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GENERAL APPEARANCE
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
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, but these are ideal heights and weights and slight
variations are permissible.
Proportion - The
body approaches squareness, yet if measured from point of shoulder
to point of buttock, is slightly longer than the height at the
withers. The height from the withers to the elbow is approximately
equal to the height from the elbow to the ground.
Substance - Bone
moderate in proportion to size. Weedy and coarse specimens are to be
equally penalized.
HEAD
Proportionate to
size of dog, appearing neither too large nor too small for the body.
Expression - The
sweet, gentle, melting expression is an important breed
characteristic.
Eyes - 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 - 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 - 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 - Full
muzzle slightly tapered. Length from base of stop to tip of nose
about 1 1/2 inches. Face well filled below eyes. Any tendency
towards snipiness undesirable. Nose pigment uniformly black without
flesh marks and nostrils well developed. Lips well developed but not
pendulous giving a clean finish. Faults - Sharp or pointed muzzles.
Bite - A perfect,
regular and complete scissors bite is preferred, i.e. the upper
teeth closely overlapping the lower teeth and set square into the
jaws. Faults - undershot bite, weak or crooked teeth, crooked jaws.
NECK, TOPLINE, BODY
Neck - Fairly
long, without throatiness, well enough muscled to form a slight arch
at the crest. Set smoothly into nicely sloping shoulders to give an
elegant look.
Topline - Level
both when moving and standing.
Body -
Short-coupled with ribs well sprung but not barrelled. Chest
moderately deep, extending to elbows allowing ample heart room.
Slightly less body at the flank than at the last rib, but with no
tucked-up appearance.
Tail - 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.
FOREQUARTERS
Shoulders well
laid back. Forelegs straight and well under the dog with elbows
close to the sides. Pasterns strong and feet compact with
well-cushioned pads. Dewclaws may be removed.
HINDQUARTERS
The hindquarters
construction should come down from a good broad pelvis, moderately
muscled; stifles well turned and hocks well let down. The hindlegs
when viewed from the rear should parallel each other from hock to
heel. Faults - cow or sickle hocks.
COAT
Of moderate
length, silky, free from curl. Slight wave permissible. Feathering
on ears, chest, legs and tail should be long, and the 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
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.
Ruby -
Whole-colored rich red.
Black and Tan -
Jet black with rich, bright tan markings over eyes, on cheeks,
inside ears, on chest, legs and underside of tail.
Faults - Heavy
ticking on Blenheims or Tricolors, white marks on Rubies or Black
and Tans.
GAIT
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 front and rear it is straight and
true, resulting from straight-boned fronts and properly made and
muscled hindquarters.
TEMPERAMENT
Gay, friendly,
non-aggressive 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.
Approved
Date: January 10, 1995
Effective Date: April 30, 1995 |
