anyone have Caviler King Charles Spaniels?

[Loren&Rocky]

We lost our little Toy Fox Terrier, Tonka, to cancer at the age of 14 in March 07. My aunt bought us a Mini Aussie because she could tell we were heartbroken over the loss of our sweet Tonka. Well, then we moved out of her house to our own and had no fenced yard. We put up the horse fencing up first to get our horses home ASAP but did not put up a dog fence right away. Needless to say our little Casey puppy was hit by a car and killed on Dec.27th. Casey was 10 months old.

This spring and summer we will be working on getting our entire property fenced with no climb type fencing and also fencing off a yard for a dog. In the mean time I have been looking at breeds of dogs that might suit us as a family and came across the Cavalier. I joined the local Cav club here and have now been to one meeting. I even met some of these wonderful little dogs and am totally in love with them.

So, who here has Cavaliers and what do you think about them? I am thinking about getting into showing if I got one. I think my son Loren would just love to show dogs. I also just want a nice lap dog that we can travel with easily.

Share yours with me please!!

 

[h2t99]

My parents have 2, and they had 1 before. They are great dogs!! definately a lap dog!! The only bad thing about them, they do tend to wander, so a fenced in yard is a must!! My sister also has one and they love her!! I am not a small dog person and I really like them and would like to have one some day!!

 

[Loren&Rocky]

I am not a small dog person either, but it seems to be easier for my family to care for and travel with small dogs currently. Some day I want a Borzoi and a big white standard poodle.

But we are not getting a dog until we have a fenced yard for sure. The death of our puppy was just too much for us. We have never lost a dog to a car before. We have always had a fenced yard too, but with this new house it did not come with fencing, so the horse fencing came first.

 

[Shelley]

We have one!

We LOVE her!

The one drawback to us is the barking. She does bark a LOT. I have friends though

that say theirs do not...so maybe it's just her? They are supposed to be very friendly.

One problem is that Lizzie thinks that everybody and everything loves her just as much

as she loves them, which could certainly get her into trouble if we weren't careful. There

is no way we can let her out with a yardful of Salukis, as much as she'd like to go! And

yes, you do need a fence.

Cavaliers have lots of health problems...make SURE that the

parents have had the hearts checked - not by just a vet, but by a canine cardiologist!

This is a major problem in the breed.

YES, I would definitely recommend them! Lizzie is really a great little dog!!!

Shelley

 

[afoulk]

I have two Cavs and highly recommend them. I have always had large dogs and still do but wanted something small. I have found that they are very hardy small dogs. Very much lap dogs. So far I haven't had any health problems with either of mine but be aware they are known to have some health issues.

Arlene

 

[Jill]

This is an interesting thread. I have shih-tzu's and love them. I hope we will have ours for many years to come. When it does come time to have a new small dog, Cavaliers are on the list that we'll consider.

 

[txminipinto]

Be careful when shopping for a CKCS. MANY have congential heart defects.

 

[Ashley]

I dont have one but a friend of mine does. I really like her. She is sweet and actually pretty quiet. One thing to consider is they are pretty expensive, especially if you want a quality show dog. My friends was $2500 and she was to be a show dog, until another dog ate her tail.

 

[mininik]

There are a couple Cavaliers in our Obedience classes. They are sweet dogs. Just be VERY careful where you buy them from as they are prone to a myriad of health problems. Check out http://www.ackcsc.org/

 

[Loren&Rocky]

I dont have one but a friend of mine does. I really like her. She is sweet and actually pretty quiet. One thing to consider is they are pretty expensive, especially if you want a quality show dog. My friends was $2500 and she was to be a show dog, until another dog ate her tail.

I just got an e-mail from a breeder who wants $2000-$2500 for PET quality WITH a spay/neuter requirement!! I would pay those kind of prices for a show/breeding quality dog, but NOT a PET!! I am looking for show/breeding quality, and it would not have to be a puppy either.

I just found out that sometimes when females go into heat they blow their coat. That could be bad if you are at a show! So, I am thinking about a show male first and then see about a female.

 

[Shelley]

I dont have one but a friend of mine does. I really like her. She is sweet and actually pretty quiet. One thing to consider is they are pretty expensive, especially if you want a quality show dog. My friends was $2500 and she was to be a show dog, until another dog ate her tail.

I just got an e-mail from a breeder who wants $2000-$2500 for PET quality WITH a spay/neuter requirement!! I would pay those kind of prices for a show/breeding quality dog, but NOT a PET!! I am looking for show/breeding quality, and it would not have to be a puppy either.

I just found out that sometimes when females go into heat they blow their coat. That could be bad if you are at a show! So, I am thinking about a show male first and then see about a female.

Actually, that's not out of line for a puppy from a reputable breeder. Show puppies will typically run you $2,500 - $3,500.00.....they "ain't" cheap!

And then you have to learn how to do their coats. The standard says they should be shown

in a natural state - sounds good....but NOT.

Shelley

 

[stormo41]

my sister-in-law to be has one. she paid $2000-2500 (cant remember) for hers. he was 10 months when she got him he was left over from a litter no one wanted him as a young puppy but was show quaitly, she was required to fix him. He is a great dog, he stays at our house once every 2 weeks or so and comes over every friday for family dinners. He is very calm and sleeps alot. I think he looks kinda funny and is not the dog for me but he is still a good dog.

I now thses dogs are not cheep, if you decided you just want a pet and not a show dog you might want to look up some rescues or look on petfinder.com