Cavalier King Charles Spaniel

Description:
The King Charles spaniel is a miniature, active, funny and very balanced little pooch. Its height is around thirty to thirty three centimeters and it weighs anywhere from six to nine kilograms. The skull of this dog is practically flat between its ears and it has a light top. The eyes are big and dark and are well separated but should not stick out. Its ears are long and highly inserted and have a lot of long hair on them. The neck is moderately long and slightly arched. The chest is moderate; its shoulders well inclined back. The legs are straight and have a moderate bone structure. The length of the tail should be in proportion with the body and carried contently but not above the back. The coat of this dog is long and silky with an abundant amount of fringes, but never curly, however wavy is common. Traditionally these dogs come in four colors which are black and fire, solid red, Blenheim and multicolored. 

Ideal owner:
Most owners of a Cavalier King Charles spaniel are addicted to these beautiful looking dogs and many owners own more than one. They're small, cute and clean. They love getting pampered and they live their lives like real kings. Sleeping in their owner's bed and drinking from their cups is a common occurrence in this breed. They are very active dogs and very affectionate. This is an excellent apartment dog, is very well educated in the home, and it learns things very quickly. 

Growth:
The weight of a puppy Cavalier King Charles spaniel varies depending on the size of the litter, the puppies of smaller size litter usually weigh more and grow into bigger adults than those that are born in bigger size litters, which is six or more. Puppy cavaliers really like eating and the owner must be careful to not overfeed it and to give it a healthy well balanced diet without giving it too many treats and not feeding it leftovers. A puppy cavalier also needs a lot of exercise and needs to go outside in the fresh air a lot. This dog should be treated as a small dog, not a toy dog as it isn't as delicate as a toy. Both testicles should have gone down completely at the age of eight weeks, however this process can take up to six months on some occasions. Inferior prognathism is frequent and it can on some occasions correct itself at the age of eighteen months; however when picking out a puppy, avoid getting one that does not close its mouth correctly.

General health:
The King Charles Cavalier spaniel is a dog that is relatively free of serious health abnormalities. The most important thing to be aware of are its eyes, ears and skin. Otitis is very common and this is in part due to its long ears. Dander is also very frequent in adolescence. The diet of this dog should be prescribed by the breeder or veterinarian. There have been some incidences where heart problems have arisen including heartburn at the age of six years as well as a serious hereditary abnormality that can be mortal. Another problem that has been observed is hallucinations such as chasing or lashing into the air at something that is not there however not much is known about this problem. The life span of the cavalier is around nine to thirteen years and even more on some occasions. They are very healthy dogs and the required grooming needed on their coat is minimal. The only things that need to get trimmed are the pads on the bottom of its feet. Besides this, it needs to get brushed several times a week.