Cavalier King Charles Spaniel

Breed: Cavalier King Charles Spaniel I Size: Small I Average lifespan: 9+ years I Temperament: Loyal, joyful, and sensitive I Coat: Long I Origin: England.

The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is a small and elegant dog breed. These dogs are particularly gentle, graceful, and joyful.

The origins of the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel

Ancient origins, but recent recognition

The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel originated in England. These dogs can be traced back to the 16th century, as a descendant of the King Charles Spaniel with which the breed is often confused today. This dog was a cross-breed in the 19th century, mixing the King Charles Spaniel, Pekingese and Pug. These crosses gave the breed the characteristics we know today. The breed club was founded at the same time in Great Britain, and recognized by The Kennel Club.

A royal dog

The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel has long been a favorite of the royal court, and was named after King Charles II, who had a very special love for the breed. The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel was standardized in 1928. The breed was subsequently recognized by The Kennel Club in 1945. Although the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is an old, well-known and much-loved breed, it wasn’t definitively recognized by the Fédération Cynologique Internationale until 1955, on January 10, (10 years later). The breed arrived in France in 1975.

The character of the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel

What are this breed’s qualities?

These dogs are joyful, sensitive, and easily get attached to their owners. They are very loyal towards them. In addition, this breed adapts easily thanks to their sociability. Do not hesitate to surround them with other animals and humans. Children adore their company. This is because their kind-hearted character. They are not aggressive. Cavalier King Charles Spaniels rarely refuse playtime and children like playing with them and cuddling with them. These dogs are also great companions for seniors. Life in a house, apartment, town or countryside suits them. They just need to stay very close to their owners, to whom they adapt very easily, whether they’re calm or sporty.

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What are the downsides of having this breed?

The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is excellent for company. They do not have the same amount of energy as a Miniature Pinscher. Cavalier King Charles Spaniels are, therefore, not working dogs. They can sometimes become really clingy and capricious, because they do not like solitude and they handle it very badly. They are always looking for the presence of their owners.

As these dogs are clever, they do not hesitate to take advantage of the weakness of their owner to go over the limits authorized. In addition, they can have a destructive character when they are alone for too long. It’s important to keep in mind that too much laxity in their training can cause them to adopt a bad temperament.

The physical characteristics of the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel

General

To begin with, they have long, silky, and wavy hair. Cavalier King Charles Spaniel dogs are small, but well-proportioned.

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Head

The skull of this breed is almost flat between the ears and a stop that is not very accentuated. As for the facial region, the nose has well-developed black nostrils with no spots.

The length of the base of their stop at the end of their muzzle is around 3.8 cm. Their snout gets thinner. Their face is rather well-furnished under the eyes. It’s important to avoid any tendency towards a whistling muzzle. You’ll notice that their lips are well-developed, except that they don’t hang down.

Their jaw is strong for a dog of this size, with teeth that are like regular scissors. In other words, the lower incisors are covered by the upper incisors in close contact. They are set at right angles to the jaws.

Body

Their back is straight and they have a medium chest. They have well-curved sides. When it comes to their tail, the length is proportionate to their body.

For their front legs, they have medium bone structure with straight legs, oblique shoulders, and their hind feed are compact and furry, with good pads.

Coat, color, and grooming

Coat

You will notice their long, silky, and wavy hair with an abundant fringe.

Colors

This breed has four types of colors.

• Black and tan: a black raven with tan patches above the eyes, on the cheeks, inside the ears, on the chest, limbs and especially on the tail. The tan color is fairly bright.
• Ruby: single-colored, very intense red.
• Blenheim: bright chestnut markings well-distributed on a pearl-white background. The markings should divide evenly over the head, leaving room between the ears for the characteristic spot or lozenge.
• Tricolor: the black and white areas of their coat are well-spaced and well-distributed, with tan markings above the eyes, on the cheek, on the inside of the limbs and under the tail.

Grooming a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel

Is is not complicated to maintain a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel health and grooming. They have 2 molting periods a year: in spring and autumn. We recommend brushing these dogs once a week with a wire brush.

Pay particular attention to the ears, tail and limbs. After brushing, a fine-toothed comb is necessary. You’ll need to soak a compress in saline solution to clean their eyes. Be sure to use a specific shampoo, which should be thoroughly dry.

Did you know?

It is said that the ladies of the court used to hide a small Spaniel under their ample dresses to keep warm.

In 1704, the duchess Sarah, the spouse of the duke of Marlborough, waited vainly for the news of her spouse who left for the war of in Bavaria, on the banks of the Danube at Blenheim. Nervous and very anxious, she rubbed her thumb against the forehead of the dog she was holding in her lap. The dog was pregnant at the time. A few days later, the female dog brought to the world puppies that had an orange mark that looking like the thumb of the duchess.

Following the Duke of Marlborough’s resounding victory, he decided to christen the little white and orange spaniels “Blenheim”.