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
(Permission to copy
granted from ACKCSC for Wystar Cavaliers.) |
