Cavalier King Charles Spaniel

What is a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel?

A small spaniel of 5.4-8.2kg bred for one purpose: company. Not hunting, not guarding, not ratting. Sitting with people. They are exceptionally good at it, and if temperament were the only consideration this would be the easiest dog to recommend in Britain.

It is not the only consideration. The health section below is not a formality, and it is the reason this guide exists.

History and origins

Toy spaniels appear in British court portraits from the sixteenth century and are named for Charles II, who was said to be inseparable from his. The type was largely absorbed into the flat-faced King Charles Spaniel during the nineteenth century, and the Cavalier is a twentieth-century recreation of the older, longer-nosed dog, driven by an American, Roswell Eldridge, who offered a prize at Crufts in 1926 for the closest thing to the paintings. The Kennel Club recognised the breed separately in 1945.

That recreation from a small number of dogs is directly relevant to the health picture: the modern population descends from a narrow base.

Appearance and size

30-33cm at the shoulder, in four recognised colours: Blenheim (chestnut and white), tricolour, black and tan, and ruby. Long silky coat with feathering on the ears, legs, feet and tail. Large round dark eyes and a gentle, slightly domed head. The muzzle should be a proper muzzle, roughly 3.8cm - a very short-faced Cavalier is a fault and a welfare problem.

Temperament and personality

Sweet-natured to a degree that surprises people who have only had terriers. They are not watchful, not territorial and not suspicious. They greet everyone, they will follow you between rooms all day, and they will sleep pressed against you.

The flip side is dependency. This is a breed that genuinely struggles alone, and buying one for a house that is empty from eight until six is unkind.

Intelligence and trainability

Willing and food-motivated, easy to teach the basics, and soft: they shut down under harsh handling. Recall is the weak spot, because the spaniel underneath is still interested in birds and will follow a scent across a road without a thought. Train it properly and keep them on a lead near traffic regardless.

Children and other pets

Among the best breeds for a family with children of any age. Tolerant, gentle, and small enough not to knock anyone over. They live happily with cats and other dogs and are rarely the one starting anything.

Health problems

This is the whole conversation. Two conditions dominate.

Mitral valve disease (MVD). A degenerative heart valve condition. In Cavaliers it appears early and it is close to universal: studies find a murmur in around half of Cavaliers by five years old and the great majority by ten. It is the leading cause of death in the breed. There is a formal MVD breeding protocol - breed only from dogs over five with clear hearts, whose parents were also clear at five. Ask when the parents were last heart-tested by a cardiologist, and how old they are. A litter from a two-year-old whose heart has never been checked tells you what you need to know.

Syringomyelia (SM). Fluid-filled cavities in the spinal cord, caused by the skull being too small for the brain. It causes pain, scratching at the neck and air-scratching while walking, and it can be severe. It is diagnosed by MRI, and there is a British Veterinary Association grading scheme. Many breeders do not scan. Ask for the MRI grade of both parents. This is the single most important question you will ask, and most people never ask it.

Also: episodic falling syndrome and curly coat / dry eye (both DNA-testable, both avoidable), patellar luxation, hip dysplasia, and eye conditions.

A well-bred Cavalier from screened parents can be a healthy dog into double figures. A badly-bred one is a decade of cardiology.

Daily care routine

Around an hour of exercise, split. Ears checked and dried - long, hairy, low-set ears get infected. Teeth brushed; small mouths crowd. Deliberate practice at being alone, from day one and for life.

Grooming and coat care

Brush three or four times a week, more in the feathering behind the ears and on the legs, which mat first. Trim the hair between the pads. Bath every six to eight weeks. No clipping: the coat is part of the breed and it does not need shaping.

Exercise needs

An hour a day suits an adult, and they will happily do three if you are walking. They are not built for running long distances with you and they overheat more easily than their nose length suggests.

Feeding and diet

Two measured meals, £20-£35 a month. Weight gain is common and it is directly bad for a heart that is already going to be under strain. Keep them lean; it is one of the few levers you have.

Price

£1,200-£2,200 from a breeder who heart-tests and MRI-scans. Considerably less from one who does neither, and that saving is the most expensive money you will ever save. Setup £300-£500; ongoing £90-£170 a month. Insure from day one and read the heart-condition wording, because you will need it.

Buying advice

Three questions, and get the documents:

1. When was the dam last examined by a cardiologist, and what was the result? How old is she?
2. Has she been MRI scanned for syringomyelia, and what grade?
3. What are the EFS and CC/DE DNA results for both parents?

A breeder who answers all three without hesitating is worth waiting a year for. A breeder who tells you the vet "listened to her chest and she's fine" is not doing the same thing at all.