AKC Breed Standard
General Appearance (back to top)
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 (back to top)
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.
Proportion - The body approaches squareness, yet if measured
from the point of shoulder to point of buttock, is slightly longer than the
height at the withers.
Substance- Bone moderate in proportion to
size. Weedy and coarse specimens are to be equally penalized.
HEAD (back to top)
Proportionate to size
of dog, appearing neither too large nor too small for the body.
EXPRESSION (back to top)
The sweet, gentle, melting
expression is an important breed characteristic.
EYES (back
to top)
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 (back
to top)
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 (back to top)
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 (back to top)
Full muzzle slightly tapered.
Length from base of stop to tip of nose about 1 1/2 inches. Face well filled
below eyes. Neck, Topline and Body .
NECK (back to top)
Fairly long, without throatiness, well
enough muscled to form a slight arch at the crest. Set smoothly into nice
sloping shoulders to give an elegant look
TOPLINE (back to top)
Level both when moving and
standing. Body--Short-coupled with ribs well sprung but not barreled.
TAIL (back
to top)
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.
COAT (back to top)
Of moderate length, silky, free
from curl. Slight wave permissible. Feathering on ears, chest, legs and tail
should be long and 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 (back to top)
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.
Black and Tan Jet black with rich,
bright tan markings over eyes, on cheeks, inside ears, on chest, legs and
underside of tail.
Ruby Whole rich colored red. Faults Heavy
ticking on Blenheims or Tricolors, white marks on Rubies or Black and Tans.
GAIT (back
to top)
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 the front it is straight and
true..
TEMPERAMENT (back to top)
Gay, friendly, non-agressive,
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.
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