Cavalier King Charles Spaniel

The Royal Kennel Club's standard describes the Cavalier as active, graceful and well balanced with a gentle expression; its temperament should be happy and friendly, with no aggression or nervousness. The standard also calls it "sporting, affectionate, absolutely fearless." The AKC notes that the breed combines the gentle attentiveness of a toy dog with the liveliness and athleticism of a sporting spaniel.

Cavaliers bond closely with their people, follow them around the house and are happy on a lap or right beside them. The curiosity and love of scent that come from their sporting spaniel roots are still there: a Cavalier may take off after a bird or a smell.

The Cavalier adapts to many kinds of homes, calm or busy, big or small, and suits families who want to spend lots of time with their dog. But because of the breed's health problems, you need to be prepared for vet costs and possible heart disease.

Because it's a small dog, it's important to teach children to pet it on the floor, not to carry it around and not to disturb it while it sleeps. Our article on kids and dogs at home goes into detail.

According to the Royal Kennel Club, toy spaniels can be traced back to at least the 1500s and were most likely bred down from sporting spaniels. Queen Elizabeth I had a spaniel she kept as a comforter, and the spaniel of Mary, Queen of Scots was found hidden in her petticoats after her execution. These little spaniels became well established in the courts of Charles I and Charles II and were popular among the nobility.

The first Duke of Marlborough developed the red-and-white "Blenheim spaniel," which kept its sporting instincts; the color's name comes from the duke's residence, Blenheim Palace. In the late 1800s, a fashion for short muzzles in toy breeds brought the domed-skull, short-nosed type to the fore at shows. To save the old type, slightly larger dogs with longer muzzles and flatter skulls, special prizes for "Blenheim spaniels of the old type" were offered at Crufts from 1926 to 1930. The name "Cavalier" was chosen to set this old type apart from the flat-faced King Charles Spaniel.

The Cavalier is a small, graceful, well-balanced dog. Its ears are long and feathered, its eyes large and dark, its expression soft. Its muzzle is longer than that of the short-nosed King Charles Spaniel.

• Weight: Per the Royal Kennel Club standard, 12–18 lb (5.4–8.2 kg); the standard favors a small, well-balanced dog within this range.
• Height: According to the AKC, 12–13 in (30–33 cm) at the shoulder.
• Coat: Long, silky and free from curl; a slight wave is allowed. Plenty of feathering, and per the standard, totally free from trimming.
• Colors: Four colors are recognized: Blenheim (chestnut and white), ruby (rich red), black and tan, and tricolor (black and white with tan markings).

The Royal Kennel Club has placed the breed in category 2 of its "Breed Watch" list, asking show judges to watch for signs of eye irritation (redness, discharge and tear staining), protruding eyes, and incorrect hind conformation or poor rear movement.

The Royal Kennel Club recommends grooming more than once a week. Because the coat is long and silky, the feathering on the ears, chest and legs tangles if it isn't brushed regularly.

• Brushing: Several times a week with a soft brush and comb; pay special attention to the ear feathering and armpits.
• Ears: Check weekly; show your vet any odor, discharge or itching. UFAW's list also includes outer ear inflammation and fluid buildup in the middle ear.
• Eyes: If you see tear staining, redness or discharge, keep the area around the eyes clean and show your vet.
• Teeth: Dental care matters in small breeds; get your puppy used to toothbrushing early. In UK veterinary records, 9.5% of Cavaliers had dental disease recorded.
• Heart checks: Ask your vet to listen to the heart at every annual checkup; in this breed, that's part of routine care.

For more, see our dog grooming guide.

The Royal Kennel Club considers up to an hour of exercise a day enough for the Cavalier. Short walks, play in the yard and sniffing games tire it out and keep it happy. Because it's gentle and attached to its people, short, patient, reward-based training works best.

• Walks: Several short walks a day; let it sniff, in true sporting spaniel fashion.
• Sniffing games: Finding hidden treats tires the mind. Our sniffing games article has ideas.
• Recall: It may chase a bird; don't take the leash off where it isn't safe.
• Leash: Because the neck area can be painful in syringomyelia, ask your vet whether a harness would suit your dog better than a collar.
• If it has heart disease: Decide on the amount and type of exercise with your vet; stop if you notice breathlessness or quick tiring.

Teach it to be alone gradually; our article on separation anxiety walks you through it step by step.

Cavaliers don't need a special food; a complete, balanced dog food that suits their age and activity level is enough. In a small dog, even a few extra treats can quickly turn into extra weight, so weight control matters in this breed too.

• Measure food instead of eyeballing it, and count treats as part of the daily amount.
• A long coat hides weight gain; check the ribs with your hands. You should be able to feel them under a thin layer of fat.
• Weigh your dog once a month, and talk to your vet about changing needs after spaying or neutering.
• If your dog has been diagnosed with heart disease, follow your vet's advice on diet.

Some human foods are toxic to dogs; take a look at our list of foods you should never give a dog.

This is the section everyone considering a Cavalier should read. The information below is for awareness only; ask your vet about diagnosis and treatment.

Mitral valve disease (MVD)

The mitral valve is a valve on the left side of the heart that keeps blood from flowing backward. According to UFAW, wear and tear of this valve is the most common heart disease in adult dogs and is about 20 times more common in Cavaliers than in other breeds. In Cavaliers the disease starts earlier than in other breeds: according to data UFAW cites, the share of Cavaliers with a murmur rises by about 10% each year, so about half have a murmur at age 5 and nearly all do by age 10. A UK study based on primary-care veterinary records also found a heart murmur recorded in 30.9% of Cavaliers.

Before heart failure begins, the dog looks completely healthy; the disease is only picked up as a murmur the vet hears with a stethoscope. As it progresses, there may be coughing, breathlessness, heavy panting with exertion, reluctance to lie down and rest, and fainting. UFAW recommends that all Cavaliers be checked for heart murmurs every year from age 1. Catching it early lets your vet monitor the disease and step in at the right time.

Syringomyelia (SM)

Syringomyelia is the formation of fluid-filled cavities in the spinal cord. According to UFAW, a mismatch between the size of the brain and the skull, or an abnormal skull shape, disrupts the flow of cerebrospinal fluid. Signs vary a lot: some dogs show none at all, while others can have severe pain in the head, neck and forelimbs. Early signs include yelping with sudden changes in posture (jumping down or being picked up); in more severe cases there is sensitivity to touch around the neck and constant scratching at the ears, neck and shoulders. The Royal Kennel Club also describes scratching at the air near the neck, often when the dog is excited or on a leash, as a typical sign. According to UFAW, signs may not show up until after 2.5 years of age, so a lack of signs in a young dog doesn't mean the condition isn't there.

In a study published in 2011, 555 Cavaliers that showed no signs according to their owners had MRI scans: syringomyelia was present in 25% of 12-month-old dogs and in 70% of dogs aged 6 years or older. Diagnosis is made by MRI; the Royal Kennel Club runs an SM screening project together with the British Veterinary Association (BVA) and the breed community.

Others

The Royal Kennel Club recommends DNA tests for curly coat/dry eye syndrome (CC/DE) and episodic falling (EF), heart screening and eye exams. It notes that inherited cataracts and retinal dysplasia are now much less common thanks to breeders' testing. UFAW's list also includes kneecap dislocation (patellar luxation), pancreatitis and ear problems.

The welfare debate: a balanced look

How common these problems are has sparked serious debate about the breed's future. In a case brought by an animal protection society in Norway, the Supreme Court of Norway ruled in October 2023 that breeding Cavaliers violates the country's Animal Welfare Act; the decision was split, with two judges taking a different view. The ruling concerns further breeding of the breed in Norway.

On the other hand, there's evidence that strict screening programs work. In the Danish Kennel Club's mandatory heart screening program, Cavaliers born to parents approved by stethoscope and heart ultrasound exams had a 73% lower risk of a heart murmur after 8 to 10 years. In the UK, the Royal Kennel Club's heart scheme has dogs at least 18 months old examined by cardiologists and recommends reassessment at ages 2, 4 and 6; the grades are interpreted according to the dog's age, because a murmur at a young age is a bigger concern.

Our advice at Tüylüm: if you love Cavaliers, get one knowing the breed's health problems, from a source that actually does the screening. According to UFAW, about 70% of dogs bred from affected parents are expected to inherit mitral valve disease, so breeding without screening raises the risk of passing the problem on to new generations.

A 2024 study using data on about 585,000 dogs from 18 UK sources found a median lifespan of 11.8 years for the Cavalier, compared with 12.0 years for crossbreeds. A 2022 study based on veterinary clinic records found a life expectancy at birth of 10.45 years for the Cavalier. The AKC gives 12 to 15 years. In a 2008 UK survey cited by UFAW, mitral valve disease was the most common cause of death in Cavaliers, accounting for 42.8% of deaths.

The numbers vary with each study's methods, but they all show that heart health is the biggest factor shaping this breed's lifespan. Yearly heart checks, a healthy weight and spotting signs early are the most practical ways to protect both lifespan and quality of life.

• Consider a shelter: Purebred dogs end up in shelters and rescues too. If you adopt an adult Cavalier, have your vet check its heart right away. Our guide to adopting a shelter dog covers the first steps.
• Heart screening: Ask for the parents' current, age-appropriate heart screening certificates from a cardiologist (stethoscope and heart ultrasound). Under the breeding guidelines UFAW cites, dogs shouldn't be bred before 2.5 years of age, and dogs with a murmur before age 5 shouldn't be bred at all.
• MRI and other tests: If possible, ask for the parents' MRI results for syringomyelia, CC/DE and EF DNA tests and an eye exam.
• Red flags: Steer clear of sellers who won't show you the mother, always have puppies available, can't provide health paperwork, claim "there's no heart trouble in our lines" without documents, or rush you.
• Insurance and budget: Plan a long-term health budget for heart monitoring and possible treatment.
• Registration: Rules vary by country; many places require or recommend microchipping. In Türkiye, owned dogs must be microchipped and registered in the PETVET system.