notes on the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel

This beautiful small spaniel has dark round expressive eyes that are large but not prominent. The tail is sometimes docked to no less then three times its length. It has a conical muzzle and a flat skull. It has a shallow stop, with well developed nose and wide nostrils. The ears are long with abundant feathering. It has a silky coat, sometimes with a slight waviness that comes in ruby, black & tan, tri-color and blenheim (rich chestnut on a pearly-white background). On Blenheim dogs, a chestnut-red spot on top of the head between the ears is preferred by breeders, but not critical.
Blenheim = red and white
Prince Charles = tricolor
King Charles = black and tan
Ruby = rich mahogany red

The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is an eager, affectionate tail-wagger. Lively, outgoing and sportive. These fearless lively little dogs want to please. They are intelligent enough to understand what you want and therefore are usually easy to train and respond well to gentle obedience training. They are said to be naturally well behaved and get along well with other dogs and non-canine pets. Cavalier's love people and need lots of companionship to be happy. They should not be left alone all day. They are descended from hunting dogs and love to romp in the great outdoors. This breed sometimes displays a chasing instinct and should be kept well enclosed or leashed so he does not get lost or run over by a car! They do best with older considerate children and some can be reserved with strangers. The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is a pleasant companion dog. It has a noteworthy sense of smell and vision and can be used in short hunts in open country. They do well in competitive obedience.

The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is descended from the King Charles Spaniel and other small Toy Spaniels seen in many sixteenth, seventeenth, and eighteenth century paintings. Its breeders were trying to reproduce a toy dog similar to those seen in portraits from the time of England's Charles II, who was said to dote on these small dogs. In the 1920's the American, Roswell Eldridge, offered prize money during a Cruft's Dog Show in London, to any person exhibiting King Charles Spaniels with long noses. He was looking for dogs similar to those appearing in Van Dyck's paintings of King Charles II and his spaniels. By the 1940's these dogs were classified as a separate breed and were given the prefix Cavalier, to differentiate them from their forebears. The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel was shown in the Toy Group of the AKC beginning in 1996.