We purchased a Cavapoo puppy a few weeks back. Since then, a few people have asked us how much it cost us. There are no UK-specific Google articles I could find on this subject. So, in this post, I will share how much we paid for our Cavapoo puppy, Alfie. I’ll also go into where we bought him, and how much he has cost us since.
In April 2020, we paid £1,400 for our Cavapoo puppy. This was certainly at the cheaper end of the scale. We looked at lots of different ads and, typically, Cavapoo puppies cost between £1,800 to £3,000. The expensive price tag reflects the popularity of the breed: Cavapoos are the 18th most popular breed in the UK.
Note: for those of you in the USA, I wrote about this same topic of Cavapoo prices (focusing on buying a Cavapoo in America) with prices given in US dollars.
Where we bought our Cavapoo
We found our puppy via the pets4homes.co.uk website. This appears to be the most popular website for purchasing puppies in the UK. We found there to be a range of breeders from across the country advertising Cavapoos on Pets4Homes. However, we noticed that entire litters were being sold within hours of an ad going live. This indicates the popularity of the Cavapoo breed, most likely thanks to its small size, teddy-bear looks, and good temperament. Due to their high demand, you may have to travel quite far to purchase your Cavapoo. We had to drive for 2 hours to pick up ours.
When looking at ads for Cavapoo puppies, you will notice the terms “F1”, “F2”, “F3” etc. used. Please note that this indicates whether the puppy is a first, second or third generation Cavapoo. “F1” means it was bread with one parent being a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and the other a poodle, whereas “F2” means its parents were both Cavapoos, and so on.
Upon collecting our Cavapoo puppy, the breeder told us she had received 120 text messages in a single day. This is why I would recommend calling breeders rather than emailing or texting them, which is what I did. This way, you are able to cut through the noise and demonstrate to the breeder that you are a serious buyer.
What to check for when purchasing a Cavapoo
To ensure the puppy has not been acquired from a puppy farm, it is important to see the puppy’s mother. You also should check to see that the puppy is walking ok and wagging its tail. You should also ask whether the puppy has received any vaccinations and has been checked over by a vet. Other information to ask for includes; when the puppy was last wormed, whether the puppy is microchipped (if so you will need the details), and what brand of food the puppy is eating.
Other costs of owning a puppy
In our case, Alfie had not been vaccinated and so we needed to pay £65 for this, which covered the cost of a couple of injections needed before puppies can be taken outside. He had been microchipped but we still needed to pay £10 to transfer his microchip details to us. Of course, we needed to purchase a dog bed, food and watering bowl, a crate, a collar and lead, as well as toys, all of which came to about £100. Pets at Home is great for picking up all of this. We also bought a year’s veterinary insurance which cost £130.
Ongoing puppy costs
Ongoing costs of owning a Cavapoo puppy are mainly food, puppy pads and kitchen roll (yes, sadly your puppy is not going to go to relieve itself on the mat every time). This all costs around £10 per week.
My girlfriend and I are currently both working from home but are preparing to return to the office and have started to look at options for doggy daycare. The typical cost for this is not cheap at £30 per day!
Do we need to pay for puppy training?
Cavapoos are relatively intelligent dogs with a nice nature. As such, you shouldn’t have to spend money on puppy training, providing you can invest the time and effort to train your Cavapoo yourself. Do your research (Youtube is a great resource) and teach your dog basic commands like sit, leave it, etc. as early as possible. Similarly, you want to socialise your puppy with other people and dogs as early as possible so it is not fearful or aggressive of either when it gets older.
Conclusion
It’s not cheap to purchase a Cavapoo puppy and the ongoing costs can be expensive too, especially if you need to pay for doggy daycare. You need the time and energy to invest in a puppy as well as the finances. If you have decided you really want a Cavapoo and can afford it, then I can confirm they make fantastic pets! Our Cavapoo, Aflie, has certainly brought us a lot of joy.
If you cannot afford to purchase a puppy from a breeder then you could always look at a rescue dog instead. Giving a rescue dog a home is, of course, a lovely thing to do.
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