The Cavapoo is a cross between the Poodle and the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. Poodle crossbreeds are meant to produce a dog with mixed traits and the non-shedding hypoallergenic coat. Therefore, by looking at the parent dog history, it is clear to see what traits your Cavapoo will inherit. The Poodle is an elegant, proud and intelligent dog, originally bred to hunt waterfowl. While it originated in Germany, it was the French who developed the distinctive breed further. The breed is very ancient, going back to Roman and Egyptian times where drawings and statues show dogs that look like the modern-day Poodle. It was in the 1400s when breeders started producing smaller versions of the Poodle, first the Miniature, then the Toy Poodle. The French used the Standard Poodle for duck hunting, the Miniature Poodle for sniffing out truffles in the woods, while the Toy Poodle was a companion to the nobility and wealthy families. Gypsies used these dogs in their circuses as they learned tricks quickly. The American Kennel Club registered their first Poodle in 1886. Poodles became the most popular breed in America in the 1950s, a position they held for more than forty years. The Cavalier is a descendant of the King Charles Spaniel. In the late 1600s, King Charles Spaniels were interbred with Pug dogs that resulted in a smaller dog with flatter noses, upturned faces and bulging eyes. But a man named Roswell Eldridge offered prize money during a Crufts Dog Show in London to anyone who had a King Charles Spaniel with the long nose. While a dog was found, Eldridge has sadly passed away, leaving other breeders to take up his mission to breed dogs similar to those in the paintings of Van Dyck of King Charles ll and his Spaniels. This dream of Eldredge’s was achieved in the form of the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel that we know today. The Cavalier has definite royalty in its blood, having been loved and adored by both King Charles 1 and King Charles ll. It comes as no surprise that the Cavapoo has a royal slightly superior air to their character from their distinctive history.
