Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel was recreated in the 1920s from the King Charles Spaniel, after an American enthusiast offered a prize for dogs that matched the longer-nosed…
About the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel was recreated in the 1920s from the King Charles Spaniel, after an American enthusiast offered a prize for dogs that matched the longer-nosed spaniels in Van Dyck's portraits of the Stuart court. It is affectionate, adaptable and easy with strangers, and it has become one of Britain's most popular toy breeds.
Cavaliers weigh about 5.5 to 8 kg, with a silky coat in four colours: Blenheim, tricolour, ruby and black and tan. The breed's temperament is its glory, but its health record is the most serious of any toy breed, and a stud enquiry in this breed is more about screening than in almost any other.
Mitral valve disease affects most Cavaliers eventually; ask for the stud's most recent cardiac examination, and prefer a dog bred under the breed protocol that uses parents over two and a half with clear hearts. Syringomyelia and Chiari-like malformation are screened by MRI under the BVA/KC scheme, and a graded result matters. Add a current eye certificate, and the DNA tests for episodic falling syndrome and curly coat dry eye syndrome, both established in the breed.
Health & breeding
We check every hip, elbow, eye and DNA result you give us against the Royal Kennel Club’s public records by hand, and we record who checked it and when. The Royal Kennel Club’s public records may not include all the screening a dog has had, so a dog with no Royal Kennel Club record showing is not necessarily untested.
Breed Right’s summary — under The Royal Kennel Club Health Standard
Health tests for the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
This panel is Breed Right’s summary of the testing that matters for the breed under The Royal Kennel Club Health Standard. The Health Standard is the Royal Kennel Club’s guidance for breeders, not a registration rule. It describes tests to ask about — it is not a report on any individual dog. The Royal Kennel Club’s public records may not include all the screening a dog has had, so a dog with no Royal Kennel Club record showing is not necessarily untested.
Good Practice — the Royal Kennel Club’s minimum before breeding
The tests the Royal Kennel Club says breeders should, at a minimum, complete before breeding.
| Test | Type | Scheme | What’s involved |
|---|---|---|---|
| DNA test — CC/DE (Curly Coat / Dry Eye) | DNA test | Laboratory | The result printed on the laboratory certificate. |
| DNA test — EF (Episodic Falling) | DNA test | Laboratory | The result printed on the laboratory certificate. |
| Heart testing — MVD (RKC heart scheme for Cavalier King Charles Spaniels) | Screening scheme | RKC | The cardiologist’s murmur / MVD result. |
Best Practice — further tests it recommends
Completing these as well as the Good Practice tests is what the Royal Kennel Club calls Best Practice.
| Test | Type | Scheme | What’s involved |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eye testing (BVA/KC/ISDS) | Screening scheme | BVA/KC/ISDS | Result printed on the eye certificate. |
Breed hip median
Breed median 20 (BVA Hip Dysplasia Scheme breed statistics 2025 — 5 years, 13 dogs scored — indicative only, from a small sample). Lower is better. Source · How hip scores work
At stud now
Cavalier King Charles Spaniel stud dogs
No Cavalier King Charles Spaniel studs are listed right now
When a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel on the Royal Kennel Club Breed Register is listed at stud, it will appear here.
Also available
Cavalier King Charles Spaniel litters
No Cavalier King Charles Spaniel litters are listed right now
Litters appear here as breeders list them. Check back soon, or browse other breeds.
