History of the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel

For most Cavalier owners, the breed is typified by the Landseer picture "Cavalier's Pets".

While the ancestry of the modern Cavalier can clearly be seen from this and other similar pictures, at one time the breed was in danger of dying out.

History records that many famous people owned Cavaliers, including Mary Queen of Scots, King Charles II, The Duke of Marlborough, and Queen Victoria.

However, by the 1920's the breed had evolved into spaniels that were very short in the face with domed heads and low set ears. They were called King Charles Spaniels. This distinctly different breed still exists today.

In the 1920's, an American, Rowell Eldridge, went to England to seek out the "old style" Cavalier, with the longer nose. He was disappointed to find that they were not available and, to encourage breeders to revert to the earlier type, he offered prizes of £25 for two classes at Crufts in 1926, to be awarded to dogs nearest to the type illustrated in Landseer's picture.

From this start, the interest of some of the breeders was piqued, and they became interested in pursuing the ideal of the "Old Type King Charles Spaniel".

By 1928 a club was formed to promote the breed characteristics, and the name "Cavalier King Charles Spaniel" was adopted.  The breed standard was drawn up at that time, primarily based on Ann's Son, owned by Mrs Mostyn Walker.

The aim was to breed a dog that would be an "active, sporting, sound little dog free from any artificial trimming or coloring".

These founding principles still apply to the breed today.

article and images courtesy of Chris Lewis, Greenabella Cavaliers

back to top

Breed Standard (CKCSC USA):

CAVALIER KING CHARLES SPANIEL

General
An active, graceful, well-balanced dog, very gay and free in action. Appearance: fearless and sporting in character, yet at the same time gentle and affectionate.

Head
The skull is lightly rounded, but without a dome or peak; it should appear flat because of the high placement of the ears.

Eyes
Large, round and set well apart; color a warm, very dark brown, giving a lustrous, limpid look. There should be slight cushioning under the eyes, which contributes much to the sweet, gentle expression characteristic of the breed. Faults: Small, almond shaped, prominent, or light eyes; white surrounding ring.

Nose
There should be a shallow stop, and the length from the base of the stop to tip of nose should be at least 1 1/2 inches. Nostrils should be well developed and the pigment uniformly black. Putty, or "dudley" noses, and white patches on the nose are serious faults, as are small, pinched nostrils.

Muzzle
Well tapered; mouth level; lips well covering. Faults:  Sharp, pointed or snipey muzzle. Full or pendulous lips. Flesh marks, i.e. patches of pink pigment showing through hair on muzzle.

Teeth
Strong and even, preferably meeting in a scissor bite, although a level bite is permitted. Undershot mouths are greatly to be discouraged; it should be emphasized, however, that a slightly undershot bite in an otherwise well-balanced head with the correct sweet expression should not be penalized in favor of a level mouth with a plain or hard expression. Faults: Weak or crooked teeth; crooked jaws.

Ears
Set high, but not close, on top of the head. Leather long, with plenty of silky feathering, and wide enough so that when the dog is alert, the ears fan slightly forward to frame the face.

Neck
Fairly long, without throatiness, well enough muscled to form a slight arch at the crest. Set smoothly into nicely sloping shoulders.

Shoulders
Sloping back gently with moderate angulation, to give the characteristic look of top class and presence.

Body
Short-coupled with ribs well sprung but not barrelled. Chest moderately deep, leaving ample heart room. Back level, leading into strong, muscular hind quarters. Slightly less body at the flank than at the last rib, but with no tucked-up appearance.

Legs
Forelegs straight and well under the dog, bone moderate, elbows close to the sides. Hind legs moderately muscled; stifles well turned; hocks well let down. The hind legs viewed from the rear, should parallel each other from the hock to the heel. Pastern strong and feet compact with well cushioned pads. The dog stands level on all four feet. Faults: Loose elbow, crooked legs; stifles turned in or out; cow hocks; stilted action; weak pasterns; open feet.

Tail
Set so as to be carried level with the back. Tail should be in constant, characteristic motion when dog is in action. Docking: Docking is optional,but whether or not the tail is docked, it must balance the body. If docked, the tail must not be cut too short; two-thirds is the absolute minimum to be left on the body, and the tails of broken-colored dogs should always be docked to leave a white tip.

Coat
Long and silky and very soft to the touch; free from curl, though slight wave is permissible. Feathering on the ears, legs and tail should be long, and the feathering on the feet is a feature of the breed. Trimming: NO trimming of the dog is permitted. However, it is permissible, often desirable, to remove the hair growing between the pads and the underside of the foot.

Size
Height 12 to 13 inches at the withers; weight, proportionate to height, between 13 and 18 pounds. These are ideal heights and weights; slight variations are permissible and a dog should be penalized only in comparison with one of equal general appearance, type and quality. The weedy specimen is as much to be penalized as the oversized one.

Colors

Blenheim
Rich chestnut markings well broken up on a pearly white ground. The ears must be red and the color evenly spaced on the head, with a wide white blaze between the ears, in the center of which is the much desired lozenge (diamond), or "Blenheim Spot". The lozenge is a unique and highly desirable, though not essential, characteristic of the Blenheim.

Tricolor
Jet black markings broken up on a pearly white ground; with rich tan markings over the eyes, on the cheeks and on underside of tail.

Ruby
Whole-colored rich red.

Black and Tan
Jet black with rich tan markings over the eyes, on cheeks, inside ears, on chest, legs, and underside of tail.

Faults

White marks on whole-colored specimens; heavy ticking on Blenheims or Tricolors. It is important to remember that a dog can have one or more of the faults listed in the Standard, in moderation, and still be an over-all typical gay, elegant Cavalier. On the other hand, bad temper or meanness are not to be tolerated and shall be considered disqualifying faults. It is the typical gay temperament, combined with true elegance and "royal" appearance, which are of paramount importance in the breed.

Summary

The blueprint described in the Breed Standard is only applicable if you are interested in showing. Otherwise, markings and the less significant points are not going to detract in any way from your Cavalier being a perfect and healthy, loving, pet with a typical Cavalier temperament.

back to top

Links

Housetraining worries? Be sure to visit:

Nutrition:

www.k-9kraving.com

http://www.auntjeni.com/

http://www.naturapet.com/display.php?d=home-tab

http://b-naturals.com/default.php

   This company has a wonderful e-news letter. It is free. Consider subscribing today.

Vaccines:

http://www.avma.org/onlnews/javma/sep04/040915l.asp

http://www.doglogic.com/vaccination.htm

Obedience and Agility Training:

www.apdt.com

www.cleanrun.com

In the Charolttesville Area:

www.grdt.com

Therapy Dog Work:

http://www.tdi-dog.org/

http://www.deltasociety.org/

Cavalier Clubs:

www.ckcsc.org

http://www.cavaliersofthesouth.org/

http://www.thecavalierclub.co.uk/

http://www.cne-ckcsc.org/

Cavalier Health Concerns:

www.aboutcavalierhealth.com

Other breeders:

www.pascavale.com

www.lianes-cavaliere.de/start.htm

www.starspanglecavaliers.com