- • Black and Tan: Raven black with tan markings above the eyes, on cheeks, inside ears, on chest and legs and underside of tail.
- Tan should be bright.
- Undesirable: White marks. • Ruby: Whole coloured rich red
- Undesirable: White markings. • Blenheim: Rich chestnut markings well broken up, on pearly white ground
- Markings evenly divided on head, leaving room between ears for much valued lozenge mark or spot (a unique characteristic of the breed). • Tricolour: Black and white well spaced, broken up, with tan markings over eyes, cheeks, inside ears, inside legs, and on underside of tail.
- Undesirable: Any other colour or combination of colours highly
About the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
Origin: Great Britain
- Typical life span
- 12-15 years
- Size
- Small — from its typical weight
- Weight
- 6-8 kg
- Height
- 30-33 cm
- FCI status
- Reconocida por la FCI
- FCI groupFCI divides this breed into varieties, and our sources don’t record which one a breeder works. Ask them which variety their line is.
- Companion and Toy Dogs
- Origin
- Great Britain
- Known hereditary risks
- 5 documented conditions, with the test for each
About
What is a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel?
Small, elegant toy spaniel with silky coat, large expressive eyes, and noble appearance, known for its gentle expression and affectionate temperament, equally at home as a lap dog or active companion
Cavalier King Charles Spaniel history and origins
Named after King Charles II who favored the breed, descended from toy spaniels depicted in 16th-18th century British court paintings. The modern breed was revived in the 1920s by enthusiasts seeking to restore the longer-nosed type seen in old portraits
Cavalier King Charles Spaniel appearance and size
Typically 6-8 kg and 30-33 cm at the shoulder — published as one range rather than separately for males and females.
Lo que dice el estándar de la raza
- Criado para
- Companion and Toy
- Comportamiento y temperamento
“Sporting, affectionate, absolutely fearless. Gay, friendly, non-aggressive; no tendency towards nervousness”
Quoted from FCI standard n°136. It describes the breed the registry recognises, not any individual animal.
Referencia de la raza de The Dog API.
Características
- Tamaño
- Small
- Necesidad de ejercicioLeída a partir de aquello para lo que se crió la raza, en las propias palabras del registro: “Companion and Toy” Eso es una función de trabajo, no una necesidad de ejercicio medida — las necesidades de un perro concreto dependen de su edad, su salud y su hogar.
- 2 of 5
- Facilidad de adiestramiento
- —
- Caída de pelo
- —
- Cuidados del pelo
- 5 of 5
- Convivencia con niños
- —
- Coste de mantenimiento
- —
- Tolera quedarse solo
- —
- Inteligencia
- —
- Salud de la raza
- 5 conditions documented
Pros & cons
Pros y contras de la raza Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
Lo que obtienes con la raza Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
- Función declarada en el estándar: «Companion and Toy»
- El estándar describe la raza así: «Sporting, affectionate, absolutely fearless. Gay, friendly, non-aggressive; no tendency towards nervousness»
Lo que asumes
- Están documentadas 5 enfermedades hereditarias graves, sobre todo en cerebro y nervios y corazón y circulación. La pestaña de la guía de salud tiene la prueba que hay que pedir en cada una.
- Exige muchos cuidados del pelo — la descripción del propio estándar es «Plenty of feathering. Totally free from trimming»
Extraído de fuentes y no escrito como opinión — investigación de salud citada, el estándar del propio registro, y estudios de longevidad revisados por pares. Estándar de la raza, FCI; cavalierhealth.org / MVD Breeding Protocol for Cavalier Breeders to Follow. Los animales de un criador pueden diferir de todo esto, y una columna vacía significa que no tenemos nada de ese lado, no que no haya nada que decir.
Characteristics
Estándar de la FCI · Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
Pelo y color
Tal como lo establece el estándar de la FCI. Cada línea de abajo está en las palabras del propio estándar, etiquetada con undesirable.
Coat
Slight wave permissible.
Plenty of feathering.
Totally free from trimming
- Long
- Silky
- Free from curl
Color
- Preferred
- Permissible
- Undesirable
- Disqualifying
«Preferred», «permissible», «undesirable» y «disqualifying» — preferido, admisible, indeseable y descalificante — son las palabras de la propia FCI sobre la raza, y quedan en inglés porque así constan en el estándar. Describen lo que el estándar pide — no son una valoración de ningún perro concreto, ni nuestra.
Resumido de FCI standard n°136 — cada etiqueta está en las palabras del propio estándar, con el veredicto pasado a la etiqueta de al lado. Lee la cláusula completa en la fuente.
FCI varieties
FCI divides the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel into these varieties, listed in the registry's own words. Depending on the breed they separate colour, coat, size or line — they are not a full list of colours, which no registry we hold publishes. Ask a breeder which variety their line is.
- BLACK AND TAN
- RUBY
- BLENHEIM
- TRICOLOUR
Información a nivel de raza, de The Dog API. Describe la raza Cavalier King Charles Spaniel en general; cualquier animal concreto puede ser distinto.
Health guide
Health & screening guide for the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
Riesgos hereditarios conocidos en la raza Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, y la documentación concreta que hay que pedir a cualquier criador antes de pagar una señal. Un criador responsable tiene esta documentación a mano; esquivar la pregunta es mala señal.
5 enfermedades documentadasEsto es literatura a nivel de raza, no asesoramiento veterinario sobre un animal concreto — tu veterinario conoce al animal.
Health checklist (PDF)Heart & circulation
Mitral valve disease (MVD)
Serious
Degeneration of the mitral heart valve leading to a leaking murmur, and in many dogs eventually to congestive heart failure; it appears earlier and far more often in this breed than in any other. There are no recognised varieties in this breed, so this applies breed-wide.
Qué pedir
A current cardiac auscultation result from a boarded veterinary cardiologist for both parents, following the age-linked MVD breeding protocol (clear of a murmur past 2.5 years, ideally with parents and grandparents clear at 5)
Bones & joints
Chondrodystrophy-linked intervertebral disc disease (IVDD)
Serious
A raised risk of premature disc degeneration from the same FGF4 retrogene insertion (CDDY) implicated in Dachshunds; testing-lab data show it at very high frequency in this breed (allele frequency around 99.6%), and a 2025 study of 43,517 US dogs found Cavaliers at four times the odds of owner-reported IVDD compared with mixed-breed dogs.
Qué pedir
A CDDY/IVDD-risk DNA test on both parents
Brain & nerves
Chiari-like malformation and syringomyelia (CM/SM)
SeriousInherente a la raza
A mismatch between the skull and brain causes fluid-filled cavities to form in the spinal cord, producing neck pain, scratching at the neck/shoulder without contact, and in severe cases partial paralysis. The Kennel Club and British Veterinary Association run a dedicated joint screening scheme for this breed because of how closely it relates to the breed's skull conformation.
Qué pedir
An MRI grading under the BVA/Kennel Club Chiari-like Malformation and Syringomyelia scheme for both parents
Episodic falling syndrome (EFS)
Serious
An inherited disorder of muscle control, usually appearing in the first year of life, in which exercise, excitement or frustration triggers rigid muscles and collapse. A DNA test has existed since the causal mutation was identified, so no dog need be bred that can produce an affected puppy.
Qué pedir
An episodic falling syndrome DNA test on both parents
Eyes
Curly coat / dry eye syndrome
Serious
An inherited disorder in which affected dogs produce no tears, leaving the eyes chronically sore, alongside dry, flaky skin that can make standing and walking painful.
Qué pedir
A curly coat/dry eye syndrome DNA test on both parents
Cuánto vive la raza Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, en los registros
Supervivencia mediana de 11,8 años
Intervalo de confianza al 95% de 11,7–11,9 años, a partir de 6879 muertes registradas entre 13.866 perros
Riesgo de mortalidad de 1.07 (1.04, 1.09) respecto a perros mestizos, cuya mediana es de 12,0 años.
Medido en el Reino Unido a partir de 584.734 perros. La supervivencia mediana no es una predicción para un perro concreto.
McMillan, K.M., Bielby, J., Williams, C.L., Upjohn, M.M., Casey, R.A. & Christley, R.M. (2024) Longevity of companion dog breeds: those at risk from early death. Scientific Reports 14, 531.
Gallery
Todavía sin fotografías
Aquí es donde irán las fotografías de los propios dueños de Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, desde los perfiles de sus animales que mantienen aquí. Nadie ha añadido ninguna a una página pública todavía.
Una fotografía en un perfil de animal queda privada de su dueño. No pondremos ninguna aquí a menos que nos lo pidan.
Puppies
No puppies listed right now
No Cavalier King Charles Spaniel breeder has a record on this platform yet, so there is nothing to list. That is a gap in our coverage, not a fact about the breed.