Cavalier King Charles Spaniel

I had 2 Cavaliers at one time, when the children were young, along with a Gordon Setter, all black and tan. Also DD2 had a Ruby one. They were perfect family pets. The only difficulty I have noticed with mine and others is that they can be inclined to pull on the lead despite training, but being small they are easy to keep in check. Has the chance of one come up for you Annie?

Shysal, my elder granddaughter wants a puppy, her sister has a yorkie, a very gentle one. My knowledge of Spaniels is nil. Do they moult and looking at them the ears look as if they need a lot if grooming

I had one years ago, lovely little dog. Just the usual brushing and I use to trim the hair on his ears if it got straggly, and sometimes had to clean the underside.

Usual brushing, is that daily brushing? my concerns are for the dog not granddaughter !

I have one -Sam. Beautifully gentle, excellent with children. Easy to train. Lives to eat!! They are known as the trenchermen of the dog world! Their love of food makes them relatively easy to train.

Like all breeds they can have some genetic issues, but in the last 40 years Sam is our 3rd Cavalier and we’ve not experienced any issues.

We haveSam clipped to a short coat once at the end of spring and once in summer. This means he sheds less for over 3/4 of the year. The rest of the year he does need a brush but if started as a puppy they don’t mind.

Children need early training with the dog , they aren’t very big so cannot be ‘loved’ too roughly. We have 4 grandchildren and 2 of them weren’t born when we got Sam so we trained them all together :-)!

Exercise is very much a movable feast, they love a good walk , don’t mind getting dirty but are equally happy being couch potato’s !

Just be careful with their weight You would need to balance off love of food with the right amount of exercise.

I use a mobility scooter and Samlearnt to trot nicely by my side on the lead ( although he’ll sneak a lift if I let him) .

I recommend them, beautiful small dogs with a big heart Annie!

Not the brightest of breeds but they have a lovely friendly disposition and get on well with children.
They have a tendency to have a congenital heart condition though, our sweet little chap died sudden at five years.

Thank you for your advice, I will give it more thought before deciding. Wish she had chosen a Westie, I have had seven?

We've had two tricolour CKC's. They're the sweetest natured of dogs and very loving. They got on well with our cats and rabbit, too.

They are greedy so if you leave plates of biscuits unattended, a CKC will gobble the lot! However, they're not tall dogs so it's easy enough to keep food out of their way.

I'd disagree a bit with Judypark and say that they are quite intelligent dogs. Ours learnt all sorts of tricks, they quickly pick up on ideas.

Some seems to be hairier than others and they need a bit of brushing to get mud, leaves etc but it's not an onerous task. Like Nanaandgrampy, we sometimes had ours clipped to keep them looking tidy. Their fur/hair is very soft and silky and lovely to stroke.

They can have congenital defects so I would check that aspect out with breeders and a vet but otherwise I'd say they're the perfect companion dog.

Like most spaniels they can be prone to anal gland problems, but these are quite easily dealt with (process is a bit undignified and smelly!)

The grooming concerns me, will she do it regularly, mmmmm

They do tend to get tangles under the armpits and around the ears at times without regular brushing, but they can be easily cut away if a problem. I would prefer a Cavalier to a terrier any day, less tendency to be snappy or yappy!

Oooooh, I love Westies, am broody for one again, fell in love with them 1972, husband bought me a puppy and have five more since , miss not having one around

Plus four yorkies ?

They don't need daily brushing, and like shysal said it's mainly straggly ears/legs that notice. I would have one more than a terrier, especially with children, have known nasty Westies and Cairns in the family. Rarely hear of bad tempered spaniels.

The most beautiful dogs in the world, gentle natured, full of fun, wonderful with our grand babies, we keep our precious boys coat cut fairly short, especially his ears.
He has developed a nasty heart murmer, this can be a known problem for this breed, but our boy is 9 1/2 , and can still run and loves nothing more that a good walk or rather a good sniff.
I would highly recommend this lovely breed.
Your still very much in my thoughts and prayers dear Anniex

It isn't major grooming, Anniebach, not like a poodle or Old English Sheep Dog, say. Clipping solves most problems anyway.

I have to say, I don't have good experiences with Westies. Friends we've known for decades had them and they always seemed incontinent when excited. The dogs, not the friends. They always piddled on my floor when they visited and they barked a lot, too. They are the cutest puppies though - I think they looks like tinsel!

Westie puppies have to cutest little bums , not one of mine has been grumpy or nasty?

Jamison, thank you x

I have heard about the heart condition, oh what a decision, they look so sweet, if clipped regularly little moulting, the other grandmothers cleans their house, wouldn't want to give her more to complain about

Lol, cannot say I'd noticed Westie bums, but they are cute pups. My Nan had a couple, the first one was a lovely dog and after he died she had another. Totally different temperament, he would snap at people for no good reason. Caught her a few times. Didn't have another one.

I miss not having one so much

Research long and seriously, not on a general forum.
CKCS almost all have heart disease, life expectancy is only 9.
They also very often have malformed skulls which can lead to a dreadful disease called syringomyelia which is terribly painful and fatal.
Responsible breeders are trying to breed out these hereditary faults by rigorous health testing of the parents but you cannot get a puppy which is guaranteed to be healthy.

I disagree with the statement ‘almost all of them have heart disease’ . It can be an issue but doing your homework gives you the opportunity to choose the best possible bloodline.

Same as malformed skulls . In 40 years I’ve never experienced either.

I love Westies AB. I wish I could afford one... they are quite expensive now. I believe KCS s are prone to eye problems , some quite severe so that could result in high vet bills.
I have been landed with a Jadgterrier who is quite a handful ( and that's an understatement!) but she is a sweetie and we're beginning to get along quite well She just needs to know who's the leader of the pack!!

What's a Jadgterrier?

My DB and SisIL have had CKCSs for forty years or so as they love the breed. There have always been health issues and the one that died quite recently had Cushing's disease. They now have another puppy having taken the usual care over sourcing etc., but I honestly don't think it would be a breed for me even though they are well behaved and affectionate.