General Appearance
The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is an active, graceful, well-balanced toy spaniel, very gay and free in action; fearless and sporting in character, yet at the same time gentle and affectionate. It is this typical gay temperament, combined with true elegance and royal appearance which are of paramount importance in the breed. Natural appearance with no trimming, sculpting or artificial alteration is essential to breed type.
Size, Proportion, Substance
Size - Height 12 to 13 inches at the withers; weight proportionate to height, between 13 and18 pounds. A small, well balanced dog within these weights is desirable, but these are ideal heights and weights and slight variations are permissible.
Proportion - The body approaches squareness, yet if measured from point of shoulder to point of buttock, is slightly longer than the height at the withers. The height from the withers to the elbow is approximately equal to the height from the elbow to the ground.
Substance - Bone moderate in proportion to size. Weedy and coarse specimens are to be equally penalized.
Head
Proportionate to size of dog, appearing neither too large nor too small for the body.
Expression - The sweet, gentle, melting expression is an important breed characteristic.
Eyes - Large, round, but not prominent and set well apart; color a warm, very dark brown; giving a lustrous, limpid look. Rims dark. There should be cushioning under the eyes which contributes to the soft expression.
Faults - small, almond-shaped, prominent, or light eyes; white surrounding ring.
Ears - Set high, but not close, on top of the head. Leather long with plenty of feathering and wide enough so that when the dog is alert, the ears fan slightly forward to frame the face.
Skull - Slightly rounded, but without dome or peak; it should appear flat because of the high placement of the ears. Stop is moderate, neither filled nor deep.
Muzzle - Full muzzle slightly tapered. Length from base of stop to tip of nose about 1½ inches. Face well filled below eyes. Any tendency towards snipiness undesirable. Nose pigment uniformly black without flesh marks and nostrils well developed.
Lips - well developed but not pendulous giving a clean finish.
Faults - Sharp or pointed muzzles.
Bite - A perfect, regular and complete scissors bite is preferred, i.e. the upper teeth closely overlapping the lower teeth and
set square into the jaws.
Faults - undershot bite, weak or crooked teeth, crooked jaws.
Neck, Topline, Body
Neck - Fairly long, without throatiness, well enough muscled to form a slight arch at the crest. Set smoothly into nicely sloping shoulders to give an elegant look.
Topline - Level both when moving and standing.
Body - Short-coupled with ribs well spring but not barrelled. Chest moderately deep, extending to elbows allowing ample heart room. Slightly less body at the flank than at the last rib, but with no tucked-up appearance.
Tail - Well set on, carried happily but never much above the level of the back, and in constant characteristic motion when the dog is in action. Docking is optional. If docked, no more than one third to be removed.
Forequarters
Shoulders well laid back.
Forelegs straight and well under the dog with elbows close to the sides.
Pasterns strong and feet compact with well-cushioned pads.
Dewclaws may be removed.
Hindquarters
The hindquarters construction should come down from a good broad pelvis, moderately muscled; stifles well turned and
hocks well let down. The hindlegs when viewed from the rear should parallel each other from hock to heel.
Faults - Cow or sickle hocks.
Coat
Of moderate length, silky, free from curl. Slight wave permissible. Feathering on ears, chest, legs and tail should be long, and the feathering on the feet is a feature of the breed. No trimming of the dog is permitted.
Specimens where the coat has been altered by trimming, clipping, or by artificial means shall be so severly penalized as to be effectively eliminated from competition. Hair growing between the pads on the underside of the feet may be trimmed.
Color
Blenheim - Rich chestnut markings well
broken up on a clear, pearly white ground. The ears must be chestnut and the color evenly spaced on the head and surrounding both eyes, with a white blaze between the eyes and ears, in the center of which may be the lozenge or "Blenheim spot." The lozenge is a unique and desirable, though not essential, characteristic of the Blenheim.
Tricolor - Jet black markings well broken up on a clear, pearly white ground. The ears must be black and the color evenly spaced on the head and surrounding both eyes, with a white blaze between the eyes. Rich tan markings over the eyes, on cheeks, inside ears and on underside of tail.
Ruby - Whole-colored rich red.
Black and Tan - Jet black with rich, bright tan markings over eyes, on cheeks, inside ears, on chest, legs, and on underside of tail.
Faults - Heavy ticking on Blenheims or Tricolors, white marks on Rubies or Black and Tans.
Gait
Free moving and elegant in action, with good reach in front and sound, driving rear action. When viewed from the side, the movement exhibits a good
length of stride, and viewed from front and rear it is straight and true, resulting from straight-boned fronts and properly made and muscled hindquarters.
Temperament
Gay, friendly, non-aggressive with no tendency towards nervousness or shyness.
Bad temper, shyness, and meanness are not to be tolerated and are to be severely penalized as to effectively remove the specimen from competition.
Approved Date: January 10, 1995
Effective Date: April 30, 1995
The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is an active, graceful, well-balanced toy spaniel, very gay and free in action; fearless and sporting in character, yet at the same time gentle and affectionate. It is this typical gay temperament, combined with true elegance and royal appearance which are of paramount importance in the breed. Natural appearance with no trimming, sculpting or artificial alteration is essential to breed type.
Size, Proportion, Substance
Size - Height 12 to 13 inches at the withers; weight proportionate to height, between 13 and18 pounds. A small, well balanced dog within these weights is desirable, but these are ideal heights and weights and slight variations are permissible.
Proportion - The body approaches squareness, yet if measured from point of shoulder to point of buttock, is slightly longer than the height at the withers. The height from the withers to the elbow is approximately equal to the height from the elbow to the ground.
Substance - Bone moderate in proportion to size. Weedy and coarse specimens are to be equally penalized.
Head
Proportionate to size of dog, appearing neither too large nor too small for the body.
Expression - The sweet, gentle, melting expression is an important breed characteristic.
Eyes - Large, round, but not prominent and set well apart; color a warm, very dark brown; giving a lustrous, limpid look. Rims dark. There should be cushioning under the eyes which contributes to the soft expression.
Faults - small, almond-shaped, prominent, or light eyes; white surrounding ring.
Ears - Set high, but not close, on top of the head. Leather long with plenty of feathering and wide enough so that when the dog is alert, the ears fan slightly forward to frame the face.
Skull - Slightly rounded, but without dome or peak; it should appear flat because of the high placement of the ears. Stop is moderate, neither filled nor deep.
Muzzle - Full muzzle slightly tapered. Length from base of stop to tip of nose about 1½ inches. Face well filled below eyes. Any tendency towards snipiness undesirable. Nose pigment uniformly black without flesh marks and nostrils well developed.
Lips - well developed but not pendulous giving a clean finish.
Faults - Sharp or pointed muzzles.
Bite - A perfect, regular and complete scissors bite is preferred, i.e. the upper teeth closely overlapping the lower teeth and
set square into the jaws.
Faults - undershot bite, weak or crooked teeth, crooked jaws.
Neck, Topline, Body
Neck - Fairly long, without throatiness, well enough muscled to form a slight arch at the crest. Set smoothly into nicely sloping shoulders to give an elegant look.
Topline - Level both when moving and standing.
Body - Short-coupled with ribs well spring but not barrelled. Chest moderately deep, extending to elbows allowing ample heart room. Slightly less body at the flank than at the last rib, but with no tucked-up appearance.
Tail - Well set on, carried happily but never much above the level of the back, and in constant characteristic motion when the dog is in action. Docking is optional. If docked, no more than one third to be removed.
Forequarters
Shoulders well laid back.
Forelegs straight and well under the dog with elbows close to the sides.
Pasterns strong and feet compact with well-cushioned pads.
Dewclaws may be removed.
Hindquarters
The hindquarters construction should come down from a good broad pelvis, moderately muscled; stifles well turned and
hocks well let down. The hindlegs when viewed from the rear should parallel each other from hock to heel.
Faults - Cow or sickle hocks.
Coat
Of moderate length, silky, free from curl. Slight wave permissible. Feathering on ears, chest, legs and tail should be long, and the feathering on the feet is a feature of the breed. No trimming of the dog is permitted.
Specimens where the coat has been altered by trimming, clipping, or by artificial means shall be so severly penalized as to be effectively eliminated from competition. Hair growing between the pads on the underside of the feet may be trimmed.
Color
Blenheim - Rich chestnut markings well
broken up on a clear, pearly white ground. The ears must be chestnut and the color evenly spaced on the head and surrounding both eyes, with a white blaze between the eyes and ears, in the center of which may be the lozenge or "Blenheim spot." The lozenge is a unique and desirable, though not essential, characteristic of the Blenheim.
Tricolor - Jet black markings well broken up on a clear, pearly white ground. The ears must be black and the color evenly spaced on the head and surrounding both eyes, with a white blaze between the eyes. Rich tan markings over the eyes, on cheeks, inside ears and on underside of tail.
Ruby - Whole-colored rich red.
Black and Tan - Jet black with rich, bright tan markings over eyes, on cheeks, inside ears, on chest, legs, and on underside of tail.
Faults - Heavy ticking on Blenheims or Tricolors, white marks on Rubies or Black and Tans.
Gait
Free moving and elegant in action, with good reach in front and sound, driving rear action. When viewed from the side, the movement exhibits a good
length of stride, and viewed from front and rear it is straight and true, resulting from straight-boned fronts and properly made and muscled hindquarters.
Temperament
Gay, friendly, non-aggressive with no tendency towards nervousness or shyness.
Bad temper, shyness, and meanness are not to be tolerated and are to be severely penalized as to effectively remove the specimen from competition.
Approved Date: January 10, 1995
Effective Date: April 30, 1995
9 Regal Facts About the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
With their flowing fur and soft brown eyes, it’s hard to resist the charm of the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.
1. THEY WERE BRED FROM TOY SPANIELS.
The Cavalier King Charles spaniel is itself a fairly new breed, although its predecessor, the toy spaniel, was incredibly popular from the 16th to the 18th centuries. These small lap dogs were brought from France to Scotland in the 1500s by the Queen of Scots. There, they warmed the laps of royalty and cuddled in the beds of queens. These dogs were occasionally featured next to their royal owners in paintings by some of the greatest artists of the time, including Titian, Van Dyck, and Lely.
2. KING CHARLES II GAVE THEM THEIR NAME.
The dogs get their name from King Charles II, who was very fond of the breed. It was said that the king would not go anywhere without at least three spaniels at his heels. The love was so strong that some even accused the king of neglecting his kingdom in favor of taking care of the dogs. He was known as the Cavalier King, which is where the breed gets the other part of its name.
3. THEY HAD ACCESS TO SOME HIGH-SECURITY PLACES.
King Charles II loved his dogs so much that he decreed that the dogs could not be denied entrance to any building, not even the Houses of Parliament.
4. THE PUG INFLUENCED ITS LOOK.
After King Charles II passed away, the popularity of the breed began to fade, and other dogs like the pug stepped into the spotlight. The King Charles spaniel was bred with these dogs, giving it a shorter snout and domed head. These features continue to live on in today's King Charles spaniel, which is a different breed from the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.
5. THE BREED WAS SPLIT IN TWO.
By the 1920s, King Charles spaniels had domed heads and short stubby snouts. While these traits were desirable for some, American fancier Roswell Eldridge longed for the spaniels depicted in paintings with King Charles II. He traveled to England and offered 25 pounds for the best examples of “old type” spaniels—ideally larger dogs with longer, more elegant snouts.
Breeders were not interested in rising to the challenge, as they had spent a long time perfecting the short-nosed version. (The first few breeders that did make the attempt were ridiculed.) Eventually, however, interest grew, and a small core group of breeders took up the challenge. The newly created variation was dubbed the Cavalier King Charles spaniel to differentiate it from its puggier counterparts. Unfortunately, Eldridge did not live to see the results of his project—he passed away in 1928. The first Cavalier King Charles Spaniel club started the same year, with a dog named Ann’s Son as the leading example.
6. THEY WERE FLEA MAGNETS.
Called comfort dogs, Cavalier King Charles spaniels were often brought into beds. They were meant to attract fleas and be bitten instead of their owners, thus saving their humans from the plague or other diseases.
7. RONALD REAGAN HAD ONE.
In 1985, President Ronald Reagan gave his wife a Cavie named Rex for Christmas. His first job as first dog was to turn on the Christmas lights with his paw. Rex lived a decadent lifestyle, complete with a fancy doghouse designed by Theo Hayes, great-great-grandson of President Rutherford Hayes. Inside, there were red drapes and framed pictures of his owners hung on the walls. When Reagan left office, Rex was presented with a new doghouse shaped like the White House and lined with carpet from Camp David..
8. THE DIFFERENT COLORS HAVE SPECIAL NAMES.
Cavaliers come in four different colors, and they all have unique names. The monikers are: Prince Charles (tri-color), King Charles (black and tan), Ruby (mahogany), and Blenheim (chestnut and white).
9. BLENHEIM IS A REFERENCE TO A BATTLE.
In the early 1800s, the Duke of Marlborough loved King Charles spaniels and kept a number of them with chestnut and white markings. Legend has it that when the duke went off to fight in the battle of Blenheim, his wife stayed home taking care of a spaniel giving birth. To soothe both the dog and herself, the duke's wife would press her thumb against the dog’s forehead. News arrived that the battle had been won and soon after, the puppies were born with red spots on their heads. This was, of course, just a coincidence, but many believed the marks came from the pressure of the duchess' thumb. As a result, the coloration, called the "Blenheim spot," was named after the battle. The family continued to breed Blenheim dogs until the early 1900s.
With their flowing fur and soft brown eyes, it’s hard to resist the charm of the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.
1. THEY WERE BRED FROM TOY SPANIELS.
The Cavalier King Charles spaniel is itself a fairly new breed, although its predecessor, the toy spaniel, was incredibly popular from the 16th to the 18th centuries. These small lap dogs were brought from France to Scotland in the 1500s by the Queen of Scots. There, they warmed the laps of royalty and cuddled in the beds of queens. These dogs were occasionally featured next to their royal owners in paintings by some of the greatest artists of the time, including Titian, Van Dyck, and Lely.
2. KING CHARLES II GAVE THEM THEIR NAME.
The dogs get their name from King Charles II, who was very fond of the breed. It was said that the king would not go anywhere without at least three spaniels at his heels. The love was so strong that some even accused the king of neglecting his kingdom in favor of taking care of the dogs. He was known as the Cavalier King, which is where the breed gets the other part of its name.
3. THEY HAD ACCESS TO SOME HIGH-SECURITY PLACES.
King Charles II loved his dogs so much that he decreed that the dogs could not be denied entrance to any building, not even the Houses of Parliament.
4. THE PUG INFLUENCED ITS LOOK.
After King Charles II passed away, the popularity of the breed began to fade, and other dogs like the pug stepped into the spotlight. The King Charles spaniel was bred with these dogs, giving it a shorter snout and domed head. These features continue to live on in today's King Charles spaniel, which is a different breed from the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.
5. THE BREED WAS SPLIT IN TWO.
By the 1920s, King Charles spaniels had domed heads and short stubby snouts. While these traits were desirable for some, American fancier Roswell Eldridge longed for the spaniels depicted in paintings with King Charles II. He traveled to England and offered 25 pounds for the best examples of “old type” spaniels—ideally larger dogs with longer, more elegant snouts.
Breeders were not interested in rising to the challenge, as they had spent a long time perfecting the short-nosed version. (The first few breeders that did make the attempt were ridiculed.) Eventually, however, interest grew, and a small core group of breeders took up the challenge. The newly created variation was dubbed the Cavalier King Charles spaniel to differentiate it from its puggier counterparts. Unfortunately, Eldridge did not live to see the results of his project—he passed away in 1928. The first Cavalier King Charles Spaniel club started the same year, with a dog named Ann’s Son as the leading example.
6. THEY WERE FLEA MAGNETS.
Called comfort dogs, Cavalier King Charles spaniels were often brought into beds. They were meant to attract fleas and be bitten instead of their owners, thus saving their humans from the plague or other diseases.
7. RONALD REAGAN HAD ONE.
In 1985, President Ronald Reagan gave his wife a Cavie named Rex for Christmas. His first job as first dog was to turn on the Christmas lights with his paw. Rex lived a decadent lifestyle, complete with a fancy doghouse designed by Theo Hayes, great-great-grandson of President Rutherford Hayes. Inside, there were red drapes and framed pictures of his owners hung on the walls. When Reagan left office, Rex was presented with a new doghouse shaped like the White House and lined with carpet from Camp David..
8. THE DIFFERENT COLORS HAVE SPECIAL NAMES.
Cavaliers come in four different colors, and they all have unique names. The monikers are: Prince Charles (tri-color), King Charles (black and tan), Ruby (mahogany), and Blenheim (chestnut and white).
9. BLENHEIM IS A REFERENCE TO A BATTLE.
In the early 1800s, the Duke of Marlborough loved King Charles spaniels and kept a number of them with chestnut and white markings. Legend has it that when the duke went off to fight in the battle of Blenheim, his wife stayed home taking care of a spaniel giving birth. To soothe both the dog and herself, the duke's wife would press her thumb against the dog’s forehead. News arrived that the battle had been won and soon after, the puppies were born with red spots on their heads. This was, of course, just a coincidence, but many believed the marks came from the pressure of the duchess' thumb. As a result, the coloration, called the "Blenheim spot," was named after the battle. The family continued to breed Blenheim dogs until the early 1900s.