Description

A small spaniel with a short, but definite muzzle, large brown eyes and silky fur.

Color

The colors are black and tan, ruby, red and white (Blenheim), and tricolor (chestnut markings on a pearl white background).

Category Size

Small

Coat Length

Medium/Long

Weight/Height Range

The average height of both dogs and females is between 12-13 inches and the weight is between 11-17 inches.

HEIGHT	MIN	MAX	WEIGHT	MIN	MAX
Female	12"	13"	Female	11 lbs.	17 lbs.
Male	12"	13"	Male	11 lbs.	17 lbs.

Ailments

Cavies are prone to heart murmurs, cataracts and subluxating patellas (slipping knee caps.) Cavaliers also have the highest incidence of any breed of Mitral Valve Disease. Pups should only be bred from specimens of the breed who have shown no sign of the disease at the older age of 3 - 5 years - a bit late for some to wait to start breeding, but perhaps necessary in order to eradicate the disease from the breed.

Suitable Breed for Allergy Sufferers

No

Common Ailments

Bones (Developmental) - Patellar luxation, Eye - Cataract - Hereditary, Cardiovascular (Acquired) - Heart murmur - Mitral valve disease, Ear - Otitis externa (canker), Ear - Ear mites (otodectes), Mouth - Malocclusion (Overshot or undershot jaw), Skin - Seborrhoea, fly catching syndrome (hallucinating condition), hanging tongue (neurological inability to retract tongue)

Personality

This is an affectionate, undemanding and easy to train family dog. They are excellent with children and the elderly. They are not excessive barkers but will announce strangers. They are not guard dogs however, as they greet most people warmly. Cavaliers get along with everyone, including cats and other small pets. Being relatively small and easygoing, they make good travel companions.

Intelligence

This is an affectionate, undemanding and easy to train family dog. Eager to please, it is wonderfully simple to train and can do well in obedience trials. It is a clean dog and will housebreak quickly.

Energy

Medium

Tendency To Bark

Medium

Overall Exercise Requirement

They will adapt to whatever amount of exercise you feel able to give but do need some regular exercise or they will put on the pounds.

Suitability for Personal Protection

Low

Suitability as a Guard Dog

Low

Suitability for Children

High

Ease of Transportation

High

Level of Distress caused if left alone

Medium

Level of aggression

Low

Other animal compatibility

High

Breeding & ownership

These dogs are relatively easy to feed, not requiring any supplements or special diets. The main thing to remember with the Cavalier is not to overfeed as they do have a tendency to become overweight.

Food Cost

Affordable

Average Puppy Price

Affordable

Other Expenses

The price of a puppy will be around $500-$600.

Grooming & showing

Cavaliers should be groomed thoroughly once a week. The nails and the hair between the pads of the feet should be trimmed once a month. This is a shedding dog but good grooming should keep the hair load on your furniture fairly low. Special attention must be given to the ears are they are drop ears and there is very little air circulation. No trimming is necessary and is, indeed, disallowed for the show-ring.

Grooming requirements

Once a week

Trimming required

None

Tendency to shed hair

Little

Show characteristics

The breed standard calls for an almost flat skull between the ears and a very shallow stop. The distance between the stop and the tip of the nose should be 1 and ½ inches and the nose must be black. The muzzle is tapered but not pointed and the lips should not be pendulous. A scissor or level bite is encouraged, while the undershot jaw of their near relation, the King Charles Spaniel, is discouraged. Soulful eyes should be round and dark, widely spaced and not bulging. There should be a slight cushion under the eye, adding to their beguiling look. well-feathered ears should be high set and fairly long. The neck is relatively long for the size of the dog and leads into shoulders that are not too straight. A level back with a short body is desired. The chest should be of moderate depth and the ribs well-sprung, while avoiding a barrel shape. Both fore and hind legs should be straight and of medium weight bone. The legs should be parallel so that the compact and well-cushioned foot is pointed straightforward. Carried level with the back, the happy Cavy will keep its tail in perpetual motion. Graceful in gait, the dog's cheery and positive disposition should shine through at all times. A long and silky coat is desired with much feathering on the ears, legs and tail. There are different color varieties allowed with specific markings required. The black and tan dog should have tan markings over the eyes, on the cheeks, inside the ear and on the underside of the tail. The tricolor should be black, pearly white and tan, with the tan markings as above with the black and tan. The ruby dog is a solid red chestnut color and the Blenheim is marked with chestnut on a pearly white coat. In the Blenheim, the markings should be evenly divided on the head leaving a white lozenge spot on the forehead, which is a special trait of this variety.

Breed classification

The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel belongs to the Toy group and is used as a companion and seen in the show-ring.

Origin

In its heyday, this breed was known as a 'comfort dog' and doctors even wrote prescriptions with this little dog as the remedy. The original Cavalier King Charles was developed from the toy spaniels pictured in the work of 16th, 17th and 18th century painters such as Van Dyck, Titian, Stubbs and Gainsborough. These portraits show a small spaniel with a flat head, high set ears, almond shaped eyes and a pointed nose. They were very common as a ladies' pet and were used to warm laps during cold carriage rides and while waiting about in chilly castles. Another job the dogs had was to attract fleas off their mistresses so that the owner would not get bitten and die of the plague. The royal name, 'King Charles Spaniel', was bestowed during the reign of King Charles II, who was so fond of his spaniels he could not be parted from them. He made a decree that King Charles Spaniels must be allowed in any public place, including the House of Parliament. This decree is still in the law books today. By 1800, the snub nose variety had taken over in popularity and the original spaniel was nearly lost. Only the Duke of Marlborough kept a line alive, breeding them at Blenheim castle. This later became the Blenheim variety - red and white dogs with a lozenge shaped mark on the forehead. In 1926, an American, Roswell Eldridge, tried to re-establish the original dog of the Cavaliers by offering a prize for a dog with the appearance of the dogs in the historical portraiture. The prize was to be given out at Crufts and was for the then substantial sum of £25. There were not a lot of people interested at first, but in 1928 Mostyn Walker produced a dog with a longer muzzle, longer coat and slightly larger and racier body. She won the prize and went on to help start the Cavalier King Charles Breed Club for people interested in promoting the old variety of the King Charles Spaniel. Throwbacks to the longer faced dogs occurred very quickly and by 1945 the Kennel Club offered the breed full and separate status. In the United States, the breed club was founded in 1956 and the breed has as recently as 1996 moved from the miscellaneous to the Toy group, no longer being listed as a rare breed. A strict code of ethics governs the breeding program in the United States and it is hoped that will protect the breed from the insults of puppy mills and indiscriminate breeding.

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