Best Bully Sticks Breed Spotlight: Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel exudes kindness, a gentle nature and playfulness. You can almost see it in their eyes; the Cavalier is simply loving and sweet. Best Bully Sticks takes a look into the Cavalier’s past this week—it’s origins and it’s journey to being a modern dog.
History & Background: From their beginnings, the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel has been a dog of comfort and companionship. Depictions of this dog can be seen all throughout English history in tapestries and paintings. However to understand the origins of the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel their history has to be traced through it’s predecessor, the King Charles Spaniel.
The King Charles Spaniel was a favorite of the court of King Charles of England and his court. These little dogs were called “Spaniel Gentle” or “Comforter” and were even believed to be able to keep fleas and sickness at bay. King Charles even was said to have his “little dogs” everywhere he went. These dogs had longer noses, and when King William III & Queen Mary II took the throne these longer nosed dogs were going out of fashion and pugs were beginning to grow in popularity. The long-nosed spaniel and the pug, or other flat nosed dogs, were bred together and a new type of King Charles Spaniel was created.
This “down-grade” of the breed appalled many and in the 1920’s an American, Roswell Eldridge set out to find a King Charles Spaniel most like its ancestor. Eventually, a male and female that met Eldridge’s requirements were found, however he died before he saw his plan come to fruition. Yet, a group of dedicated fanciers had grown behind Eldridge’s plan and the first breed standard set by this group and was called, “King Charles Spaniel, Cavalier Type” to set it a part from its ancestors. Not too long after, the breed became known as the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. It wasn’t until the mid-1950s that this breed came to America. The AKC didn’t recognize this breed until 1997. In pop culture, this breed is known to be the dog of the “Sex and the City” character Charlotte York.
Height: 12-13 inches
Weight: 13-18 pounds
Coat: Cavaliers have a medium length coat that is silky and can be wavy, but never curly. This breed’s coat feathers on the ears, chest, legs and feet. The breed standard by the AKC states that this dog shouldn’t be trimmed or clipped and should only be shown in it’s natural state. The only exception to this rule is for the hair that grows between the pads of this dog’s feet. Read more
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