Come and talk to me about Cavalier King Charles

[DollyDayScream]

We are considering this breed as a family pet.

Are they easy going? Will they cope well with children?

How much exercise do they require as a daily minimum?

Are there any breed pitfalls? Hips?

How do we find a decent breeder?

Do they shed excessively? I know that they need regular grooming, but providing that this is done satisfactorily do they shed much?

A puppy will be with someone 24/7 and very rarely alone - just to pop out here and there.

Lots of support, but we need to make the right breed choice for temperament over looks. I would like a Westie, but I know in my heart that it's not a good family dog.

RiverTam It isn't really breeding for looks that has caused the issue. The physical features of the Cavalier aren't the cause of the health problems (unlike, say, breeds with very short muzzles or over-large heads). It's the smallness of the gene pool for the breed as a whole.

SqueakyChicken is right that unscrupulous breeders/puppy farmers would continue to churn out unhealthy dogs.

They are certainly not all unhealthy - my 12 year old has just come back from our holiday where we were out walking all day, every day and he was as lively as a puppy. He has a small heart murmur, but so does my five-year-old moggie cat. If he has SM he is not symptomatic. His breeders bred for health rather than looks.

It's the temperament of the breed that makes them stand out and makes the breed something that should be fought for. Doubtless someone, somewhere might say they've encountered a bad tempered Cavalier, but I've never heard of one. They are astonishingly gentle and sweet, while still being very 'doggy' dogs, with proper barks rather than yaps and plenty of energy - but they don't need huge long walks to stop them going bananas. They love attention, but don't demand it.

Squeaky hit the nail on the head in saying that they are the perfect breed in every respect other than their health issues.

My aunt has had one which made 15 though his full brother, also a family dog, only lived to 8. Her current two are around 11-12 I think. Both have heart and other problems but live good lives atm. They are lovely dogs but the health issues are not to be taken lightly. You might want to look at insurance costs and availability.

Sweet, sweet, darling breed. I grew up with them!

"Cavaliers are tops!! And so intelligent too. Here's mine reading"

We taught our old boy Chase to use the laptop.

DH's parents had CKCs when he was growing up, but DH doesn't do well with heavy shedders, so whippies it is for us. CKCs are very sweet though.

Cavvies are the best dogs ever! We've had 2 but we got a cavvy cross this time because of all the health problems. It's such a shame - these gorgeous dogs don't deserve to suffer like they do.

My vet always said they are the one breed he would trust completely with children. They don't have an aggressive bone in their bodies. We have 3. None have had any medical issues. Sure they are known for certain issues, most breeds are known for some kind of issue that plagues them, but it isn't a guarantee that it will happen. In my experience if you do your research and go through a good breeder you'd be very unlucky to have any serious health issues... Not impossible but not a definite.