Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
GENERAL APPEARANCE
The Cavalier King
Charles Spaniel is an active, graceful, well-balanced toy
spaniel, very gay and free in action; fearless and sporting in
character, yet at the same time gentle and affectionate. It is
this typical gay temperament, combined with true elegance and
royal appearance which are of paramount importance in the breed.
Natural appearance with no trimming, sculpting or artificial
alteration is essential to breed type.
SIZE, PROPORTION, SUBSTANCE
Size - Height 12 to 13
inches at the withers; weight proportionate to height, between
13 and 18 lbs. A small, well balanced dog within these weights
is desirable, but these are ideal heights and weights and slight
variations are permissible.
Proportion - The body
approaches squareness, yet if measured from point of shoulder to
point of buttock, is slightly longer than the height at the
withers. The height from the withers to the elbow is
approximately equal to the height from the elbow to the ground.
Substance - Bone
moderate in proportion to size. Weedy and coarse specimens are
to be equally penalized.
HEAD
Proportionate to size
of dog, appearing neither too large nor too small for the body.
Expression - The
sweet, gentle, melting expression is an important breed
characteristic.
Eyes - Large, round,
but not prominent and set well apart; color a warm, very dark
brown; giving a lustrous, limpid look. Rims dark. There should
be cushioning under the eyes which contributes to the soft
expression. Faults - small, almond-shaped, prominent, or light
eyes; white surrounding ring.
Ears - Set high, but
not close, on top of the head. Leather long with plenty of
feathering and wide enough so that when the dog is alert, the
ears fan slightly forward to frame the face.
Skull - Slightly
rounded, but without dome or peak; it should appear flat because
of the high placement of the ears. Stop is moderate, neither
filled nor deep.
Muzzle - Full muzzle
slightly tapered. Length from base of stop to tip of nose about
1 1/2 inches. Face well filled below eyes. Any tendency towards snipiness undesirable. Nose pigment uniformly black without
flesh marks and nostrils well developed. Lips well developed but
not pendulous giving a clean finish. Faults - Sharp or pointed
muzzles.
Bite - A perfect,
regular and complete scissors bite is preferred, i.e. the upper
teeth closely overlapping the lower teeth and set square into
the jaws. Faults - undershot bite, weak or crooked teeth,
crooked jaws.
NECK, TOPLINE, BODY
Neck - Fairly long,
without throatiness, well enough muscled to form a slight arch
at the crest. Set smoothly into nicely sloping shoulders to give
an elegant look.
Topline - Level both
when moving and standing.
Body - Short-coupled
with ribs well sprung but not barrelled. Chest moderately deep,
extending to elbows allowing ample heart room. Slightly less
body at the flank than at the last rib, but with no tucked-up
appearance.
Tail - Well set on,
carried happily but never much above the level of the back, and
in constant characteristic motion when the dog is in action.
Docking is optional. If docked, no more than one third to be
removed
.
FOREQUARTERS
Shoulders well laid
back. Forelegs straight and well under the dog with elbows close
to the sides. Pasterns strong and feet compact with
well-cushioned pads. Dewclaws may be removed.
HINDQUARTERS
The hindquarters
construction should come down from a good broad pelvis,
moderately muscled; stifles well turned and hocks well let down.
The hindlegs when viewed from the rear should parallel each
other from hock to heel. Faults - cow or sickle hocks.
COAT
Of moderate length,
silky, free from curl. Slight wave permissible. Feathering on
ears, chest, legs and tail should be long, and the feathering on
the feet is a feature of the breed. No trimming of the dog is
permitted.
Specimens where the coat has been altered by trimming, clipping,
or by artificial means shall be so severely penalized as to be
effectively eliminated from competition.
Hair growing between the pads on the underside of the feet may be
trimmed.
COLOR
Blenheim - Rich
chestnut markings well broken up on a clear, pearly white
ground. The ears must be chestnut and the color evenly spaced on
the head and surrounding both eyes, with a white blaze between
the eyes and ears, in the center of which may be the lozenge or
Blenheim spot. The lozenge is a unique and desirable, though
not essential, characteristic of the Blenheim.
Tricolor
- Jet black
markings well broken up on a clear, pearly white ground. The
ears must be black and the color evenly spaced on the head and
surrounding both eyes, with a white blaze between the eyes. Rich
tan markings over the eyes, on cheeks, inside ears and on
underside of tail.
Ruby - Whole-colored
rich red.
Black and Tan -
Jet black with rich, bright tan markings over eyes, on cheeks,
inside ears, on chest, legs and underside of tail.
Faults - Heavy ticking
on Blenheims or Tricolors, white marks on Rubies or Black and
Tans.
GAIT
Free moving and
elegant in action, with good reach in front and sound, driving
rear action. When viewed from the side, the movement exhibits a
good length of stride, and viewed from front and rear it is
straight and true, resulting from straight-boned fronts and
properly made and muscled hindquarters.
TEMPERAMENT
Gay, friendly,
non-aggressive with no tendency towards nervousness or shyness.
Bad temper, shyness and meanness are not to be tolerated and are
to be so severely penalized as to effectively remove the
specimen from competition.
Approved Date:
January 10, 1995
Effective Date:
April 30, 1995
www.ackcsc.org
The objectives of the CKCS Club of Northern Arizona is to promote showing
and raising Cavalier King Charles Spaniels. It is our objective to plan
activities for the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Club Arizona to plan and
conduct dog shows for interested parties. We are an certified AKC Club that
is conducting our required schedule of shows and activities to become fully
licensed. It shall be our objective to encourage and promote quality in the
breeding of purebred Cavalier King Charles Spaniels and to do everything
possible to bring their natural qualities to perfection, to urge members and
breeders to accept the standard of the breed as approved by The American
Kennel Club as the only standard of excellence by which Cavalier King
Charles Spaniels shall be judged, to do all in its power to protect and
advance the interests of the breed by encouraging sportsmanlike competition
at dog shows and any dog-related events and to conduct sanctioned matches,
dog shows, obedience trials, and any other event for which the club is
eligible under the Rules and Regulations of The American Kennel Club.
