The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is a beautiful,
loving and friendly dog. These affectionate
dogs love to cuddle and they make great companions.
Cavalier King Charles Spaniels have large,
round eyes, a long feathered tail, silky long
hair and a nearly flat head between the ears.
The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is descended
from the King Charles Spaniel and other small
toy Spaniels seen in many sixteenth, seventeenth,
and eighteenth century paintings and tapestries
with aristocratic families. Cavalier King
Charles Spaniels were considered a luxury
since they were not working dogs.
King Charles II was very fond of spaniels
and always had two or three with him. He so
much favored these dogs that he wrote a decree
that which allowed them to be accepted into
any public place which included the Houses
of Parliament. In England this decree is still
in existence today.
Over time, toy spaniels' popularity faded
and was replaced by the Pug. In the 1920s,
American Roswell Eldridge traveled to England
in search of two 'old type' spaniels like
those in earlier paintings and tapestries.
Initially he was unsuccessful, so he then
offered twenty five pounds at the Crufts Dog
Show each year to the best male and female
which resembled the dogs in King Charles II's
reign. This strategy eventually worked, however,
Mr. Eldridge passed away before ever seeing
The first Cavalier King Charles Spaniel entered
America in 1952. Because of the small numbers
of this breed, they did not gain full breed
recognition until January of 1996. The Cavalier
King Charles Spaniel is AKC's 140th breed.
The height of a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
is between 12 - 13 inches (30-33 cm)
weight of a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
is between 10 - 18 pounds (5-8 kg)
The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel's coat is
long, silky and soft. No curls although a
slight wave is permissible. It grows lengthy
feathering on their ears, chest, legs, feet
and tail and breed standards demand this be
kept long. Feathering on the feet is a feature
of this breed. Due to the length of the Cavalier
King Charles Spaniel's coat, it is important
to keep it well groomed. To keep the coat
from being matted, a daily brushing is recommended.
The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel breed
has four recognized colors: 1. Blenheim -
rich chestnut on pearly white background 2.
Tricolor - black and white with tan markings
on cheeks, inside ears, on eyebrows, inside
legs, and on underside of tail 3. Black &
tan - black with tan markings 4. Ruby - rich
reddish-brown all over.
The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is very
affectionate, friendly, playful, intelligent
and very social. These dogs are eager to please
and love to be around people. Cavalier King
Charles Spaniels do well with gentle obedience
training and usually get along with other
dogs. This breed loves companionship and does
well with people of all ages. It is not recommended
to leave Cavalier King Charles Spaniels alone
all day - they're known to suffer from separation
Problems: The Cavalier King Charles
Spaniel can suffer from two severe and common
genetic conditions - mitral valve disease
and syringomyelia. Mitral valve disease which
is heart disease, is the most common cause
of death of the Cavalier. Syringomyelia is
an inherited neurological disease which affects
the brain and spine. Other health issues include
Episodic Falling which is an 'exercise-induced
paroxysmal hypertonicity disorder' meaning
that there is increased muscle tone in the
dog and the muscles are unable to relax, hip
dysplasia, keratoconjunctivitis sicca (dry
eye) and other eye issues such as hereditary
cataracts. Additional health concerns include
ear problems and a congenital blood disorder.
• This breed is
historically a lap dog and not a working dog.
• The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
is AKC's 140th breed and was fully recognized
in January of 1996.
• The Cavalier
King Charles Spaniel was Charlotte York's
dog in the HBO series, Sex and the City.
AKC: Toy Group
ANKC: Group 1 - Toy
CKC: Group 5 - Toy
FCI: Group 9 Section 7 #136
KC: Toy Group
UKC: Companion Breeds