic obedience training, exposure to different environments and stimuli, and more.
The concept of a puppy curriculum has been around for years, but it has become more popular and widely recognised in recent decades. The first documented puppy curriculum was created in the 1960s by Dr. Ian Dunbar, a veterinarian and animal behaviorist, who developed a puppy socialisation and training program called "Sirius Puppy Training." This program emphasises the importance of early socialisation and training in preventing behaviour problems in dogs.
Today, puppy curriculums are widely used by breeders to help puppies develop essential skills and behaviours, and to prevent behaviour problems later in life. This type of training is also used as an excellent foundation to give cavoodle puppies the best possible start in life and increase their chances of success as therapy dogs.
Hear from an experienced cavoodle breeder who uses a puppy curriculum to provide families with well-adjusted cavoodle puppies.
The other day I sat down with Enza from Cavoodled by Enza, a certified Tier 1 puppy evaluator to discuss the puppy program she follows with her cavoodle puppies, why she breeds and the importance of a puppy curriculum.
Enza is a mum of 3 and has grown up with a passion for all different dog breeds her whole life from owning Jack Russells to Rottweilers to Pomeranians to Labradors, Poodles and Cavaliers. But when I asked her why she chose cavoodles as a breed to go with she said “how could you not”! Which I couldn’t agree with more.
Enza loves how, “Both the Cavalier's sweet and gentle nature and the Poodle's high energy and intelligence are incorporated, making them such a beautiful breed. On top of that is the bonus of them being hypoallergenic, low shedding and the perfect family dog. I find the Cavoodle suitable for all types of demographic of people, whether you're an older couple or a single person or family, they just seem to mesh well in all different home environments. So they're just a super clever breed and I just love them.”
I went on to ask Enza a little bit more about what a curriculum means to her:
“So a puppy curriculum is something that you implement into your program that will help the puppy reach developmental milestones.
Giving the puppy the best start to life and letting them know that the world is safe. Building trust between them and providing different exposures and environments for the first 8 weeks of their lives. These exposures are really important in a developing puppy and it's super, super crucial to let the puppy know that, hey, I'm safe, the world's safe, you can trust people, and that's what this curriculum really shows them.
And by using a curriculum you're honouring your puppy by finding out exactly what they need, what their needs are, so that your potential puppy families can have their needs met as well by meeting the puppy's needs. In turn, I like to say this creates a once-in-a-lifetime puppy.”
What puppy program do you follow?
“I actually follow the Bad Ass Breeder program, which is a program devised by an American lady. She's also a breeder named Jeanette Florey, she empowers breeders to empower their puppies and gets breeders working together with the same sort of curriculum to avoid puppies being placed in shelter homes or in rescue centres because they've been misplaced incorrectly by breeders to owners because they haven't been assessed correctly. The curriculum is there to create a perfect match between client and puppy.”
Enza, give me a bit of a summary of what you actually do with the puppies each week up until they go home at 8 weeks:
“Basically from day one of birth to day three of birth, there's really minimal handling. Mum needs to get a bond with the puppies and the puppies need to develop a bond with mum. The only time we remove the pup from the whelping box is just to weigh the puppy, to make sure they're gaining weight and give them a quick health check physically over their body and pop them back straight back with mum.
From day three, we actually start the early neurological stimulation and early scent introduction, for about 14 days and every day we introduce a new scent to the puppy and record their reaction, whether it's a positive, negative or neutral.
After 14 days we actually start doing a 10-step puppy handling curriculum, which basically involves 10 different areas of touching the puppy. So it could be the ears, their gums, rubbing your fingers in their mouth, tugging at their tail, rubbing their back, rubbing their tummies, covering their eyes, touching their nose, rubbing your hands around their collar. All these are teaching the puppy to actually have touch tolerance.
So what we're saying to the puppy is, hey, in life you may not like being touched in a particular place and it may be uncomfortable. For example, the groomer, cutting their toenails, touching them is very uncomfortable but you're going to have to tolerate it. When they go to the vets, the vet checks their ears, checks their bottom, checks their tails, also checks their legs. Even though they may not like it, and some do, some are very comfortable with the handling, we're teaching them to be compliant.
Part two of the curriculum is sound. I play lullabies to the puppies every night before bed when their ears start to open which is around the four-week mark and desensitise them with different noises, you know, fireworks, babies crying, trucks, trains, kids playing in a park. They hear this day in, day out, day in day out.
Around four weeks I also start to introduce novelty items just outside their whelping box and it's things that don't move, nothing that's going to startle them, I don't force them to interact with anything at this point. They can go to the item, smell it, climb over it, walk away from it.
And gradually, as the curriculum goes on, we introduce different tactile surfaces for footing, bridges, under, over, things that move like balls, all different types of objects that they are going to be exposed to when they go home basically.
What kind of follow-up support or resources do you provide to puppy buyers to help them continue their puppy's training and socialisation?
“We give the owners the actual curriculum from 8 to 16 weeks with a list of different exposure places. So they can take the puppy anywhere from 8 to 16 weeks as long as the paws don't touch the ground. They can still take the puppy to the park, to a cafe, to a school ground to be introduced to different exposures as this is their critical socialisation time.”
Do you think cavoodle breeders or all breeders should be following a puppy curriculum?
“I think if you're a breeder and you're taking on the responsibility of the breed that also involves assessing the personality and temperament of the puppy and how you're raising them while they're in your care. I think you're doing your puppies an injustice if you don't have some sort of curriculum in place.
Probably one of the most important parts of the curriculum is my duty to recommend, I can't force a client to take a particular puppy, but I can recommend according to the client's needs what puppy would best suit their needs. My first and foremost is honouring my puppies and making sure that they go to a home that meets their needs.”
Surprise! mycavoodle is now going to be part of the Badass Breeder Curriculum Program!
I just want to thank Enza for her time and support, I’ve known Enza from early on when I started mycavoodle, she has been a number one supporter of my brand from day one and has such a beautiful kind heart. She is so knowledgeable, easy to get on with and has been an excellent mentor for myself especially when I had my own first litter of cavoodle puppies, Enza was kind enough to always pick up the phone with any questions I had.
She’s also empowered me to do better and be the best breeder I can be and that's why I have joined the Badass Breeder Program and my next litter of cavoodle puppies will be following this curriculum.
You can follow enza on instagram @cavoodled_by_enza or visit her website at cavoodledbyenza.com.au
Is Lyka a good option for my cavoodle?
Recently Lyka reached out to us to invite us to their breeder program. In this program they are working with reputable breeders across Australia in order to help support and empower dog owners about natural, wholefood nutrition.
As you know I like to feed my cavoodles fresh human-grade food with a mix of kibble and change it up now and again to keep them interested and not make them too fussy.
I actually bought Lyka last year for Bambi on my own merits (not with any partnership perks) as I was looking for a convenient solution to make my life easier and make healthy food prep for her less time consuming on my part. That’s when I came across Lyka and I was so impressed by their story and brand!
I built a custom box for her on their website, put in all her information and it spat out a custom plan for her weight, age and breed (side note - don’t you love when companies consider a cavoodle a breed in form drop downs, makes me so happy to see how far the cavoodle breed has come!)
The box came to about $154 and included 4 weeks worth of food, free delivery and the option to pause, change or cancel the box subscription at any time. I liked the sound of it because it meant I could feed her twice a day for around $5, was healthy for her and convenient for me!
The delivery arrived that week in a beautiful green box, with all the frozen pouches inside and even with a gift inside (sardine treats - which bambi and daisy absolutely love). The idea is that you defrost one or two when you need it and the rest stay fresh for months frozen so there is never any wastage.
Did my cavoodles like Lyka? The honest truth!
Short answer Yes, longer answer… we all know cavoodles love to change their minds!
When I first fed Bambi Lyka she loved it, I topped it with a bit of cheese and she would lick the bowl clean and I thought great that was easy, but that only lasted a few weeks…
Feeding it morning and night over time I could see she was getting tiresome of eating the same kind of textured food all the time, even though I chose different flavours. Which meant I needed to change up her food once and a while so she didn’t get bored of it or add different toppers.
Also I noticed sometimes if she would eat the Lyka too quickly, because it's like a minced form, sometimes she would vomit it back up and then try to eat it again as she’s always been a gobbler, so i changed from feeding it to her in a bowl to a slow feeder/licker mat and that's made a huge difference!
It’s even great to put inside a kong and mix with kibble, yoghurt and cheese if your cavoodle loves them, that way they slow down when eating.
At one point I ended up getting 3 boxes delivered and my freezer was overflowing, because I was alternating meals to keep it interesting for her and feeding her Lyka when I needed the convenience I paused the subscription.
But when Bambi had her cavoodle puppies she needed extra food and was always hungry so Lyka really came in handy again. Once Bambi’s puppies were weaned off her milk, I also gave them Lyka to try and they absolutely loved it plus the texture was perfect for them, even Daisy loved it too when I bought her home!
I still feed my girls Lyka to this day and also alternate their meals. I will defrost 2-4 packets of Lyka a week, feed them this for a couple days when I’m time poor and then cook up some chicken, rice and vegetables for them the rest of the week.
However Daisy seems to really enjoy the Lyka and Bambi will eat whatever Daisy is eating now so it’s been a convenient, healthy and affordable option for the both of them as we know how expensive meats and the cost of groceries has gone up recently.
To help you get started and try out your first box, use our 20% off discount code below to see whether Lyka is a good option for your cavoodle, we’d love to know your feedback and experience with Lyka as a cavoodle owner! Let us know if you do order a box as we'd love to give you a shoutout on our socials!
Our Lyka Referral Discount Code
Use our code at checkout: MYCAVOODLE20
As partners of Lyka we are able to give our pup's families and our friends a special referral code so they can get 20% off their first box of Lyka. Plus our future litters of cavoodles will now also get to enjoy the Lyka food range when we wean them off mum.
Check out more here https://lyka.com.au/
In our last box we also got the Go-to gut helper which is a supplement for their intestinal health when transitioning them to Lyka, between diets, post antibiotic treatments and also during emotional stress. It’s been formulated as an immunity booster and to reduce digestive issues which I’ve been giving specifically to Daisy lately as we’ve had a couple visits to the vet with gastrointestinal issues and she recently came off antibiotics so this will help restore the good bacteria in her belly.
The girls also love the sardine snap treats and go crazy for them so feel free to add them to your box, they have other options too which we are keen on trying in our next box as well!
More about Lyka
Lyka is an Australian owned, human-grade, fresh food company developed by founder Anna (for her dog Lyka) and holistic Veterinarian Dr. Matt Muir alongside a team of vet nutritionists.
Anna started creating homemade food for Lyka to improve her dog’s health after experiencing several health conditions despite feeding Lyka premium commercial pet food and exercising her daily. In just a few weeks she noticed Lyka had more energy, less tooth decay, a healthier coat and no longer had itchy skin.
In 2018 Dr Matt joined forces with Lyka sharing the same passion for dogs, their nutrition and has been able to use his veterinary expertise and incredible life experiences to help formulate Lyka’s whole food recipes and guide the Lyka pack on their journey to a fresh and more natural way of feeding. Lyka is also gluten, soy, dairy, lactose and sugar free.
Should I get a second cavoodle? How will my first cavoodle react?
The question almost every cavoodle owner has asked themselves at one point in time, should I bring another cavoodle puppy into the family?
I definitely was on the fence about this for so long. Here is a bit of insight to my experience bringing in another cavoodle into my family and also some other experiences from other cavoodle owners.
My experience with Bambi & Daisy
When Bambi was a puppy, I didn’t always realise how much work and effort a new puppy would be so I was quite content on not getting another pup for the first few months. But when I saw how much fun she had at the dog park with her cavoodle friends, I felt a bit guilty that maybe she would be better off with a fur-sibling.
The longer I waited the more I could see Bambi got more protective over me, (which meant we definitely created a strong bond together), however it occurred to me that maybe she would suffer from something called “only fur-child syndrome”, where she might not be so happy welcoming another pup into the family that would take my attention off her!
Call it a fur-mum’s instinct but that's pretty much what happened when I first bought Daisy home. There was definitely an adjustment period where Bambi was wondering why the hell mum decided to bring another cavoodle puppy into our home (one that wasn’t her own - at the time Bambi had just had her own litter of pups who were about 6 weeks old when I bought Daisy home). It’s funny how differently she treated Daisy to her own puppies, it could have been her natural motherly instincts trying to protect her puppies, and sometimes it definitely was, but other times it was just jealousy or showing her dominance.
Fast forward two and a half months and they are best friends, they sleep on one another, play together, chase each other around the house all day and when one is missing they don’t know what to do without the other!
How long did it take for Bambi & Daisy to get along?
For the first week, Bambi would not have one bar of Daisy, she was very distant and constantly snapped at her when she got too close to me or near Bambis food bowls and favourite toys. I constantly had to supervise them if they were both together in the same room/space just to make sure they were both okay and it took about 2-3 weeks until I didn’t have to worry as much.
I also gave Bambi her own space so put Daisy in a separate pen and tried to keep her routine as normal as possible, feeding them separately too for the first few weeks. Whatever I gave to Daisy I also gave to Bambi e.g. a treat, food or toy to make her realise she was on the same level as Daisy.
I constantly was correcting Bambi’s behaviour as well, a big one was around food, she growled a lot and was showing signs of protectiveness and resource guarding so to get on top of that I supervised their meal times and sat in between them while they ate almost side by side each other and corrected daisy to her bowl not bambi’s. I also hand fed them in very close proximity to each other and used positive reinforcement to show that's the behaviour I expected. Now they can eat side by side with each other and we don’t have any issues.
After a month they started to get along with each other and were able to move into the same pen to sleep in and now 2.5 months later you can feel the love between them, Bambi rarely snaps at her now (only if Daisy is really annoying her) and they have become best friends and inseparable.
Was it harder or easier to train a new cavoodle puppy when you already had one at home?
It was a challenge trying to train Daisy when I first bought her home as I had 7 cavoodles running around the house. When the cavoodle puppies went to their forever homes I was able to focus more on Daisy’s training.
Bambi knows lots of tricks and has major FOMO (fear of missing out) so whenever I am teaching Daisy tricks, she’s always there listening and doing the tricks herself which has helped Daisy respond faster to cues, but it also allows her to get distracted sometimes too as she just wants to play fight with Bambi.
That’s why it's been important to give Daisy one on one time with training with few distractions around, for this reason I enrolled Daisy into puppy obedience school for her to have time away from Bambi to learn and get used to other dogs. But luckily Daisy is very food driven so she’s been an easy one to train, she's 5 months and knows her name, can sit, lie down, stay, come, walk pretty well on a lead and is toilet trained inside and out.
Do you think gender played a role in any behavioural issues?
From my own personal experience I think gender did play a role in how Bambi first behaved towards Daisy. She has always been a little threatened by other female dogs whether they were cavoodles or not, she always tends to get along better with male dogs. She’s always had a very dominating personality and if I wasn’t in the breeding field and they were just full time companions I might have thought more about getting a male to suit Bambi’s personality. However I have always owned and loved female cavoodles and I knew deep down Bambi would eventually accept her, it would just take more patience and training.
According to the AKC it is generally “easier and often safer to own dogs of the opposite sex as in some cases same-sex combinations can be tricky to manage as dogs work out their dominance or pack order”.
I definitely agree with this statement if you have large dog breeds at home like staffies, border collies, kelpies, german shepherds or huskies, where the safety of the family and dogs could be in jeopardy due to their size, breed personality and genetic makeup. However any cavoodle owner knows that we can’t compare our smaller breed pups to these kinds of dogs.
Never have I ever witnessed or heard of two cavoodles seriously injuring each other on purpose where one has ended up at the vet or in a life threatening condition. This is because cavoodles by nature and genetic make up are not aggressive dogs - the breed mix of a cavalier and poodle means that they get the gentleness of the cavalier and the smarts of the poodle.
Therefore if you are thinking of bringing another cavoodle puppy into your home I wouldn’t worry too much whether your older one would physically hurt the new puppy it's more about will they accept the new puppy based on personality, dominance order and how attached they are to their current humans and will they feel more emotionally threatened by the decision of a female or male.
If you do feel like you’ve made the wrong choice at any point in time, I can assure you everyday it gets better, as long as you have the time and energy to put in the work and create an environment where both cavoodles feel loved and safe.
For any reason where the situation becomes life-threatening or dangerous well then it would be best to speak to a dog behavioural specialist or look into re-homing.
Was I happy with my choice to get the same breed again?
For me this is an easy one, a big YES! I don’t think I could ever own another breed, and if I did it would be in the toy poodle family anyway. Owning two cavoodles makes everything a lot easier from knowing how they need/like to be trained, what food they will and will not eat, what toys they like and what behaviour to expect.
How long did I wait until I got Daisy, if I could go back would I have got her earlier or later?
Bambi was 2 years old and 1 month old when I bought Daisy home. I think for me it was the right timing as Bambi was at a more accepting point in her life after raising her own puppies, she was less dominant at this point in time and when the puppies left she never felt sad or alone as she had Daisy to play with. Plus because Bambi is toilet trained on pee pads indoors and with tricks it made training easier for Daisy as sometimes it is monkey see money do! In this case cavoodle see, cavoodle do!
However being 2 years old Bambi was quite set in her ways and routine, I think maybe getting her a fur-sibling a bit earlier would have helped her adjust a bit quicker.
Billy & Gigi:
Feel free to follow @_billyandgigi & @_billybear on instagram. Billy bear is their Australian designer handmade accessories and apparel for your pooch.
How long did it take for Billy & Gigi to get along?
According to Brittany, Billy and Gigi’s mum, it took 3 weeks for her oldest cavoodle Billy to adjust to his new sister Gigi and act like his normal self again. He also suffered from only child syndrome and had to learn to share her attention.
They are now inseparable and she said it just came down to persevering, she never forced anything and realised just like anything, good things take time and she’s so glad she got Gigi as her and billy now are besties.
Was it harder or easier to train a new cavoodle puppy when you already had one at home?
“I knew it would be hard the first couple of weeks, but I didn’t think it would be that hard!” Brittany mentioned that Billy did struggle the first couple weeks but it was easier for her to train Gigi as she copied billy and was very food driven which helped too!
Do you think gender played a role in any behavioural issues?
In Brittany’s personal experience she found the gender thing indifferent to her situation. Personality was the biggest factor and when she was getting Gigi she told her breeder exactly what type of personality she was looking for to compliment Billy’s. The only thing she’s noticed is that Gigi is a bit more on the affectionate side.
Were you happy with your choice to get the same breed again?
Brittany says she’ll never not own a cavoodle again, hand down they are the best breed as long as you understand and are prepared to regularly get them groomed they are the best dogs temperament wise and suit any lifestyle!
How long did you wait until you got Gigi, if you could go back would you have got her earlier or later?
Brittany says she waited 18 months to get Gigi, this was because Billy was a very high energy puppy and needed a lot of attention himself and training ready for a sibling. She mentioned she wouldn’t have waited any longer either though as she thinks he may have become less tolerant to a new addition down the track.
Ollie & Winky:
Follow them on instagram at @itswoofs or read some of their amazing content at https://www.itswoofs.com/
How long did it take for Ollie & Winky to get along?
According to Iromi, Ollie was a very patient dog and they wanted them to get along from the start but Ollie wanted his own independence. Winky loved him from the get go but ear nipping was a bit too much for Ollie at times so the playpen and crate really helped.
Was it harder or easier to train a new cavoodle puppy when you already had one at home?
Winky has been easier to train as we’ve already been through the process and she tended to copy Ollie (the good and the bad). It also helped Winky was very food motivated so training wasn’t an issue at all.
Do you think gender played a role in any behavioural issues?
Not sure whether it’s due to the gender or dogs having different personalities but Winky was definitely more cheekier than Ollie. The only gender related issue we found was that she tended to do excited puppy pees when she was a bit excited but went away after a while.
Were you happy with my choice to get the same breed again?
Yes we’ll always have oodles since we deal with allergies and honestly wouldn’t have it any other way, they are great dogs!
How long did you wait until you got Winky, if i could go back would I have got her earlier or later?
We waited till Ollie was 2+ years old. I don’t think I’ll change that, there was a lot for us to learn and wanted to wait till specifically Ollie was ready.
Buddy & Belle:
Feel free to follow buddy and belle at @buddy.the.toycavoodle
How long did it take for Buddy & Belle to get along?
According to Aneta, Buddy was a complete mess and hated Belle for over a month when they first bought her home which she mentioned was really stressful.
He would shake and whimper when she was around, didn’t like being anywhere near her, if she touched him he would jump and run away.
However now they are obsessed with each other and can’t even go for walkies without each other!
Was it harder or easier to train a new cavoodle puppy when you already had one at home?
Aneta said as soon as Belle came home she started toilet training her, she was trained in under 2 weeks and still hasn’t made any mistakes till this day. However while training Belle, Buddy made 2-3 mistakes, she thinks it comes down to the well if she can do it, so can I mentality.
Do you think gender played a role in any behavioural issues?
Buddy is the calmest, sweetest boy ever. But after having Belle she is just amazing in every way, even though we love buddy so much “if” i knew I would have got 2 females. Buddy tends to be a very fussy eater and has bad separation anxiety, whereas Belle is a really good eater, sleeper and can stay in a pen all day if need be.
Were you happy with my choice to get the same breed again?
I’m so happy with the same breed; they are perfect together!
How long did you wait until you got Belle, if i could go back would I have got her earlier or later?
If I could go back I would try to get them both around the same time instead of 10 months later.
A few things we didn’t touch on that you might need to think about is the pros and cons of getting 2 cavoodle puppies from the same litter or at the same time:
Pros:
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Bonding: Raising two puppies together can provide them with a strong bond and a lifelong friendship, which can be comforting and enriching for both cavoodles.
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Socialisation: Puppies that are raised together are more likely to be well-socialised with other dogs and animals.
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Playtime: Raising two cavoodle puppies together provides opportunities for play, which is essential for their physical and mental development.
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Companionship: Having two puppies can provide each other with comfort and companionship, especially when you're not always home or when at work.
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Training: Raising two puppies together can make training easier as they can learn from each other and motivate each other during training sessions.
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Convenience: Raising two puppies at the same time can be more convenient for owners, as they only have to go through the puppy stage once and can provide mutual support for each other during the training process.
It's important to note that while there are potential benefits to raising two cavoodle puppies from the same litter, it can also come with its own set of challenges and requires a significant time commitment and investment from you to ensure both puppies receive proper socialisation, training, and individual attention.
Cons:
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Increased Expenses: Raising two cavoodle puppies at the same time can be more expensive, as you will need to provide double the amount of food, toys, supplies, vet bills and insurance bills.
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Increased Time Commitment: Raising two cavoodle puppies together can be more time-consuming as they will need double the attention, socialisation, and training.
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Difficulty in Training: Raising two puppies at the same time can make training more difficult, as they may reinforce each other's bad behaviours.
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Difficulty in Differentiating Between Puppies: It can be challenging to differentiate between two puppies of the same litter if they look too alike, which can make it more difficult to address individual behaviour issues.
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Inadequate Attention to each pup: It's important for each puppy to receive individual attention, and with two puppies, it can be harder to provide each with the necessary individual attention they need to thrive.
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Littermate Syndrome: Are behavioural and emotional issues that can arise when two puppies from the same litter are adopted and raised together. This can include separation anxiety, resource guarding, and dominance issues.
It's important to carefully consider these potential drawbacks before adopting two puppies from the same litter. Adopting two puppies can be a rewarding experience, but it also requires a significant time commitment and investment to ensure they receive proper socialisation, training, and individual attention.
Most pet professionals recommend you only get one puppy at a time to help them grow as independent, confident individuals. While it isn't impossible to successfully raise two well-adjusted cavoodles simultaneously, it's a lot harder, and you'll have to be careful to avoid something called “littermate syndrome”.
More about what is littermate syndrome?
Littermate syndrome refers to the behavioural and emotional issues that can arise when two cavoodle puppies from the same litter are raised together. When cavoodle littermates are raised in close proximity, they may become overly bonded to each other, which can lead to separation anxiety and other problems when they are separated. Additionally, littermates may compete for resources, including attention, toys, and food, which can lead to aggression and dominance issues.
It's important to note that littermate syndrome is not always a problem. However, it can be more likely to occur if the puppies are not properly socialised and trained, or if owners do not take steps to prevent the development of these issues.
To help prevent littermate syndrome in your cavoodle puppies, it's recommended to raise littermates as individuals, provide each with their own space and resources, and ensure that each receives adequate socialisation and training.
Good tips from the AKC about bringing in a new cavoodle puppy in your home and what to do during the “adjustment” period:
Supervise: ALWAYS keep your eyes on both dogs at all times, whenever they are together, until the adjustment period is over. Give each dog separate food and water bowls, and don’t leave food bowls out after mealtime. Don’t give the dogs bones or toys until they prove they get along as this can result in dominant behaviour.
Understand: The new cavoodle puppy was your idea, not your dog’s. In time, with help from the humans in the house, your dog will adjust. Until then, remember to shower the older dog with attention and love too so they don’t feel like they are being neglected.
Pens: Crates, pens, and baby gates will be a sanity saver for you and the dogs. Everyone, including dogs, need alone time. Also, make sure each dog gets time alone with you to bond every day.
Expect: Your older dog may correct your puppy with a growl or snap from time to time. This is how adult dogs teach puppies social skills. Your job is to supervise, so that things don’t get out of hand.
Reinforce: Reward your older cavoodle when they show tolerance for the puppy. If your dog doesn’t move away, growl, or snap when the puppy lies down next to him, say “Yes” and reward with a treat.
Like any training process, introducing, training, and socialising a new dog takes time. Remember to be patient, and if the relationship is consistently rocky, pursue professional dog-training advice.
When does my cavoodle need to be vaccinated?
If you’re a new puppy parent you might not know how this whole vaccination, worming and tick and flea prevention thing works.
I’m going to break it down for you in a simple timeline of when your cavoodle should be vaccinated, wormed or given their tick and flea medication.
Vaccinations for your cavoodle puppy are essential to protect them from contagious or potentially deadly diseases.
Vaccinations
Your cavoodle’s first vaccination will be the breeders responsibility.
1. Cavoodle 6-8 weeks old - first vaccination C3 - Distemper, hepatitis, and parvovirus
Distemper is a viral disease that attacks the respiratory, gastrointestinal system and neurological systems, causing inflammation of the brain. Initially, infected cavoodles will develop watery to pus-like discharge from their eyes. They then develop fever, nasal discharge, coughing, lethargy, reduced appetite, and vomiting. It is caught through airborne exposure (through sneezing or coughing) from an infected dog or wild animal. The virus can also be transmitted by shared food and water bowls and equipment.
Hepatitis in cavoodles targets the infected cavoodle puppy's liver, lungs, kidneys, spleen, lining of blood vessels and occasionally other organs. Signs of hepatitis can vary from fever, vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain, enlarged lymph nodes, tonsillitis, eye inflammation or swelling, and bruising on the skin. Your cavoodle puppy can become infected with canine hepatitis by consuming faeces, saliva, nasal discharge or urine from infected dogs.
Parvovirus attacks the lining of the small intestine leading to severe vomiting and diarrhoea often with blood. This can cause severe dehydration, shock and death, especially in small dogs and puppies. Parvovirus is highly contagious and can survive for long periods in the environment. It can be easily transferred through the faeces of infected animals, and dogs easily come into contact with these when sniffing the ground when on walks or at the dog park.
2. Cavoodle 10-12 weeks old - Booster Vaccination C5- Distemper, hepatitis, parvovirus, parainfluenza, and bordetella.
Your cavoodle’s second and third vaccination will be your responsibility, it is important you do not take your cavoodle puppy out on walks or out to dog parks during their first 14-16 weeks of life. They are highly susceptible to many diseases during this time until they are fully vaccinated.
Parainfluenza is a highly contagious respiratory virus component of kennel cough that results in influenza-like signs including coughing, sneezing, fever, lethargy & pneumonia or chest infections. It is highly contagious and commonly develops in situations where a lot of dogs are in close proximity with each other.
Bordetella is a highly contagious component of kennel cough. This is a dog-specific form of “whooping cough” that results in severe illness and cough in dogs. It is spread from dog to dog through aerosol droplets, direct contact, or contact with contaminated surfaces like food and water bowls and toys.
3. Cavoodle 14-16 weeks old - Final puppy vaccination C3 - Distemper, hepatitis, parvovirus, parainfluenza, and bordetella.
4. Every year after last vaccination - Annual Booster - Your adult cavoodle will require yearly vaccination boosters for the rest of their life to remain immune from these diseases
Worming
Intestinal worm prevention
Puppies should be wormed every 2 weeks from birth until up to the age of 12 week, then monthly until they are 6 months, then every 3 months after that for life. Be sure to check with your cavoodle breeder or pet shop when your cavoodle was last wormed so you can keep up with the treatment once you bring you furbaby home.
Be sure to select an all wormer which will cover for all intestinal worms including all major gastro-intestinal parasites like roundworm, hookworm, whipworm and tapeworm.
For small cavoodle puppies liquid wormers are best like the aristopet worming syrup for puppies and kittens, until they are able to take tablets like drontal, some options below:
Heartworm prevention
Unfortunately, most intestinal worm prevention does not cover heartworms, this is important to note as you will have to give an additional treatment to cover this.
Monthly tablets should be given from 8 weeks of age until 6 months old. After this you can continue with monthly tablets like the below or get an annual heartworm injection from your vet.
Tick & Flea Treatment
Ticks and fleas are a threat to your cavoodle puppy all year round so from 8 weeks of age it is important to use an oral or a spot on prevention treatment monthly.
There are many types of flea and tick treatments on the market but the one we like to use is NexGard Spectra as it does fleas, ticks, heartworm, intestinal worms and mites all in one easy monthly tablet!
Here’s an easy downloadable so you can track your cavoodle pups' vaccinations and medications:
Remember to always consult your vet if you have any questions about which product is best for your cavoodle.
How do I know if my cavoodle has separation anxiety or is it just normal dog behaviour?
Does your cavoodle constantly bark or cry when you leave the house or destroy your furniture while you’re gone? When you’re not in the same room with them do they pace or whine for you? Has your cavoodle become quite possessive over you with friends, family or other animals?
These could be early signs of separation anxiety and it’s important to see the signals early, understand why this behaviour is happening, reverse or prevent them in the first place.
To prevent this behaviour in the first place it’s important you lay a good foundation so you can have a well-behaved cavoodle. Puppy training, teaching your cavoodle puppy to be home alone, exposing them to all types of environments and noises, socialising them with other dogs and sleep training or crate training are all ways you can assist in developing a well-adjusted cavoodle puppy.
So what causes separation anxiety in cavoodles?
Similar to separation anxiety in human children, separation anxiety can occur in cavoodles too when they are separated from the person or people they are hyper-attached to. It can occur in the form of clinginess (always following you around), or fear (could be shown when they are aggressive towards anything they fear is dangerous to us) or in a strange environment.
There are other situations which can also cause separation anxiety in cavoodles, such as:
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Being left home along or for the first time
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Being left alone when they are used to constant human companionship
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Past traumatic experiences
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Their routine or schedule has changed
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Change of owners
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Change occurs in the family, such as a death of a family member or other pet, a birth, or someone moving out
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Moving to a new house
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It can also be genetic, dogs born to anxious parents are more likely to suffer from anxiety disorders
If your cavoodle is suffering from separation anxiety here are a few behaviours to look out for:
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Uncontrollable barking
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Scratching doors and floors
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Destructive chewing, such as chewing furniture
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Urination and defecation in the house if they are house trained
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Pacing
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Digging
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Trembling
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Increased heart rate
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Rapid breathing
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Attempting to escape the home or yard
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Self harming in severe cases
However, many people are quick to label their cavoodles behaviour as separation anxiety when the following should be ruled out first:
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Lack of physical and mental stimulation - this comes from exercise, walks, runs, playing fetch, playing tug a war with toys.
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Boredom - need more human or dog to dog interaction.
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Medical issues or side effects to medication.
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Barking due to a trigger, such as an unfamiliar sight or sound, car, person, mail man.
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Lack of appropriate chew items for teething puppies - treats or toys.
How to prevent your cavoodle from getting anxiety?
Have you been working from home and will now be going into an office? If you have been your cavoodle’s constant companion but won’t be anymore you could be at risk of having your cavoodle develop separation anxiety. Fortunately, there are many things you can do to prepare your cavoodle puppy for this change.
A personal example of separation anxiety behaviour we begin to see in Bambi was in the 2021 Sydney Covid lockdown which lasted 3-4 months, I was working from home alot, and she was pretty much with me 24/7. Since she was 14 weeks we have been going to a local small dog park and she used to play with all the oodles and run around for hours. One day about a month or two into lockdown i noticed she wasn’t playing as much with the other dogs and was more comfortable being around the humans or sitting in front of my feet which i thought was odd as she loved to have a good run around with her friends usually.
Then one day while she was sitting near my feet at the dog park, another breed came up to say a friendly hello to me and she growled and barked the dog away. I wasn’t too sure if it was jealousy or she was being possessive but I didn’t like what I was seeing and I could only put it down to one thing.. anxiety and a change in our routine with us being together all day at home together while she slept under my feet while I worked.
It started happening more regularly if there was a new dog she didn’t know at the park and tended to happen more with female dogs! It was so unusual for bambi as she's always been such a friendly pup and took us by surprise.
When we needed to go out (which wasn’t very often in lockdown) we also noticed she used to whine a lot longer than she did as a pup pre-lockdown. When we were both working full time and left her alone for 8 hours a day she was fine and now she couldn’t handle being without us for more than 10 minutes!
So how did we reverse this separation anxiety in Bambi our cavoodle?
Once I did a bit of research I realised we needed to change up our routine to reverse this bad behaviour, this meant no more dog park for a while, no more sleeping under my feet when I worked and when I could go out I would try to leave her home for as long as possible to give her some time away from me so she wasn’t so attached.
Even when I was home I would put her in her pen and let her settle in her bed away from where I was (out of sight) while I did stuff around the house or when I was working in the other room so she wasn’t following me everywhere I went.
I also tried to not give her too much attention or if she would whine for me to play with her, I would try to ignore her and encourage her to play without me so she could keep herself occupied.
A good tool for that is to set them up with a snuffle mat and hide treats which will keep them entertained for a while!
We also avoided making a fuss when we left or came home, ignoring her for about 5-10 minutes before we left and not greeting her straight away when coming home until she was more calm.
It takes time for them to change their habits but it’s all about consistency so don’t be too hard on yourself! Now we find her separation anxiety is much less than what it was during lockdown and going into the office and leaving her at home in her own space for hours actually helped create a “good separation” and find she is more balanced and happy.
Other things you can do to help your cavoodle’s separation anxiety when you leave the house is:
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Leave them a piece of clothing that smells like you, i usually leave a sock.
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Establish a word or action to use every time you leave that will let them know you will be back, I use “mummy will be back”.
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Make sure they are exercised out! Morning walks are great! By wearing them out before you go to work it should help them to relax and rest while you’re not there.
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Provide some audio stimulation like leaving a tv on or stimulation toys - make sure its safe to leave without supervision
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Make sure they have enough water and they’ve eaten and done their business before you leave.
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Doggy daycare - this is a great way for them to socialise if you have a local doggy daycare in the area that can tire them out
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Get them a sibling! With dogs being pack animals, sometimes having a friend can help anxiety as well as keep each other entertained while you’re not at home.
If you are unsure if your cavoodle has separation anxiety, always speak to your vet to see if they can help or suggest any local behavioural trainers that can help you.
Why is my cavoodle puppy shedding?
It is sometimes unknown to new cavoodle parents that cavoodles have a “puppy coat” and actually shed this before they get their adult coat. If your cavoodle is between the age of 12 weeks to 6 months they could just be shedding their puppy coat.
They are born with a single coat of soft, fluffy fur that helps regulate their body temperature. When they shed this cavoodle puppy coat and their adult coat comes through, it is usually thicker and stiffer than their puppy coat.
During this time you might find allergy or hay fever sufferers in your home may be extra sensitive to your cavoodle puppy.
Things to look out for that might not be their puppy coat shedding:
While shedding their puppy coat is normal, if your cavoodle pup has large patches of bare skin, sores, rashes, bumps or it looks inflamed it might not be shedding and you need to go take them to the vet immediately.
Why didn’t my breeder tell me my cavoodle would shed?
Some backyard breeders or pet shops will tell you cavoodles are non-shedding, hypoallergenic dogs. Believe it from me, an allergy sufferer, when I say that no cavoodle can be 100% non-shedding or perfect for anyone that may suffer from allergies or hay-fever.
Cavoodles are definitely a low-shedding dog and are a better option for people who are sensitive to dog hair or have low-medium allergies. In saying that every cavoodle is different and there are actually many different parts of a dog that can cause allergies, including their saliva, fur and dander (skin particles).
People can overcome minor allergies and build up a tolerance, however unfortunately I've heard of many scenarios where families buy cavoodles when their children suffer from extreme allergies and have had to re-home them.
If you or a family member have allergies and are looking into a cavoodle, we recommend talking to any friends, family or neighbours that have cavoodles and seeing if you are able to spend short amounts of time with them to see if you can handle being around one or not.
Also you may find an F1B cavoodle that's mixed with a poodle x 1st generation cavoodle could be better suited for you as they are less likely to have straight hair like a cavalier; due to the likely hood of having a woollen or fleece coat having more poodle in their DNA.
What can I do to stop my cavoodle puppy from shedding?
You can’t help your cavoodle puppy shedding over time or in its “puppy coat” phase. However you can help minimise it going everywhere by brushing them daily! Brushing your cavoodle regularly for 15 mins a day will not only help them get used to the routine but will actually help encourage more shedding, which will help the shedding phase be over much quicker!
The mycavoodle grooming set is the perfect starter kit for pampering and deshedding your cavoodle puppy.
It includes a de-shedding tool, pin and bristle brush, nail scissors, comb and slicker brush.
These mini wooden stainless steel tools are perfect for keeping your cavoodle well maintained.
The De-Shedding tool is an open knot de-matting and de-shedding tool is what every cavoodle owner needs to maintain a knot free coat between grooms. This tool removes the undercoat, any loose fur, eliminates knots and trapped dirt to keep your cavoodles coat tangle-free. This tool will also eliminate any light shedding when used frequently. Just softly run through the coat with the open claw looking side of the tool to grab old hair.
The Pin and bristle brush is two-sided and perfect for removing fine dirt and adding shine to the coat. The pin end is great for beginners for a light detangling groom. Regular brushing with the bristle side resembles a massage on the skin and will increase oil production on your cavoodles coat, which can help reduce excessive shedding and improve the overall shine. The bristle side is also perfect to get young pups used to the brushing process early on.
The Nail Scissors are ideal for keeping their nails short to protect against scratching and nasty rips on furniture. It’s really important not to cut the live quick; this is the pink area within the nail where the nerves and blood vessels are. Cutting into the quick will cause pain and bleeding, so avoid it by at least a few millimeters. If your cavoodle has clear nails, the quick will look pink. so stop before you trim this point. If your cavoodle has dark nails, avoid the quick by cutting small slivers until you see a grey or pink oval starting to appear within the exposed part of the nail – stop when you see this.
The Comb is perfectly designed with fine and thicker teeth to go through a thick cavoodle coat. Ideal for removal of large mats, tangles, fleas and their droppings or to carefully remove dried up tear stains under the eyes.
The Slicker Brush makes your cavoodles coat fluffy as if they've just gone to the groomers! Ideal for thick or curly-coated cavoodles with fleece or wool that require rigorous grooming to remove debris, loose hair and knots in the fur. Highly effective at penetrating deep into the coat and removing malted hair that's shedding.
Remember to ALWAYS use positive reinforcement & high value treats to associate grooming with a good experience!
What is mental enrichment and why a lick mat can be a great tool for your cavoodles enrichment?
Mental Enrichment is a way to keep your cavoodle’s mind and body stimulated and healthy by allowing them to demonstrate species-typical behaviour. This helps to satisfy both the physical and psychological needs of your cavoodle by allowing them to perform natural behaviours such as sniffing, problem-solving, and foraging for food.
Just like humans, cavoodles like to be kept entertained and can easily become bored without enough to do. Boredom can lead to destructive behaviour like chewing homewares, over-eating, over-grooming, compulsive behaviour and even separation anxiety.
Forms of enrichment to help with the boredom includes using a lick mat with some of their favourite treats, puzzle feeders, sniff matts, ball pits, tug of war, supervised access outside of the yard to sniff around, going for a walk, or to the dog park to socialise.
What is a lick mat and why is it good enrichment for your cavoodle?
A lick mat is a silicone mat with shapes or elements to make it more interesting for your cavoodle to indulge their treats!
Food plays a big part of your cavoodle’s daily routine and can be used to reduce boredom. With a lick mat you can make their routine fascinating by trying treats on the mat to stimulate their mind and their curiosity. Some food ideas to try on a lick mat include:
- Wet food
- Plain Greek Yoghurt
- Minced meat
- Peanut butter
- Banana
- Canned fish (sardines, salmon)
- Pureed vegetables (pumpkin, sweet potatoes, carrots)
- Bone broth
Other reasons why lickmats are so effective are because they can:
- Reduced anxiety, boredom and destructive behaviour - can help calm and soothe your cavoodle during bath time and distract them! Also great for stressful times such vet visits, injections, nail clipping, injury recovery as well as thunderstorms and fireworks.
- Enhances the sense of taste - allowing your cavoodle to enjoy just a small amount of food. Perfect for adding supplements and medications to make it interesting.
- Promotes licking - The licking action generates saliva that helps protect your cavoodles teeth and gums, and can aid digestion as saliva contains enzymes such as Amylase. The natural rubber surface also scrapes food particles and odour causing bacteria off your cavoodles tongue, promoting fresher breath.
- Can double as a slow feeder - used to promote slower eating, which in turn reduces bloating and improves digestion. A great alternative to slow feed bowls. You can even freeze food and treats on the mat for slower and more enjoyable feeding.
Lick mats like the mycavoodle lick mat are food safe, freezer & dishwasher safe making clean up easy and will leave your cavoodle mentally enriched!
Why do cavoodles suffer from ear infections and how do I prevent them?
There are many reasons as to why cavoodles get ear infections on a more regular basis than other breeds. Here’s how to prevent them from occurring frequently and how to spot if your cavoodle has an ear infection.
According to Bow Wow Meow pet insurance one of the most claimable vet visit trips are for Otitis externa, which is another way of saying your cavoodle has an inflammation of the external ear canal (ear infection).
A cavoodle’s ear infection can occur when the environment within the ear canal changes and the canal lining swells and secretes excess wax.
The ear canal gradually narrows and the canal and external ear will become painful, itchy and red, and if left untreated, can lead to otitis media (inflammation of the middle ear) or potential rupture of the eardrum. That is why when you see your cavoodle experiencing these symptoms below you want to make sure you take them to the vet immediately.
Symptoms to tell if your cavoodle has an ear infection:
An ear infection can affect one or both ears, and can be severe and sudden in onset.
Common symptoms your cavoodle is suffering an ear infection:
- Head shaking
- Ear scratching
- Itchiness
- Redness of the skin
- Scaly skin
- Unpleasant odour coming from the ear
- Swelling
- Self-trauma to the ear, from scratching
- Aural haematoma from severe head shaking
- Discharge from the ear
- Signs of pain
Last time Bambi had an ear infection she was rubbing the side of her head and ear across the carpet in one of our rooms, I found this very odd behaviour from her and suspected she had an ear infection straight way, took her to the vert within a couple hours and they did a swab test of the ear to check, which came back positive.
To treat it we were recommended ear drops from the vet to be applied morning and night in the ear for 10 days, it cleared it all up and she's never had one since!
So what can cause cavoodles to get ear infections more regularly than other breeds?
The main cause cavoodles get ear infections is because their Spaniel DNA features such as their floppy ears are more susceptible to it due to them covering the canal opening, restricting airflow and trapping moisture within the ear. Same with the Poodle parent features, excess hair inside the ear canals can result in the trapping of moisture also leading to an environment of high humidity and temperature that can breed infection.
That’s why breeders and vet will tell you when bathing to try not to get water in your cavoodle’s ear as this can lead to an ear infection if not dried properly or enough airflow gets into the canal opening.
Other causes can include:
- Allergies, dermatitis and hypersensitivity to environmental allergens, such as house dust, grass and moulds, food
- Parasites and foreign bodies in the ear – ear mites, ticks
- Inappropriate use of topical treatments
- The shape of the ear canal – the ear canal of cavoodles are deep and curved, allowing dirt, wax and moisture to accumulate.
- Excess wax production in the ear canals.
- Trauma – usually from inappropriate cleaning.
So how can we prevent our cavoodle from getting ear infections?
Unfortunately the genetic downfall of this breed is that both parental breeds are more susceptible to ear infections due to their physical features, thus passing this on to their cavoodle puppies. However, it’s nothing that can’t be managed or fixed quickly and not cost you a fortune.
Some cavoodles will be more likely to get ear infections more frequently if they have the cavalier spaniel floppy ears and if they are extremely hairy under their ears and inside.
Ways to prevent your cavoodle getting less or no ear infections include:
- Keeping the ear canal dry and well ventilated, be sure to pat dry after swims and baths.
- Some groomers can shave or pluck hairs from the inside of the ear to improve ventilation if recommended by the vet.
- Do not apply anything to the ear that has not been recommended by your vet, such as home remedies or powders, as these can irritate an already-inflamed ear.
- Can look for a dog ear cleaning solution and massage the vertical ear canal from the outside ( get advice from your vet first).
If you can’t give your cavoodle baths frequently because they do suffer from ear infections regularly, check out our leave-in conditioner or everyday cologne spray to freshen their coat up without the need for submerging them in the tub!
How to avoid cavoodle puppy scams in Australia and find an ethical cavoodle breeder
During the pandemic many scammers took advantage of Australians looking for a cavoodle to add to their family.
So how do you avoid a cavoodle puppy scammer? Well, here are some things to look out for that are suspicious and how to find an ethical cavoodle breeder in Australia.
Things to look out for that are suspicious that scammers do:
- Use words like “cavapoo” instead of cavoodle. Cavapoos are american terms referring to the exact same breed, however Australian breeders will only call them cavoodles, not cavapoos.
- Target you on social media pages like facebook. If you belong to any cavoodle facebook groups and make posts about wanting a cavoodle, you might find you could become an easy target for a cavoodle scammer because they might see you are desperate.
- Set up fake looking websites, if they do they will pick fake or re-used pictures of cavoodles they might find online, the information and spelling sounds bodgy and there is no real information about the breeder themselves and where they are from and the process.
- Use fake advertisements on google or social media platforms with landing pages to make you enquire.
- Price the puppies really low (lower than market rate) if the price is too good to be true, it probably is!
- They will only ever speak to you by messages or maybe email - make sure the email looks legitimate, an email that looks like tony345@yahoo.com isn’t really trustworthy.
Things to ensure you are NOT being scammed:
- Make sure you are speaking to a real person.
- Once contact has been made, speak to the breeder directly either a phone call or facetime (be sure to check where the call is being made - from an area code, australian mobile? This will tell you it's legitimate, don’t trust a number that looks international).
- Ask the breeder for pictures or videos of the pup and the parents, be sure the quality is okay in the pictures (don’t know about you but everyone i know owns an iphone or an android with a good quality camera these days - If they look like they’ve been taken from the internet, move on!)
- Ask friends and family for recommendations if they have previously bought or know someone that owns a cavoodle.
- Ask them for their breeder identification number. The Breeder Identification Numbers start with the letter 'B' followed by 9 digits. The owner of an animal that has a litter must be recorded on the NSW Pet Registry as the first owner of each animal in that litter according to the Companion Animals Act 1998 in NSW.
- Ask if they are members of a breeding club, this means they agree to uphold their ethics, best practises and rigorous standards when breeding. Examples of memberships include RPBA (responsible pet breeders) or Ethical Pet Breeders Australian Registry https://www.ethicalpetbreeders.com.au/
- Are they Right Paw verified? This is a website purely set up in making sure finding a dog online is simpler, safer and more supportive.
- Ask for the microchip number or to speak to the vet clinic that has vaccinated the puppy and completed the Puppy Health check.
- Most scammers do not offer the option to pick up your puppy in person, ask if this option is available. This can occur at their home or other public location (this might be because they are worried about their puppies' safety and having people know where they live - its not always unusual).
- DO NOT deposit money into any accounts until you are certain you are not being scammed. DO NOT put money into any weird bank accounts, DO NOT send money via wire or money transfer. Especially do not deposit money into any ATM or perform card less cash. Do Not buy gift cards and provide people with numbers.
- On pick up ask to see the parents DNA test to make sure the breed is actually a cavoodle.
Cavoodle Breeders we deal with:
- Sydney Cavoodles - https://www.sydneycavoodles.net.au/
- Wollondilly Puppies - https://www.wollondillycavoodles.com.au/
- Cavoodled by Enza - https://www.instagram.com/cavoodled_by_enza/?hl=en
- Adelaide cavoodles - https://www.adelaidecavoodles.com.au/
- Ahernsdale Park Puppies - https://ahernsdaleparkpuppies.com/
- Vivid Cavoodles - https://www.facebook.com/Vivid-Cavoodles-100949778432028/
- Hidden Valley Cavoodles - https://www.hiddenvalleycavoodles.com.au/
- Sweet Ruby Cavoodles - https://www.sweetrubycavoodles.com/
Please note we are not verifiers of these breeders and have not met them in person, you need to do your own research if looking to buy a cavoodle.
Can you use mycavoodle shampoo and conditioner on other breeds besides from just cavoodles?
The short answer is YES!
Our products are perfectly fine to use on other breeds. We are just very passionate about the cavoodle breed and feel one size or type of product doesn't work on all dogs, especially cavoodles who have quite sensitive skin and a unique range of coats.
There is not enough information, guidance and products on the market that are specific to the cavoodle breed and thats when mycavoodle products and brand were born, out of the desire to help other cavoodle owners or future cavoodle puppy owners learn about this beautiful breed and give them superior, affordable products that are made of natural, sustainable ingredients which are kind to their new wool coated family member.
Toilet training your cavoodle puppy in the rain
So what do you do when it’s going to be a very wet summer, and you have to toilet train your cavoodle?
Well, I have experienced this first hand!
When I bought Bambi home just before Christmas 2020, the weather decided it would rain for 2 weeks straight; thus my puppy toilet training routine became much harder to enforce outside. She was barely even 2kg. I felt terrible forcing her to go out in the rain and do her business, plus the noise of the rain scared her, still does if it's really loud and heavy.
All I can say is thank goodness for puppy pee pads! We still use them to this day inside when we aren’t home and even when we are (we don't have a doggy door because we are in a rental right now, but when we move into our own house, I definitely will be installing one and training her to go outside more frequently).
Also, Bambi has always had a really small bladder, she could go up to 10+ more times a day some days, and so I found it easier to use puppy pee pads as otherwise nothing around the house would ever get done waiting for her to do her business 10 times a day.
Pee pads might not be the option for everyone or the cheapest option, but for those with cavoodles that live inside in small houses with no backyard, apartments or even go on lots of small holiday trips it might be the solution to having a really well-trained pup, she now goes on command which can be a lifesaver! It just takes a lot of patience and repeating the same word over and over again... "do pee pee, do pee pee....", you might get a few strange looks from your partner, but hey it works!
Bambi will still go to the toilet outside, on walks, at the park, in the backyard, but I found she is really comfortable knowing if we can’t make it outside or she’s at home by herself she has a safe place to go.
We tried the puppy grass mat, but she just thought it was a toy and would start tearing it apart, and I could just see what a mess she’d create in the house trying it with real grass!
After using heaps of different puppy pee pads and being disappointed I was always going to have to clean up the floor daily with a mop because some would seep. I then found the Kirkland Signature Extra-Large Absorbent Puppy Pads 100pk from Costco. They are the best for their size, strength and also only cost $39.99 for a 100 pack making them 0.39c each! These are also double the size of normal puppy pee pads, which means I was able to train her to use them more than once, sometimes she can go on the same pad 3-4 times and the box can last me up to a month or so.
But it’s totally up to you what you’re comfortable with, if you have a cavoodle that lives outdoors you probably don't have to stress too much about it, but if you have an inside cavoodle you might or might not be fazed letting them come back in a little damp or with wet paws or smelling a bit on the “doggy” side.
But Bambi is so cheeky sometimes I don't know if i could trust her to not do zoomies in all the puddles outside in the rain while i try to catch her! Would be a funny show for the neighbours at least…
If you really are struggling with toilet training, just remember they are like children, it takes time, patience, consistency and routine. But if you need help you can always contact a local dog trainer to make your life easier and get the basics right!
How to teach your cavoodle puppy to love the beach
When the weather starts getting warmer, it means many Australians head to the beach on their weekends and summer holidays, but what about your cavoodle puppy? Are they going to be able to tag along, and will they love the water?
Being mixed with a spaniel who was originally bred as a hunting dog, they were good swimmers and had no trouble staying afloat. Poodles also like water, as their ancestors were duck hunters and were always in or around water. This means naturally, cavoodles should also be good swimmers and love the water.
In saying that though, if cavoodles have not had the best experience around water as puppies, then this is where anxieties and fear around the water can occur. A beach can also be very different to a pool, lake or river, the loud noise of the waves is something cavoodles tend to be scared of most.
This is why the first experience your cavoodle has with the water and beach is so crucial to set them up for loving it in future.
How to introduce your cavoodle puppy to the beach?
When you can take your cavoodle out of the house after their vaccinations, a great day out is taking them down to a secluded, quiet beach or dog-friendly beach that doesn't get many visitors, this is because you don't want your cavoodle to get distracted by other humans or dogs as it can just get too overwhelming for them. Also you need to be careful around restrictions about letting dogs off the leash at certain times during the day for certain beaches as you can get fined by rangers.
Don’t force your cavoodle to go in the water if they don't want to. Just get them running up and down on the sand, be playful with them, throw around their favourite toy or let them chase the kids, making them have a fun first experience while they listen to the noises in the environment is enough to get them used to the beach and be a step closer to loving it. If you can pick a beach that isn't known for its big waves, the better their first experience will be.
When they are super confident, try running in the shallow parts of the water yourself and seeing what your cavoodle does, they can be little copycats sometimes so this is how you can get them to start interacting near the wet sand and shallow waves.
Once they are more confident, go further into the water and see if they follow you, naturally they will either chase you in and start “doggy paddling” to get to you or they just whine from the sand until you go back to them.
Doing this over and over again a few times we found Bambi eventually got confident enough to chase us in. Don’t be deterred if they shake, shiver, bark, whine and cry, they will do this to get attention, especially cavoodles that are less confident, remember they are still very young so they just want to be close to you, they will get better and do these things less and less with every experience.
You can even do this with older cavoodles as well to re-introduce them to this environment if they previously have had bad experiences at the beach and with the water.
Remember to be patient and take it at their pace, if you rush them, you could scare or scar them for life.
List of dog friendly beaches around Australia:
Be sure to check on your local council website about off leash times at these beaches as they aren’t always allowed to go any time during the day.
QUEENSLAND
The Spit, Gold Coast
Tallebudgera Beach
Palm Beach
Moreton Bay
Red Beach
Woorim Beach
Deception Bay Dog Beach
North Stradbroke Island
Home Beach, Point Lookout
Stumers Creek – Coolum
Ballinger Beach -Currimundi
Warana Beach (4pm-8am)
Moffat Beach
Hervey Bay
Dundowran Beach
Mackay
Far Beach
Townsville
Pallarenda Beach
Cairns North – Cairns Esplanade
Machans Beach
Holloways Beach
Palm Cove
Trinity Beach
Yorkeys Knob
Queens Beach
Kings Beach
NEW SOUTH WALES
South Golden Beach
Main Beach – Belongil Area
Tallow Beach – Suffolk Park
Manly Lagoon – Manly
Greenhills Beach – Cronulla
Silver Beach – Kurnell
Fairlight Beach – Fairlight
Horden’s Beach – Bundeena
Spit West and Spit East Reserves – Mosman
Sirius Cove – Mosman
Rowland and Bayview Reserve – Bayview
Bicentennial Park – Glebe
Clontarf Reserve – Clontarf
Flora and Richie Roberts Reserve – Curl Curl
Dumaresque Reserve – Rose Bay
Seven Mile Beach – Lennox Head
One Mile Beach – Forster
Boomerang Beach
Sandbar Beach Smiths
Lake Blueys Beach
Tuncurry Beach
Blackhead Beach
Caves Beach
Croudace Bay
Speers Point park (on the same lake as Croudace Bay)
Horseshoe beach (harbour)
Terrigal Beach
Ocean Beach
Umina Beach
Pearl Beach
Putty Beach
Forresters Beach
Lakes Beach
North Shelly Beach
Horderns Beach, Bundeena
Gunyah Beach, Bundeena
Collers Beach – Mollymook
Shoalhaven Heads
Culburra Beach
Currarong Beach
Swan Lake
Bendalong Beach
Bawley Point Beach
Wanda Beach
MM Beach – Port Kembla
Sharkeys Coledale
Coniston Beach
East Corrimal Beach
MCauley’s Thirroul Beach
Tathra Beach – Tathra
Short Point – Merimbula
Main Beach – Merimbula
Aslings Beach – Eden
Keith’s Pinch Beach – Eden
Haywards Beach – Bermagui
Beares Beach South – Bermagui
VICTORIA
Hobsons Bay Region
Altona Beach
Williamstown Beach – Williamstown
Ocean Grove Beach – Ocean Grove
Narrows Beach – Queenscliff
Marengo Beach – Apollo Bay
Middle Park Beach
St Kilda Region
St Kilda Beach
St Kilda West Beach
Birdrock Beach
Dava Beach
Hawker Beach
Fosters Beach
Royal Beach
Mt Eliza Beach
Flinders Beach
Rosebud Beach
Safety Beach
Tassells Cove Beach
Rye Beach
Shelly Beach – Portsea
Somers Beach – Somers
Edward St Beach Foreshore
Sandringham Beach Foreshore
Hampton Beach – Hampton
Sandown St Beach – Brighton
Lillydale Lake – Lilydale
Cape Woolamai
Cowes
Newhaven
Rhyll
San Remo
Smiths Beach
Sunderland Bay
Surf Beach
Ventnor
Cape Paterson
Coronet Bay Beach
Corinella Beach
Tenby Point Beach
Grantville Beach
SOUTH AUSTRALIA
Port Adelaide Enfield
Foreshore – Largs Bay
Almond Tree Flat Reserve – Largs Bay
WESTERN AUSTRALIA
South Beach
Leighton Beach
CY O’Connor Beach
Rocky Bay foreshore
North Fremantle foreshore
Whitfords Hillary’s – Hillarys
Peasholm Street Dog Beach – Scarborough
Between Margaret Street and Castle Street, North Beach
Between Bennion Street and Kathleen Street, Trigg
Part of Quinns Rocks Beach, Quinns Rocks, north from Tapping Way.
Part of Yanchep Beach, Yanchep, south from the northern end of Compass Park.
Part of Two Rocks Beach, Two Rocks, south of the southern groyne.
Geraldton – Very specific so make sure you view the link below and follow the directions.
Point Moore Lighthouse (West End) to 150km north of Hadda Way Beach Access near the Geraldton Surf Life Saving Club (Mahomets Flats)
Southern end of Glendidnning Road (Tarcoola Beach) to north of the Greenought River (Cape Burney)
Pages Beach (West End) to north of the Point Moore Lighthouse between the hours of 1600 and 0800
150km north of Hadda Way Beach Access near the Geraldton Surf Life Saving Club (Mahomets Flats) to the southern end of Glendinning Road (Tarcoola Beach) between the hours of 1600 and 0800
North Floreat Beach
South City Beach
South Cottesloe Beach
Vera View Beach – restricted
Mandurah- From Halls Head, Mandurah, Silver Sands, San Remo, Madora Bay
Wireless Hill Reserve (Ardross)
Booragoon Lake Reserve (Booragoon)
Melville Reserve (Melville)
Piney Lakes (Winthrop – as posted)
Foreshore areas between: Flannagan Road and Canning Bridge (Applecross)
Queens Road and Cranford Avenue (Mt Pleasant)
Secret Harbour
Golden Bay
Singleton
Port Kennedy
Waikiki
Safety Bay
Peron
Whiteman Park (Whiteman)
Reg Bond Reserve, Viveash
Cable Beach
Riddell Beach
Entrance Point
NOTHERN TERRITORY
Casuarina Coastal Reserve – signs indicate leash and leash-free areas
TASMANIA
Black Beach
East Devonport Beach
Adams Beach – Bridport
Howden Foreshore – Howden
Tyndall Beach – Bonnet Hill
Long Beach
Blinking Billy Beach
Nutgrove Beach
Cornelian Bay
Kent Beach Road Foreshore – Dover
Franklin Foreshore – Franklin
Mickey’s Beach, Randalls Bay
Lymington Road Beach Area – Cygnet