Cavalier King Charles Spaniel: Pros and Cons

Do you think a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel could be the right dog for you? In this article, I will talk about the pros and cons of the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and try to help you with your decision, because there are many things you should know!

There are a lot of pros that speak for the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. But unfortunately, there are also a lot of cons. The pros are that the Cavalier King Charles Spaniels want to please their humans and are therefore easy to train; they adapt to everyone’s situation in life and are friendly to everyone and much more. The cons are that they are unfortunately a very disease-prone breed and their coat requires a lot of time for maintenance.

Pros Cavalier King Charles Spaniel

The Cavalier King Charles offers a lot of advantages for future owners, which I will discuss in more detail below:

Adaptability

Cavalier King Charles Spaniels are “spaniels” but have no ambitions to hunt, which is an advantage in my eyes.

Hours of walking are not necessary. Nevertheless, Cavalier King Charles Spaniels need daily exercise and activity. In between, they also love extensive, long walks with their humans, but do not demand it.

Cavaliers are very frugal when they get their daily rounds. They are very versatile. You can also run with them or just go for a leisurely walk.

Both in a large house with a garden, as well as in an apartment, they will feel comfortable if the appropriate workload is given. Very importantly, they want to cuddle a lot. That is in their genes.

In addition, the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel does not care whether you are a pensioner and it is a little quieter with you, or you have a house full of children, in which it can be a little wilder. With polite behavior, he will adapt anywhere and love to be with his people.

No yappers

The small, nice Cavalier King Charles Spaniels tend to be calmer dogs and are not prone to yapping. They also look cute, which is why no one will be afraid of this cute dog, because everyone will think of the movie “Lady & Tramp,” in which the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel also gained popularity.

Education

Cavalier King Charles Spaniels are good for first-time owners and easy to train. Knowledge of dog training is presupposed, so it should be acquired beforehand, because, without consistent rules, even a Cavalier will not be a well-mannered dog.

But because the charming Cavaliers want to please their humans, they make it easy for you. In addition, Cavalier King Charles Spaniels are also considered to be extremely intelligent, which makes training them even easier.

Compatible

At this point, the Cavaliers are also almost unbeaten because they get along with all other pets.

From cat to bird, everything is no problem. Also with their conspecifics, both as a second dog and outside in the meadow, they will not start a quarrel.

Quite the opposite, quarrels go the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel out of the way.

Cons of the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel

As great as this breed is, there are, as with everything, disadvantages when it comes to the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.

Health issues

Let’s get straight to the most serious disadvantage. Unfortunately, the Cavalier King Charles Spaniels are a very disease-prone breed.

It has come to this because healthy “King Charles Spaniels” were mixed with short-nosed dogs a few centuries ago for visual reasons. Such as Pugs, Pikenese, etc.

They got smaller, rounder heads, their nose became shorter, and their eyes protruded from the eye sockets.

They should look thereby cuter. Unfortunately, this poor breed suffers from it to this day.

Because there is a whole series of diseases have arisen. As a result, one tried around 1920 to come closer to the original race again.

After that, they were recognized a little later, with the name “Cavalier King Charles Spaniel” by the FCI.

In the front are heart diseases and neurological diseases. But they also have big problems with their short noses so they can regulate their body temperature only badly at high temperatures.

In addition, there is breed-related eye disease, which can vary in severity from mild symptoms to loss of eye or sight.

It is also not uncommon for Cavaliers to suffer from allergies or skin problems. And as with all small dogs, the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel’s kneecap often causes problems.

All in all, the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is one of the most disease-prone dog breeds, which is why I would decide against this breed, because of the risk that the Cavalier can suffer from one of these harmful diseases is very high, as some studies unfortunately prove.

You must be sure that you can cope with the suffering they will experience, both psychologically and financially because you will probably have to visit the vet often.

I hope I could help you with my pros and cons. Should you still decide to get a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, I recommend at least an OP dog insurance. In this particular case even more real dog health insurance.

Demanding coat care

Cavalier King Charles Spaniels have beautiful, shiny fur, but only if it is combed/brushed daily. Otherwise, this coat will quickly become matted and dull, which is terrible, because the shine of the coat tells you your Cavalier’s state of health.

The coat should not be trimmed, but the daily brushing is already a big time expenditure about which you should be clear. They don’t shed more than all other breeds; it gets a bit more twice a year when they change their coat.

No watchdogs

What is an advantage for one, if the dog barks only a little, is a disadvantage for the other. In this respect, I don’t find barking advantageous either, but in my opinion, a dog should be alert.

However, this should not be expected from the Cavalier, which I see as a clear disadvantage. Even though a small dog cannot pose a serious threat to a burglar, the barking of a watchful dog, no matter how small, is often enough to make burglars look for another, quieter target. Cavalier King Charles Spaniels are not watchdogs.

Conclusion: Pros and Cons of the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel

Many points speak for the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. These include especially its adaptability and that it is the perfect beginner dog. However, the health factor is a serious problem, which is why the Cavaliers also count as torture breeding and a big minus point.

@ ckellyphoto-depositphotos.com (Contributing image)