Aibu to get a puppy cavachon?

[Onynx]

A friend of my aunt has a litter of cavachon puppies. She has both of the parent dogs. Our boys have been begging us for a dog for years (12,9&5). I had a King Charles growing up, my mum currently has a bijon frise. Aibu to ask the drawbacks of having a cavachon (and first dog for the boys?) I am a sahm so would be home most days. Also the dog is bright red- is that unusual for a cavachon?

Take the pup to a reputable vet and have an unemotional chat? Ideally both parents would have had a range of relevant health checks but no rescue will offer that either.

I also agree that I’d very much prefer to know the parents are healthy dogs and the pup has been raised in a family home. Many rescues have had an awful start and live with that for their whole lives. With 3 children that would probably preclude you from most rescues anyway.

I'm a bit confused, how is this "backyard breeding" and unethical? Is the suggestion that only pedigree, KC registered type dogs should breed?

Surely lots of lovely cross breed and mongrel pet dogs are the puppies of family pets like OP describes?

OP, my dog had a cavachon father and a Jack Russell x patterdale mother. Both were family pets in the same home and seen at the home with the puppies. I paid rather a lot for my puppy because I think the owners realised that this particular mix had turned out exceptionally beautiful! I put huge amounts of thought and research into getting my dog and ended up driving 3.5 hours each way to view the litter and again to pick her up. She's now a gorgeous 2 year old dog. Even the vet has asked us to let him know if she ever has puppies, because she's so fab and he'd want one!

I don't see my dog's origins as unethical but I am open to hearing why some would think it is.

Some of these portmanteau names are very similar and it's easy to confuse them. Perhaps the pup is actually a cavapoo (Cavalier King Charles/poodle cross) or a cavapoochon (Cavalier King Charles /poodle/bichon frise cross). If the pup has some apricot or red poodle in her parentage, she could well be a red colour.

Is the whole litter being given away for free? If not my concern would be that you are being given a puppy that can’t be sold as it has health problems.
However if there are no health problems I would take the puppy. I see a few cavachons when I walk my puppy and they have all been lovely dogs.

I expect the puppies will stand a chance also of ending up in a rescue as there are just too many dogs for the amount of homes. If not they are condemning another one to death.

I knew a breeder of Cavaliers, a proper breeder not a backyard breeder, she was devastated when something went wrong with her dogs. However the upside was that she stopped breeding, even though she only did it on a small scale.

Why are people breeding dogs in their home puppy farmers? I would much rather a puppy had been bred in a house than from a large scale breeder

OP I would check the health of the parents as some conditions could be passed down. I have puddle crosses and have made sure the parents have been free of PRA which causes blindness

You will encounter a lot of snobbery about “non Kennel Club” crosses but they are usually gorgeous dogs. Whereas it’s the Kennel Club thatbis responsible IMHO for creating some v unhealthy dogs, including the KC Spaniel

Watching Crufts I would say that many KC registered breeders aren't doing much for some breeds either e.g. Alsatians with the sloped back

I am assuming some of the health problems some dogs have are down to pedigree breeders in-breeding not down to mixing a cavalier with a poodle.

OP I have 2 cockapoos (gasp!) They are easy to train, came with health tested certificates, and have been no problem whatsoever. Yes, they need regular grooming. I groom them myself. All you need is a set of brushes, which you would need for most dogs, and a clippers.

I can't believe the venom spouted on MN about cross breeds. Yes, we all know puppy farmers exist. We all know puppy farmers farm all breeds - not just cross breeds.

I wonder where your puppy would end up if you didn't take it? If nobody took it I would think it would end up in a rescue shelter. The very place people are urging you to get a dog from. Personally, I would take the pup. If you rescue from a shelter the dog is unlikely to have health certificates and will, usually, have a load of behavioural problems. Not great when you have children.

If you Google cavalier king Charles images, the first 3 puppy images are bright red.

I know lots of people with various cross breeds. None have the health problems MN suggest. Instead of asking a load of internet strangers why not speak to a vet or people who own cross breeds so have experience of them? I belong to a cockapoo club, where we meet up on a regular basis. Considering these crosses are supposed to have so many health issues they are a picture of health and energy. The eldest if the group is 15 years old. Never had a health problem, other than those that most dogs get.

If you have considered getting a dog for a while and are happy with the cav/bichon cross is say go for it!

I have a labradoodle and a cockerpoo. Do I win a kind of “idiot who falls for designer dogs” prize?!

The thing is that my dogs are healthy and gorgeous. I like cross breeds. That they aren’t registered with the effing KC is a bonus!

Trying to work out what 'bright red' might mean.... this is my doggo.... he's pretty 'bright' on sunny days

Hi Called you 🖐

Oh yes, absolutely a prize idiot! How could you have fallen for dogs who don't have sloping backs, certain hip dysplasia or narrowed nasal passages making sure they have difficulty breathing? I mean, how could you buy a cross of two healthy, intelligent dogs? 😳😉

They are gorgeous though 🤗

Wow! Beautiful dog @curiositycreature 😍 Pretty much that colouring too. Right. I'm going to speak to the vet my mum uses. Thanks everybody for all the advice and the pictures of your beautiful dogs.

When we wanted a dog and looked at the rescue centres but every dog was a staffie. I'd never home one of these with children. You don't know the history or temperament of them.

We went for a Lhasa and she's a wonderful member of the family. As with most little dogs she doesn't malt but needs grooming every few months. And she's picky with her food. She likes to sleep on the sofa or the bed. Whats yours is hers, and what's her is hers.

Curiosity I love it when they rest their heads on pillows like humans do.

This is ours:

They are lovely dogs (I have a cavapoo) but I would want evidence that the King Charles parent had been extensively tested for all genetic disorders associated with the breed and ask for with certification. She/he should be older than 5 years old before having these puppies, to rule out that the dog has a severe form of the heart condition they are prone to. Asking the vet is a great start and also research online. Good luck!

Definitely some important questions to ask the breeder above!

As Nizuc has mentioned not everyone can find the right dog for their family in a rescue centre. My Gran adopted a rescue dog when I was little and although lovely he was a very demanding, psychologically damaged dog who tore furniture and did not mix well with other dogs. We have a lovely, affectionate Golden Retriever, if anything they have more health conditions than mix dogs (hybrid vigour is a thing and does lead to longer life expectencies in mix dogs).

Things to consider:

• Likely temperament (taking into account the breed & individual temperament of each parent and of the puppy if you are able to visit)- do take notice of whether the puppy is exceptionally shy or the runt of the litter (more likely to have health issues)
• Hip scores etc. of parents and whether they are free of congenital disease
• Whether they are unable to sell the puppy and if so why- take puppy to vets immediately to check that the breeders are telling the truth
• Whether your five year old is old enough to behave in a mature way around the puppy and to cope with any biting/nipping
• Whether you have other demands on your time/energy that mean it will be difficult to accommodate the puppy- if you are thriving at the moment then you're probably in a good place to get a puppy!

Oh also just to say that home breeders can be better than professional KC registered breeders- we visited one KC breeder who had multiple bitch-dogs that had had litters and when we asked who the mum of the litter we were visiting was she just pointed to the pen that the bitches were kept in and said 'one of those'!

Puppy farms are the worst!

We have a crossbreed. She is the healthiest dog I have ever had and I have always had dogs.

If you research properly, you'll see that health problems you get with Cavaliers all but disappear once you mix the breed

What utter, utter crap.

They also don't have squashed up faces that promote respiratory problems

Some do. Do you understand how breeding works?

Cavachon!?!? What the fuck is that?

Do I win a kind of “idiot who falls for designer dogs” prize

Yes.

That they aren’t registered with the effing KC is a bonus

Erm, why? That seems like an incredibly infantile comment. How my do you know about the KC and their extensive work into canine health?

Cavachon!?!? What the fuck is that

A fancy, made up name for a mongrel, used to dupe people into spending a shit load of money for them

I know someone with a cavachon and I've met a few out and about, anecdata says they don't have easy temperaments. Don't like to be left alone, don't like other dogs, skin problems and digestive allergies.

Not a breed for me.

So a cross breed then? What a fucking waste of time.

Why would anyone want a puppy that has come from a sire who has no health testing, bred to a bitch who has no health testing? Just because one is a Cavalier, and the other is a Poodle, doesn't mean that the genes are suddenly going to go 'oh haaai, you're a poodle! All my crap genes will go sit up the back and bask in the glory of your Cav genes!'

Actually they're crossbreeds not mongrels.

I have a 3yo one. Sweetest nature ever. They do have a fading gene so will normally lose a lot of their colour as they get older.

Yes, cavaliers have health issues so that's a risk.

It's very unusual for one to have the squashed features of a cav. They have quite a typical look. I'm on the UK cavachon fb group and they put a montage of 40 different pics up and nearly any of them could have been mine.

moody the Kennel Club is responsible for hideous pain and suffering in many breeds I’m afraid.

I believe they are seeing the errors of their ways for some breeds but it’s far too little and far too late.

I will only ever own cross breeds