King Charles Spaniel Breed Origins and Caracteristics
This dog is also called the Miniature English Spaniel, it was named after the King Charles I of England, who liked these dogs a lot. He appeared painted with one of them on a painting of the 17th century made by Van Dyck. By mid-19th century, these small Spaniels were used for small game hunting, especially birds; later they transformed exclusively in pet dogs. The current type is different from the original type because it is smaller, the jaws are shorter and the head is more convex. The type with the short snout was only developed since the 19th century. In this time, the King Charles Spaniel was classified in four varieties, two multicolor and two one-color (black and tan is considered one-color). The varieties of one-color or multicolor must not be crossed among each other. For a selective breeding, the crosses of the King Charles with Ruby or Blenheim with the King Charles are the only ones authorized, and naturally the varieties separated among each other. But in this last case, between the Ruby and the Blenheim, the intensity of color decreases and the blood input from a second variety should be authorized.
The King Charles Spaniel that has kept the contact range with men during many generations is by nature very friendly and loyal. It is lively, not nervous and easy to train and it should be treated with kindness and affection. Although it is very small, it is a good guard dog, it is not easily frightened.
Size: 26-32 cm Weight: 3-6 kg. Each one of the four varieties of color has its own name. The dogs of King Charles variety (1) are bright black with mahogany patches on the snout, around the eyes, on the legs, the internal part of the ears, the chest and the tail. The Ruby (3) is grey-brown blackish in one-color. The Blenheim (2) is pearl white with chestnut red patches. The color on the head must be uniform. The dogs of the Prince Charles variety (4) are tri-color, pearl white with black patches and small reddish brown patches on the cheeks, the internal part of the ears and over the eyes.
