Cavalier King Charles Spaniel breed guide

Sweet, gentle and affectionate, Cavalier King Charles Spaniels are very eager to please, friendly with strangers and other animals and often very good with children. AKC calls them smart and easy to train. They excel in obedience, rally and other canine sports.

Aristocrats by descent, they gladly come down from the royal high horse for a backyard frolic.

Cavalier King Charles Spaniels live 12 to 15 years. AKC lists several conditions they are prone to: eye conditions including retinal problems and cataracts, patella luxation, hip dysplasia, middle ear infections, mitral valve heart disease and a neurological condition called syringomyelia.

Cavalier King Charles Spaniels may be screened for all of these and most live comfortably into old age.

The lustrous silky coat needs little more than regular brushing and an occasional bath. Brushing keeps it shiny and tangle-free and doubles as a full-body massage the dog enjoys.

Though bred to be a lap dog, the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel descends from sporting dogs and enjoys moderate exercise and outdoor activities. It will walk happily with its owner and is just as glad to stay on the sofa all day.

Toy spaniels were the province of European nobility from at least Renaissance times. Two 17th-century British monarchs, Charles I and his son Charles II, were devoted to a black and tan variety that was eventually named for the son.

The diarist Samuel Pepys wrote that Charles II seemed more concerned with breeding spaniels than ruling Britain and toy spaniels stayed a favorite of British aristocrats into the early 19th century.