Cavoodle clothes need to do two things most dog clothes don't: stretch over a coat that changes shape every six weeks, and fit a dog that can land anywhere between a 5 kg toy cross and a 12 kg mini. The short answer is soft stretch cotton with a bit of spandex, cut with room through the chest, in a size you've measured rather than guessed. That's exactly what our Cavoodle clothes collection is built around, and the rest of this post explains why.
If you've ever wrestled a Cavoodle into a jumper that fitted perfectly last month and now won't go over their head, you already know the problem. The coat is the variable. Fresh from the groomer, your dog is a size smaller. Six weeks later, they're wearing a doona. A knit or fleece with no give has to be sized for the fluffiest version of your dog, which means it hangs off them for the other five weeks.
Stretch solves it. Our shirts and pyjamas are 190gsm cotton with 5% spandex, which means the same Small fits Rosie, our Cavoodle model, whether she's freshly clipped or overdue. It slides on over the fluff instead of flattening it, and it sits close enough to the body that it doesn't bunch under a harness. If you want the one product that proves the point, it's our Gerald the Giraffe dog pyjamas, which Rosie wears in a Small.
Why a Cavoodle's coat is the whole problem
A Cavoodle is a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel crossed with a Poodle, and the coat can come out anywhere on the spectrum between the two: soft and curly on some, wavy or almost straight on others. Purina Australia puts the breed at 25 to 38 cm tall and 5 to 12 kg, depending on the parents, and notes that the curly coat traps loose hair, which is why Cavoodles shed so little and need regular grooming to stop matting (source).
Three things follow from that for clothes.
First, the fluff is mostly air. A Cavoodle looks a size bigger than it measures. Owners who size by eye nearly always buy too big, and a too-big shirt twists around, catches on the lead and ends up round their elbows.
Second, a coat that traps loose hair also traps anything that rubs it the wrong way. Rough seams, velcro and scratchy wool all turn a tidy coat into a matted one, usually under the armpits where the garment moves most. Smooth, soft fabric with flat seams is kinder to the coat than anything knitted or fleecy.
Third, that coat is already warm. Cavoodles aren't short-coated dogs like Frenchies and Staffies, so for most of the year they don't need insulation, they need a light layer that keeps the fluff clean and gives them something soft to flop in. That's a cotton shirt or a pair of pyjamas, not a padded jacket.
What size Cavoodle clothes to buy
Our size guide lists Cavapoos under Small and Cavoodles under Medium, and that's not a typo. They're the same cross, but the name tends to follow the size. The smaller toy crosses down near the 5 kg end are usually a Small. The bigger mini crosses heading towards 10 kg and beyond are usually a Medium.
The honest way to know is to measure. Three numbers, taken while your dog is standing, with a soft tape snug but not tight:
- Chest: around the widest part, just behind the front legs. This is the number that matters most, and it's the one a fluffy coat lies about. Push the tape down into the fur so you're measuring the dog, not the hairdo.
- Neck: where the collar naturally sits.
- Back length: from the base of the neck to the base of the tail.
Then check the chart. A Small takes a 49 to 57 cm chest with a 31 cm back. A Medium takes a 57 to 67 cm chest with a 34 cm back. Between sizes? Size up, because the fabric has stretch and a slightly roomy shirt sits better over fluff than a tight one. And if the number turns out wrong anyway, your first size exchange is free, so order your best guess and email us if it needs swapping.
One more tip for the fluffiest Cavoodles: measure them a week or two after a groom, not the day before. You'll get a truer chest number, and the shirt will fit for the whole cycle.
Fabric: what works on fluff and what doesn't
Cotton with spandex is the sweet spot for a Cavoodle, and it's what every shirt and pair of pyjamas in our Cavoodle range is made from. It's soft against the skin, it breathes in a Brisbane summer, it goes on without a fight, and it washes cold and dries fast. The stretch is doing a lot of work here: it's the difference between a shirt that pulls on over a full coat and one that needs the dog to hold still while you line up sleeves.
Knitted jumpers look lovely on a Cavoodle in photos, and for ten minutes at the Christmas table they're fine. For everyday wear they snag on curls, hold moisture after a wet walk and shrink in the wash. Fleece is warm but it rubs, and rubbing on a Poodle-type coat means mats. Anything with velcro will find the fur sooner or later.
The other detail that matters more on a Cavoodle than on a short-coated dog is the belly cut. Our shirts sit higher at the front than the back, so the last toilet stop of the night doesn't mean getting undressed, and there's less fabric down there for a fluffy belly to soak and drag.
Pyjamas are the Cavoodle favourite, and here's why
Pyjamas are the Cavoodle favourite in our range. Part of that is the obvious: a Cavoodle in teddy-bear PJs is a ridiculous thing to look at and nobody can be sad about it. But the practical reason is that a soft cotton layer at night keeps the coat flatter and cleaner between grooms. Less rolling on the lawn in the fluff, less bed-hair in the morning, fewer little knots forming behind the elbows.
It's the same reason they're handy after a bath. A dry Cavoodle in a light shirt is a dog that isn't rubbing a damp coat into your couch.
Rosie wears the Gerald the Giraffe pyjamas most nights. The other Cavoodle regulars in our photos wear the Lil Dreamer blue pyjamas, which are teddy bears drifting on clouds across baby blue.
Shop the look
Three pieces from the Cavoodle clothes collection that fit a fluffy coat the way they should, all in 190gsm stretch cotton, sizes XS to XXL:
- Gerald the Giraffe dog pyjamas, from $28.95. Giraffes on blue, our own print. Rosie the Cavoodle wears a Small.
- Lil Dreamer blue dog pyjamas, from $28.95. Teddy bears drifting on clouds. The Cavoodle pictured on the product page wears a Small.
- Colour Me Gingham dog shirt, from $28.95. Every colour of the picnic blanket at once, for daytime wear that stands out against an apricot or cream coat.
Every print is our own design, made in Brisbane. Orders ship the next business day, your first size exchange is free, and two or more shirts ship free worldwide.
Ready to dress the fluff? Shop Cavoodle clothes and pick the size with a tape measure, not a guess.