Cavalier King Charles Spaniel are the 17th most popular pure-breed dog in the United States. Often called a King Charles or Cavalier for short, this beautiful dog is gentile, loyal, sporty, and very loving. King Charles is a smaller version of the working spaniel. They have longer hair that needs brushing and regular grooming to keep the mats away.
They are known for their long hair feathering on their ears and feet. King Charles makes wonderful family pets, they are very social, devoted, affectionate and love to be with their human families. Cavalier King Charles do not do well being left alone for long periods of time.
This breed is up for everything, while they do best with regular daily exercise, they also love to sit on the couch and snuggle.
Cavaliers are members of the Spaniel family and are known to follow their noses, explorer and can have a high chase and prey drive. A fenced in yard is best for this breed.
While Cavalier King Charles Spaniel make great family pets and are wonderful and gentle with children it is recommended to oversee children handling Cavaliers under the age of 5.
Cavaliers are known to have serious heart conditions; they can also have issues with their knees, eyes and can have neurological disorders. It is important to find a responsible breeder.
Cavaliers popularity and high prices that make them an attractive business model for unscrupulous dog breeders. They are sold online by USDA commercial dog breeders, online puppy broker websites, and backyard breeders otherwise known as puppy mills.
It is for this reason that our Puppy Mill Watchdog monitors and reports on Cavalier King Charles Spaniel breeders and other online puppy sellers as well as puppy broker websites.
Read the story of four rescued breeding dogs.
Please do your research before you buy a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel puppy — If you can’t meet the mother dog and see where she and all of the breeders dogs live, find a new breeder. Video chats, videos and photos do not take the place of seeing in person.
About the Breed: Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
Cavalier King Charles Spaniel weight between 13–18 pounds and can range in height from 12–13 inches tall.
Age Expectancy: 9-14 years
Temperament: Playful, loyal, affectionate, gentle, loving.
Coat: Cavaliers have longer silky coats, their hair can feather around their ears, feet and tails.
Color: Blenheim which is a mix of chestnut brown and white. Tricolor, a mix of black, white, and tan. Ruby, a solid red, and Black and Tan.
Grooming: Long haired Cavalier King Charles Spaniel require regular brushing 1 to 2 times weekly.
Training: Socialization and positive training is recommended for your Cavalier King Charles Spaniel at an early age.
Vet Care: Regular vet care is essential for the health and well-being of your Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.
Types of Cavalier King Charles Spaniels
FAQ’s About Buying Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Puppies Online
When buying any Cavalier King Charles Spaniel puppy, you want to make sure it was born in a loving clean environment. Cavalier puppies should have an overall healthy look to him. Make sure his eyes are bright, he is clean and happy. Look at his body language make sure his tail is up and wagging. Is his posture good? Does he hold his head up, is he curious? Does he run up to you or is he afraid to approach you?
Buying a puppy from a picture is risky, always meet your new puppy in person before you buy him. These are all clues to his overall health and mental state. You want a happy well adjusted puppy and unless you meet them in person, you have no way of knowing.
There are many risks to buying Cavalier King Charles Spaniel puppies online. Just because two purebred dogs are crossed does not mean they best traits of both parents are seen in the offspring. Since your King Charles Spaniel will live for 9-14 years it is important to see firsthand where it was born.
Make sure your Cavalier King Charles breeder is not a puppy mill. Never have the puppy shipped to you. Always pick your puppy up in person, meet the mother dog, see her mental and physical condition. She should be clean, happy and well adjusted. If the breeder won’t let you meet the mother and see where she lives we recommend finding another breeder. No excuses. Reputable breeders have nothing to hide. Video chats, videos and photos do not take the place of seeing in person.
It is not safe to buy any puppy online. It is not safe to have a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel puppy shipped to you by plane, delivered by nanny and never meet the breeder halfway or in a parking lot. If you are not able to pick up the puppy in person, meet the mother dog and where she and all of the breeder’s dogs live, you might be supporting a puppy mill.
Over 1 million puppy mill puppies are sold online each year and it is in your best interest to make sure your new puppy is not coming from one of these bad breeders. It is in your best interest to get a healthy, happy well bred puppy and to not support cruelty of any kind.
It takes time to find a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel puppy and that is ok. Your new King Charles puppy will be a part of your family for 9 plus years so it’s important to find a healthy well-bred puppy. It’s ok to do your research online but never take a breeder’s word for it. Sending you photos and videos, doing video chats is not the same as seeing in person.
Since Cavalier King Charles Spaniel are purebreds, go to the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Club of America and find a breeder that is a member of their clubs. These breeders breed by a code of ethics. They breed to improve the breed. Always meet the mother dog, see her mental and physical condition and where she lives before you buy a puppy. See where and how she and all of the breeding dogs live. If they have excuses why you can’t come…walk away!
A puppy mill is any dog breeder who puts profit over the health and well-being of the breeding dogs and puppies produced. These bad breeders come is all sizes, Some could have ten to twenty dogs, while larger breeders could have hundreds of breeding dogs. Puppy mills are legal too!
The cruelty is tremendous. Puppy mills keep the mother and father dogs pregnant and sell the puppies. The breeding dogs never leave, they are forced to breed twice a year or at every heat cycle and they are usually kept in wire cages, many times stacked in dark pole barns. Yes, this is legal and how most USDA dog breeders keep their breeding dogs.
The breeding dogs are not groomed, they are not given opportunity to exercise nor do they know the touch of a loving hand. They are not given veterinary care and most are living and breeding with painful health and mental conditions. Imagine living with urinary tract infections, ear infections, rotten teeth, infected eyes, tumors, infected mammary glands and sore feet from standing on wire cage floors — that never get addressed.
It is important to know that any breeder can be a puppy mill. It’s hard to imagine the breeder you are talking or texting with could be a puppy mill. If the breeder has excuses why they won’t let you come to see where and how the breeding dogs live, if you are not able to meet the mother dog in person, we suggest you find another breeder. Video chats, videos and photos do not take the place of seeing in person.