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THE CAVALIER
KING CHARLES SPANIEL
BREED GUIDE
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PRESENTED BY THE
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By the mid 1800s, the breed had been altered to a dog with a
domed skull, long low-set ears, a very short muzzle with a laid
back nose and undershot jaw and large round eyes. A number of
Landseer paintings document the changes and by 1900 the dog
bearing the name King Charles had been transformed to what we
know as the English Toy Spaniel.
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The revival of the breed did not go so far as to return the small
eyes and snipey muzzle, opting instead for a softer gentler look.
Purists would have us believe that long nosed throwbacks from
English Toy Spaniels were the only dogs used in the recreation of
the breed. Breed lore suggests, however, that various Cocker
breeds, Papillons and perhaps even the Welsh Springer were used
to recapture the desired traits.
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GENERAL APPEARANCE
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Correct Proportions
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HEAD
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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 sur-
rounding ring.
Correct eye
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Any of the following eye faults will detract from the correct sweet
expression: prominent, protruding or bulging eyes; small or al-
mond shaped eyes; eyes too light or with a prominent white ring
showing around them; obliquely set eyes or those set too far
apart. Correct eyes mirror the soul of the Cavalier and are an
essential breed characteristic, easily lost if overlooked by breed-
ers or judges. Light eyes are one of the hardest faults to breed
out so should be significantly penalized.
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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.
Ears are set high but not close together; leathers are long, wide
and well feathered with long silky hair. Cavaliers use their ears
when alert, the cartilage stiffening to bring the ear up and
slightly forward. This forms a straight line with the top of the
skull and brings the leathers forward so that the feathering
frames the face. When the Cavalier is at ease and not alert, the
topskull may appear slightly rounded. Ears set too high will give
a startled look; set too low will give a notably rounded skull.
Black and Tans and Tri Colors will usually have more feathering
than Rubies and Blenheims though not longer feathers.
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Ears at ease
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Nostrils should be black in all coat colors. Some may go off with
the weather and bitches may be affected by their season but
dense black pigment is highly desirable. Flesh color marks may
sometimes be seen in young dogs. The young dog with a small
flesh mark will usually have year round black nostrils when it
fills in. Older dogs should be faulted, but not to the extent of
putting up an inferior specimen over an otherwise good one.
Lips are preferably black. Although the face is rather plush with
well-developed lips, the tapering from eye to nose keeps the lip
line clean and pretty without being pendulous or houndy.
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Tail carriage between the two oclock and four oclock position is
within the acceptable range with three oclock being the ideal.
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The length of tail should balance with the body. Docking (not
more than one-third) is allowed but almost never done any more.
Cavaliers are inclined to wag their tails, never more so than when
in motion. This is a breed trait and an excellent barometer of the
correct, gay temperament. The tail is feathered, with long, silky
coat. While tail wagging is desirable to indicate a happy dog,
judges must not penalize a lovely specimen who is not *con-
stantly* wagging yet appears to be enjoying his day.
FOREQUARTERS
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Forelegs should be straight when viewed from the front with feet
turning neither in nor out, elbows close to the side, and placed
so as to give width to the chest for good heart and lung room.
Moderate bone should be is in balance with the body. Pasterns
should be strong.
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HINDQUARTERS
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COAT
Mature male
Mature female
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Keep in mind that the only trimming that is permitted is the hair
growing between the pads of the underside of the foot. The Stan-
dard states that the trimmed dog is to be so severely penalized
as to virtually eliminate it from competition. Judges are expected
to respect and enforce this section of the Standard. This means
NO whisker or feet trimming, NO thinning out the neck or clean-
ing out the throat area, NO sculpting of shoulders or hindquar-
ters, underlines, or ears.
Cavaliers should be turned out for the ring clean, brushed and
shining. Back coats can be coaxed flat with toweling and proper
drying but NOT with thinning shears and stones. A few stray ten-
drils of lovely coat here and there are part of the natural soft look
of the breed.
COLOR
In whole colors, the Ruby should be a very rich red. Often the
longer feathering of the Ruby is acceptably paler in coloring than
the body. Ruby puppies usually deepen in color as they mature.
The black color of the Black and Tan should be jet black and
should not have a rusty or brownish cast to it; and the tan mark-
ings should ideally be a rich red, not sooty or grayish.
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GAIT
The Cavalier is free moving and elegant in action and should ex-
hibit good reach and drive, covering the ground while maintain-
ing a firm, level topline. Moving away, the hocks should be
straight and true. Cavaliers do not single track at the trot, al-
though there may be some slight tendency to converge as speed
increases. Coming at you the front legs should also be straight
and true; they should not be out at the elbows or exhibit pad-
dling. In profile the balance of the dog should be obvious, mak-
ing an elegant picture from nose to end of tail in one flowing
movement, with proud head carriage and good arch of neck,
making good use of the hindquarters. There should be no hack-
ney action in front a common fault in Cavaliers with short upper
arms or lacking in balance.
The appropriate gait for the show ring is on a loose lead and not
too fast, but with enough spirit to convey the correct gay tem-
perament. This is clearly indicated by a tail which is in constant
characteristic motion when gaiting.
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TEMPERAMENT
Cavalier fanciers only ask that judges be as gentle with the breed
as the breed itself is, and that they reward naturally presented
dogs that fit the Standard.
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RING PRESENTATION
Tail holding is never practiced in the Cavalier ring, not even for
pictures. The outline is quickly spoiled if the tail is held out set-
ter-style as it gives a rather alien look to the breed.
As a rule, Cavalier exhibitors know all of these things and will re-
spect a judge who has taken the time to learn and enforce these
correct procedures in the ring.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
c. 2011 ACKCSC
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