Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Pictures

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Cavalier King Charles Spaniel

Quick Facts:

Group classification: Toy Group
Country of origin: England
Date of origin: 17th Century
Weight (M): 13-18 pounds
Height (M): 12-13 inches
Weight (F): 13-18 pounds
Height (F): 12-13 inches
Life expectancy: 9-14 years

History

Small breeds of Spaniels have always been popular in England and Toy Spaniels later became pets of the royal family. The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel was named after Charles I. king of England, Scotland and Ireland.

The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel along with the aristocratic families they belonged to has appeared on paintings and tapestries for ages. This indicates that although bred for shooting small game, the breed was indeed a luxury pet and led an easy life.

General Description

Historically the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is considered to be a lap dog but at present is probably the largest toy breed. However, it is still small for a spaniel. Unlike other spaniels, the Cavalier has a full length tail.

The body of the Cavalier is small but tightly knit. He moves elegantly and has a royal gait. His head is almost flat between the ears and has a well defined nose. His neck is strong but somewhat arched. His pendant ears are long and feathered. His large, round eyes give a characteristically endearing expression.

The Cavalier has a silky coat that is moderately long. It is free form curls and slightly wavy. As he grows old he develops lengthy feathers on his ears, chest, legs, feet and tail. The four recognized colors of Cavalier King Charles Spaniel are:

- Blenheim, a rich chestnut on white
- Tricolor, black and white with tan color on cheeks, inside ears, eyebrows, inside legs and underside of tail
- Black and Tan, tan markings on black colored body
- Particolored, that includes white, Blenheim and Tricolor.

Temperament

The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is one of the friendliest toy dogs. He is extremely social and requires constant company from humans and dogs. He is not comfortable being alone.

He is friendly and calm and has an extrovert temperament. He is easy to train and can be trusted while playing with children. Sometimes Cavaliers exhibit cat-like traits like fondness of perching in high places and also known to catch birds flying near the ground.
The coat of Cavalier King Charles Spaniel has to be combed regularly, say, once a week but will do without trimming. He is highly adaptable and has no problems in long walks or sleeping for long hours.

Cavalier King Charles Spaniels can suffer from a wide variety of genetic disorders. Two of these, mitral valve disease and syringomyelia, are most common and can be extremely severe. It is recommended that Cavalier King Charles Spaniels are bought only from reputable breeders who ensure the screening of their breeding dogs.

Basically Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is an energetic toy breed and elegant in appearance. He is compatible with both city and country life.

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Last Updated: 10/10/09

Cavalier King Charles Spaniel

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