Best dog food for a Cavachon
A Cavachon is a small companion crossbreed, a mix of Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and Bichon Frise, and typically ends up somewhere between the two parent breeds in size and temperament — often food-motivated and prone to gaining weight easily, which makes a properly sized small-breed food and careful portioning the two things worth getting right.
Feeding a Cavachon
A small breed
An adult Cavachon typically weighs 6–9 kg, so a healthy Cavachon eats a modest amount compared with other breeds. Every feeding guide on a bag is written per kilo of body weight, not per breed — start there, then adjust to the dog in front of you.
Life stage
A small breed is usually done growing at 10–12 months, which is roughly when a puppy food has finished its job. With a typical lifespan of 12–15 years, there is a long adult stretch in the middle; switch to a senior food when your vet thinks it is worth it rather than on a birthday.
Small mouths, crowded teeth
Smaller breeds get dental disease more often than big ones, largely because the same number of teeth are packed into a shorter jaw. Kibble size is worth checking, and a dental chew counts towards the daily 10% of calories from treats.
How much should a Cavachon weigh?
Adult 6–9 kgfully grown at 10–12 months
| Age | Stage | Typical weight | Of adult size |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 weeks | Just home | 1–1.5 kg | 17% |
| 3 months | Young puppy | 1.6–2.4 kg | 27% |
| 6 months | Growing fast | 3.3–4.9 kg | 54% |
| 10–12 months | Fully grown | 6–9 kg | 100% |
A guide, from the same rule of thumb our puppy growth predictor uses — each age is that share of the way to maturity for a small breed. Puppies grow fastest early, so a real puppy usually sits a little above the middle rows. Weigh yours and ask your vet if the number worries you.
Complete dog foods that suit a Cavachon
Complete foods from our range, matched to a Cavachon's size band and what the breed typically needs. Stock levels and delivery dates are live on each product.
Pedigree Can in Jelly Puppy 6 Pack
Complete Pedigree puppy food in jelly with chicken, lamb and poultry recipes
£10.15
Forthglade Cold Pressed Natural Turkey
Cold-pressed turkey kibble for dogs from 2 months, soft enough to mix with water for young pups
£45.99
Forthglade Cold Pressed Grain Free Salmon
Cold-pressed grain-free dry food for dogs, built on fresh and dried salmon
From£16.99
Forthglade Cold Pressed Grain Free Duck
Cold-pressed grain-free duck food with fruit and botanicals, in two bag sizes
From£16.99
Forthglade Cold Pressed Grain Free Chicken
Cold-pressed grain-free chicken food with fruit and botanicals, in three bag sizes
From£16.99
Forthglade Complete Meal Lightly Baked Turkey
A lightly baked complete dry food, 50% turkey, for adult dogs of any breed
From£12.49
Forthglade Complete Meal Lightly Baked Chicken
A grain-free complete dry food for adult dogs, lightly baked and built on 50% chicken
From£12.49
Forthglade Cold Pressed Grain Free Turkey
Grain-free cold-pressed turkey kibble for dogs, gentle on sensitive stomachs
£69.69
Forthglade British Classics Chicken Family Lunch
Complete Forthglade wet dog food with 75% chicken in a 395G tray
£2.45
Harringtons Puppy Turkey & Rice
Complete turkey puppy food with 30% protein and feeding bands by adult weight
£6.49
Harringtons Just 6 Dry Dog Food Lamb
Grain-free lamb dry dog food in 2KG and 12KG sizes, with size-specific formulas
From£13.99
Sizing the food to a small crossbreed
Cavachons generally weigh somewhere in the region of 5.5 to 9kg as adults, though as with any crossbreed there's real variation depending on which parent breed traits are more dominant in an individual dog. A dry food formulated and sized for small breeds suits most Cavachons better than a standard medium or large-breed kibble, which can be awkward for a small jaw to manage comfortably.
Because crossbreeds can vary more in size than a purebred, it's worth feeding to your individual dog's actual adult weight once they're grown, rather than assuming a fixed figure based on the breed name alone.
Managing a food-motivated small dog
Both parent breeds of the Cavachon have a reputation for being food-motivated and prone to weight gain, and that combination often carries through to the crossbreed. Measured portions using the feeding guide for your dog's actual weight, rather than a generous eye, and counting treats as part of the daily total, are genuinely useful habits for this breed.
A body condition check every few weeks — feeling for ribs without pressing hard and looking for a visible waist from above — is a more reliable ongoing guide than the scales alone, and catches gradual weight gain before it becomes established.
Wet, dry or a mix
Either format, or a mix of the two, can work well for a Cavachon — there's no requirement for one over the other nutritionally, provided whatever you choose is a complete food appropriate to their life stage. Some owners find a small amount of wet food mixed through dry kibble helps with a fussier eater without needing a full switch of format.
Whatever combination you settle on, keeping total daily calories consistent with your dog's actual size and activity level, rather than adding wet food on top of a full dry portion, matters more than which specific format you choose.
Common questions
- How big does a Cavachon get, and does it affect what food to buy?
- Most adult Cavachons weigh somewhere around 5.5 to 9kg, though individual dogs vary as with any crossbreed. A small-breed dry food, sized for a small jaw, generally suits them better than a standard medium or large-breed kibble.
- Are Cavachons prone to weight gain?
- Many are, since both the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and Bichon Frise parent breeds have a reputation for being food-motivated. Measured portions and counting treats as part of the daily total are worth prioritising for this crossbreed.
- Is wet or dry food better for a Cavachon?
- Neither is required over the other nutritionally — either a complete wet food, dry food, or a mix of both can work well, as long as total daily calories match your dog's size and activity level.
- How do I know if my Cavachon is a healthy weight?
- A body condition check — feeling for ribs without pressing hard, and looking for a visible waist from above — done every few weeks is a reliable way to catch gradual weight gain early. Your vet can also check this at a routine appointment.
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Written by Matt Garnett, who runs Giddy Pets and is a lifelong pet owner — not a vet. This is general information, not veterinary advice, and it cannot replace an examination by the vet who knows your animal. How we write these guides.