Anbody have a Cavachon dog?

[coinkc]

My sister is needing to find a new home for their Cavachon puppy and has asked me to consider taking him. Does anybody have one that would be willing to share some info?

My daughter is 15 so no worries about small children. However, we are gone all day at school/work so the dog would be left alone during the day. (I would gate the kitchen off so he wouldn't have to be in a kennel all day.)

The puppy will turn 1 year old next month and my sister has had him since he was 6 weeks old. She purchased him from a reputable breeder.

I have never had a pet since I was a kid so really need to know everything there is to know about having a dog, all of the costs involved, etc. Thanks for any info!

 

[Aisling]

Two big things about Cavachons: they don't shed and they don't like being left alone.

 

[yoopermom]

Here in the Midwest we see many puppy mill/backyard breeders turning out these small "designer mutts" for big $$ and no care for health concerns. Hopefully this "reputable" breeder did the appropriate health testing before creating this puppy. (Cavaliers have some VERY serious health problems in their breed.) Crossing two long established breeds together does not make for a new breed (for many many years). A year old is when many of a dog's "teenage" bad habits come out, as well. They're not a cute puppy anymore, nor yet a docile adult. I would definitely consider hiring a trainer to evaluate this dog before you consider integrating it into your family. The few serious bites I've had in my years of working with dogs have come from small breeds like this where the owner thinks that the dog's aggression is "cute", and that they're just being "protective".

I hope for the best for you, maybe this pup will be just great!

Terri

 

[NEVERENOUGHWDW]

Every dog is different.
I say add to your family, you'll fall in love~

 

[goofy!]

My sister is needing to find a new home for their Cavachon puppy and has asked me to consider taking him. Does anybody have one that would be willing to share some info?

My daughter is 15 so no worries about small children. However, we are gone all day at school/work so the dog would be left alone during the day. (I would gate the kitchen off so he wouldn't have to be in a kennel all day.)

The puppy will turn 1 year old next month and my sister has had him since he was 6 weeks old. She purchased him from a reputable breeder.

I have never had a pet since I was a kid so really need to know everything there is to know about having a dog, all of the costs involved, etc. Thanks for any info!

Since a cavachon is just a fancy name for a mixed breed dog and not a breed itself, nobody can really give you any set answers on how this puppy might turn out.

Because it is not a breed, it will not follow any kind of breed standards. The puppy may be more like a cavalier or more like a bichon. The puppy could have the best of either breed,the worst of both breeds or any one of a million combinations of both the cavalier and the bichon. Since it is a mixed breed, there is no consistency between any cavachon like there is with an established breed.

As Yooperman mentioned, the Cavalier has some serious health problems in the breed, especially with the puppy mill or backyard breeder lines. Mitral Valve disease affects 50% of all Cavs by age 5 and nearly all by 10 years. (cavalierhealth.com) Serious Cavalier breeders work hard to breed litters with all the health clearances and very careful attention to pedigree to minimize the risk of the heart and other problems.

The problem is that no serious breeder would ever sell one of their carefully bred puppies to anybody wanting to create mutts. Thus, this leaves the "reputable breeders" of designer dogs using puppy mill and backyard bred dogs as their foundation stock. And with this comes all the serious health problems of the puppy mill stock.

Another thing to consider; every "reputable breeder" remains responsible for the puppies they put on the ground for the rest of their lives. In other words, if a puppy buyer needs to get rid of their puppy at any time for any reason, the breeder will always ask for first right of refusal. A reputable breeder always wants to make sure that their puppies stay out of shelters, so they usually want to be responsible for rehoming a dog, especially a young one like your sister's dog.

Why is your sister not contacting her "reputable breeder" to return the puppy?

Since the breeds involved in this puppy are prone to some serious diseases that could set you back thousands and thousands of dollars, I would be contacting this "reputable breeder" and ask to see the health clearances of the parents and especially the clearance from a canine cardiologist for the cavalier parent.

I would also have the puppy thoroughly vet checked, including a full cardiac workup by a cardiac specialist before I would even consider bringing it into our home. That combination has way, way too much chance of having serious medical problems that could run huge vet bills in the future.

 

[NEVERENOUGHWDW]

If a post has the word "dog" or "puppy" in the title it goes right to the breeding.
The puppy is here. I hope the family takes the puppy in and they have a love fest.....

This is not your typical where should I get a dog from? Puppy mill horror thread.

Geeesssshhhhhhhhh!

 

[goofy!]

double post

 

[goofy!]

If a post has the word "dog" or "puppy" in the title it goes right to the breeding.
The puppy is here. I hope the family takes the puppy in and they have a love fest.....

This is not your typical where should I get a dog from? Puppy mill horror thread.

Geeesssshhhhhhhhh!

I hope it would turn out to be a "love fest" too.

However, with the very serious heart defects that run in the Cavalier breed and more than a 50% chance the puppy has inherited some of the problems, you don't have to be stupid about it.

Have the puppy fully checked out by a veterinary cardiologist to rule out mitral valve problems and a regular vet for other defects.

If the puppy is clear of genetic defects, take the puppy and love it. If the puppy is going to eat into the OP's 15 old daughter's college fund in the next 5 years, then it would be best to return the puppy to the breeder before you are attached to it. That is if it really was a reputable breeder.

Just be smart about it. This puppy has a very real chance of incurring some very serious medical bills by the time it hits 5 years old. It is better to be aware of the future bills by knowing the medical health of the puppy rather than being blind sided by a 5 year old dog that is very much a part of your family that now needs some very serious $$$$ vet care.

Knowing what goes into the breeding of the dog is only being smart.

You wouldn't buy a car without a carfax, you wouldn't buy a house without a title search, why in the world would you bring a dog into your home without knowing its background and health condition, especially involving a breed that has some of the most serious health problems associated with it out of any breed out there?

 

[cornflake]

Just a note about the 'fencing off the kitchen so wouldn't have to be crated' thing. Properly crate-trained dogs enjoy being in their crates. It's home to them. Obviously you don't leave them in there 20 hours a day but I know a number of crate-trained dogs and when their people are home and the crate doors are open, they'll still sometimes go take their toy or chewy and go chill in their crates because they like it in there.

It also depends on what you mean by 'all day.' To some people, that's school hours, like 7 or 8 hours. To others, that's 12 hours. Given he's still quite young and it'll be a new environment for him, especially if he's not been crate trained, can you have someone over to walk him during the day?

A stay-at-home parent on your block with a small kid who might want to 'try' out a dog or let the kid play with a dog but doesn't want one in the house maybe, who would just stop by on a daily walk and take the pooch along?

A kid or adult on a different schedule who'd be happy with $5/day or whatever for a nice walk and pat session?

 

[coinkc]

Another thing to consider; every "reputable breeder" remains responsible for the puppies they put on the ground for the rest of their lives. In other words, if a puppy buyer needs to get rid of their puppy at any time for any reason, the breeder will always ask for first right of refusal. A reputable breeder always wants to make sure that their puppies stay out of shelters, so they usually want to be responsible for rehoming a dog, especially a young one like your sister's dog.

Why is your sister not contacting her "reputable breeder" to return the puppy?

Thanks for your responses everyone. The reason my sister is not contacting the breeder is because she really would like to keep the dog in the family. Her 5 year old son is very attached to the dog and if we took him, my nephew could come visit him. They are just not able to keep the dog in their home any longer for various reasons.

They have taken excellent care of him and he has had regular visits to the vet and has had all his shots/been fixed/etc. I'm just concerned about him being alone all day. We are gone about 10 hours a day so I'm just not sure it would be fair to the dog to have him in our home.

 

[msmayor]

Thanks for your responses everyone. The reason my sister is not contacting the breeder is because she really would like to keep the dog in the family. Her 5 year old son is very attached to the dog and if we took him, my nephew could come visit him. They are just not able to keep the dog in their home any longer for various reasons.

They have taken excellent care of him and he has had regular visits to the vet and has had all his shots/been fixed/etc. I'm just concerned about him being alone all day. We are gone about 10 hours a day so I'm just not sure it would be fair to the dog to have him in our home.

In my opinion, no dog (regardless of breed) should be left completely alone for 10 hours every day, no matter hold old it is.

Dogs are very social pets and they really need human interaction to be happy and thrive. If you consider that most folks normally sleep 6-8 hours a night, that leaves about 16 hours of "wake" time...and the dog is by itself for over half that every single day.

 

[louey]

Thanks for your responses everyone. The reason my sister is not contacting the breeder is because she really would like to keep the dog in the family. Her 5 year old son is very attached to the dog and if we took him, my nephew could come visit him. They are just not able to keep the dog in their home any longer for various reasons.

They have taken excellent care of him and he has had regular visits to the vet and has had all his shots/been fixed/etc. I'm just concerned about him being alone all day. We are gone about 10 hours a day so I'm just not sure it would be fair to the dog to have him in our home.

Do you have someone that could come in mid-day to take the dog out? In our area we have doggie daycare that might be an option too?

 

[BCV513]

My future in-laws have a cavachon. I believe most of the dog's problems come from being completely un-trained. But, the dog is a horror show. She is two years old and still not house trained. She goes to the bathroom wherever she feels like it (most likely the owner's fault), she bites, she steals food off the table, she barks constantly. And the bark is this loud, high-pitched squeal that goes right through you. Again, I really think most of these problems are my in-laws' fault. Also, I know the dog is supposed to be hypo-allergenic. But I sneeze and wheeze around her when my own sheltie doesn't bother me at all.

 

[LuvsDragonflies]

Just a note about the 'fencing off the kitchen so wouldn't have to be crated' thing. Properly crate-trained dogs enjoy being in their crates. It's home to them. Obviously you don't leave them in there 20 hours a day but I know a number of crate-trained dogs and when their people are home and the crate doors are open, they'll still sometimes go take their toy or chewy and go chill in their crates because they like it in there.

It also depends on what you mean by 'all day.' To some people, that's school hours, like 7 or 8 hours. To others, that's 12 hours. Given he's still quite young and it'll be a new environment for him, especially if he's not been crate trained, can you have someone over to walk him during the day?

A stay-at-home parent on your block with a small kid who might want to 'try' out a dog or let the kid play with a dog but doesn't want one in the house maybe, who would just stop by on a daily walk and take the pooch along?

A kid or adult on a different schedule who'd be happy with $5/day or whatever for a nice walk and pat session?

Great info! My boy loved his crate. I put a sheet around 3 sides so it was a nice, cozy den for him. He used his crate for about 3 years, then decided the couch was more his style.

Some dogs outgrow using them and some will use them forever. I saw one in a petcare catalog that was made of maple and was meant to be used as an end table. It was beautiful. $$$ but beautiful.

Before babyboy, I thought crates were awful, but he really loved his. Lesson learned.

 

[kacaju]

Thanks for your responses everyone. The reason my sister is not contacting the breeder is because she really would like to keep the dog in the family. Her 5 year old son is very attached to the dog and if we took him, my nephew could come visit him. They are just not able to keep the dog in their home any longer for various reasons.

They have taken excellent care of him and he has had regular visits to the vet and has had all his shots/been fixed/etc. I'm just concerned about him being alone all day. We are gone about 10 hours a day so I'm just not sure it would be fair to the dog to have him in our home.

My dogs breeder probably would not care if I *rehomed* my dog with family..BUT...being the responisble breeder that she is....SHE WOULD STILL WANT TO KNOW. She would then want my family members info so god forbid down the road my family member couldn't keep the dog...she still would want it back.

 

[Pigeon]

Why does she want to get rid of the dog?

If she got the dog from a "reputable breeder" (I don't know any reputable breeders who breed designer mutts though), she should have signed a contract stating that if she wants to rehome the dog with anyone at all, she is obligated to contact the breeder first.

A one year old dog should not be left home for ten hours a day alone. Can you afford doggy daycare?

 

[goofy!]

My dogs breeder probably would not care if I *rehomed* my dog with family..BUT...being the responisble breeder that she is....SHE WOULD STILL WANT TO KNOW. She would then want my family members info so god forbid down the road my family member couldn't keep the dog...she still would want it back.

Exactly. My breeder would trust me to rehome my dog with a family I deemed ok, however, she would need to know and all contracts would have to be in order so that the breeder would still need to have the dog back if the new family member needed to rehome. Responsible breeders keep track of where their puppies are.

Anybody remember the fiasco Ellen DeGeneres went through not too long ago when she tried to rehome her dog without contacting the rescue group first? While this was a rescue group, it could also happen with a persnickety breeder that values their sales contracts.

OP - if this was a responsible breeder that your sister got her dog from, she needs to look at her contract first before she rehomes the dog. If there is any provision in the contract about the breeder having a say in the rehoming, your sister needs to contact her responsible breeder first.

 

[Newx]

Thanks for your responses everyone. The reason my sister is not contacting the breeder is because she really would like to keep the dog in the family. Her 5 year old son is very attached to the dog and if we took him, my nephew could come visit him. They are just not able to keep the dog in their home any longer for various reasons.

They have taken excellent care of him and he has had regular visits to the vet and has had all his shots/been fixed/etc. I'm just concerned about him being alone all day. We are gone about 10 hours a day so I'm just not sure it would be fair to the dog to have him in our home.

I have a 15 month old cavachon,and love her to pieces.Yes she is a mixed breed and fairly new to the dog world,so have to watch this breed over the next few years.But if you watch the major dog shows there are a lot of mixed breeds and yes they can inherit some health problems. They are a loving dog,easy tempered dog.The problem I have with your arrangement is the 10 hours a day in the crate.They are a very social dog and need contact,and I think that is far too much time alone.For the dogs happiness I think you need to find another home where they will have stimulation and human other dog contact.

 

[Hrhpd]

never mind. Didn't realize this was a 3 year old thread. The pup has probably been long rehomed

 

[wvdisnut]

I realize this is a very old thread. I am not understanding why dogs are being discussed on a Disney blog. But being the owner of a year old cavachon, it was intriguing to me. My cavachon is just a delight although ornery because he just turned a-year-old. I hope I am able to post a picture here. Coincidently his name is Mickey Which officially makes him a Disney dog doesn't it?