History of the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.
In the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries, toy spaniels were a popular type of dog for Royals and their courtiers. Thought to have originated in Eastern Asia and then brought to England, they were often seen as companions to the Kings and Queens of England and Scotland but it was King Charles II that so loved his spaniel companions that he wrote a royal decree that King Charles Spaniels should be accepted into any public place – even Parliament!
(Portrait of King Charles II as a child, with spaniel companions)
But like all things at court, fads come and go and the King Charles Spaniels were eventually replaced by Pugs. One particular strain of red and white King Charles Spaniel remained however, being bred at a place called Blenheim Palace (astute dog lovers will recognise this name) by the Dukes of Marlborough.
When dog shows started in the mid-19th century, changes started happening to the King Charles Spaniel (hereafter KCS) and they were being selectively bred to have flatter faces, undershot jaws, domed skulls, long low ears and large eyes – likely by being crossed with the now more popular pugs.
However in 1926, a wealthy businessman, Roswell Eldridge, from the USA was disappointed that the longer nosed spaniel of the old type, as seen in paintings from the 16th through 18th centuries was no longer around. He placed an advert in the Crufts schedule for that year, to award £25 to the best dog and bitch that was nearest to this type. At first the response was not all that large, but it slowly grew over the years.
Roswell Eldridge unfortunately did not live long enough to see the fruits of his efforts, passing away in 1927, but he definitively spurred the movement that created the extremely popular breed that we today call the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel – a very distinct and separate breed to the KCS.
Breed Standard
The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel (hereafter CKCS) was formally recognized in 1945 by the Kennel Club and therefore judged to a breed standard. Being a toy breed, many of the traits aren’t needed to aid in a working ability such as in a Labrador or a working spaniel, but they still come together to make the CKCS what we know and love.
The CKCS standard calls for a friendly, non-aggressive temperament, with no tendency to be nervous. As a companion breed, these points are probably the most important! And it is true that most of the CKCS I’ve met have been exactly this, the happiest of chaps.
Appearance wise, they should have long ears that are high set with plenty of feathering. Their eyes should be large, dark and round but not prominent – this point is important. Prominent eyes (think “bug eyes” are a sign of shallow orbital sockets, a side effect of the brachycephalic skull structure and this can lead to proptosis – or the eye popping out of the socket. They should also have a regular and complete scissor bite, not an under or overbite. Whilst occasionally dogs can be born with an irregular bite, and there is nothing wrong with these dogs, an irregular bite can cause some issues with teeth and gum health.
Lastly from the standard, I want to touch on colour. The standard calls for only four colours, Blenheim (after the palace), Ruby, Tri-Colour and Black and Tan. These are the only colours recognised by the Kennel Club, American Kennel Club and Dogs Australia. There are however several breeders who breed “chocolate” and “black” CKCS. If you pursue these colours, be aware that they are not within standard and therefore cannot have been shown and judged as good specimens of their breed. While I will be the first to say that conformation showing is not the be all and end all of the dog world, it is a great confirmation of how a breeding program may be going and prevent “kennel blindness”. If your heart is set on a particular off-standard colour, ensure that all bases are covered as far as health testing, that you are not being swindled and paying more for a “rare” colour and ask lots of questions as you would with any breeder.
As a pet.
Cavalier King Charles Spaniels have to be one of the top choices as a family pet. Their friendly and easy going nature and their relatively small size mean they slot into a variety of family lifestyles easily.
In general, CKCS will grow to be between 5 and 8kg – although they do have a tendency to use their puppy dog eyes to get more food and blow out to the 10kg easily. Keeping an eye on the weight of your Cavvie is of utmost importance!
Coat maintenance is a thing, while they aren’t a poodle who needs regular trims, or a Labrador who sheds a lot, they do need regular brushing a couple times a week – with a little more attention needed on the feathery ears. It is also recommended to trim the hair underneath the feet to prevent slipping on hard floors. Clipping is not ideal as it will change the coat. All dogs are individuals thought and some will have more hair than others – parent dogs may indicate the type of coat to expect.
CKCS have a willingness to please that makes them fun to train and work with. They would be ideal for a first time pet owner, however for reasons I’ll touch on below in health concerns, you need to be prepared.
Lifestyle
So can you provide the type of lifestyle that a CKCS needs? The answer is most likely a yes. They just want to be your companion! For this reason, if you work long hours and they are to be a solo dog, then they probably aren’t for you. Just as they did in the courts of King Charles II, they just want to be with their people, follow them around and be loved.
Individual exercise needs do vary, some will be happy to just chill at home and have the odd short walk while others would prefer to walk a few kilometres every day. For health reasons, it is best to keep them lean and fit and do some form of exercise to keep them in good condition.
Due to their size, CKCS would be a relatively safe choice as a pet with smaller children. They are sturdy enough to play and aren’t fragile. This said however, I do not advocate for ever leaving young children and dogs unsupervised. If children are taught to respect the dog, and play safely, then they could indeed have many years of wonderful companionship.
Health Concerns
This section is unfortunately large. There are many conditions that CKCS can suffer from, or pass on which means that health testing is not just a “preferred” option, but a necessity for peace of mind – and as a sign of a more responsible breeder.
Mitral Valve Disease (MVD), syringomyelia (SM), Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA), luxating patellas, hip dysplasia and cataracts are among some of the more commonly known conditions, but not the extent of the list.
Whilst health testing cannot prevent these from occurring, by only using breeding dogs that are “clear” and don’t carry the genes for these conditions, we may be able to avoid the suffering of many dogs in the future. Hearts and eyes should be screened by specialists every year – these specialists then give a certificate pronouncing the dog “clear” which can be shown to prospective puppy buyers. SM is harder to screen for, and more expensive as it involves an MRI – while I wouldn’t necessarily expect this of a breeder, it would certainly stand out if a breeder did screen for it.
There are many other conditions that can also be checked by doing a simple DNA swab test. It is wonderful that technology allows us to delve into genetics to check for so many things these days - but this sort of test is not a replacement for the heart and eye screenings mentioned above. If a breeder only advertises DNA testing as a health test, it’s a red flag.
Final words
I think CKCS are a great little breed, indeed it was them that set me off on the path of spaniels! However the health concerns were enough to make me look to another breed altogether. Due to their popularity, many unscrupulous breeders have taken advantage of the unsuspecting public and produce litter after litter without taking any consideration of health and temperament.
A wonderful starter dog, I would love to see more healthy and well-bred Cavaliers out and about – they are easy going, friendly, trainable and biddable – everything a family needs in a dog!
S.
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