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Charles Spaniel Dog Breed
 | The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is a small breed
of dog usually considered one of the toy dog breeds. |
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Photo of
Charles Spaniel Dog Breed
Cavalier King Charles Spaniel (Blenheim coat) |
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Information about
Charles Spaniel Dog Breed
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Appearance
The Cavalier is by most measures the largest toy breed: though clearly a lap
dog, fully-grown adults tend to fill one rather amply. It is nonetheless quite
small for a spaniel, with fully-grown Cavaliers roughly comparable in size to an
adolescent of a more conventional spaniel breed. Breed standards call for a
height between 29 and 33 cm (12-13 inches) with a proportionate weight between
5,5 and 8,5 kg (13 and 18 lbs). Unlike most other spaniels, the Cavalier has a
full-length tail well-feathered with long hair, which is typically carried aloft
when walking.
Coat
The Blenheim's coat features rich chestnut markings on a pearly white
background. The breed naturally grows a substantial silky coat of moderate
length. Breed standards call for it to be free from curl, with a slight wave
permissible. In adulthood, Cavaliers grow lengthy feathering on their ears,
chest, legs, feet and tail; breed standards demand this be kept long, with the
feathering on the feet cited as a particularly important feature of the breed.
The breed has four recognized colors:
Blenheim (rich chestnut on pearly white background)
Tricolor (black and white with tan markings on cheeks, inside ears, resembling
eyebrows, inside legs, and on underside of tail)
Black and Tan (black with tan markings)
Ruby (rich reddish-brown all over)
Parti-colors are the colors that include white: Blenheim and Tricolor.
Whole-colors have no white: Black and Tan, and Ruby. The Blenheim is the most
common color, although the others are not rare.
If you are wanting to show a Blenheim Cavalier King Charles
Spaniel extra points will be given for a rich chestnut dot placed between the
eyes on the top of the forhead. It is rare which makes it desirable for show
breeders.
Temperament
The breed is highly affectionate, and some have called the Cavalier King Charles
Spaniel "the ultimate lap dog". Most dogs of the breed are playful, extremely
patient and eager to please. As such, dogs of the breed are usually good with
children and other dogs. A well-socialized Cavalier will not be shy about
socializing with much larger dogs. (However, on occasion, this tendency can be
dangerous, as many cavaliers will presume all other dogs to be equally friendly,
and may attempt to greet and play with aggressive dogs).
History
For many centuries, small breeds of spaniels have been popular in the United
Kingdom. In the eleventh century, in the reign of King Canute, it was illegal to
hunt with any dog that could not fit through a gauge that was eleven inches in
diameter. Hence, the "birth" of the Toy Spaniel in the United Kingdom. Some
centuries later, Toy Spaniels became popular as pets, especially as pets of the
royal family. In fact, the King Charles Spaniel was so named because a
Blenheim-coated spaniel was the children's pet in the household of Charles I.
King Charles II went so far as to issue a decree that the King Charles Spaniel
could not be forbidden entrance to any public place, including the Houses of
Parliament. Such spaniels can be seen in many paintings of the 16th, 17th and
18th centuries. These early spaniels had longer, pointier snouts and
thinner-boned limbs than today's.
Over time, the toy spaniels were replaced in popularity by short-snouted,
dome-headed dogs of Asian descent, such as the Pug and Japanese Chin. The King
Charles Spaniel was bred with these dogs, resulting in the similar-shaped head
of today's English Toy Spaniel breed. The King Charles Spaniel remained popular
at Blenheim Palace, home to the Dukes of Marlborough, where the brown and white
version was the most popular - resulting in the name Blenheim for that color
combination.
In the 1920s, an American named Roswell Eldrige offered twenty-five pounds as a
prize for any King Charles Spaniel "of the old-fashioned type" with a longer
nose, flat skull, and a lozenge (spot) in the middle of the crown of the head,
sometimes called "the kiss of Buddha," "Blenheim Spot," or "Kissing Spot". So,
the breed was developed by selective breeding of short-snouted Spaniels. The
result was a dog that resembled the boyhood pet of the future Charles II of
England ("Cavalier King Charles"), whence the breed derives its name.
Two breed clubs/registries are found in the United States: the Cavalier King
Charles Spaniel Club (CKCSC) USA and the American Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
Club. The latter club is the breed club of the American Kennel Club.
Health
The breed suffers from a number of severe genetic defects. If considering a
puppy, ask to see its parents' heart and eye certificates to reduce the chance
your puppy will have the defects described below. Many breeders supply these and
most breeders choose pairings to try to reduce the incidence of these defects in
the breed.
Mitral valve disease
Virtually all Cavaliers suffer from mitral valve disease, causing progressively
worsening heart murmurs leading to heart failure. This condition can begin to
emerge at an early age, and is present in more than half of all Cavalier King
Charles Spaniels by 5 years of age. It is extremely rare for a 10-year-old
Cavalier not to have at least a slight heart murmur. It is the leading cause of
death of the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. Veterinary geneticists and
cardiologists have designed breeding guidelines to eliminate early-onset mitral
valve disease in the breed, but it is unclear if a statistically significant
number of breeders follow these guidelines.
Syringomyelia
Syringomyelia (SM) is a condition affecting the brain and spine, causing
symptoms ranging from mild discomfort to severe pain and partial paralysis.
Syringomyelia is rare in most breeds but has become widespread in the Cavalier
King Charles Spaniel. Veterinary neurologists who have been researching the
disease in Cavaliers have estimated that at least half of all Cavaliers have
either syringomyelia or occipital hypoplasia, the skull bone malformation
believed to cause SM. Although symptoms of syringomyelia can present at any age,
they typically appear between 6 months and 3 years of age. Symptoms include
sensitivity around the head, neck, or shoulders, often indicated by a dog
whimpering or frequently scratching at the area of his neck or shoulder.
Scratching is often unilateral -- restricted to one side of the body. Scratching
motions are frequently performed without actually making physical contact with
the body. The scratching behavior appears involuntary and the dog frequently
scratches while walking -- without stopping -- in a way that is very atypical of
normal scratching. Scratching typical of SM is usually worse when the dog is
wearing a collar, is being walked on leash, or is excited.
Not all dogs with SM show scratching behavior. Not all dogs who show scratching
behavior appear to suffer pain. If onset is at an early age, the first sign may
be rapidly appearing scoliosis. If the problem is severe, there is likely to be
poor proprioception (awareness of body position), especially with regard to the
forelimbs. Clumsiness and falling results from this problem.
A vet should be asked to rule out primary secretory otitis media (PSOM - glue
ear) before assuming that a Cavalier has SM. PSOM can present similar symptoms
but is much easier and cheaper to treat. An MRI scan is normally done to confirm
diagnosis of SM.
Episodic Falling (EF)
Episodic Falling is an 'exercise-induced paroxysmal hypertonicity disorder'
meaning that there is increased muscle tone in the dog and the muscles are
unable to relax. Although it is often misdiagnosed as epilepsy, the dog remains
conscious throughout the episode. Severity of symptoms can range from mild,
occasional falling or freezing to seizure-like episodes lasting hours. Episodes
can become more or less severe as the dog gets older. Onset of symptoms is
usually before five months but may be noticed only later in life.
Hip dysplasia
Hip dysplasia is a common genetic disease in the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.
It rarely is present at birth and develops with age. Hip dysplasia is diagnosed
by x-rays, but it usually does not appear in x-rays of Cavaliers until they
mature.
Luxating patella
Cavaliers, like many toy breeds, are subject to a genetic defect of the femur
and knee called luxating patella. The disorder is believed to affect 20% to 30%
of Cavalier King Charles Spaniels. This condition is most often observed when a
puppy is 4 to 6 months old. In the most serious cases, surgery may be indicated.
Keratoconjunctivitis Sicca
Another common defect among Cavaliers is keratoconjunctivitis sicca,
colloquially known as "dry eye". The usual cause of this condition is an
autoimmune reaction against the dog's lacrimal gland (tear gland), reducing the
production of tears. According to the Canine Inherited Disorders Database, the
condition requires continual treatment and if untreated may result in partial or
total blindness.
Miscellaneous
Puppy Mills
The recent increasing popularity of the breed has led to breeding of the
Cavalier King Charles Spaniel in puppy mills and an upsurge in the number of
Cavaliers sold in pet stores. [citation needed]It is usually a mistake to buy a
Cav (as some cavalier king charles spaniel owners call them) or any other dog
from a puppy mill. Dogs bred in puppy mills usually have more diseases and
health issues than dogs bought from reputable breeders or other trusted sources.
Another aspect to consider is that Cavaliers NEED human contact, and do not do
well in kennels. Behavior traits can come from too much time without contact, so
much so that they may act as if they had been abused. Visits to dog boarders and
kennels are best restricted to no more than two or three nights and, even then,
must be with a reputable boarder.
Notable Cavalier King Charles Spaniels
A three-month-old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel puppyRex, pet of U.S. President
Ronald Reagan
Hopper and Harley, pets of Courteney Cox and David Arquette.
Neal, pet of Liv Tyler
Lauren Bacall had 2 Cavaliers
Frank Sinatra had 4 Cavaliers
Controversial Dutch politician Pim Fortuyn had two Cavaliers: Kenneth and Carla
Jennifer Love Hewitt has 1 Cavalier
Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden owned one Cavalier
Jim Cramer of CNBC's Mad Money has a Cavalier named Maggie
Mischa Barton, actress, has 1 Cavalier.
Koda Kumi, singer, has a black and tan Cavalier named Rum, which has appeared in
some of her music videos.
Fictional Cavaliers:
Elizabeth Taylor (née Princess Dandyridge Brandywine), pet of Charlotte York in
Sex and the City
~From
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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