The Cavachon is a crossbreed of two very friendly purebred dogs; the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and the Bichon Frise. They are a very popular breed. They are intelligent, easy to train, and love attention from their human parents.
Why Are Some Cavachons Black?
Why do we have black Cavachons? Well, we don't get them from the Bichon Frise side of the family, that's for sure. The Bichon Frise is a white-coated dog. They may have other colors in their coat, such as; apricot, cream, and buff but not black. The Bichon also has genes that can bleach out the other colors in the dogs' genetic makeup and give the Bichon the appearance of being completely white.
Then we come to the Cavalier King Charles side of the Cavachon. The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel comes in four colors/combinations, Blenheim, tri-color, black and tan, and ruby.
Blenheim is chestnut and white, and ruby is red, so not too much black there either.
That leaves us with the two remaining Cavalier King Charles colors, which have black in them, the black and tan, which has a black coat, and tan patches to the face, ears, and tail. Then there is the tricolor which has a black, white, and tan color coat. So the black Cavachon color coat must come from Cavalier King Charles and most likely from the black and tan or the tricolor dogs.
Having said all of the above, there will always be exceptions to the rules. There are always surprises with the genetics of dog coat colors, which can be very exciting. We like the differences you can get with crossbreed dogs compared to purebred dog litters.
Breeders must be careful when breeding crossbred dogs from two different purebred breeds. A reputable breeder, should have DNA reports from the breeding pair to ensure that no genetic predispositions are passed onto the crossbred pups through recessive genes. They should also have records of any medical issues the dogs might have.
Can Cavachons Be All Black?
The Cavachon will never be completely black if they are a true Cavachon, but will come in nearly all-black but could have small patches of white or brown on the feet, tail, head, or chest. Suppose you come across a puppy that is like a Cavachon but completely black; it is more likely to be Cavapoochon than a Cavachon. The Cavapoochon is a three-dog cross between a Bichon Frise, a Cavalier King Charles, and a Poodle. This dog would still be very unlikely to be black all over.
Are Black Cavachon's Rare?
From the information above, if we say that the Cavalier King Charles representation was equally split between the four colors, the chances of a Cavachon having any black in their coat is 25%. So the likelihood of them being nearly all back would be way less.
By my unscientific surmising, one in four Cavachons will have some black color in their coat. But, as you move away from the first generation of the breed, the likelihood of more random coloring increases. The thing is, breeders can pair whatever color dogs they want. Therefore they can decide how the dogs will turn out.
Black is a dominant color and therefore may become more common for Cavachons. Breeders will produce more black puppies if there is a greater demand for them.
How Many Cavachon Colors Are There?
The prominent colors for Cavachons are white, apricot, cream, sable, brown and black, or some mix of these colors. There are a lot of Cavachons that are primarily white with apricot ears. They have the same colors as King Charles but tend to be less vivid.
Cavachons tend not to be symmetrical with their coloring because of the "bleaching" of the colors in the Bichon Frise. The bleaching may not be passed on to the Cavachon. The colors tend to be more randomly placed around the dog's body and would not be appreciated in purebreds.
The Cavachon is not a recognized breed by any leading kennel clubs. Therefore, it is left to breeders to decide which dogs are paired and how the breed will develop.
It's in the breeders' interest to keep the color variation as uniform as possible to keep the Cavachon brand familiar to customers.
Will Black Cavachons Change Colors As They Get Older?
The black Cavachon puppy will probably be more or less the same color as they get older, but the color may fade, and the white patches may get bigger. As was said before, the Bichon has a bleaching gene that lightens the other colors present. This gene will have a good chance of affecting the color of the Cavachon.
There is no way to determine if your puppy's color will change into adulthood. When buying or getting a black Cavachon from a rescue center, you must be careful that it is a true Cavachon. If another breed is mixed, such as a poodle, the dog's temperament could be different from that of a Cavachon. Every dog is unique with its own personality, so you will always have to take time and find out the various traits of your dog, good and bad.
Are Black Cavachons Different In Other Ways?
There is no evidence that the color of dogs affects their personality in any way. Cavachons are calm, and affectionate, and make a perfect companion dog no matter their coat color. The Bichon and the Cavalier have similar temperaments and intelligence.
Coat colors can be an indication of some medical issues. For example, it is unknown if a black Cavachon is more likely to have a medical issue than a white Cavachon. In addition, coat color can have a bearing on dogs' predisposition towards getting some genetic conditions.
It is crucial to know your breeder. A reputable breeder will know their dogs and know if there are any medical issues their pups are more at risk of developing.
Crossbreeds are a bit of a genetic lottery, and you never know what exactly you will get. However, your vetting of the breeder and their knowledge of their breeding dogs will increase your chance of getting a healthy puppy.
Every dog has its own personality, so you will always have to take time and find out the various traits of your dog, good and bad.
Conclusion
Black Cavachons do exist. They can be in various combinations of colors and also come in nearly all black, but this is quite rare. They will usually come from the Cavalier King Charles, either black and tan or tri-color crossed with a Bichon Frise.
Cavachon as a cross breed dog is not eligible for registration with American Kennel Club but you can register with the International Designer Canine Registry and they are recognized by the American Canine Hybrid Club, The Designer Breed Registry and The Mixed Breed Dog Clubs of America.
