The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel dog breed keeps the sporting spirit of its spaniel predecessors, yet being designed to be a companion. Nothing gets them happier than flushing a bird and then attempting to recover it if they aren't sitting on a lap or receiving a belly massage.

Despite the fact that they are purebred dogs, they may still be found at shelters and rescues. Keep in mind to adopt! If you want to bring a dog home, don't go shopping.

Cavaliers are one of the biggest toy breeds, and they like hiking, jogging on the beach, and participating in dog sports such as agility, flyball, and rally. Some have even demonstrated their abilities as hunting dogs. The more relaxed members of the breed find popularity as family pets and therapy dogs.

Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Highlights
Breed Size	Small
Nature	Gentle, Friendly, Playful, Outgoing, Willful
Energy Level	Active
Intelligence	Medium
Barking Level	When Necessary
Coat Length	Short, Medium, carly
Breed Group	Toy
Droll Amount	Low
Good with	Familes, Children, Dog
Feed Level	Medium, High
Colour Type	Black and tan, tricolor, bicolor
Other Facts	Easy to train, easy to groom, apartment-friendly, good for first-time pet owners.

Dog History

While the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is a new breed, having been created less than a century ago, his prototype is the toy spaniel, which has been a royal and noble companion for centuries.

Cavaliers are descended from the same toy spaniels depicted in many paintings by famous artists such as Van Dyck and Gainsborough from the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries. Flat heads, high-set ears, and longish noses characterised the spaniels depicted in those paintings.

The royal and noble households of England adored these little spaniels. Mary, Queen of Scots, had a tiny spaniel with her as she marched to her beheading, and her grandson, Charles I, and great-grandson, Charles II — who gave the breed its name — were all fond of the small dogs. King Charles II, who reigned from 1660 to 1685, is supposed to have always had at least two or three of these small spaniels about him. He even ruled that spaniels be permitted in all official buildings, including the Houses of Parliament. The decree is said to be still in place in England today, however no one has checked to verify if this is true recently.

The popularity of King Charles Spaniels decreased after Charles II's death, and Pugs and other short-faced breeds became the new royal favourites. Many of these dogs' characteristics, such as the shorter snout and domed head, were passed down to the King Charles Spaniels.

The King Charles Spaniels established a stronghold at Blenheim Palace, the Dukes of Marlborough's rural residence, where they were of the sort that King Charles himself had favoured. A line of red and white Toy Spaniels was continuing to be bred here, and this colouring is now known as Blenheim among Cavalier King Charles Spaniels.

The Dukes of Marlborough developed a variety of toy spaniels because there was no standard for the breed and no dog shows at the time. In the mid-19th century, however, English breeders started hosting dog competitions and aiming to perfect distinct canine breeds. By that time, the flat face, undershot jaw, domed cranium, and big, round, front-facing eyes of the toy spaniel had been recognised. The King Charles Spaniels represented in prior generations' art were nearly extinct.

In the 1920s, an American called Roswell Eldridge began looking for tiny spaniels in England that looked like the ones in the paintings. He looked for more than five years, even going to the Crufts Dog Show to persuade the Kennel Club (England's counterpart of the American Kennel Club) to let him award 25 pounds sterling — a large amount at the time — for the finest dog and best bitch of the kind seen during King Charles II's reign. He promised to provide this award for five years.

In 1928, Miss Mostyn Walker brought a dog named Ann's Son for inspection and was given the 25-pound prize. Roswell Eldridge didn't survive to see the trophy claimed, since he had died just one month before Crufts. Interest in the breed returned, and a breed club was founded. The name Cavalier King Charles Spaniel was used to differentiate the breed from the flat-faced King Charles Spaniel (known as the English Toy Spaniel in the United States) (known as the English Toy Spaniel in the United States).

On the second day of Crufts in 1928, the group convened its first meeting and put up a breed standard, a written description of how the breed should look. Ann's Son was exhibited as an example of the breed, and members of the club acquired all of the copies of historical paintings that featured little dogs of this sort. One thing that all club members agreed upon from the outset was that the Cavalier King Charles Spaniels would be maintained as natural as possible and trimming and shaping of the dog for the show ring would be avoided.

The Kennel Club was hesitant to acknowledge the new breed, but after years of effort on the part of the breeders, the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel was ultimately recognised as a distinct breed in 1945.

Robrull of Veren and Bertie of Rookerynook, two male Cavaliers from England, were imported into the United States in the 1940s. Cavaliers did not have their first start in the United States until 1952. Lady Mary Forwood of England gave Mrs. (Sally) Lyons Brown of Kentucky a black and tan bitch puppy named Psyche of Eyeworth in that year. She fell in love with the breed and imported more.

Health and Care

Cavaliers are typically healthy, however they are susceptible to some health issues, as are all breeds. Although not all Cavaliers will contract any or all of these illnesses, it's vital to be aware of them if you're thinking about getting one.

Find a reliable breeder who will show you health clearances for both your dog's parents if you're buying a puppy. Health clearances demonstrate that a dog has been checked for and cleared of a certain disease. You can expect to see health clearances from the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) for hip dysplasia (with a fair or better score), elbow dysplasia, hypothyroidism, and von Willebrand's disease in Cavaliers; thrombopathia from Auburn University; and normal eyes from the Canine Eye Registry Foundation (CERF) in Cavaliers.

• Mitral Valve Disease (MVD)
• Syringomyelia (SM)
• Episodic Falling
• Hip Dysplasia
• Patellar Luxation
• Keratoconjunctivitis Sicca (Dry Eye)

Care

Cavalier King Charles Spaniels are suitable choices for apartment or condo life due to their size and typically quiet disposition. They are moderately active inside and may get enough exercise in a small yard.

This breed requires leash walks or a securely secured yard. They lack street smarts, and if they see a bird or other intriguing prey, they will dash directly in front of a car. Your Cavalier will appreciate a daily stroll or romp in the yard, and he will adjust his activity level to match yours. Avoid walking him in the heat of the day because he's a short-nosed breed, and never leave him in a hot yard without access to shade or cold, fresh water.

Dog Breed Care Tips and Important Instructions

Because they shed frequently, the Cavalier King Charles spaniel's coat needs to be brushed on a regular basis, probably twice or three times a week. The good news is that their hair stops growing fairly quickly, and Cavalier King Charles grooming does not require trimming! Brush them on a regular basis to keep their coats from matting and to remove stray hair, and bathe them as needed, and they should be OK.

Cavalier King Charles spaniels, like other dogs, require their claws cut, ears cleaned, and teeth brushed to feel their best.

To develop appropriate manners, these intelligent dogs require constant positive reinforcement training from an early age. It's a terrific idea to enrol him in puppy kindergarten!

Feeding

1/2 to 1 cup of high-quality dry food per day, split into two meals, is the recommended daily quantity.

The amount of food your adult dog consumes is determined by his size, age, build, metabolism, and degree of activity. Dogs, like people, are unique individuals that require different amounts of food. It practically goes without saying that a dog that is very active will require more than a dog who is sedentary. The type of dog food you buy makes a difference as well; the better the dog food, the more it will nourish your dog and the less you'll have to shake into his bowl.

Rather than putting food out all the time, measure his food and feed him twice a day to keep your Cavalier in good form. Give him the eye and hands-on tests if you're not sure if he's overweight. First, glance down at him. There should be a waist visible. Then, with your thumbs down his spine and fingers stretched downward, place your hands on his back. You should be able to feel but not see his ribs without having to touch hard. If you can't, he'll need to eat less and exercise more.

If you're feeding a canned or raw diet, it's a good idea to cover your ears with a snood, headband, or hair scrunchy while you're feeding.Otherwise, he'll wind up with food stuck in his fur, which isn't appealing. Look for bowls with a tiny diameter for both water and food so that the ears don't get caught in them.

Fun Facts

There is a recurrent urban legend suggesting that King Charles II issued a decree enabling the spaniels that bore his name to enter any business in the UK. The concept got so common that the UK Parliament investigated into the topic and subsequently refuted it.

Blenheim colouring is a term used to describe a Cavalier King Charles spaniel that is white with chestnut markings. This phrase was coined in the early 1800s by John Churchill, the first Duke of Marlborough, who maintained red and white King Charles spaniels for hunting. Blenheim was the name of his estate, and the red-and-white King Charles spaniel and later the Cavalier King Charles spaniel with similar coloration carried the moniker.

Charlotte York (played by actress Kristin Davis) acquired a Blenheim Cavalier King Charles puppy, which she called Elizabeth Taylor Goldenblatt, in the sitcom "Sex and the City."

Home Training Tips and General Information

"By touching their puppies everyday from birth, breeders give them a solid start," Harrison explains. "Early Neurological Stimulation, which begins on day three, helps the puppies cope with unexpected events later in life."

The puppies can go into a kennel at three weeks while the breeder cleans the whelping pen.

“At five weeks, the puppies are ready to spend an hour in separate crates,” adds Harrison. "This teaches them that being separated from their litter is not a cause for concern and aids in early housetraining."

When the pups are six weeks old, the breeder can start inviting adults and well-behaved youngsters to meet them. Guests should remove their shoes and apply hand sanitizer before entering the kennel area. Visitors should carry a change of clean clothes, according to Harrison. This prevents the spread of the deadly Parvo virus.

The essential socialising phase lasts three weeks and is followed by a 12-week interval. Puppies should have positive interactions with their littermates, people, noises, and sounds during this period, which is critical for their behavioural development. The early exposure aids in the reduction of undesirable habits later on.

"I put collars on puppies around seven and eight weeks and oversee a session with one pup pulling a leash around, but I don't keep the leash on all the time," Harrison explains. "It replicates leash walking when the other puppies tug on the leash."

The breeder brings the puppies outdoors to pee after a sleep, after a meal, and during playtime to begin housetraining.

The breeder bathes the puppy, places it on a grooming table for mild brushing, and gives it a reward one to two weeks later. The breeder will cut the puppies' nails at a later session.

FAQS

Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Unique Name

Male Name	Female Name
Brody	Alexis
Dodge	Amber
Griffin	Carmela
Nero	Daisy
Otto	Elsa
Parker	Gabby
Petey	Isabella
Prince	Juno
Ranger	Koko
Rascal	Leia
Riley	Lily
Sammy	Misty
Shamus	Moxie
Titus	Pepper
Wally	Sandy
Tilly	Brandi
Wyatt	Chi Chi
Bailey	Laney
Banjo	Lucy
Whiz	Blu