Cavalier King Charles Spaniel?

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GinaB

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Has anyone got any experience of this breed? My sister is looknig into buying her first dog and she seems quite set on this breed. (She is doing a lot of research before making any final decisions)

I know nothing abot them so would appreciate some guidance rom people who have experience with them.
 
The only experience I have is my Nanna's - who is deaf, has cataracts (aged 9), obese, snores, splutters and has various ear/skin infections on a regular basis. Oh and also has incontinence. Though I imagine most of that is down to her overfeeding the poor thing. As a result I'm not a fan! Have seen healthier, fitter ones though - as always, it's more about the owner than the dog...
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Loads
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- my mum and sister breed them, so I have had them around for the past (quick calculation here!) 26 years!

They are smashing little dogs if you like that sort of thing (I don't
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) - all I can say is ALWAYS go to a reputable breeder as yes, they can have their fair share of inherited diseases etc, so you want to make sure the 'family' of the puppy is OK.

Not sure what else to say really - they are generally healthy (can have heart problems & more recently some skin disease which I can't even begin to spell) but again reputable breeders test for that sort of thing. If they are fed properly they don't get too fat - some of my mums have been proper little dogs going after rabbits and pheasants on walks
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Feel free to PM me if you want to know more
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- and I could give you some contact names for breeders if you want (no, I'm not on commission I promise
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Well, can honestly say that none of my mums match that description - her oldest boy is 14 1/2 now and doing well bless him
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You could not get a better small breed family pet IMO, we always recommend them as a first small breed dog....but they do come with their fair share of health problems, esp heart probs, so good breeder and health checks a must....as far as nature they are superb little dogs.
They are active little dogs given the choice....although lots tend to be kept as couch potatoes.
 
We got one in July this year. She is 7 months now. She is great. So friendly and affectionate always happy to see you. She is a typical lap dog and follows you everywhere in the house even the loo!!! They are known for having heart problems so we made sure we got ours from a breeder who had hers tested and there was no family history of it. But the vet checked her when we had her injected and she was fine. Even with heart problems, medication can keep it at bay. They certainly aren't the most intelligent breed of dog and are no good as a guard dog as lick everyone who and invites anyone who comes to the door in. She loves the cats and wants to play with them. Spends a lot of time sleeping. Doesn't eat much, don't need a great deal of walking, don't take up much room. Ours hasn't got her full adult coat yet but would imagine theyare a dog that moults quite a bit when they get their summer coat. Not at all yappy or barky (is there such a word?). Not at all agressive and loves playing with little kids. She was house trained fairly easily. I would get another one.
 
I'm on my 2nd and 3rd and I love them! I'd say they're perfect first dogs - Ive found them great at fitting in around you i.e. if you can only manage a short walk then they're happy to curl up indoors all day but should you fancy a long one they'll run for miles! Very friendly and good with children. When I was a kid my mum rang the Kennel Club for advice before we got our first because it was my first dog and my parents' first for a long time and this was the breed they recommended for us.

Echo what everyone else has said re check the health of the "family" but I'd say that for any breed. You must also watch their weight (esp because of the common heart problems) but that's the same with any "lap dog".

I sometimes wish I'd fallen in love with a less hairy breed what with the horses and the filth that goes with it but I'm hooked!
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My mum has always had them and they adorable. The pitfall has been the up keep in vets bills, as they have all had to go quite often. Ears, eyes, anal glands, upset tummies are the most frequent. As they have got older and they have a good life span they have all developed more complex problems.

Please dont be put off, my mum whisks them to the vet at the drop of a hat and treats them better than humans.
 
We had one - Sally. She was 14 when she was put to sleep, which is a pretty good age for a KCS. Up until she was 12, she never had any health issues - she was quite a fussy eater, so never got fat (which a lot of KCS's do). At 12, she developed a heart murmour (again very common in this breed, but usually at a younger age), which progressed and was the reason she was pts - she went into heart failure. She walked into the living room one night and 'died'. Stopped breathing and everything, but mum and dad managed to revive her. They took her to the vets, who said it was heart failure and she was going to die, so she was put to sleep. But apart from that, she was perfect. A beautiful, faithful little dog her whole life.
Like the others have said, just make sure it's a reputable breeder your sis gets the pup from if she decides to go for it.
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