Cavachon: recognising a Cavalier × Bichon Frise cross
The Cavachon is a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel crossed with a Bichon Frise: a small, soft dog, usually white with coloured markings. Upload a photo to see how closely your dog matches.
Also known as: Cav-a-chon, Cavalier Bichon mix, Bichon CavalierCross of: Cavalier King Charles Spaniel × Bichon Frise
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About the Cavachon
Breeders in the United States began producing Cavachons in the 1990s, aiming for a small companion with the Cavalier’s gentle nature and the Bichon’s cheerful, low-shedding coat. Both parents have been lap dogs for centuries, and the cross follows them: affectionate, sociable, usually easy with children and other pets, and happiest with company most of the day. It is not a recognised breed, so the FCI, AKC and KC have no standard for it. Most are first crosses and appearance varies from puppy to puppy, but a round face, dark eyes and a pale coat with markings are typical.
How to recognise a Cavachon
- Coat is soft and fluffy, from loose waves to springy curls, and keeps growing until it is trimmed.
- Most are white or cream with apricot, chestnut or tan patches on the ears and face; tricolour and Blenheim-style patterns are common.
- Round head, short to medium muzzle, black nose and large dark eyes, often with dark rims that soften the expression.
- Ears are pendant and feathered, shorter than a Cavalier’s, and often carry the colour while the body stays pale.
- Small, compact body with a plumed tail that may curl loosely over the back like a Bichon’s.
Photo tip. Take the photo in soft daylight so a white coat does not blow out, and include the ears and face markings. Colour on the ears is a strong clue to the Cavalier parent.
Cavachon or look-alike?
Cavapoo
A Cavapoo is more often solid apricot, red or black, with a wavier or curlier Poodle-type coat. A mostly white dog with coloured ears and patches points to a Cavachon.
Bichon Frise
A Bichon Frise is white all over, at most with faint cream shading, and has a dense corkscrew coat often scissored into a rounded head. Coloured patches or long feathered ears suggest a Cavalier parent.
Shih Tzu
A Shih Tzu has a flat face, a very short muzzle, an undershot jaw and a long, straight coat. A Cavachon’s muzzle is longer and its coat waves or curls.
Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
A Cavalier has a flat, silky coat, long ear feathering and crisp Blenheim or tricolour patches. Fluff, curl or a mostly white body point to a Bichon in the background.
What a Cavachon inherits
Even with two fixed parent breeds, Cavachon litters vary. Some puppies take the Bichon’s dense curls and pale coat, others the Cavalier’s flatter, silkier hair and bolder markings, and patches can fade or spread as the coat grows out. Size stays small either way. The identifier knows the Cavachon as a type, so a white, wavy dog with chestnut ears often comes back as Cavachon; very curly white dogs lean towards Bichon Frise and flatter, marked ones towards the Cavalier. A DNA test gives the real percentages.
Health and care
- Heart health comes first: mitral valve disease is well known in Cavaliers. Ask for the parents’ heart checks and plan a yearly heart check for your dog.
- Ask whether the Cavalier parent had an MRI for syringomyelia, and about patella and eye checks on both parents; cataracts are known in Bichons.
- The coat mats quickly. Brush to the skin several times a week, trim about every six weeks, and wipe around the eyes, where pale coats show tear staining.
- Crowded teeth in a small jaw make dental care important, so brush them regularly. Measure portions too, as both parents put on weight easily.
- Bichons are known for skin and food allergies and bladder stones. Watch for itching or red ears, and keep fresh water available at all times.