CAVALIER KING CHARLES SPANIEL

A Cavalier is a charming toy spaniel, elegant but sporting in nature. It is a versatile dog, equally happy living in the urban lap of luxury or on a hiking trail with its owner. A Cavalier makes an excellent pet for families with children, professional couples or senior citizens. Those who are lucky enough to own a Cavalier will have a dog who is a friend and loving companion.

General Apearance - An active, graceful, well balanced dog, very gay and free in action. - Temperament - Fearless and sporting in character, yet at the same time gentle and affectionate.

Size - Height 12-13 inches. Weight proportionate to height 12-18 pounds. Slight variations permissible. A small, well balanced dog well within these heights and weights is desirable. Overall type and quality should not be sacrificed for size alone. A weedy specimen is to be penalized as severely as a coarse one.

Coat - Long, silky and free from curl, though a slight wave is permissible. Feathering on ears, legs and tail should be long, and feathering on the feet is a feature of the breed. It is common and permissible for bitches to carry less coat than dogs. No trimming, scissoring, clipping, or artificial colouring is allowed, and this should be severely penalized. - Colour - Blenheim: Bright chestnut red markings well broken up on a pearly white background. The red on the head must extend around the eyes as well as down over the ears. A pure white muzzle is preferred. There must be a distinct white blaze between the eyes. Between the ears may be the lozenge or spot unique to the blenheim which is a highly desirable, but not essential, characteristic. Tri-colour: Jet blackmarkings well broken up on a pearly white background. The black on the head must extend around the eyes as well as down over the ears. There must be a distinct white blaze between the eyes. A pure white muzzle is preferred. Rich tan makings appear over the eyes, on cheeks, inside ears, under the tail and around the vent. Tan should appear inside the legs where it is adjacent to black. Ruby: Whole coloured rich red. White marks are undesirable. Black and Tan: Jet black with tan markings over the eyes, on the cheeks, and muzzle, inside the ears, on throat and chest, on forelegs from knees to toes, on the inside of the hind legs also extending from hocks to toes, on the underside of the tail, and surrounding the vent. White marks are undesirable.

Head - Head: Almost flat between the ears, without dome. Stop moderate. Length from base of stop to tip of nose about 1 1/2 inches. Nostrils should be well developed and the pigment black. Lack of stop or stop too deep should be penalized equally. Muzzle: Tapering slightly to the nose. Lips well covering and well cushioned, but not hound like. There should be cushioning beneath the eyes which contributes much to the sweet, gentle expression characteristic of the breed. Mouth:Teeth strong and even, meeting is a scissor bite. Level and undershot mouths are to be discouraged. However, a slightly undershot bite in an otherwise well balanced head with the correct sweet expression should not be penalized in favour of a scissors or level bite with a plain head or hard expression. Eyes:Should be large, round, and well set apart. Colour should be warm dark brown, giving a lustrous, limpid look. Eye rims should be dark. Small, light, or bulging eyes, or a white ring surrounding the iris, are very undesirable. Ears: Set high but not close to the top of the head. Leather long with plenty of silky feathering, and wide enough so that when the dog is alert the ears fan slightly forward to frame the face.

Neck - Moderate length, without throatiness. Well enough muscled to form a slight arch at the crest. Set smoothly into nicely sloping shoulders. - Forequarters - Forelegs straight and well set under the dog. Bone moderate. Elbows close to the sides. Shoulders well laid back. Pasterns strong and feet compact, well feathered and well cushioned pads.

Body - Short coupled with ribs well sprung but not barreled. Chest moderately deep leaving ample heart room. Back level. Slightly less body at the flank than at the last rib, but with no tucked up appearance. Bitches may be slightly longer in the loin.

Hindquarters - Hind legs moderately muscled, well angulated at the stifles. Hocks relatively short and at a right angle to the ground when standing. Hind legs should parallel each other from hock to heel with no tendency to long, cow, or sickle hocks. - Tail - Set on so carried level with the back. Tail should be in constant motion when the dog is moving. Docking is optional,leaving 2/3 of the tail and the tail must balance with the body. A white tail tip must be left on the tails of blenheims and tri-colours.

Movement - Free moving and elegant with good reach in front and sound drive from the rear. Head carried slightly forward on the move. Back level and tail carried straight behind as an extension of the line of the back. Good length of stride from the side. Front and rear should move straight and true. The Cavalier should be moved on a loose lead and never \"strung up\".

Faults - Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault, and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in proportion to the degree. -nervousness, shyness and aggession in adults -trimming, scissoring or artificial colouring -lack of a white blaze in a blenheim or tri colour -white marks on a ruby or black and tan -small, light or bulging eyes, or a white ring around the iris -long, sickle, or cow hocks -tail carried well above the topline

Disqualifications - Colours other than the 4 above Clown faces Tri colours and black and tans lacking tan markings Aggression