Cavalier King Charles Spaniels.

[Elmosgirl]

I have decided (after lots of research) that this is probably the family dog for us.

I have always grown up with Labs but think realistically I will not be able to commit to their exercise needs and would prefer something a bit smaller round the house.

I have not contacted any breeders yet but would hope to get a puppy around next May (ish) as don't fancy toilet training in the winter.

So do any of you own this breed, tell me about your dogs, did you get them from a breeder, if not where from, could you recommend them?

[LazyLinePainterJane]

I have a family member who has had one (the dog died recently) and I would say that you should expect to spend all of your time in the vets surgery with its various ailments and illnesses. And get good insurance.

[Elmosgirl]

Yes I know insurance is a must.

[Tortington]

can't stand bred dogs.

all those dogs that ned a home and you have to go for ponce dog

[tortoiseSHELL]

Definitely get insurance! They are lovely dogs - my mum has 2. 1 has been no trouble at all, he is 10 or 11 now, and is a lovely lovely dog. The other is lovely too, but has been more trouble as far as health - she has a heart murmur, needed an operation on her hip when she put it out on the ice, and now is on a cocktail of medicines. But she is 14 which is very good going for a cavalier.

They are good for children, and good to have round the house - don't need much exercise, and very pretty.

The advantages of a bred dog are that you can have some idea of what to expect - with rescue dogs I think it can be more of an unknown, but they can be lovely too!

[katw3kitts]

I grew up with 2 of these and they are lovely dogs, especially with chldren.

They can get a bit lazy and not particularly want to go out for long walks especially when they get old and its cold outside !

Unfortunately, cavaliers do tend to suffer from heart problems ( ours never did though... they lived long and happy lives). I think they put this down to a
all the inbreeding they do these days, sadly.

My kids are desperate for one.... but they know its not going to happen until the pram goes LOL !

[Elmosgirl]

Yes your right I could get a rescue dog. We have always had dogs (before DC's) as have my parents, none have been pedigree dogs, all cross breeds, most have been from our local rescue centre.

All the rescue dogs have been lovely dogs - eventually - we have never known any of their history and all have had serious issues when they came to us and took many years and lots of time to get them to be happy sociable dogs.

I have a young family now, I would like a dog to be part of that family but I would like a dog from a puppy, one that has been raised from the get go in an environment I am happy with. Most rescue dogs do not come from happy stable backgrounds and at this moment in time is not the right one for bringing one into my family.

[flowerybeanbag]

Highly highly recommend, see picture of doggiebeanbag on my profile. He is competely fabulous with DS, very tolerant.

Loves walks and playing, is so funny and full of personality. No ailments at all so far, he's 2.5 so hope it continues long as possible like that.

We got ours from a breeder, the litter was advertised on epupz.

[Alambil]

Personally, I think you're right getting a pedigree with a young family - I'd never risk a rescue with small kids; it's bad enough with mum's new dog that she KNOWS it's full history as she's trained it since it was 12 weeks old and knows the family. To not know details about it's history is frankly asking for trouble.

Research the breeders too, not just the breed. Also, they may ask you to sign that they have first refusal if you have any need to get rid of the dog, but that's no big deal. You may also need their permission if you wish to breed from her/him as they hold the blood line details and want to keep breeds as pure as possible.

[HollyandNoah]

Hey

I have a cavalier king charles. She is lovely, i never thought of getting one but someone i know had got one as a persent for their parents, who already own an older one and they couldn't handle the pup, so they gave me her. She is really good with children and loves to snuggle up beside you. She also sleeps a lot and doesnt like long walks.~
I think she is perfect and would say the same to anyone thinking bout getting a dog.

I dont think getting a rescue dog from a kennel is too good an idea with young children. i made this mistake and the dog wrecked my house, ate my floors and bit anyone who went near her.She bit my 2 year old niece when she was playing on the floor. Some people get lucky, but a lot of rescue dogs are in trusts for a reason.

[zaphod]

My sister has had 2 cavaliers both with serious heart problems, and one had such bad cataracts he eventually went blind.

She tells me that you can find breeders who have had genetic tests done (of some sort) so you know you are getting a dog that will not have those flaws. This is what she is going to do next time.

They are absolutely lovely dogs in temperament....though I'm a basset hound person myself.

[MuffinMclay]

The perfect dogs to have with children. Very gentle, docile temperaments.

Prone to laziness and heart problems (those may be related factors). I think MIL's have all had cataract problems too as the got older.

[bethoo]

i had one and he went everywhere with me. sadly he was prone to slipped discs, conjunctivitus and when he passed away at 10 years his heart had enlarged and he had fluid on the lung. apart from that he was loving and loyal and slept on my pillow!
he was very playful and active when he was nto ill. he tended to slip his disc when he got frisky with cuddly toys bless him!
he was from a breeder who had Crufts champions so personally dont go for a breeder with champs as they are most likely to have been more inbred! IMO anyway!
good luck as that is what i am considering getting too!

[coolkat]

We got a pup from a breeder in wales last november and we have been really pleased. I think you have to be careful about heart problems but we checked the health of the parents etc. DH did lots of research. Ours is fab with DD however he only has the run of the house if we are here, can take time to toilet train but get there eventually. I am sure if you search breeders in wales they come up on google as they have a website. We live no where near wales but they were incredibly helpful and arranged a pick up in birmingham.

[potoftea]

We have one that's nearly a year now. Got him at 7 weeks. He loves being around people, and loves long walks too. Toilet trained very easily, thankfully, as it's our first dog, and we knew very little about dogs.
However.....he sheds his bloody fur/hair everywhere! Drives me mental. Our clothes are covered with it, I sweep up handfuls of it everyday, and I feel it's in the air at this stage.
We love him dearly, but in hindsight I would've gone for a different breed.
Feel guilty saying that as he's lying at my feet now as I type

[cheesesarnie]

potoftea-what would you have gone for?i really like these dogs now but shedding lots isnt fun!but theyre soooooo cute!

[nancy75]

my nan had a cavalier king charles, no health probs until he was quite old and then he had a bad heart (she did feed him biscuits though). a totally lovely dog, loved people and being around anybody, really good with kids but did shed alot of hair.

[potoftea]

A friend of mine got a bischon frise (spelled wrongly I know), as her ds is asthmatic and she was advised that these don't shed. Her house isn't covered with dog hair, so I envy her at times. However her dog was twice the price of mine.

[cheesesarnie]

i do love the bischon frise ,and id worry about ds2 whose asthmatic.all still a dream for me,dh needs convincing.baby or dog

[Ambi]

Our cavie is great, sat on my lap as I type, a proper little lapdog. She's got a great temperment with our 6 Mth old. It's the main breed of dog in this area, they're everywhere. Definitely a recommendation here.

[HollyandNoah]

I put some photos of my little dog on my profile. She doesn't shed much though ??? Noticed people saying they shed a lot, i havent had any problems with her. She isnt fluffy though and has quite short hair. I have seen dogs with much longer hair than hers.

[HollyandNoah]

oo she does need bathed a lot though, because she is always dipping her ears in her dinner. Just thought id mention that as she just came through all milky!

[suedonim]

We've had two Cavaliers. They are delightful dogs, very sweet natured. I found ours very needy, they always wanted to be touching humans and craved attention. We had girls, though, and I wonder if boy dogs are maybe more independent?

As others say, they can be lazy and as they tend to be greedy too, you need to watch their diet. However, neither of ours had heart problems, nor any other significant ill-health. The first one lived for more than 12yrs and the second is 14yo this month. The shedding issue varies, I think. Our second dog's hair would grow to the ground but I got her clipped regularly once we moved to the countryside because she forever had burrs and twigs etc in her coat.

[suedonim]

And for the messy ears problem - peg them up at mealtime with a soft peg! Works a treat.

[LittleB]

I agree about getting a puppy with a young family, I did this too, having had rescues in the past, my puppy is now 18mths and great with my dd who adores him. My MIL had a Cavalier, he was lovely, lived until 14, he also had a heart murmour but this didn't cause any issues, he had bad teeth so make sure you clean your pups teeth well, he also had disc problems at times but generally was a lovely happy dog. Great with all people and other animals, and he wasn't lazy at all! Bit noisey when he was excited though, but a great family dog. I'd say visit several breeders so you can compare them and see if there is a local breed group who can give you info, there may also be an online Cavalier club which will be able to give you loads of info about the breed.

[CountryGirl2007]

They are nice little dogs, very prone to healthy problems though unfortunately!

RE rescue dogs having "issues" a few might but the majority have them been dumped for no reason and are lovely pets.

A rescue greyhound would be perfect for you and they are also an extremely healthy and hardy breed if you would consider them? They only need about 30 mins walk a day, are very gentle, affectionate, friendly and are generally extremely well socialized with other people and animals and are just 100% good tempered so would be safe dog to have around kids if you were worried about a rescue having issues.