Cavalier King Charles Spaniel: how to recognise one
Soft dark eyes, long silky ears and a muzzle that is short but not flat: those details separate a Cavalier from its King Charles cousin. Upload a photo to compare.
Also known as: Cavalier, CKCS, Cav
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About the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is a British toy spaniel recreated in the 1920s, when breeders set out to bring back the longer-nosed spaniels seen in paintings of King Charles II’s court. It is the larger, flatter-headed cousin of the King Charles Spaniel. The FCI places it with the companion and toy dogs, and the KC and AKC recognise it too. Cavaliers are affectionate, gentle and adaptable, as happy on a sofa as on a country walk, and usually friendly with children, strangers and other animals. They do not like long hours alone.
At a glance
- Type
- Pedigree breed
- Size
- Small
- Adult weight
- 6–8 kg
- Life expectancy
- 9–14 years
- Exercise
- Moderate
How to recognise a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
- Four colours: Blenheim (chestnut on pearly white, often with a chestnut spot on the crown), tricolour, ruby (solid red) and black and tan.
- Skull almost flat between the ears, a shallow stop and a short, tapering muzzle, never pushed in like a Pug’s.
- Large, round, dark eyes set well apart, with a soft expression rather than a bulging one.
- Long ears set high and covered in silky feathering; long, silky coat, at most slightly wavy, with feathered legs and feet.
- Small but sturdy and well balanced, with a usually undocked tail carried cheerfully but not far above the back.
Photo tip. A side-on head shot shows the length of the muzzle against the stop. That profile is the clearest way to tell a Cavalier from a King Charles Spaniel.
Cavalier King Charles Spaniel or look-alike?
King Charles Spaniel (English Toy Spaniel)
Smaller, with a domed skull, deep stop and very short, upturned nose. The colours are the same, so judge the head: round and flat-faced means King Charles. The identifier groups both breeds in one class.
Cavapoo
A Cavalier and Poodle cross. Look for a wavy or curly coat spread evenly over the face and legs, curly rather than silky ear feathering, and colours such as apricot or cream.
Phalène (drop-eared Papillon)
Finer and lighter, with a narrower, more pointed muzzle and a plumed tail carried over the back. Drop-eared like a Cavalier, but the head is much smaller and finer.
Cavalier King Charles Spaniel mixes
The Cavalier is a favourite parent for designer crosses: the Cavapoo (with a Poodle), the Cavachon (with a Bichon Frise) and crosses with Shih Tzus or Cocker Spaniels. The long ears, round dark eyes and Blenheim or tricolour patching often survive, while the coat turns wavy or curly. For these dogs the identifier usually names the Cavalier together with the other parent’s breed; a DNA test gives percentages.
Health and care
- Mitral valve disease is known in the breed. Ask for recent heart checks on both parents, ideally by a cardiologist, and keep yearly heart checks for your dog.
- Syringomyelia (Chiari-like malformation) occurs in the breed; ask whether the parents were MRI-scanned. Frequent scratching at the neck or shoulder is worth mentioning to your vet.
- Ask for patella and eye checks, plus DNA tests for episodic falling syndrome and dry eye/curly coat syndrome.
- Keep them lean: extra weight strains the heart and joints. Daily walks and play are enough for most Cavaliers.
- Brush the ears and feathering a few times a week and check inside the long ears regularly, as they are prone to infections.