CharlieOodles ~  Cavoodles and Spoodles

A: This I believe is by far the most important aspect of breeding Cavoodles. All Purebred dogs have been devoloped using a small number of foundation dogs in a closed population. This means that the inbreeding continues over time and the health problems and genetic disorders become more prevalent. Their are many different health problems affecting individual breeds of dogs. The Cavalier King Charles is a perfect example of the major problems that can arise after years upon years of inbreeding. MVD (Mitral Valve disease) is a heart condition affecting many Cavalier King Charles dogs. The condition can be explained in detail here http://www.cavalierhealth.org/mitral_valve_disease.htm#What_It_Is

This article gives some shocking insight into the health of the cavalier king charles it states that  "Degenerative mitral valve disease (MVD)*is the leading cause of death of cavaliers. It is a highly-heritable, polygenetic acquired heart disease which, statistics show, afflicts over half of all cavalier King Charles spaniels by age 5 years and nearly all cavaliers by age 10 years, should they survive that long" 

 There is no simple blood test to show if a dog has this disease or if it is a carrier of the disease which makes preventing this disease all but impossible. This disease does occur in other breeds of dogs but it is 20 time more common in cavalier king charles spaniels. To prevent passing this disease on to the offspring they breed, a breeder must take their dog to a vet cardiologist every year who will listen to the heart for murmers. Most breeders breed their dogs for the first time when they are between 12 months and 24 months of age, prior to them knowing if the dog will suffer from MVD. Many times MVA does not show up untill after the dog is 5 years old, at which time they have retired from breeding and it is too late for all of the offspring. Even if 2 dogs are clear of MVD they are most likely carriers and so can pass it to the offspring unknowingly. The article makes a very interesting point in regards to breeding Cavaliers  "Due to the pervasiveness of MVD in the breed worldwide, cavalier King Charles spaniels under the age of five years should not be bred (with one limited exception -- see MVD Breeding Protocol). Also, no cavalier should be bred after age five years if it developed an MVD murmur before the age of five years. Any littermates of breeding stock having early-onset MVD (mitral valve murmurs before age 5 years) should be taken into very serious consideration. All CKCS breeding stock should be examined by board certified veterinary cardiologists at least annually and cleared by the veterinary specialists for MVD, the closer the examination to the breeding the better. It is recommended that all cavaliers, breeding stock or not, be examined annually by board certified veterinary cardiologists after age one year. See the current list of health clinics for upcoming cardiologist examinations"

As stated above CKC should not be bred before they are 5 years old. And yet according to many kennel council regulations in Australia a bitch can not be bred that is over 5 years of age.

And the worst of it all is that Cavalier king charles are also prone to many other heath conditions such as PRD PRA Blindness, knee problems, hip problems, syringomyelia.

Now there are many responsible registered breeders out there that screen for all of these conditions, but unfortunately there are even more that don't. To my knowledge when a litter of puppies is registered, there is no need to provide evidence that measures have been taken to ensure that the breeding dogs have been carefully screened. It is simply the responsibility of the breeder themselves to do this. Most people buying puppies from registered breeders are not aware of the health problems associated with the breed, and more often than not the breeders do not provide this information to purchaser.

Ok so now for the actual answer to the question "Heterosis, known as hybrid vigor, is the added performance you get when mating parents of different breeds. It is free and nothing is spared to achieve it." - John Hough, Ph.D. Chief Science Officer, EPD International, Inc" 

In the case of a cavoodle when crossing a Cavalier King Charles to a minature or toy poodle, you are immediately Greatly reducing or eliminating the chance of that offspring being affected by heath conditions such as MVD because the chance of the poodle being a carrier of the disease is extremely low. Other conditions such as PCRD PRA can be common with both breeds also, however from the studies I have read the genes carrying these health conditions are much more unlikely to join up as homozygous pairs. So in effect the Cavoodles is FAR less likely to suffer from the health conditions of it's purebred parents. This is an extremley sore subject for registered breeders, as they will never admit to there even being such a thing as hybrid vigor. Their argument is that all dogs are of the same species, so they must all carry the same health conditions in their genes. This is quite laughable to me as if this were the case, then why do individual breeds suffer from separate health conditions to each other.

I am by no means against purebred dogs, in fact I am quite the opposite, I just feel that they have many problems, and as much as the responsible breeders try to screen and breed healthier dogs it doesn't guarantee that puppies will be free of congenital disease, there are even more breeders that don't and so it is a battle they may never be won. And so apart from the fact that to me cavoodles and spoodles are the most gorgeous looking creatures on earth, this one of the main reasons we have chosen our 2 breeds.

A; F1=First generation. This is the product of a cross between a Purebred Cavalier King Charles or an English Cocker Spaniel with a toy or minature Poodle.

F2=Second generation, this is the result of 2 F1 dogs being  bred together.

F3= Third Generation, as you have probably now guessed is the result of 2 F2 dogs being bred together.

So what does this all mean and what is the point of it all?

It has been our experience that breeding F1 puppies produce a fairly consistent looking puppy, however there is still a little bit of variation with regards to type, facial features and coat. Also the colour variety is limited to red (sometimes with white) Black (usually with white) and occasinally chocolate. F2 and above crossed make the full colour range available including Tricolours, Blenheims (white with red or chestnut) Black and tan and Ruby and Black and White

 It is my personal aim to get a consistency of puppies that have the cavalier face shape and placid gentle nature, but with the poodles beautiful curls or fleecy completely non shedding coats and intelligence. We are into our fifth year of breeding cavoodles so very much in the early stages yet, but I have set goals to strive for in my breeding program and I am very proud of my progress this far.  

 I am happy to arrange for the puppies to be desexed before they leave, however it is really not my preference to do so as desexing a puppy so young is quite risky. We have almost lost puppies in the past having them desexed. We do have the occasional umbilical hernia in our puppies, and will usually get these puppies desexed prior to leaving. unless the hernia is really small and looks as though it will close on its own. In this case we will discount the puppy by $50 to allow for the repair, if needed when they are older and being desexed. Desexed puppies are usually kept with us until they are 10 weeks.  

Purchasing a puppy can be one of the most exciting things you will ever do, however it is very important to be sure that you are ready for the commitment involved with bringing a puppy into your home

Here is a questionaire if you answer no to any of these questions then I stronly suggest that you reconsider getting a puppy.

1. Are you living arrangements permanent yes/no With a shortage of housing in Australia and a very competitive rental market, it is now almost impossible to find a rental home which allows you to keep a dog. I hear the same story time and time again of people having to give up their beloved friends, because they simply can not find a property that allows pets. It can be heart wrenching for both the dog and the owner, and is something that needs serious consideration.

2. Is your yard/fences dog proof? The last thing you want is for your puppy to get out, and be hit by a car, stolen or end up at the pound resulting in a fine and/or collection fee.

3. Can I afford to get a puppy ? Puppies are not cheap to raise, you will need to feed it a premium quality food, pay for vet treatments such as vaccinations, heart worming prevention, desexing...etc.etc If there was an accident and your dog was injured, could you afford sometimes thousands of dollars in veterinary fees etc ? Pet insurance is available, and is a great option if the answer is no.

 4.Have you consulted with all the members of your house hold? Bringing home a puppy will not work if not everybody is happy about it :) 5. Do I have time for a new puppy? Raising a puppy is not all fun and games, they will need strict guidance, training, exercise, grooming and quality time with you. Getting a puppy and leaving it  

We do not usually post our puppies until they are 6 weeks old. Some puppies are sold prior to this, as we do get a fairly large number of people on our waiting list.

In the past we have had up to 30 people on the waiting list, and when we do have puppies we would work through the list in order but many people had already purchased a puppy so it became a very time consuming and tedious process. So from now on we will accept deposits, those people that have paid a deposit will get to choose from the puppies available  in order of deposits recieved. We will keep them updated on suitable puppies as they are growing, according to their preferences chosen, and will ask them to make their final decisions (at 5-6 weeks of age) 

Then any puppies that are still available will be posted to a private webpage and all remaining people on the waiting list that have not paid a deposit will be notified and sent a link to view the puppies. They can then choose and pay a deposit on a first in best dressed basis. 48 hours after the emails have been sent out to notify people on the waiting list the puppies will be posted on the puppies for sale page, for the general public to view :)