Cavalier King Charles Spaniel

Posted on 22. May, 2009 by admin in Dog Breeds, Dog Breeds C, English Dog Breeds, Small Dog Breeds, Toy Dogs

The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel originated in England and was bred for human companionship. They were thought to have been a mixture of the King Charles Spaniel and other Spaniel types that resembled this breed in paintings from the 16th century. They are descendants of the King Charles Spaniel and were given the name “Cavalier” to differentiate the two.

This breed is known for their silky smooth coat and large floppy ears. They have a compact body that has substantial weight, and thin boned legs with small furry paws. The CKCS (Cavalier King Charles Spaniel) has a long tail, but for show purposes will be docked. Their muzzle is short yet round and their eyes are large with a happy expression to them. This breed will come in 4 colour varieties, the Ruby (red), the King Charles (black & tan), the Blenheim (white with patches of red), and the Prince Charles (tri-colouring).

The CKCS is an extremely affectionate breed that would stay in the presence of their owners the entire day if they could. They are well behaved, polite dogs that will make great family pets. They get along well with other dogs, smaller pets and children as they are a bright happy-go-lucky dogs.

Breed Group

Toy

Size

Males: 12-13 inches high
Females: 12-13 inches high

Weight

Males: 10-18 lbs
Females: 10-18 lbs

Color(s)

The CKCS is a breed with 4 different coat patterns. They will be a tri-colour (the Prince Charles), black and tan (the King Charles), a deep red (the Ruby), or white with red patches (the Blenheim). For this breed, the colours have corresponding names to them to differentiate the variation of this breed.

Coat

This breed has an incredibly smooth coat that is of medium length. This coat is straight, wispy and must have no curl to it as this is not accepted for show purposes. They will need to be brushed about twice per week to keep their coat in immaculate shape. Bathing should be done about once per month or two.

Life Expectancy

About 9 – 14 years.

Personality

This breed is known for their sweet, loving and affectionate personality. Their motivation to please their owners makes them great dogs to train in either obedience or just small tricks because they excel greatly when they know their owners are pleased with their behavior. They are friendly and polite making friends wherever they go. The CKCS is great with other dogs and small pets as they are not the type to be possessive or jealous. This breed thrives on being around the family and should not be left alone often as this will result in a very depressed dog.

Although they are meant to be companion dogs, the CKCS will chase animals that are running away from it so when walking, a leash will be needed at all times just in case. They are a breed that will need time spent off-leash to run around at their own pace, one suggestion would be a dog park so they can socialize at the same time.

Care

The CKCS will need regular brushing at least twice per week and monthly bathes. Their coat is long and extremely fine making it quite easy to mat or have foreign objects such as twigs get caught in it. This breed is prone to luxating patella’s, ear infections, hip dysplasia, heart problems and some eye problems. When obtaining a puppy of any breed, the parents’ genetic history should be checked to ensure that your puppy will not be inheriting any of these diseases.

Training

This breed is intelligent, quick, and very responsive making them easy to train. They will need consistency and gentle training to succeed as well as a positive manner when doing so because these dogs can be sensitive and negative words or mannerisms will not get them anywhere. The CKCS can pick up basic obedience and tricks quickly which have been known to help them excel in any type of trial.

Activity

These dogs will need to be taken out on walks everyday for about half an hour as they use up most of their energy during the daytime. They will be perfect for people that live in apartments because they don’t take up much space, but a back yard would be preferable so they can have an outdoor area to run around in. These dogs are very playful indoors and tend to only need smaller amounts of exercise per day.

Tags: cavalier king charles spaniel, charles spaniel, dog breed, dog breeds, dogs, spaniel dog, toy dog