does anyone have any information on the breed cavalier king charles spaniels?

Question

i am hoping to get one really soon, but would like to find out a little bit more about them form people who may have owned one or does at this moment in time. I am in a family with children ranging from 11-17. thanks

Answer 1

Hi, we have a Cavalier King Charles he is the most charming little dog you could ever ask for. He is now 15 and has the usual heart problems you associate with this breed, but he takes tablets daily and is still a happy dog!
He wags his tail constantly and no matter how much kids or anyone pesters him he never gets annoyed. He is very sweet natured and excellent with people I've never heard him growl at anyone!

I now have a Jack Russell puppy who pesters him all the time and bites his ears and his tail coz he wags it in her face all the time! He never gets annoyed with her even though he is an old man and she jumps on him when he is asleep in his bed!

The cavalier is a member of the toy dog family, making him an excellent family pet. He will be easy to keep, not need miles of walking every day and give you so much pleasure as a companion. They are generally very placid and loving dogs, We have had Barney since he was 8 weeks old, he is now 15 and I can't fault him!
If you want a super family pet, with no risk if left alone with your children, who wont tear up the house if you dont walk him miles every day then the Cavalier is for you. Not as lively as other members of the spaniel family like cockers and springers he wont demand hours of excercise in order to settle down in his bed!

They are easily kept, ours has always been a fussy eater but never thin, I think they are mostly greedy if given the chance as I have seen some fat ones around! But aren't we all a little greedy if given the chance!

Make sure you buy one reared in the home, not from a pet shop or breeder as I think with any dog this environment can be damaging to them in their early weeks of life as it is introducing them to and making them used to an environment they will not be living in, and the proper socialisation and confidence building in puppies from 6 weeks on is invaluable to their personalities later in life. Sometimes puppys kept in these places are taken from their mothers earlier than they should be simply to have them ready to sell quicker this can have all sorts of effects on the puppy.

The cavalier is a lovely dog and an ideal family pet, ours grew up with three children, me and my terror brothers. We did everything with him including dressing him up and having him sit on a chair at the table with us at dinner! All the things you are not meant to do! He never chewed furniture or anything as puppies can and never got angry however much torment he received!

Great Family Dog good luck should you get one!

Answer 2

I have had cavi's since i was little. they are one of the best with children, proper "lap dogs" but they love to excercise too and a good game of fetch never gets dull for them. some of them are bred to retreive ducks, i dont think they are used much now though, thats why they have a very soft mouth.
There are 4 offical colours - Tri (black, white and brown), Blenheim (brown and white), Black and Tan and Ruby (red/ ginger. no white markings as these are a "fault" although for pet purposes there is nothing wrong with it at all!)
Make sure you dont over feed them as they have a tendancy to get fat.
They do molt quite a lot and need a bit of grooming esp. under the arm pits, ears and the back legs where the hair gets long.
They can have heart murmers and weak hearts. take them to a vet within 48 hours of puchase to check this. Do not buy one that hasnt been kennel club registered and check that the dog has not been in-bred. Make sure you can see the mum and the rest of the litter and dad too if possible.you are looking at about £500+ for one that has been kennel club registered (you get 6 weeks free pet insurance when you advise them you have the pup which is very handy!). You will find most people have them for sale in the north of england or the south, the midlands dont have many. This is a rare breed of dog (believe it or not) and is in decline in the uk so can be hard to get hold of. dont buy from "puppy farms" and always check the condition of the pups ears (mite tendancies), eyes, nose, feet, belly (if its fat it could have worms) and backside fo any indication the dog isnt well.
I bought one (against my better judgement) because she was in such bad shape, she was only 10 weeks old but was skin and bone, her nails and curled into her pads, she had worms and sever ear mites. She was bought out by the scruff of her neck and dumped on the living room floor. She looked so sad and i felt so sorry for her that I just had to get her. Unfortunately in the end although we got her away from the awful place im sure it was just giving the breeder an incentive to breed more so just dont get a bad looking pup no matter how sorry you feel for them as they will carry on having more pups! She never fully recovered from her experience.

Answer 3

Everything wonderful you can say about any dog, the King Charles is all of those things. However good ones are VERY expensive. Please first try a specialty breed rescue then be sure to use only a reputable breeder & research them CAREFULLY. Think about how interested in that kind of money the disgusting puppy mills are. Do not buy from a petstore, either because commonly they are involved with the horrific 'mills'. Spay & neuter, exercise & discipline!! Do this right & you won't brlieve what a lovely dog you'll have! Good luck!

Answer 4

It'll probably be okay with your kids. If its a pup you might want to partition off a section ofthe kitchen for when you leave him alone for a while because for about the first year they can be very destructive... chewing up tables and the likes but don't worry they settle down you just have to make sure that they know they are not allowed to do it. You might wanna try giving him toys he can chew up and a section of the house where he can run wild when he's on his own.

They get very bored and have a lot of energy which I'm sure you'll find out but this doesn't mean you should give in if he starts barking or running around. Make sure he knows whos boss. If he starts barking or nattering for attention put him on his own for a bit he'll get the idea. :) Have fun!

Answer 5

A breed introduce in the early 90,s by some yank, not to be confused with the King Charles Spaniel, which is smaller and cuter. Make a nice lap dog, noisy but ok. I had one for breakfast yesterday.

Answer 6

make sure you buy only from reputable breeders who heart test the parent stock. Eye testing is also important. I have had a cavalier for some years, what specifically do you want to know?
They are one of the commonest breeds of spaniel available, unlike their smaller cousin the 'king charles spaniel' which is very rare and expensive.There are breeders up and down the country and I know of at least 4 reputable ones which also show, who live in the midlands area. I have no idea why anyone would think they are rare. A check with the kennel club shows the breed to be the 6th most popular with 11,165 puppies registered in 2005.

Answer 7

I had an interesting confrontation over a king charles spaniel.I was running a pub and dogs were not allowed in,but one guy kept sneaking his spaniel in ,so i told him to leave where upon he informed me that i couldnt legally put the dog out ,because king charles had decreed that these dogs were allowed anywhere,so because i was unsure of the law ,i allowed the dog to stay ,but told him he was barred ,needless to say he left with his dog ,but on later enquiry i found that technically he was right ,that law is still on the statute.

Answer 8

Go to www.akc.org & conatct members of your closest breed club. Buy from a breeder that certifies the knees & hearts, as these are the two biggest problem areas in the breed. Sweet dogs, not yappy or aggressive, and a 10 on the cute meter!

Answer 9

Long nails can be harbingers for bacteria, particularly if they are artificial, but they are good for scratching and beginning those little foil wrapped containers which are so hard to get directly into.

Answer 10

We have one, her name is Abbie, she's great with children and ideal for families. She usually barks when a stranger comes in the house but within a few seconds she settles down. Abbie has two puppies a week old - one black and white and one tan and white