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Original poster

Any advice on cavalier king Charles ?

76 replies

two2many · 15/04/2010 13:21

Hi , we are thinking of getting a cavalier pup in may , just wondering if anyone here might have some experience with this breed ? Are they good around young children etc ? TIA x

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GrimmaTheNome · 15/04/2010 13:24

Most of them are lovely with kids, daft as a brush. My SIL has always had them. Unfortunately her previous one was daft to the extent of being convinced he could catch a car.

But its one of the breeds which can have bad problems (brain too big for skull, in essence )- I'm not an expert but you need to be very careful to get one from a reputable breeder.

bobbiewickham · 15/04/2010 13:28

We had one for ten years.

I loved her, but my, was she a pain in the arse.

Totally untrainable, ran away all the time, had toilet issues, a heart murmur and in the end she had to be put down when her eyes literally popped out of their sockets.

I swear I will never buy another pedigree dog again.

But on the upside, she didn't have a bad bone in her body and was great with the children.

Maybe we were just unlucky.

Original poster
two2many · 15/04/2010 13:35

omg her eyes popped out of her head How did that happen

yes i have heard of the brains problems ...

I want a small breed dog that is great with young children , any recommendations ? we had a cross breed last time (had to be put down three years ago )

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SeaShellsOnTheSeaShore · 15/04/2010 13:37

Sweet personalities , but yappy and very common to have heart murmers leading to heart failure, as well as eye/skull problems.

Lots of fantastic mix breeds in rescue centres need a home!

wastwinsetandpearls · 15/04/2010 13:37

We have a pedigree dog - a springer. He is healthy and very lovable. You do have to choose a pedigree with care and a King Charles is not a pedigree I would buy because of the brain problems.

bobbiewickham · 15/04/2010 13:39

Afraid so, two2many.

I just looked down at her one day and her eye was hanging out, all gory.

I took her straight to the vets and he removed it.

A few months later the second one went while we were on holiday. The kennels took her to the vet and my mil had to give permission to put her down

It's never been properly explained to us as we were away and by the time we got back she had been cremated, but I do wonder whether it was something to do with the small skull thing - some sort of build up of pressure?

Poor little Nell

bobbiewickham · 15/04/2010 13:41

We've now got a bichon frise/maltese cross and he is the most fantastic, merry little dog. Wonderful with the kids and just clings to you like a little shadow. Funny as anything - very good at balancing on his hind legs. He looks like he belongs in a circus.

If you want a pedigree, bichons are supposed to be the best with children.

SeaShellsOnTheSeaShore · 15/04/2010 13:41

No one breed is " good with children", it's down to the children understanding how to treat the dog and the dog's tolerance levels. Greyhounds are huge but v chilled and sedate at home, where as terriers are a better size but hyper and can be very snappy. You just don't know.

That said, a lot of vets and nurses have border terriers, which says a lot about a breed!

GrimmaTheNome · 15/04/2010 13:46

Bobbie, thats so sad.

Its really hard to generalise about breeds - our dachshund is good with kids (and they all love a sausage) but its not one of the commonly recommended ones because some are snappy.

SeaShellsOnTheSeaShore · 15/04/2010 13:46

Bobbie- their eye socket is too shallow for the gLobe of the eye due to the dome of their face. It leaves them prone to trauma ie scratches to the surface, and to the eye popping out ie if knocked it's head. They can be replaced if seen very quickly, but mire likely eye sight and blood flow is affected so better to remove.

Same problem in other breeds with distorted faces such as chihuahuas, Persian cats etc

Original poster
two2many · 15/04/2010 13:48

omg bobbie that is terrible ,
think i would not Handel a dogs eye dangling down in front of me too well so think i will have a re-think regarding breeds . i grew up with Golden cocker spaniels , we had three of them (not at the same time) the first one was adorable , the second a bit mood , but the third was horrible , he was very vicious even to us . DH wants another cross breed ,we all just miss our old dog & feel like a member of our family is missing . ds still sobs when we talk about Shep .

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mesobitchy · 15/04/2010 13:53

bobbiewickham- So sorry about your Nell

My King Charles was also put to sleep, she had problems with heart and eyes. My XH took her to the vet, so I never got a proper explaination either. She was exhausted though, 10 years old and 3 legged. I miss her.

Personality wise though, she was fab! Very rarely barked- in fact the first time I heard her, we both jumped!

Great with children too, not excitable, but not aloof either, just pleased to spend time with them!

SeaShellsOnTheSeaShore · 15/04/2010 13:58

Mesobitchy- re heart problems, they have a heritable problem with one valve in their heart, hence a v large proportion of them getting murmers. These may or may not progress to heart failure requiring medication, or may suddenly deteriorate more dramatically. Hth, it's difficult when you are not there with the vet.

bobbiewickham · 15/04/2010 14:02

Thanks everyone

We look back and laugh about her antics now.

She was a character and a half, that one

mesobitchy · 15/04/2010 14:03

Thankyou SeaShellsOnTheSeaShore, it does help.

two2many, I'm sorry about Shep too, your poor DS.

Original poster
two2many · 15/04/2010 14:53

Seashellsontheseashore are you a vet by any chance ? if you are please could you recommend a small breed dog that will mend my ds's broken heart .x

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MmeLindt · 15/04/2010 14:58

We have a cavalier/maltese terrier and she is the most darling of dogs.

They are closely related to Bichon Frise - the French name for Maltese Terrier is Bichon Maltese.

Prepare to say awwwwwwwwww

I think there are pics on my profile of Daphne. She is so gentle with DC and loyal and sweet. Even DH loves her and he was a bit reluctant.

SeaShellsOnTheSeaShore · 15/04/2010 15:20

As I posted earlier, I really like border terriers- few problems, very tolerant and like by vet nurses (who do most of the dog wrestling, so when they like a breed it's a good sign!) otherwise crosses are good- fewer problems, but obviously harder to predict size or personality if you've not seen parents.

I don't mean to be so dismissive of ckcs I guess I see a self selecting sample! No pedigree is truely free of problems: I love labs, but you need to be aware of hip and elbow probs etc.

You poor ds, we had a spaniel when I grew up ( lots of fun playing hide and seek, she was a trained gun dog)!and was devastated when she died.

As a guide, gundog type breeds are easier to train, people centric and steady, terriers are born ratters and act as such, and toys are breed for companionship. Have a look at the kennel club guide to dog breeds for a guide

SeaShellsOnTheSeaShore · 15/04/2010 15:22

that was an essay, sorry!

Disenchanted3 · 15/04/2010 15:24

I have one and 2 pugs, the CKCS is a nut, I'd have 5 pugs rather than 1 spaniel, lol. She is hard work, shes daft, she doesn't listen BUT she is incredibly loving and has the most beautiful face ever!!

Original poster
two2many · 15/04/2010 15:36

ahhhhh thanks everyone
Seashells yy i will look into the kennel club guide thanks x
Mmelindt - omg how cute are they Daphne is gorgeous ,
the other breed i like is Pomeranian , anyone with information on these ?
x

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MmeLindt · 15/04/2010 16:29

We looked at border terriers too, but did not find anyone selling them for a reasonable price.

It was a complete coincidence that we ended up with a Maltalier (as they are sometimes called). A woman in the village had a dog who had pups. When I looked up the characteristics of the two breeds, they seemed good and I have to say the description fits to a T.

Two of Daphne's brothers and a sister from the second litter still live in the village and they are all wonderful, placid sweet dogs.

We sometimes all meet at the school gates, it makes the tourists do a double take, 4 white fluffy dogs.

SeaShellsOnTheSeaShore · 15/04/2010 19:01

Finally remembered- kc site is called discover dogs!

CountryGirl2007 · 15/04/2010 20:19

Any dog can be good with children, it all depends on how they have been treated.

One breed that is pretty much guarunteed to be docile around children is the Greyhound though. They are the most laid back dogs ever but still good fun and playful, get on well with other dogs etc.

Original poster
two2many · 15/04/2010 20:58

DH & i are just discussing which dog to get now . Dh wants A mongrel as he reckons they are the most loyal & loving dogs , (we had a mongrel last time) i would like a small breed pedigree as you can know what your getting with a pedigree . so ladies votes please dh is very sure of himself that you will all agree with him lol

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