Cavalier King Charles Spaniel

Author's product rating:   

Advantages:	Loyal, friendly, quiet dogs .
Disadvantages:	health problems

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

I write a review on this breed of dog with confidence, as we have had 4 King Charles Spaniels in our family since i was a baby, and each one has not failed to please.

Puppy behaviour

Out of the 4 King Charles we have owned within the family, i can remember 3 being puppies. As puppies, they are very playful, and love a good nibble on pretty much anything they can find - however, they are easily checked and soon learn whats acceptable and whats not. I have found with all the 3 puppies, that after about 30mins play, they get very sleepy and usually lay down for over an hour and sleep, then wake up to creat more puppy mischief!! As puppies, we have found all King Charles to be very loving, especially when they are tired, they pretty much beg to be on your knee and all of ours have snuggled in and slept like a baby! The King Charles puppy we have at the moment, Benji, is very sociable and loves to meet new people, especially children. He makes a lot of children and loves to interact through toys with them. i have found all puppies of this breed to be gentle with children, however, if the children do get excited and run about, the pup can get quite hyper too!! As puppies, we have found them all to be easily toilet trained! with a little persistance, all our puppies have learned where to go (to put it politely!!) within a week, obviously with a few forgetful moments now and again, but generally they have proved to be intelligent in this area.

Temperament

From being puppies right through to adults, the temperament of a King Charles is always spot on. We have never had any sign of aggression form these dogs. They are extremely loving and gentle with children, and when they get a little older they tend to be very mellow and prefer not to be bothered and fussed much. They are very lazy dogs when they pass the puppy stage (about 2 and a half years) and are so content when lying down or asleep!
The good thing about these dogs is that, they have shown not to be possessive over their toys, in fact after the puppy stage, they rarely play. Rosie, our last King Charles who sadly was put to sleep through ill health at only 8 used to love carrying her soft toy dog around, as though it was her own puppy! But she never played with anyting. The temperament of these dogs makes them an ideal choice for elderly people as well as homes with children, as they are extremely safe dogs to have around, and in my opinion as well as my families, they cant be beatenon temperament. As long as they are loved and acknowledged, the King Charles is a definate choice if you want a loyal friend.

Barking

As puppies, they tend to have the rare bark when playing and getting excited. However, when they grow out of the puppy stage, yo uwould be more suprised than not if you heard a king charles bark. they are not a yappy kind of dog, they are very friendly and quiet and barking is not an issue with these dogs.

Sociability with other dogs

Similar to all dogs, these dogs need early socialising with a range of dogs to get them used to dogs being around them. I have not found any of our dogs to be aggressive towards other dogs, but the earlier you get them accustomed to sociaslising with other dogs, the betetr they behave when older. Possibly a few lessons at a socialising class would do the trick, If you already have a dog, and want a king charles, i couldnt recommend as we have only ever had the one in the house at any one time. However, i do know a lady who has 2 kingcharles in her house, and she says they are no problem together at all. they occassionaly have a play together, but usually do their own thing and sleep. As with other breeds of dog, i am unable to give accurate advice, but from my opinion and guess, i shouldnt think there would be any problems socialsing them and living together, as long as they are both equally loved you should have no problems.

Colours

King charles spaniels are available in various colours. These include:

- Blenheim (ruby and White)
- Tri Colour (Black, ruby and white)
- Ruby ( all one colour)
- Brown and Black (these are quite rare)

Rubies and brown/black are the rarest colour, and are often hard to find. The ruby is a stunning colour, my granda bought my gran one as a gift for their ruby wedding, and he always was complimented when on walks.
Tri-Colours and Blenheims are usually quite common, but beautiful non the less.

Appearance

King Charles have a very striking appearance, they are medium sized dogs, and can often quite quite chubby!! Their hair often has a slight curl to it, especially on their longish ears. They are what i would refer to as a "smart" looking, kind of elegant dog, and they are super cute!

Price

The average price for a good quality, pedigree King Charles today would be between £400-£600, depending on the breeder and area. If you buy a pre-loved King Charles, tehy can be bought for a varied price, depending on the age and appearance.

Ease to Train

We have found King Charles to be extremely intelligent dogs, and are very obedient with firm, yet friendly training. Training doesnt usually take too long before the dog picks up the basics, such as sit, down, stay etc. However, as they are quite lazy when older, it is best to train them all the tricks as puppies, when they are more interested in communicating than sleeping, which is common after 4years! The king charles is a joy to train, and its very rare that you would have difficulties training this type of dog. They are intelligent and keen to learn at a young age, so recommended to train definately as puppies. Dont expect them to become a genius after the age of 4, as before mentioned they are lazy, and although still very obedient, most would prob not be interested in learning new tricks!

Health

Health wise, there are a few problems common to this breed. One of which, and probably the most common, is breathing difficulties. this breed of dog has a short wind pipe, and when old age approaches, the breathing can often turn to a wheezing sound. This isnt normally anything to worry about, until/if it turns to a cackling kind of sound, as though the dog is choking and coughing. If it gets to this stage, i would recommend a vets advice immediately, as our other king charles, which passed away a few years ago, seriously suffered with this type of coughing when he reached the age of 11.
Another common problem, which can be controlled, is their sensitive stomach. We have found all king charles to have tummy problems if not fed on the right types of food. They are the type of dog that you cant treat with a little remainder of biscuit and leftover meat, as often this will physic them and give them either toilet problems or make them sickly. If they are kept on a regular diet, where the meals dont change, you shouldnt have any problems, but do NOT feed them on human food as you may with other dogs, treating them only makes them suffer, as tehy really do have sensitive stomachs!

Grooming

Grooming a King Charles needs regular attention, as their coat often sheds and moults. They have a beautiful coat if maintained, and i would recommend washing them maybe once a month, especially if they have white on their coat, this is to keep them looking their best. Obviously, some people wash animals more often, others barely at all (my grandparents used to struggle bathing their last king charles, so they used dry foam shampoo, which refreshed their coat, until the mobile dog groomer came and washed him)
A regular coat trim is needed on average every 2 months, a stheir coats can grow quite long. Brushing is needed maybe 2-3tims per week if you want the coat to look in its best condition.

Walking/exercising

This type of dog need moderate exercising. I would advise on three small walks per day (no more than a mile), and the occasional longer walk. They do not need to be ran around often, but the occassional firld run if possible wouldnt do any harm. They are pretty low maintenance for walking, as they are so lazy they would rather sleep than exercise, but it is vital to ensure they recieve 3 small walks per day or 2 slightly longer walks per day to keep the weight off them.

Average lifetime of a king charles

On average, a king charles is expected to live no longe rthan 12 years. Out of our 4, one has died at 8, one at 9 and the other at 12. We currently have a young puppy who is thankfully still with us!!
The girls we have had died the youngest, Sindy and Rosie dying at 8 and 9 :( and the male we have died at 12.

Recommendation

If you are looking for a loyal, quiet, friendly and reliable dog, i couldnt advise you any better than this type of dog, for overall suitability. They are so friendly, and not aggressive in the slightest, making them more than suitable to be around children. They are sociable, lazy and love their food, so if your looking for a friend, look no further that the king charles spaniel.