Cavalier King Charles Spaniel

[thornliegirl]

QUESTIONS

1. What is my relationship with the breed? (ie breeder, first time owner etc)

Very proud first time owner and writing this from the perspective of owning a 12 week old CKCS pup

2. Where and why was the breed first developed?

That's one to ask a breeder but I believe it was essentially to warm laps for royalty?

3. How common is it in Australia?

They're a very common breed that are being exploited by puppy mills and BYB's.

4. What is the average lifespan?

About 12 years, health permitting.

5. What is the general temperament/personality?

Based on my own experiences with Chester and other Cavaliers i've met, they're very laid back but love a good rumble occassionally. Chester is a very 'go with the flow' kinda pup, he's happy doing whatever we're doing (active or inactive) as long as he's around us.

6. How much daily exercise is needed for the average adult?

Not too sure, i'll edit when I find out

7. Is it a breed that a first time dog owner could easily cope with?

Being one, yes. He's been SO easy to train because he just wants to please you.

8. Can solo dogs of this breed easily occupy themselves for long periods?

For short periods yes, but not for more than say 4 hours.

9. How much grooming is required?

Even as a puppy, he's needing a brush every day. He moults quite a bit but it's not an issue provided he's trained to enjoy his grooming sessions. He also needs his ears cleaned each week or two and a bath every couple of weeks.

10. Is it too boisterous for very small children or for infirm people (unless the dog is well trained)?

Nope, he's already been exposed to a lot of kids and all he wants to do is smother them with love I once saw an old lady in an electric wheelchair thing at the movies with her little CKCS in the basket at the front, when the movie started he jumped up and sat on her lap

11. Are there any common hereditary problems a puppy buyer should be aware of?

Mitral Valve Disease, Hip Displaysia, Spyrom-something something. Always ask for heart clear certificates for the sire and the dam of your prospective puppy.

12. When buying a puppy, what are the things you should ask of the breeder? (eg what health tests have been done (if applicable) and what is an acceptable result to those tests so the buyer has an idea of what the result should be)

As above.

And i'd like to add, buy from a Registered breeder!!! There's so many ads in newspaper for 'purebreeds' and 'crossbreeds' of CKCS, make sure the person you buy from is a dead set certified breeder.

[Lally]

I'm far from being an expert, but I've owned 13 cavaliers over about 20 years. In my opinion, your puppy's weight is worrisome. I once had a tiny little girl who just wouldn't/couldn't put on weight no matter what topline food I gave her, which she didn't eat, and she lived to age 12, though she did have serious digestive problems for most of her life. When I sent her to the vet to be speyed, the vet discovered that she had severe, entrenched tonsilitis. To this day, I'm convinced that she associated eating with pain.

To tempt her, when she rejected all and every food choice she was offered, I found that she would actually try shaved ham and grated cheese: not at all wholesome for a puppy, I know, but it got her into the habit of eating. Gradually, I introduced her to chicken,mashed rice and mashed vegetables which she seemed to accept after a lot of trial and error.

Puppies need more than one meal per day, and one filled with proteins, good carbohydrates, and vitamins, at that. When she was a difficult eater, I also gave her a drop or two of Pentavite. She was exercised a lot less regularly than my other dogs as I was anxious to not exhaust her. I also gave her electrolytes via a syringe which our vet gave us to ensure that her bodily functions were not too compromised.

Good luck!

[PoppyDog]

I'm no expert either! In fact I am probably the farthest thing from it!

BUT...We got an 8 week old Cav girl last week and when I took her to the vet to be weighed (she was due to be wormed) she was 2.8kg.

She is a big girl though. Bigger than her sister and brother!

[Trishm]

Can anyone give me any information about a reputable breeder here in SA ?

Thanks,

Trish

[cvs]

Can anyone give me any information about a reputable breeder here in SA ?

Thanks,

Trish

will send you a PM

[pinky11]

Can anyone give me any information about a reputable breeder here in SA ?

Thanks,

Trish

will send you a PM

Hi

Can anyone give me any info and names regards to reputable breeders in nsw pls?

[julesluvscavs]

Can anyone give me any information about a reputable breeder here in SA ?

Thanks,

Trish

Joey and Renae's breeder (Merry-'Rivarose' ) doesn't have any litters atm, but I am sure she can recommend other SA Cavalier breeders

Let me know if you would like her details. I do know of another SA breeder that I can give you their contact details, but I don't think they have any litters atm either.

Ps.. Here is a link to the SA Cavalier Club

Edited March 18, 2010 by JulesLuvsCavs

[cavanova]

Hi

Can anyone give me any info and names regards to reputable breeders in nsw pls?

Heres the link to the CKCS Club of NSW web site.

http://www.cavaliersnsw.com/index.html

http://www.cavaliersnsw.com/puppyregister.html

[Guest RANDCMOORE31]

Hi, I have a beautiful natured female 4 year old cav who has always been very vocal. She talks to me everytime I come home - I'm sure she's telling me off for being out all day. She has 3 other dog companions - so one would think is very socialised with other dogs. However, anytime we take her out for a walk - if she spots another dog - she barks and lunges, which sets off all our other dogs and makes us a real spectacle - very embarrassing! I think I've contributed to this behaviour as when I see another dog in our vicinity I lock the lead on short or put her back on the lead if we are down the beach - which has reinforced her belief that there is a problem. If another dog does approach or gets too close - she turns tail and squeals and hides behind my legs. These situations are made more difficult to control due to the fact that we currently have 4 dogs (2 geriatrics and 2 younger ones) and it is difficult when you're managing two dogs at once to do much more than pull their leads in short and try and divert their attention. Have other cav. owners experienced this type of behaviour before? I'm thinking it's actually a fear response - and she believes the best form of defence is offence. Aside from this one problem - she is the softest, most loving natured dog I have come across.

[Bashara]

Just got a new 9 wk old Cavalier puppy from a registered breeder

Hes a gorgeous wee thing and my boys adore him already. Have had corgis in the past so I'm not totally a dog novice, just a Cavalier novice

Just a few questions:

Is crate training as in puppy playroom and doggy den a good idea for a Cavalier? It seems like an awesome way to get him toilet trained and chew toy trained asap to a novice. Hes been pretty good at night so far, hes in a puppy safe laundry and first night he went straight to sleep and didnt cry til it was daylight. The nights since then hes cried a bit but settled down quickly. But always awake and crying from dawn lolz. He might need to spend a couple of hours alone during the day once or twice a week so I'd like to get him used to this asap.

Hes been fed Supercoat, Roo mince and VIP puppy roll to this point. I want to put him on a better quality food so I'm looking at Royal Canin and Eagle Farm. Is he too young for the Royal Canin cavalier breed specific food? What age should he go on that if he is too young at this stage? Which of the two Eagle farm puppy foods is better: Holistic select small/mini puppy or the small/medium breed puppy formula? Any other suggestions food wise? I don't have time to do a raw/natural diet for him so please only commercial food recommendations.

We have a cat and she just hisses at him and runs away, so he chases her. I'm hoping they can be friends and keep each other company. Any suggestions to help them get along?

Thanks for any help in advance and sorry if I've posted this in the wrong place.

[Gretel]

Hi, I have a beautiful natured female 4 year old cav who has always been very vocal. She talks to me everytime I come home - I'm sure she's telling me off for being out all day. She has 3 other dog companions - so one would think is very socialised with other dogs. However, anytime we take her out for a walk - if she spots another dog - she barks and lunges, which sets off all our other dogs and makes us a real spectacle - very embarrassing! I think I've contributed to this behaviour as when I see another dog in our vicinity I lock the lead on short or put her back on the lead if we are down the beach - which has reinforced her belief that there is a problem. If another dog does approach or gets too close - she turns tail and squeals and hides behind my legs. These situations are made more difficult to control due to the fact that we currently have 4 dogs (2 geriatrics and 2 younger ones) and it is difficult when you're managing two dogs at once to do much more than pull their leads in short and try and divert their attention. Have other cav. owners experienced this type of behaviour before? I'm thinking it's actually a fear response - and she believes the best form of defence is offence. Aside from this one problem - she is the softest, most loving natured dog I have come across.

Hi,

Sorry only just saw this post. I have a girl who does the same thing when she sees another dog out walking. Not at shows though! I did some work with her and got her much better but if I am walking a few it's not easy to stop the behaviour. If I walk her alone she is good. I get her to focus on me and reward her with treats as we get closer. As you say when you've got a few it just sets them all off

[Gretel]

Just got a new 9 wk old Cavalier puppy from a registered breeder

Hes a gorgeous wee thing and my boys adore him already. Have had corgis in the past so I'm not totally a dog novice, just a Cavalier novice

Just a few questions:

Is crate training as in puppy playroom and doggy den a good idea for a Cavalier? It seems like an awesome way to get him toilet trained and chew toy trained asap to a novice. Hes been pretty good at night so far, hes in a puppy safe laundry and first night he went straight to sleep and didnt cry til it was daylight. The nights since then hes cried a bit but settled down quickly. But always awake and crying from dawn lolz. He might need to spend a couple of hours alone during the day once or twice a week so I'd like to get him used to this asap.

Hes been fed Supercoat, Roo mince and VIP puppy roll to this point. I want to put him on a better quality food so I'm looking at Royal Canin and Eagle Farm. Is he too young for the Royal Canin cavalier breed specific food? What age should he go on that if he is too young at this stage? Which of the two Eagle farm puppy foods is better: Holistic select small/mini puppy or the small/medium breed puppy formula? Any other suggestions food wise? I don't have time to do a raw/natural diet for him so please only commercial food recommendations.

We have a cat and she just hisses at him and runs away, so he chases her. I'm hoping they can be friends and keep each other company. Any suggestions to help them get along?

Thanks for any help in advance and sorry if I've posted this in the wrong place. :p

There is a Cavalier thread in general you might want to pop in to. It's in the breed subforum. We do need pics though Royal Canin is good. I don't feed the breed specific one cause it doesn't come in big bags. Eagle Pack is good too. I prefer the Holistic range. There is a chicken one that is suited to small breeds adult and puppy. Don't know about helping with the cat, I'm afraid.

[kayla1]

Can someone tell me what a 'field dog variety' is? Someone recently told me their CKCS is a field dog variety and I'd never heard of it before. Haven't read the whole thread so sorry if it's in a previous post.

[Gretel]

Can someone tell me what a 'field dog variety' is? Someone recently told me their CKCS is a field dog variety and I'd never heard of it before. Haven't read the whole thread so sorry if it's in a previous post.

I've been in the breed 30 years and never heard that one!

[kayla1]

Can someone tell me what a 'field dog variety' is? Someone recently told me their CKCS is a field dog variety and I'd never heard of it before. Haven't read the whole thread so sorry if it's in a previous post.

I've been in the breed 30 years and never heard that one!

Oh good, wasn't just me then! (not that I'm an expert) I was told this particular dog is a 'field dog variety' CKCS which makes him an 'extremely active' dog...

[Gretel]

Some Cavaliers are more active than others. I do think that one was a made up one though

[kayla1]

Oh yes, some are more active than others - I was just surprised to hear of the extremely active field dog variety! Anyway good to know I wasn't missing something, thanks!

[pete cassidy]

I concur with the info here we have an 11 month old cav (Monty) black&tan, he is lovely, we had a ruby in the U.K.

Does anyone have any tips for getting knots out of the coat.?? We live in North Brisbane (Taigum) and to date have not found a decent Cavvy groomer.

Regards PC

[Gretel]

Hi Pete, It's not too hard to keep them knot free unless they grow a big thick woolly coat. A good brush through and then make sure you comb through the problem areas such as behind ears, under legs and trousers.

[pete cassidy]

Hi Pete, It's not too hard to keep them knot free unless they grow a big thick woolly coat. A good brush through and then make sure you comb through the problem areas such as behind ears, under legs and trousers.

Hi Gretel, Thanks for the info I was a while getting back as we have been preparing to move. I think I may have emailed you when we were in the U.K. prior to coming back to OZ.(Phil Cose)