A luxurious pooch for royalty – the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel spent most days warming the laps of nobility. The royals made them snooze in their bed to attract fleas, sparing their master deceases like the plague. Today they are the quintessential lap dog. To have a King Charles would be like having the perfect mate: they are very sweet, kind, gentle, affectionate and loving. If you are a fan of kissing beautiful faces, then the King Charles is definitely the dog for you.
Today’s Cavalier King Charles Spaniel descends from small toy Spaniels like the Pug and the Japanese Chin. The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel was brought to Scotland from continental Europe/United Kingdom in the fifteen hundreds, where it became a fashionable lapdog for the noble class. King Charles II was a huge fan and lent his name to the breed. King Charles never went anywhere without his two or three little Spaniels. When the monarchy fell, unfortunately so did the popularity of Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and the breed almost became extinct.
The gentle melting expression of the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is an important breed characteristic often highlighted by their large dark brown eyes. The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel coat is silky with a slight wave and feathering on the ears, chest, leg, tail and feet. Cavalier King Charles Spaniel comes in four colours: Prince Charles (tri-colour); King Charles (black and tan); Ruby (rich mahogany); and the fourth and most popular colour, Blenheim (chestnut and white).
The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is mostly known for its sweet, gentle and loving temperament. They are wonderful dogs, very happy-go-lucky and very loving. They are the type of dog who is just nice to everyone, giving them the nickname Love Sponge Dog. Although they were bred to be lap dogs, the Cavalier retains its sporty nature from its spaniel ancestors. If they are not sitting on your lap or enjoying a belly rub, they will be more than happy to flush birds and attempt to retrieve them.
Cavalier King Charles Spaniel loves people and needs loads of companionship. They make excellent companions for almost any dog lover and are known to be wonderful with children. Kids love them and these dogs love kids, however, it is very important to teach your kids to be gentle with this breed, since it’s a very meekly framed animal.
Cavalier King Charles Spaniel can live happily just about anywhere. They do need daily walks and enjoy hiking, running on the beach and dog sports such as agility, flyball and rally. However, they should be taken into a cool place in very warm conditions. These lovely fearless dogs want to please, so they are typically a breeze to train. They retain information for a long time once they’ve learned and know exactly what’s up. Cavalier King Charles Spaniel lives on average nine to fourteen years and is prone to microvalve heart disease, the leading cause of death in the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. The Cavalier is at least twenty times more likely to get this disease than any other breed. You need to make sure that the mom and dad did not have any heart problem.
The Cavalier requires regular grooming and special attention should be paid to the ears. They are prone to matting and tangling. You would want to make sure that they are neat and tidy, because with such a beautiful dog, who would want to look at a dirty Cavalier King Charles Spaniel?
| Average Adult Height: | 30 – 33 cm (Adult) |
| Average Adult Weight: | 5.9 – 8.2 kg (Adult) |
| Life Expectancy: | 9 – 14 years |
| Exercise requirements: | Daily walks |
| Similar Breeds: | Japanese Chin, Maltese, Papillon, Pekingese, Chihuahua, English Toy Spaniel. |
| Rescues in South Africa: | http://cavalier.rescueme.org/za; https://www.facebook.com/SpanielRescueSouthAfrica/ |
