Cavalier King Charles

[Sulusu]

Hi

I am looking for some advice from owners of these lovely dogs.

I lost my beloved cocker spaniel 8 years ago and its taken me a very long time to contemplate owning a dog again.

We now live in a house with a very small garden (but lots of nice walks near by) and feel a cocker or springer might be a bit too high energy for me now.

I have been reading extensively about the breed and on paper they seem very suitable for us. However I have heard a lot of negative things about their health issues, even when buying from a scrutinised breeder.

We work from home and are really looking for something that's a bit of a lap dog and easy-going. I couldn't get something large like a rescue greyhound as my garden is far too small.

Generally are they as gentle and loving as I have heard they are? I have no personal experience of the breed, having had cockers and labradors previously.

Thank you.

Reputable breeders will MRI scan their dogs to look for the malformation associated with syringomyelia. There are no guarantees but again, there is extensive information on the breed club website I linked above.

I would go via the breed club to get breeder details and contact a few of them - speak to them about their dogs, how involved they are in the breed, their health results and health history of their dogs. Good breeders will be only too happy to talk about their dogs, will freely offer information and will probably ask you as many questions as you do them. You have to be willing to travel to get the right pup from the right breeder though. You might be lucky and they'll live 20 minutes down the road but equally they could live in Dorset or Aberdeen or Aberystwyth. Considering you'll hopefully have your dog for up to 15 years, it's worth travelling to get the right one if necessary. Limiting your search to a small local area massively reduces your chances of getting a really well bred dog.

Buying a crossbreed does not guarantee a healthy dog. Cavalier crosses are also subject to inherited heart issues and syringomyelia (neither of these is actually specific to Cavaliers). People who are breeding crosses with cutesy made up names are doing it for the money 99.9% of the time, and are highly unlikely to health test the dogs they breed from.

I think our rescue cross was just an accidental litter. We have never seen another like him!

He is gorgeous 2falssagain.