Cavalier King Charles Spaniels

It’s impossible to feel lonely if a Cavalier is part of your family. They expect to spend days in your lap, nights in your bed, and to share every trip you make to the bathroom. If a stuffed dog could be programmed to come to life and exist just to share your love, it would come to life as a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. They’re affectionate and are not shy about sharing and showing their love. Not only do Cavaliers like their own family, but they’re welcoming to friends and visitors—even burglars are made to feel welcome. So no, they can’t claim fame as guardians or protectors. They have good manners, get along seamlessly with other dogs and pets, and make great companions for people of every age. Queen Victoria, who was a lover of many dog breeds, described her favorite dog, a King Charles Spaniel named Dash, in a way that would fit any modern Cavalier: "His attachment was without selfishness, his playfulness without malice, his fidelity without deceit."

When it comes to appearance, Cavaliers are a combination of cute and regal. The “cute” comes from their big, round doe-eyes, with cushioning beneath that that gives them a soft, endearing almost pleading expression. Add to that a well-cushioned muzzle that’s irresistible for kissing, and long hanging spaniel ears, and abandon all hope when a Cavalier looks at you asking for a bite of your dinner. The “regal” comes from the high head carriage, flowing coat, and well-plumed tail. The Cavalier is a toy spaniel in appearance, longer than tall, with moderate bone size. The head is rounded, with long, high-set, well-feathered ears. The tail may be docked in areas that allow, with no more than one-third removed, but is generally left long. The silky coat is long and feathered, either straight or with a slight wave. The color choices are solid red (called Ruby), chestnut and white (called Blenheim), black & tan, or black, tan & white (called tri-color). As toy spaniels, they are in the American Kennel Club (AKC) Toy group, but they are one of the largest breeds in that group.

Cavaliers are so keen on sharing the love that they tend to love everyone: strange people, strange dogs, strange animals, kids, elderly…everyone. They tend to make exuberant playmates for children, cuddly bedmates for the elderly, and quiet sofa companions for anyone just needing a break. Their spaniel heritage is not shy about emerging, and they equally love to hike around the block or down the trail, searching for birds along the way. They are adaptable to many situations, and generally happy wherever they find themselves—as long as there are people to love. They are fairly quiet, calm, and seldom bark without good reason. They are gentle, demonstrative and perpetually happy. They are eager to please, and they learn fairly quickly—but precision obedience is not really their forte. While generally calm, they enjoy rowdy but gentle play sessions and vigorous walks where they can sniff and explore the neighborhood.

Training a Cavalier is usually very rewarding. They naturally want to please, and they’re smart enough to succeed at it. Their spaniel heritage gives them an inborn ability to follow directions, as was needed when hunting and retrieving in the field. And their subsequent selection for an easy-going companion further produced an easy-going, biddable dog. Nonetheless, don’t expect a hop-to-it obedience wonder dog. Cavaliers tend to take their time but they do get around to doing what you ask. Cavaliers are very sensitive. Reward and praise-based training is much more effective than coercion methods. They learn house rules easily and are generally easy to housetrain. Cavaliers have been trained to the highest levels of obedience, rally, agility, and trick training. Occasionally some Cavaliers can be shy. Socializing them early will help avoid it, but if they become shy don’t push them. Don’t let strangers push themselves at them if they don’t want to be touched. Take it easy and maybe, in a few months, they might be back to their gregarious norm.

The Cavalier’s ancestors were probably smaller spaniels bred to Oriental toy breeds such as the Japanese Chin or possibly Tibetan Spaniel. According to DNA, their closest relative is the Cocker Spaniel. They were called comforter spaniels and used as foot warmers, hot water bottles, and lap dogs for the Tudor blue-bloods. They may have even been used to attract fleas away from their owners. In the United Kingdom, the dogs became so closely associated with King Charles II in the 1700s that they were called King Charles Spaniels. After King Charles’ death the Duke of Marlborough became the breed’s major guardian, he favored the chestnut and white color, which was named Blenheim (pronounced blenim) after the Duke’s estate. They continued to be popular as a pet for the wealthy, but the shorter-nosed ones became much favored. By the early 1900s the show dogs all had flat faces. Then a wealthy American offered a big cash prize for the best “pointed-nose” specimens, and breeders started to produce longer-nosed dogs that looked more like the originals. The longer nosed dogs were renamed Cavalier King Charles Spaniels. Only a few Cavaliers remained after World War I. Six dogs became the foundation of the modern breed. The American Kennel Club (AKC) recognised the Cavalier as a breed in 1996 in the United States. They quickly rose to be one of the more popular breeds. They are in the AKC Toy group. Famous owners include Ronald and Nancy Reagan, Frank Sinatra, Courtney Cox, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Diane Sawyer, Sylvester Stallone and the Osbournes.