About
breed:
~
CAVALIER KING CHARLES SPANIEL
~
Breed Standard
Origin:
Great Britain.
Utilization: Companion
and Toy.
General Appearance: Active,
graceful and well balanced, with gentle
expression.
Characteristics: Sporting,
affectionate, absolutely fearless.
Temperament: Gay,
friendly, non-aggressive; no tendency to
nervousness.
Head
and Skull: Skull
almost flat between ears. Stop shallow. Length
from base of stop to tip of nose about 3.8 cms
(1½ ins). Nostrils black and well developed
without flesh marks, muzzle well tapered. Lips
well developed but not pendulous. Face well
filled below eyes. Any tendency to snipiness
undesirable.
Eyes: Large,
dark, round but not prominent; spaced well apart.
Ears: Long,
set high, with plenty of feather.
Mouth: Jaws
strong, with a perfect, regular and complete
scissor bite, i.e. upper teeth closely
overlapping lower teeth and set square to the
jaws.
Neck: Moderate
length, slightly arched.
Forequarters: Chest
moderate, shoulders well laid back; straight
legs moderately boned.
Body: Short-coupled
with good spring of rib. Level back.
Hindquarters: Legs
with moderate bone; well turned stifle – no
tendency to cow-hocks or sickle-hocks.
Feet: Compact,
cushioned and well feathered.
Tail: Length
of tail in balance with body, well set on,
carried happily but never much above the level
of the back. Docking previously optional when no
more than one-third was to be removed.
Gait: Free-moving
and elegant in action, plenty of drive from
behind. Forelegs and hind legs move parallel
when viewed from in front and behind.
Coat: Long,
silky, free from curl. Slight wave permissible.
Plenty of feathering. Totally free from trimming.
Colours: Recognised
colours are:-
Black
and Tan: Raven
black with tan markings above the eyes, on
cheeks, inside ears, on chest and legs and
underside of tail. Tan should be bright. White
marks undesirable.
Ruby: Whole
coloured rich red. White markings undesirable.
Blenheim: Rich
chestnut markings well broken up, on pearly
white ground. Markings evenly divided on head,
leaving room between ears for much valued
lozenge mark or spot (a unique characteristic of
the breed).
Tricolour: Black
and white well spaced, broken up, with tan
markings over eyes, cheeks, inside ears, inside
legs, and on underside of tail.
Any
other colour or combination of colours highly
undesirable.
Weight and Size: Weight
- 5.4 - 8.2 kgs (12 - 18 lbs). A small, well
balanced dog well within these weights desirable.
Faults: Any
departure from the foregoing points should be
considered a fault and the seriousness with
which the fault should be regarded should be in
exact proportion to its degree and its effect
upon the health and welfare of the dog.
Note: Male
animals should have two apparently normal
testicles fully descended into the scrotum.
