Cavalier King Charles Spaniel puppies are a lovely addition to any family and well on their way to becoming one of the world's most popular pets. Incredible friendliness and an overabundance of affection are defining characteristics of Cavalier King Charles Spaniel puppies.
Cavalier King Charles Spaniel puppies are adorable, curious, and behave surprisingly similar to a human baby; they require near constant supervision and crave your love and attention. Cavalier King Charles Spaniel puppies are born in litters of two to six, and in a range of different colors and markings.
New Cavalier puppies are inquisitive, and full of energy. New owners should take steps to puppy-proof their home to prevent curious puppies from exploring where they shouldn’t.
Cav puppies are full of energy and require at least 30 minutes of exercise each day. They are very social and should not be away from their family for too long.
In fact, many Cavalier King Charles Spaniel puppies are prone to separation anxiety and may chew furniture, or break excessively if left alone and not adequately exercised.
Cavalier puppies also exhibit a strong hunting instinct and behavior, which means they won’t hesitate to sprint off in pursuit of an interesting scent or animal that peaks its interest. Fenced in yards, leashes and a watchful eye are always recommended.
King Charles Cavalier Spaniels are an active, well-balanced toy spaniel. KCC Spaniels are fearless in character, yet surprisingly affectionate. It’s temperament and elegant appearance are exceptionally important to the breed standard.
Head
The King Charles Cavalier Spaniel head is proportionate to the size of dog, neither too large nor too small. Its expression is gentle, sweet and often described as “heat melting.” Its eyes are large, round and set well apart. Eye color is very dark brown.
Ears are set high on top of the head, with plenty of feathering. Its skull is rounded, but not domed or peaked The Muzzle of the King Charles Cavalier Spaniel is full and slightly tapered.
Body
The King Charles Cavalier Spaniels neck is long, and well-muscled; forming a slight arch at the crest. Its shoulders are set smoothly which provides an elegant appearance. Ribs are well sprung but not barreled. Its chest is moderately deep and extends to the elbows allowing ample heart room.
Legs and Feet
The King Charles Cavalier Spaniel forelegs are straight and close to the sides. Feet are compact with well-cushioned pads. Hind Legs are parallel from hock to heel.
Tail and Hindquarters
The King Charles Cavalier Spaniel’s tail is carried happily, but never above the back, and always in motion when the dog is in motion. Docking is optional. Hindquarters descend from a broad, moderately muscled pelvis.
Coat and Colors
The coat of the King Charles Cavalier Spaniel is unique and quite distinguishable from other toy spaniels. Its coat is moderate in length, silky and rather straight. The Cavaliers coat is shown in four distinct color patterns; Blenheim, King Charles, Ruby, and Tricolor.
Blenheim coated Cavaliers are pearly white with chestnut markings. The King Charles color pattern on the other hand refers to a black silky coat with likewise chestnut markings.
Ruby Cavaliers are chestnut all over, while Tricolor dogs are black and white with tan markings on their cheeks, inner ears, eyebrows, inside legs, and on the underside of tail.
Height and Weight
As toy dogs, Cavalier King Charles Spaniels are small when compared to most breed groups; standing 12 to 13 inches at the withers; weight traditionally falls between 13 and 18 pounds. However, when compared to other breeds within its own breed group, Cavalier Spaniels are larger than most.
Though Cavalier Spaniels are generally considered low-maintenance, there are a few breed-specific characteristics that owners should be aware of.
Toy dog breeds, such as the Cavalier King Charles Spaniels are susceptible to back, hip, and joint issues which can cause pain, bladder and bowel control problems, and even partial paralysis. To avoid future spinal issues, it's best to prevent your Cavalier King Charles Spaniel from leaping off furniture or stairs.
Cavalier Spaniels tend to bark when left alone for extended periods. Regular socialization and exercise can reduce stress and a Cavalier Spaniel's urge to bark.
The Cavalier Spaniel's ears are floppy, silky, and adorable, but they are also a potential breeding ground for a bacterial infection. For this reason, it is important for owners to regularly clean their Cavalier Spaniel's ears.
Though your Cavalier Spaniel may seem like a couch potato, they are energetic, and athletic and never turn down a chance to play outside. The Cavalier's prey drive is strong; it will jump at a chance to chase birds and rabbits, so it is always important to keep them on a leash when outdoors. They do best with two 15-minute walks a day.
Cavalier King Charles Spaniels are incredibly social, affectionate, and friendly. However, if not socialized early Cavaliers may develop several undesired behaviors. It's important to socialize a Cavalier Spaniel so that it can experience positive social interactions with other pets, new family members, and strangers.
Cavalier King Charles Spaniels are smart, gentle, and eager to please, as such they are also comparatively easy to train, and adapt well to new situations.
Nutrition
Like all dogs, Cavalier King Charles Spaniels require a nutritious diet that consists primarily of high-quality animal protein and fat.
A canine diet rich in healthy proteins, carbohydrates, minerals, and vitamins will produce a more luxurious coat, healthier skin and greater quality of life for your Cavalier. Vets recommend a diet consisting of 22% protein, a healthy fat content of 5%-8% and foods rich in healthy, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals.
Be sure to carefully monitor your Cavaliers caloric intake. Cavaliers, like many toy breeds are prone to obesity, which can assert extra strain on its back and joints. Avoid feeding your puppy from the table, and people food in general.
Puppies rarely shy away from a snack, so it’s best to avoid free feeding. Instead, implement a feeding schedule.
Weaning Age Puppies (4-7 weeks) should be free-fed through the entire weaning process until they reach the appropriate weight to be fed a structured diet. Free-feeding refers to the practice of leaving food out and available for your Cavalier King Charles Spaniels puppy to eat whenever they get hungry.
Starting at 6 to 8 weeks, gradually transition your Cavalier from their mother’s milk to solid food over a period of 3 weeks. From 8 weeks on, it’s essential that Cavalier puppies learn that food will no longer be provided constantly throughout the day.
Start your Cavalier on moistened dry puppy food, 3 to 5 times per day for no longer than 10 minutes per feeding. After 10 minutes remove their food even if they haven't finished. Puppies between the ages of 3 months and 1 year should be fed according to a structured diet, consisting of 3-4 meals of high-quality dog food, free of artificial ingredients.
Grooming
The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel’s coat is not hypoallergenic, which means they will shed; however, owners describe the shedding as minimal. In fact, when compared to other toy breeds, the cavaliers coat is fairly low-maintenance.
To groom a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel simply trim the fluffy, feathered fur on their feet. No other clipping or cutting of the coat is required. However, to keep your Cavaliers coat looking silky and smooth, we recommend a daily brushing regimen.
The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel’s coat is water resistant due to oils imbedded in their undercoat. These oils are essential to the dog's skin health. Frequent bathing, harsh soaps and shampoos can remove these oils; therefore, we recommend bathing your Cavalier only once per month.
To bathe your Cavalier Spaniel simply lather up their coat using lukewarm water and dog shampoo. Rinse their coat thoroughly and repeat. We recommend applying dog conditioner after the second wash.
Exercise
Inactivity can lead a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel to obesity, which can have a devastating effect on the dog's overall health. To ward off canine diabetes, stroke, and cancer it is essential that Cavaliers receive at least a two 15-minute walks per day.
Exercise also improves circulation and provides opportunities for your Cavalier to socialize and explore its environment, which is critical to proper socialization.
Though your Cavalier Spaniel may seem like a couch-potato, they are energetic, athletic and never turn down a chance to play outside. The Cavaliers prey drive is strong; it will jump at a chance to chase birds and rabbits, so it is always important to keep them on a leash when outdoors.
Training
As your Cavalier King Charles Spaniel grows, it will enter several developmental stages, in which it will exhibit certain behaviors. Though puppies typically grow out of these behaviors, other behaviors may be present for the dog's entire life. Therefore, it’s essential that bad behavior is addressed early in the puppy's life with regular and consistent training.
The key to training any puppy is consistency, reward and lots of patience. Cavaliers King Charles Spaniels respond best to positive, reward-based training methods, not fear of punishment. Housebreaking and obedience training are also essential to instilling proper behavior.
Housebreaking
As with most puppies, the earlier you begin housebreaking your Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, the better. We recommend housebreaking begin as soon as the puppy is brought home.
Cavalier King Charles puppy parents should spend as much time as possible with their Cav puppy, especially for the first three weeks. Housebreaking a puppy requires patience, praise, and consistency.
Start by walking the puppy to the area where in you would like it to do its business. Consistency is key, so bring the puppy to the same spot every time it shows sign that it needs to go.
Be sure to reward the desired behavior. Most importantly, new owners should understand that accidents are bound to happen and to avoid punishing your Cavalier puppy when they occur.
Crate Training - Training your Cavalier King Charles Spaniel puppy to sleep in a crate at night ensures it won't find trouble while you sleep, or when you are away from the house. Crate training should be done in conjunction with potty training and other housebreaking lessons.
Socialization
Cavalier King Charles Spaniels are incredibly social, affectionate and friendly. However, if not socialized early Cavaliers may develop a number of undesired behaviors. It’s important to socialize a Cavalier Spaniel so that it can experience positive social interactions with other pets, new family members and strangers.
We recommend assembling the family on the floor and letting the puppy come up to them. Treats ensure a positive experience for the puppy, but it's best to introduce any other pets, quietly and slowly.
Then move on to household objects like umbrellas, vacuum cleaners and anything else that is likely to scare or excite the puppy. The key to socializing any dog is ensuring it feels safe in its environment. If a puppy does not feel safe it will be prone to defensive behavior when presented with new situations, people, or pets.
Obedience Training
Cavalier King Charles Spaniels are smart, gentle and eager to please, as such they are also comparatively easy to train, and adapt well to new situations.
To train a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel to obey your commands use the same words and phrases to indicate when, where and how you want your puppy to execute a command. Issue your command. Pause. Then reward them with a snack when they get it right.
Do not punish your Cavalier if, and when they fail a command. Simply regain their focus and try again until they are successful. Remember, it can take up to 6 months to fully housebreak a puppy.
Do Cavalier King Charles Spaniels bark a lot? Like most dogs, Cavalier Spaniels tend to bark when left alone for extended periods. Regular socialization and exercise can reduce stress and a Cavalier Spaniels' urge to bark.
Do Cavalier King Charles Spaniels make good pets? Yes. Cavalier King Charles Spaniel are affectionate demeanor and gentle temperament make it an excellent pet. In fact, they are often described as one of the most affectionate canine companions around.
Are King Charles Cavaliers good family dogs? Yes. Cavalier King Charles Spaniels make great family dogs. They are affectionate, kind, and exceptionally gentle. As with all dogs, young children must know and practice dog safety when interacting with any dog.
Are King Charles Cavaliers easy to train? Comparatively yes. Cavalier King Charles Spaniels are intelligent, gentle, and very eager to please their owners, which makes training a fairly simple experience.
Can King Charles Spaniels be left alone? Yes. However, Cavalier King Charles Spaniels grow very attached to their families and will often suffer from separation anxiety if left alone for too long a period.
Are King Charles Cavaliers hypoallergenic? No. The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel's coat is not hypoallergenic, which means they will shed. However, owners describe the shedding as minimal.
The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is descended from the Toy Spaniels that were popular in Britain in the late 17th century. Too small to be a reliable hunting companion, Toy Spaniels were bred as lap dogs and become quite popular with royals, and the aristocracy of 17th century British society. The breed is named for King Charles II who was rarely seen without his Toy Spaniels.
Another such royal was John Churchill, the First Duke of Marlborough who is credited with influencing the red and white variety of the King Charles Spaniel, the Blenheim Spaniel; named for his home Blenheim Estate. Blenheim Estate itself was named for Churchill’s victory over the Franco-Bavarian army at the Battle of Blenheim.
Many paintings from that era of British history depict the diminutive canine in the laps of royals, aristocrats and the very wealthy. The early paintings of the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel are inseparable from the history of the breed itself.
In 1926, intrigued by early paintings of the small spaniel, an American breeder named Roswell Eldridge offered a dog show class prize (25 pounds of sterling silver) to the breeder who could produce the “old-type” depicted in 16th, 17th, and 18th century paintings - “Blenheim Spaniels” with flat heads, high set ears, almond eyes, and pointed noses.
Few breeders accepted his challenge however, and at the end of five years little had been achieved. Finally, in 1928 a Spaniel named Ann's Son was awarded the prize, and the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel as we know it today was born.
Known for being one of the sweetest and friendliest breeds, the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel has an average life expectancy of 12-15 years. The Cavalier is generally a healthy breed but they are prone to some unique health conditions. It is important to monitor them for any physical or behavioral changes, and contact your veterinarian with any concerns. Most vets will recommend running basic health screenings to diagnose or rule out potential health risks associated with this breed.
Potential Health Conditions:
• Dislocated Kneecap, Patellar Luxation
• Canine Hip Dysplasia (CHD)
• Leaky valve disease, Mitral Valve Disease (MVD)
• Syringomyelia (SM)
• Muscle Hypertonicity, Episodic Falling Syndrome (EFS)
• Degenerative Myelopathy (DM)
• Retinal Dysplasia (RD)
• Juvenile Hereditary Cataracts (JHC)
• Corneal Dystrophy
• Congenital Deafness
• Ear Infections, Otitis
Suggested Screenings
• Eye Exam
• Knee Exam
• Hip X-ray
• Cardiac Exam
• Blood Test
Routine Care
• Neuter or Spay
• Regular Dental Exams
• Eye Care
• Controlled Exercise
Life Expectancy
With a healthy diet, a loving family, and a safe environment to live and play owners can expect their Cavalier King Charles Spaniel to live approximately 9 - 14 years on average.
