Cavalier Charles

Overview

The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is a lively, elegant, and well-proportioned toy dog, very glamorous and generous. They are characterized by their love for activity, bravery, and yet they’re gentle and adorable animals. This breed’s noble temperament is paramount, reflecting true nobility and a regal appearance. The nature of this breed is innate, requiring no grooming, sculpture, or artificial changes.

Size

Height at the shoulders is 12-13 inches; weight is proportional to the height, between 13-18 pounds. A small, well-proportioned dog is desirable, but the mentioned sizes are ideals, and slight variations are acceptable. The body proportions are nearly square, with the length from shoulder to buttocks slightly more than the height at the shoulders. The distance from the elbow to the ground is half the height. Medium bone density and proportional. Messiness and coarseness are considered flaws.

Head

Proportionate to the body, appearing neither too large nor too small. Expression – A sweet, elegant, and gentle expression is a significant feature of this breed. Eyes are large and round, but not protruding, set well apart; they are a very deep brown, giving a clear and bright appearance. The eye rims are black. When they gaze at you gently, you can sense the tenderness in their eyes. Flaws: Almond-shaped, bulging, or light-colored eyes; white eye rims. Ears are set high, but not too close together, placed on top of the head.

Ears are feathered and long, so when the dog is alert, the ears have a slight fanning motion towards the face. The head is slightly rounded but not domed or bumpy; it appears rather flat due to ear placement. The stop (indentation between the eyes) is moderate. Muzzle is slightly tapered and is approximately 1 1/2 inches from the stop to the nose tip. The eyes are well set apart on the face. Any tendency towards snipiness is undesirable. Nose should be jet black, with no pink markings; nostrils are well-developed. Lips are well-developed without being pendulous; they end cleanly. Flaws: Sharp or too delicate muzzle. The bite is ideally a perfect scissor bite, but a slight overlap where the upper teeth are set inside the lower jaw is acceptable. Flaws: underbite, loose or misaligned teeth, twisted jaws.

Neck, Topline, Body

The neck is of the right length, devoid of loose skin, muscular, and slightly arched. It meets the shoulders elegantly. The topline remains level both when moving and standing. The body is short with closely set ribs, strong but not barrel-chested. Moderate chest depth, aligned with the elbows, allowing ample space in the chest. The body narrows slightly past the last rib but doesn’t tuck up sharply. Tail is set high, held appropriately, mostly not curled over the back; when the dog moves, a stationary tail is typical. Docking is optional. If docked, no more than one-third of the tail should be removed.

Forequarters

Shoulders well laid back, front legs straight and elbows fitting closely to the sides. Strong wrists, compact toes, thick pads, dewclaws may be removed. Hindquarters – Broad pelvis and appropriately muscled; stifle well-angled and hocks well down and straight when viewed from behind. Flaws: cow-hocked or sickle hocked.

Coat

Medium length, silky, curly coat. A slight wave is also acceptable. Feathering on the ears, chest, legs, and tail, and unique feathering on the feet is characteristic of this breed. Trimming is not allowed. In competition, trimming, grooming, or faking will lead to severe penalties, even disqualification. However, trimming foot hair is allowed.

Color

Blenheim: Rich chestnut markings on a pearly white background. Ears must be chestnut, with evenly spaced color on the head and around both eyes. There’s a white blaze between the eyes and maybe a diamond shape or ‘Blenheim spot’. The diamond shape is ideal, although not exclusive to the Blenheim color. Tricolor: Black markings on a pearly white background. Ears must be black, with evenly spaced color on the head and around both eyes. There’s a rich tan marking over the eyes, on the cheeks, inside the ears, and at the base of the tail. Flaws: Too heavy colors in both Blenheim and Tricolor, white markings in the red, black, or tan areas.

Gait

Graceful and effortless, with a good reach in the front and strong drive from behind. When viewed from the side, the stride is just right. When viewed from the front and back, the dog moves in a straight line due to well-constructed bones and muscles.

Temperament

Joyful, friendly, and devoid of aggression caused by nervousness or shyness. In competitions, dogs with bad temper, shyness, or coarseness are disqualified.