Cavalier Information
At Dawnaquinn we are dedicated to breeding beautiful wholecolor Cavaliers that can be successful in either the Showring or Performance ring. We are very cautious about the homes our puppies/dogs go to - we want them to be appreciated and loved as much as we do. We hope the following information will help answer any questions you might have.
- Is a cavalier right for you?
- Male vs female
- Is having a house and fenced yard mandatory?
- What to expect to pay
- Exercise
- Cavaliers and children
- Grooming
- What age can I bring my puppy home
- Cavaliers and other pets
- Why do cavaliers snort
- Health concerns
- Raw Diet Information
The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is an affectionate, playful and intelligent little dog (12" - 13" tall, 12 -18 lbs) that repays his owner's care and attention with an endearing devotion. Cavaliers are not kennel dogs. Because of four hundred years of close contact with their owners and as lap dogs, they make the most wonderful companions. They are happy, outgoing, loving little dogs who want to love you and be loved, to run and play in a safe place and to sleep in a soft bed... preferably your bed. They get along famously with children, cats, and other dogs. The ultimate companion, your Cavalier will enrich your life beyond measure! His wonderful temperament is that of a happy, devoted toy Spaniel -- tail wagging and eager to please.
If you are looking for a top scoring performance dog to play in the sports of Agility, Flyball or Obedience, be sure that you understand what the physical limitations of a Cavalier are - they are NOT Border Collies and although they will give you their best effort and are more than capable of acquiring many titles, the intense speed and drive will not be there but the desire to please you will. Developing a strong bond as a team is one of the best things you can do with your dog.
IS HAVING A HOUSE AND A FENCED
YARD MANDATORY? (back to top)
If you live in an apartment and have a strong dedication to taking your
Cavalier out every day for at least two half hour walks and a few more "potty"
walks, this breed will be content. Cavaliers are active and sporting little
dogs that require regular exercise. They have an instinct to chase just about
anything that moves, and should either be on a leash or in a fenced yard or
they will surely end up under the wheels of a car. Because Cavaliers never
become street-smart, reputable Cavalier breeders require a fenced yard as a
prerequisite for Cavalier ownership if you live in a house. (Electric fences
are not recommended as they allow predators to enter the property keeping your
Cavalier unprotected.)
EXERCISE (back to top)
This breed will enjoy a romp in the park
immensely. Teach you dog to come when called and only take off leash in a safe
area. Cavaliers need either a moderate sized fenced-in yard in which to run, or
a minimum of one good walk each day. Regular exercise is very important for a
healthy heart and mind.
GROOMING (back to top)
Despite the elegant, silky coats, the
Cavalier does not require a great amount of care. Rather, Cavaliers need to be
brushed out and bathed once a week as well as ears cleaned, nails trimmed and
teeth brushed. Using good quality products (salon conditioners) the coat and
skin do not dry out. According to the Breed Standard, Cavaliers that are shown
in CKC or AKC conformation events MUST NOT be trimmed or scissored, so
professional grooming is not advised. Luckily, Cavaliers are pretty much wash
and go so professional grooming is not needed. While Cavaliers are clean and
easy to groom, they do shed occasionally... but weekly brushing and weekly
baths, as well as a healthy diet of raw, natural foods and the essential oils,
will keep the shedding to a minimum.
MALE vs. FEMALE (back to top)
Whatever the temperament of the breed, the
males will be the extreme. Therefore, because the Cavalier is probably the
sweetest breed there is, the males are the sweetest and make the best pets. The
boys are IN LOVE with you and the girls love you but can take you or leave you.
Cavaliers are clean, intelligent, and eager to please so housebreaking a male
is just as easy (and sometimes easier) than housebreaking a female.
WHAT CAN YOU EXPECT TO PAY (back to top)
A Cavalier pet from a reputable breeder that
does all the annual health testing by board-certified specialists will range
anywhere from $1,200 to $3,000+ - We generally sell our pet puppies for $1,500
to $2,000 ($250 due when contract signed) on CKC Non-Breeding Contracts which
means that you can NOT breed this dog unless the contract is released. If you
would like to breed, we can discuss why, are you prepared to do the health
testing, are you going to prove your sincerity by acquiring titles in any of
conformation, agility, obedience, flyball, etc.
CAVALIERS AND CHILDREN (back to top)
We do not sell Cavaliers to families with
children under six years of age. Cavaliers love to interact with their owners
and enjoy activity and play, making them especially close friends and
confidants for children, and they have actually been referred to by many as
"the nanny dog." Cavaliers are excellent with children, but the age of the
children is an important factor in choosing a puppy. Because Cavalier puppies
are so small, we will not sell young puppies to families with children under
the age of six. All children, of course, need supervision to ensure they do not
hurt the dog.
WHAT AGE CAN I BRING MY PUPPY
HOME (back to top)
We do not let our
puppies go to new homes until at least 10 to 12 weeks of age. Cavalier puppies
are very slow to mature and they really benefit from staying with their mother
and littermates longer than many other breeds.
Many people find that an older Cavalier is ideal. There are many advantages, among the fact that an older dog will already be housebroken and beyond the puppy chewing stage. Any concern that such a dog will never bond as strongly as one obtained as a young puppy is unfounded. Cavaliers of any age will bond with their new owners. Any dog with a good temperament that has been raised well and socialized well will adopt a new family quite easily.
CAVALIERS AND OTHER
PETS (back to top)
Cavaliers are the
ultimate comfort Spaniel and are usually delighted to have the company of cats
and dogs of any size. If you have a large dog, you will need to watch your
Cavalier puppy carefully while it is small. Because Cavaliers are Spaniels with
a strong sporting instinct, they should be watched closely around birds and
other small animals as well. In households where no one is home during the day,
the companionship of another dog or a cat is highly recommended.
WHY DOES MY CAVALIER MAKE THAT SNORTING
SOUND? (back to
top)
Technically, this when the windpipe collapses or spasms, it is
common in may toy breeds. It is especially evident when the dog is excited and
it is not a cause for concern. It is a sudden breath intake accompanied by a
snorting noise. It can usually be stopped by placing the hand over the nostrils
momentarily to restrict the intake of air through the nose.
HEREDITARY HEALTH PROBLEMS ~ NO REAL 100%
GUARANTEE (back to top)
It is
important to understand than even if the sire and dam have been screened and
found clear of any health problems, no breeder can guarantee that a puppy will
never develop a problem during its life time. But, screening does lessen the
chance.
We test for heart murmurs (by a Board Certified Cardiologist) as these are a precursor of Mitral Valve Disease, we OFA x-ray hips, CERF check eyes (by a Board Certified Ophthalmologist). We do the best we can with the information available at that time. There are no guarantees in breeding any living being. If you buy a puppy from us that develops a life threatening hereditary disease under one year of age, it will be replaced - this is conditional to being fed the raw diet as recommended and is only applicable for the first year.
UNDESCENDED TESTICLES can be a common problem with this breed. The breed was developed in England from the English Toy Spaniel. From 1910-1940 it was common practice to breed dogs with undescended testicles. Although not recommend by the Kennel Club of England at the time, Cavalier breeders only had a few bloodlines to work with so inbreeding was the only way for them to achieve their goal. So, this is why we will see a Cavalier puppy with undescended testicles, or with only one descended testicle. This is not a health concern for the owner of a pet Cavalier, but would be for a stud dog owner. Cavaliers with undescending testicles may take up to 8 months to fully descend into the scrotum so give it a little time.
UMBILICAL HERNIA also seems to be a common problem with this breed due to the small gene pool. An umbilical hernia is an opening in the wall of the stomach where the umbilical cord was. Occasionally a little fat may push through but quite often it will heal over and close as the puppy grows older. Umbilical hernias do not cause any health issues, and they are very easy to fix during spay/neuter time.
RAW DIET INFORMATION (back to top)
WHAT YOU FEED IN THE RAW DIET... Ground meat with bones is a safe and easy way to get the bone content into the diet. You can supplement with raw meaty bones for chewing and eating. Most people feed chicken or turkey wings, necks, backs or carcasses. These pieces consist of bone, cartilage, fat and a little bit of flesh. The optimal RMB is 50% meat to 50% bone and about 10 to 15% fat. Large animal bones such beef, bison, etc., are only good for chewing and are generally the least nutritious as they can't actually be eaten but some of the better products have large animal bones ground in. Neck bones from many animals are generally very good. It is important to try and feed variety, so try to incorporate other meaty bones (beef, lamb, pork, ostrich) during the week.
Are bones dangerous? Perhaps. ALWAYS SUPERVISE WHEN SMALLER OR MORE EDIBLE BONES ARE OFFERED. However, dogs have evolved to eat bones and it is rare that a problem might arise. Although some dogs have had obstructions or died consuming bones, dogs have also died from the ingestion of tennis balls, ropes, sticks, socks, plastic bags, rocks, toys, gloves, belts, cooked bones and processed foods. Most of the deaths that have occurred from consuming raw bones have been related to competitive eating, possessiveness and excessive hunger. Many dogs display ravenous eating behaviors because they have never been fed anything that even closely resembles "real food". If in doubt, present the first RMB to your dog after s/he has already had some food, and then supervise the RMB feeding. If fed raw, meaty bones are soft and chewable. It is NOT recommended that cooked bones be fed, as they become brittle and do have the potential to splinter. If you prefer to NOT feed whole RMB, have a dog that is missing teeth, who does not eat carefully, or has difficulty digesting whole bones, then it is recommended that the RMB be ground. The same benefits will be obtained.
Meat & Fish Any muscle meat fed ground or in chunks, is acceptable such as beef, lamb, rabbit, deer... An all meat and 'no bone' diet has the potential for disaster, however a meal of pure meat is fine now and again. Fish (salmon, sardines, mackerel) can also form a part of the weekly diet. If a lot of fish is fed, then the whole fish should be used and vitamin E must be supplemented.
Offal Organ meats are a small part of the raw diet, about 10 - 15%. They should be fresh, raw and include liver, kidney, heart, brain, tripe [stomach]... In its raw state it is nutritionally valuable food with first class protein, essential fatty acids, minerals and vitamins.
Vegetables Vegetables should form about 30% of the overall diet. Use any vegetable (with the exception of onions and white potatoes) such as dark green leafy, beet, broccoli, spinach, celery, cabbage family, capsicum, and/or fruits such as tomato, apple, oranges, pears, mangoes and banana. The wider the variety the better, as each contributes to a full spectrum of nutrients. Besides vitamins and 'health protective' nutrients, the indigestible fiber in vegetables also helps to mimic hide and hair that would be consumed in an evolutionary diet. Fruits should be fed when over-ripened where they provide non-complex carbohydrates or simple sugars as opposed to the slow releasing energy from the complex carbohydrates. The bulk of the vegies used should consist of 'low glycemic,' green leafy vegetables and ripe fruit. 'Low glycemics' are foods, which do not cause a rapid rise in blood glucose levels. Vegetables must be processed before they become nutritionally beneficial to your dog. This does not involve cooking, but does require a food processor, blender or grinder that will be able to totally crush the vegetable and fruit matter. Once prepared it can be fed as a 'soup', 'patty' or 'cake', depending on the amount of juice and pulp content of the mix. Never hesitate to occasionally feed left over cooked vegtables.
Healthy Oils The raw diet requires that health promoting oils be included as a source of omega3 and omega6 essential fatty acids. These oils are vital for your dog's health. Flax oil/ground flax seed or salmon oil can be fed almost every day. You can also use need cod liver oil several times per week and you may also wish to include evening primrose or borage oil once a week or so. Amounts of these healthy oils will vary with an individual's requirements. When feeding these oils, appropriate antioxidants must also be used - such as vitamin E. These healthy oils must be kept refrigerated or frozen in order to maintain their integrity. Ordinary vegetable oils from the supermarket are not recommended.
Yogurt - Eggs The dog, in an evolutionary sense, does not require dairy foods; however, high quality yogurt or kefir contains essential bacteria for bowel health and for general health. You will need to find a sugarless brand from the health store or make your own. Eggs are a cheap source of top quality protein, vitamin A, minerals - and if free range they also contain good amounts of fatty acids. The entire egg - shell and all is fed. Egg yolks are excellent 'skin food'.
An optional requirement - Grain? The short and simple answer is that grains did NOT figure as part of our dogs [or cats] evolutionary diet. On that basis, grain is not biologically appropriate for our pets. The only way grains may be used in the diet is when they are freshly sprouted and then processed along with the other vegetable matter.
Vitamins... Are vitamins essential? No...but to move your dog into the optimal health category ... Yes! These may include vitamin E and along with some kelp and alfalfa. Kelp and alfalfa are excellent 'supplemental foods' that supply a vast array of quality vitamins and minerals, some excellent products are available such as Solid Gold Sea Meal. With the exception of vitamin E, these vitamins can be frozen.
How Much To Feed? The amounts required will depend on the age, activity level and metabolism of your dog. The average dog can be fed approximately 60% raw meaty bones patties of the widest variety of sources possible. The other 40% of the diet would consist of pure meat meals, fish, fruit/vegetables, eggs, offal, plus supplements and a very small percentage of table scraps - because we have a hard time saying "no".
About Bacteria... A dog's immune system is designed to handle bacteria such as Salmonella, E.Coli and Campylobacter jejuni. It is much more adept at this than the human body. While cooking foods may kill bacteria, it does not eliminate the endotoxins that result from the bacteria. If dogs are fed nothing but heat sterilized food, you are depriving them of the opportunity to develop an immune response to these and many other organisms. Handling raw foods for your dog requires the same care as your 'human' food does. Raw food will spoil if left unrefrigerated for an extended period of time, so excess food not eaten, should be refrigerated for the next feeding or discarded. Keep raw meat separate from other foods; wash working surfaces, utensils and hands with hot soapy water after each feeding. Simple!
Think preventative - and give your dog a long, quality life.
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