standout quality of Cavalier King Charles Spaniels? Discussions

Hey everyone!

What's the standout quality of Cavalier King Charles Spaniels?
Can anyone share their experiences with this breed? What makes them special?

Thanks!

In my opinion, the standout is the likelihood of health issues with the breed (and even morreso with the King Charles Spaniel).

The cavalier is still pretty popular but that also means it is more likely to run into lousy breeders. If you are thinking of a puppy, definitely do your research into breeders and make sure you find one who is very selective with their breeding and does ALL the recommended health tests.

If you are open to an adult and are in the US, I recommend considering going through https://www.cavalierrescueusa.org. They do veterinary exams on all their dogs and can provide you with more details about their health than other shelters. They can also help you with breeders.

Also, with either king charles, make sure that you have access to and the money for regular vet care. With their health issues, it is very likely that you will have expenses and need to see a vet as the dog ages.

If you are considering a new puppy/dog to share your home with you samoyed, let us know what traits you would like in the puppy/dog and we can provide suggestions as to breeds.

Cavaliers are the sweetest and most loyal dogs - especially the boys who love to stay close to their chosen human. They aren't the bravest of dogs and this can make some of them react noisily to other dogs - not in anger, but more a Stay Away From Me bark. Not all are like this, there are confident ones too.
During the time when I was breeding and showing Cavaliers, (1970 - 96), most of the worry was about heart disease which was causing many Cavaliers to die at about 8 years. having said that, from the 20 or so Cavaliers that I owned, only 2 died below the age of 10, and my last two both died at 14.
If I was younger I would have another Cavalier but I would want a puppy to have come from parents who had both been screened for mitral valve abnormality - there has been a heart testing scheme available since the mid 80's in the UK.
The other worrying condition is Syringomyelia, a condition which is not limited to Cavaliers, but due to the TV programme, 'Pedigree Dogs Exposed', Cavaliers took the brunt of the adverse publicity. There is a screening scheme for this condition too, but as it is a neurological condition it is expensive to carry out, and it isn't a simple dominant/recessive mode of inheritance. Not a breed to buy from a careless breeder. Seek recommendations to choose your breeder, and be prepared to ask lots of questions, but if you get a good one it will be worth it.

I would be more inclined to have a cavalier if I were in the UK. I think the UK does a better job at responsible breeding than the US does. Unfortunately, there are too many states here that cater to bad breeders and puppy mills and that makes it much more difficult to find a quality breeder without having to travel 1,000 miles or more.

In the US, the recommended testings for breeding are:

• Patella Evaluation
• Hip Evaluation
• Cardiac Exam
• Ophthalmologist Evaluation

I believe the rescue I listed above does all of those before adopting out their rescues.

I haven't known any cavaliers on an ongoing basis to comment on their personalities, but I highly value @CaroleC's knowledge.

Oh yes, I forgot about Juvenile Cataract. That used to be a big scare. All I can say is that I never had one. There were/are regular eye testing sessions at Champ shows so there's really no excuse for not having your stock tested before breeding. The current eye test is quite comprehensive.
There was a HD panic in the 80's but I never had a case. Before the current scoring scheme I had 3 x-rays submitted under the old BVA scheme. 2 were Clear passes, one was a Breeders letter. (Borderline). This girl had already had one litter, so I didn't take another. She was a super mover too. Legge-Perthé's disease can occasionally crop up in many toy breeds though, and I did breed one puppy that developed Perthé's. He had to have an operation to smooth a slight ripple on his hip ball that was causing him to have stiffness after exercise.
Slipping patellas can be a problem in many of the smaller breeds. IMO If you breed for a nicely angulated hind leg, with a well developed second thigh muscle, the kneecap should sit correctly. I would never breed from a dog with upright hind legs. Of course knees, are quite vulnerable to twisting injuries - like slipping or badly executed jumps. The majority of domestic dogs are not particularly fit.