Dogs really are our best friends. They give us so much love and companionship, I really can’t imagine life without my dog. As companies move towards more time working from home, many people are realising that they can now dedicate time to having a dog. Here’s everything you need to know about the amazing cavachon dog breed, including behaviour and personality.
If you’re new to Take a Paws – welcome! And let me happily introduce you to my beautiful cavachon, Clover. Clover is 18 months old and has finally transitioned into a well-behaved dog whilst still having fun like a playful puppy.
In case you didn’t know, a cavachon is a cross-breed between a cavalier king charles spaniel and a bichon frise. Bichon/poodle crossbreeds are becoming increasingly popular for their non-shedding characteristic. However, it is important to remember that it is impossible to predict the outcome of a crossbreed and therefore, a hypoallergenic dog is not guaranteed.
Don’t forget to check out Clover’s 8 month and 11 month updates!
Let’s find out about the Amazing Cavachon Dog Breed: Behaviour and Personality!
Listening skills
I would say that Clover’s listening skills are excellent 85% of the time. This is a combination of her training and her temperament. Cavachons are known for their loving nature and willingness to please, and I’d like to think that my consistency in her training contributed too.
Clover’s biggest issue when it comes to not listening, is when we’re out walking and she sees another dog. I want to point out here that she doesn’t always bark at every dog. She really does pick and choose which dogs she wants to bark hysterically at and generally they are the same dogs every time. And I don’t just mean the same breed – I mean the same dog. We have walked past one golden retriever several times, and she keeps her cool. If we walk past the other golden retriever who lives in our area, she loses it every single time. Once she starts barking, she finds it difficult to concentrate on anything else so sometimes it can take a few minutes to calm down again. We’re working on it…
For the most part though, Clover is well-behaved on and off the lead. She comes back when she is called and she allows me to put the lead back on without a fuss.
Playing and tricks
Clover is crafty when it comes to performing tricks. Unless she can see that you’re definitely going to feed her a treat, she will be stubborn. But show her some food and you’ve got yourself a dancing dog.
Clover is incredibly motivated by food which is why I only let her off the lead when I have food with me. For the most part, I trust her to come back when she is called but I also don’t want to take the risk. I make sure to always take biscuits to the park with me.
Clover loves playing with her toys. She’s very good at not chewing random things in the house (unless you leave paper lying around). When she wants to play, she’ll fetch one of her toys.
When Clover was a puppy, I was surprised at how much energy she had. Most websites will tell you that cavapoos are higher energy than cavachons but I disagreed with this – until now. Up to one year old, Clover was very active and wanted to play all day. Now that she has matured a bit, she’s happy to snooze most of the day as long as she gets a decent walk at some point. I like to take her out for 30 minutes to 1 hour on a morning, including off lead running time. Then she has a shorter walk in the afternoon, around 20 minutes. We also play with her toys and a tummy tickle is mandatory throughout the day.
Greediness
If you’ve read previous blogs, you’ll know that Clover has a tendency to be quite greedy. She will definitely steal food given the chance, however I’ve noticed that she’s stopped actively looking for food. I’d say this behaviour has definitely improved although watch what happened when I challenged her not to steal the chicken…
Social Skills
Clover is incredibly sociable with other dogs. She’s less trusting of humans due to the number of vet appointments she had as a puppy. However, I’m kind of glad that she’s cautious because it means someone is less likely to be able to grab her and take her.
At the park, Clover is keen to meet most dogs that pass us. She is wary of certain bigger dogs, although she still wants to play. I think she is nervous of getting crushed (and rightly so!)
As a puppy, Clover was quite submissive but since she has matured, she’s starting to stick up for herself. She lets other dogs know when they play too rough. In general, cavachons are known to be social dogs, but it is also up to the owner to give them the opportunity to socialise. This is best done from a young age and you can read more about socialising your dog here.
Personality
Clover is very loving and loves to cuddle. From what I’ve heard, this is a consistent trait within the breed. Cavachons are very affectionate and love nothing more than snuggling up on the sofa with you. I find that Clover shows a perfect balance between sitting independently on her own when I’m busy and coming to me when I’m ready to relax. She especially loves sitting at the front window and people watching. She also sleeps downstairs on her own at night without any trouble although she is keen to protect the house if she hears anyone outside.
Finally, as with all dogs, Clover is a funny little character and has little mannerisms that make us laugh every day. She has a keen sense of time and will tell us if we’re late feeding her. If James and I are having a cuddle, she makes sure to squeeze herself in between us to ensure that she’s getting some attention too. She’s weirdly obsessed with cats and makes a funny crying noise whenever she sees one – this is the same for squirrels too. And she loves nothing more than taking a dip in the stream during a warm summer’s day.
Summary of the Cavachon breed Behaviour and Personality:
- Lovable
- Social
- Playful
- Tendency to bark
- Low to Medium energy levels
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