Cavalier King Charles Spaniel for first-time owners?

If you are unsure if the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is the right dog for you because you have no dog experience, I will go into more detail about this breed here. Here you will find out if the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is for first-time owners and if it fits you.

The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is very easy to train and is, therefore, suitable for first-time owners. The Cavalier is intelligent and wants to please his humans. He adapts to every life situation, whether in a household with many children or older people where things are much calmer. The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel wants to be loved.

What characteristics make the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel a beginner dog?

The first thing that makes the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel beginner friendly is its size. He has a stick size of about 11 to 13 inches (30 to 33 cm), weighs 11 to 18 lbs (5 to 8 kg), and is therefore quite manageable. But more important is that the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is very intelligent and willing to learn. He is eager to please you.

These are characteristics that make him the perfect dog for first-time owners. The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is very cuddly, inconspicuous, and quiet and does not tend to yap, which offers no additional nerve factor so that the start with your new family member is facilitated.

The small Cavalier is balanced and friendly and gets along well with other dogs or pets, such as cats. Nevertheless, a dog trainig makes sense because he has contact with other dogs, and at the same time, he is well-socialized.

In addition, you get, just as a dog beginner, valuable tips that can avoid the misbehavior creeping in from ignorance. Because purely the inherited characteristics are no guarantee that your Cavalier King Charles Spaniel will always develop according to the textbook.

Puppy or adult Cavalier King Charles Spaniel for beginners?

Whether you are a first-time owner, better to bring in a puppy, or an adult Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, depends entirely on your circumstances. It must be considered individually.

A puppy has advantages as well as disadvantages. But so does an animal that you can take over from someone, but also from the shelter or animal protection.

As a beginner, a puppy

A puppy has the advantage of getting to know the breeder, so you know that he was raised until the move-out by the mother and already learns the first essential things for life. He will move in with you between the 8th and 12th week of life; therefore, the dog will get used to you better and faster.

You can build a more intensive bond, and the puppy will grow into the family from the beginning. If he moves in with you at eight weeks, you will be by his side for the entire imprinting phase, and he will learn very quickly (provided you do it right!) that he can trust you.

sThe puppy is not yet housebroken; at night, you will have to go out with him every 2-3 hours. This can be very exhausting for first-time owners who have no experience. Nevertheless, puppy time is exhausting, so you need a lot of patience.

In the first weeks, you will be there 24/7 for your puppy, and you will not be able to leave him alone. You will start training him for this, but it will only be a few minutes.

The socialization phase from the 8th week of life lasts about four weeks. The puppy should be slowly but steadily accustomed to all environmental stimuli, other animals, and everyday noises. It must not be too much inspiration so that the offspring is not overwhelmed and it comes early to the misbehavior.

A puppy also needs a lot of rest, and when he is awake, he must learn calmness already there so that you don’t have an unrelaxed, nervous dog later. That means you should acquire much knowledge beforehand to find the right amount of everything.

Cavalier King Charles Spaniel from the animal shelter

Unfortunately, more and more dogs end up in animal shelters! Maybe you will find a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel from which you will also learn its history. If he comes from loving hands, that’s a lot of advantages at once.

He will probably be housebroken, meaning you don’t have to spend nights sleepless. The basic commands may already be learned. And if the adult Cavalier King Charles Spaniel has not had any bad experiences, he will trust you relatively quickly.

But it will be more complicated if the previous history is unknown because he was anonymously abandoned or found in front of the shelter. If the dog has been mistreated or has only been used to bad things from people, you might have more work to do than with a puppy.

Because in such cases, even if he used to be, he will not be housebroken due to stress. He has to learn everything from the very beginning. He will also have a more challenging time trusting you. And for this, again, dog-experienced hands would be necessary.

Whether a puppy or a full-grown Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is better for you, you should think through it because it must fit your life situation.

Advantages and disadvantages of a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel!

The advantages of a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel are that they are intelligent, very easy to train, and can fit into anyone’s life.

If you give the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel enough walks, he can be kept well in a bunkhouse. He can fit in just as well in households with many children as in a quietly retired home, as long as he is a part of the family and gets enough cuddling.

The upbringing is as simple as can be, although I would always recommend online dog training* or a dog school/private dog trainer for novice dogs, as you will always get good tips there to help you with the upbringing.

The disadvantages, in my opinion, are that the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is a very high-maintenance breed with a double coat. You should not disregard this as a beginner because of the time you save in the education you will invest for the coat care, otherwise, the coat will mat quickly.

Unfortunately, some diseases can cause problems for the Cavalier; this can be especially problematic for beginners.

Because, in the past, the nose was bred shorter for optical reasons, the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel still suffers from this and is therefore still considered a brachycephalic breed, which can often have breathing problems and eye diseases as a result.

Some suffer from a deformation of the cranial cavity that is not visible outside. This can lead to nerve diseases which sooner or later lead to death. Unfortunately, skin diseases are also not uncommon in the small Cavalier.

A neurological problem also exclusively affects the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. If you notice that he cannot move or even falls over after efforts or stress, you should take him to the vet because this is treatable.

Unfortunately, also not rare is the disease MVD, which means a heart valve malfunction.

All in all, the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is not a healthy dog breed. There are a number of hereditary diseases that make it difficult for the poor Cavalier.

If you decide to get a puppy, look for a reputable breeder because they care primarily about the dogs’ health and will only breed with healthy animals.

Conclusion: Cavalier King Charles Spaniel for first-time owners!

The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is clearly a dog for first-time owners! You can train this small, loving, loyal breed with or without a dog school. A little knowledge about dog training would be at least advisable because a dog is a living being that will change your life, and it is up to you, positive or negative.

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