"Read this information BEFORE you buy
a puppy! You should ONLY buy a Cavalier puppy that is registered with
the AKC (American
Kennel Club) or CKCSC/USA (Cavalier
King Charles Spaniel Club, USA). These are the only two long-standing
registries in the United States that, in our personal opinion, can be
trusted."
When I published my website, I had no idea of the number of people who would write to me for advice on acquiring or raising a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. I thought it might be useful to add this section to the website to give the potential buyer in the United States an idea of the way we raise and train our Cavaliers, and offer advice to them on working with breeders. Our opinions and systems are personal preferences, and by NO means the only way to raise and train a Cavaliers, but we believe that we have happy and healthy dogs as a result of our efforts.
Some of the following information
is generalized, and some of it is excerpted from specific requests for
information to which I have responded. As always, please keep writing
to us with questions; we won't know all of the answers, but we will
know people who do know a lot of them and put you in contact with those
more experienced with specific questions or problems.
PLEASE KEEP IN MIND THAT THE FOLLOWING IS ONLY THE OPINION OF THE WEBSITE
OWNER, NOT THAT OF ANY ORGANIZATION, AND YOU SHOULD CONSULT YOUR VETERINARIAN
AND BREEDER FOR SPECIFIC ADVICE!
We breed only rarely and therefore rarely have puppies available.
If you have not yet tried breeder referral at these sources, you may
find some help here:
In the U.S.:
http://www.ckcsc.org
http://www.ackcsc.org
http://www.cne-ckcsc.org/
In Canada:
http://www.candog.com/cavaliers/
From the links on these sites you will find much advice and many breeders.
But, if you are interested in our breed, please stay patient, as most
breeders will do whatever they can to find the best homes for their
puppies even if you do have to wait.
I would suggest that you buy this book:
Cavalier King Charles Spaniels : Everything About Purchasing, Care,
Nutrition, Behavior, and Training (Barron's Complete Pet Owner's Manuals)
by D. Caroline Coile. It is available inexpensively through Amazon.com.
While waiting for my first Cavalier I read every book on Cavaliers that
I could find.
Consider joining one of the Cavalier Internet lists in which information
on various situations is routinely discussed. A good list for prospective
owners to join is the Hoflin list. To join the list go to www.hoflin.com
You should shortly receive an email telling you about the list, etiquette,
protocols and other information. It is a fairly busy list, so
plan to receive a number of daily emails. Often there are a lot of experienced
breeders on these lists, and one can learn a lot by listening.
Although these lists are valuable for information sharing, you will
rarely find a breeder willing to discuss selling a puppy to you on a
list; our interview process is a bit more personal, and I prefer an
initial email followed by a phone call which I schedule. (It is very
difficult to return all phone calls and many breeders simply can't return
them all and say so on their ansswering machines. Try an email first
if they have email. It is also a good record of the conversation to
which you can refer later on so the breeder can call up the memory with
a bit more alacrity.
May I add a personal plea that you refrain from an impulse buy at a pet store? If you want any proof of the damage done both to individual dogs by puppy mills selling to pet stores, or to the breed itself, I would refer you to NBC Dateline magazine; ask for their article and follow-up on puppy mills. Wondering about pet shops that tell you that they only buy from reputable breeders?
NO reputable breeder would sell to a pet shop and never know where their puppies were going.
If you rescue that puppy in the window, another will certainly take its place.
PLEASE be patient enough to buy from a breeder. You will not only be helping yourself and your prospective pet, but also the breed as a whole. Please take a minute to look at one of our rescue sites at:
www.luckystarcavalierrescue.org
Most breeders do whatever they can to support rescue efforts. This is also the place to look if you are interested in joining the waiting list for a rescue Cavalier.
I would add to that my comments that the price of Cavaliers has increased over the last few years due to both increased cost in health testing by reputable breeders and also to the fact that some breeders have taken advantage of the schism between the two parent Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Clubs (the CKCSC and the ACKCSC). Both clubs have much to recommend them and have extremely experienced members; both clubs have political problems. While it is reasonable for prospective buyers to expect to pay a premium for our wonderful and not terribly prolific Cavaliers, it is not reasonable for a buyer to have to get involved in a "puppy pyramid" scheme (a breeder asking for many puppies back over time), or to pay exorbitant fees for unproved, not -yet -shown puppies.
In your search you may find many breeders who have no puppies to sell. Again, there are two primary reasons for this. Many breeders are following a protocol to attempt to eliminate early onset Mitral Valve Disease which suggests that dogs are not bred until they are 2 ˝ years old and tested clear of MVD and have parents who are 5 years old and clear of MVD. I am one of those breeders and don't expect to have a litter for many months.
The challenge for the breeder is to add healthy genes to the gene pool while continuing to preserve the breed standard and type of the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel as developed in its country of origin; the United Kingdom. This does NOT mean that breeders who are not following this protocol do not care for the breed, as they may have well established breeding lines with long lived dogs and know each and every dog which they have bred going back for many years.
The second reason that many will not "have" puppies to sell is that many breeders do not sell show dogs. If you are looking for a show dog, and want to show or be involved with breeding your task will be considerably harder. Someone once told me that it was easier to adopt their child than to acquire their first show Cavalier. Although showing dogs is a great deal of fun, it is a complete change in lifestyle. Do not even contemplate buying a show dog if you aren’t ready to change your whole lifestyle to accommodate showing almost every weekend, groom your own dog, change your relationships with your friends, and generally immerse yourself in showing as a primary activity in your life. It is unfair to buy a show dog and not show it; it is tantamount to buying a brilliant painting and locking it in a closet.
Breeders work very hard to improve their breeding programs, and good show dogs are few and far between. If you should be lucky enough to acquire one, take it very seriously. Breeders who do sell show dogs may do so with mentorship agreements and co-ownership arrangements. This can be a very beneficial relationship, or it can be a nightmare. It is very much like a marriage! A breeder who is selling a show dog to you may also want a puppy back from that line; this is entirely reasonable; unlike the puppy pyramid schemes that go on for several litters. I have had both good and bad mentors; I have been really blessed to find a couple of mentors in the UK that have taught me a great deal. This all may be confusing to you when you are starting out, so I would highly suggest that you go to as many Cavalier shows as possible (or all breed shows with a Cavalier entry) and talk to as many breeders as possible.
You can find information about Cavalier shows at the following sites:
In the U.S.:
http://www.ckcsc.org/
http://www.ackcsc.org
You can find out about all breed shows in your area at which Cavaliers will be shown at:
http://www.akc.org
In Canada:
http://www.candog.com/cavaliers/
Do try to attend some shows in your area!! If you want to travel and see many beautiful Cavaliers, you might want to go to a show in the UK. There is nothing quite like seeing the number of beautiful dogs shown in their country of origin. You will find information about shows and other great articles at:
http://www.cavaliers.co.uk/
When you attend the shows, however, understand that the competitors may not have time to talk with you before or during their classes, but may be happy to answer questions when their dogs, and those that they are observing are finished in the ring. A good time to approach the breeders/competitors is after their classes are finished and they are back in the grooming area. If you can bring some cards with your name and email address or phone number, and write your questions down on them for the breeder/competitor you may be able to get a phone call back at a less hectic time.
Showing dogs is a LOT of work and stress and emotion.
Also, be sensitive to the fact that these dogs have just had extensive grooming; they look wonderful to pat, but you may unknowingly cause them to lose the effect that the exhibitor strove to achieve if you pat them! So, ask first!!!
PLEASE consider your lifestyle.
There are many wonderful kind people who don’t have the lifestyle for dog ownership; it is simply not fair to buy a dog and leave it alone most of its life. A child who has much to do after school already will find the novelty of a new puppy wears off, and that “best friend” that you hoped to purchase will become an unhappy, unkempt dog who may become a noisy nuisance trying to remind you of your commitment to him! It would not be the first time that such a dog ended up in our rescue organizations.
Consider your environment when you purchase your new puppy.
Let's face it; having a dog of any breed means work to protect good furniture, floors and rugs. Having a designated area in which to start a puppy (like a kitchen that is closed off) that does not have either hazards or valuable furniture is ideal. Be particularly careful about what your dog can get into; Cavaliers are very smart, very curious and love wastebaskets and if there is more than the potential for simple problems like shredded tissues, they will find it! Just ask Blythe (our pet Cavalier) who had to undergo abdominal surgery to remove a tampon that could not be passed.
Since that incident (and by the way she got into the ONLY room in which we did dispose of such trash as we knew it to be attractive to dogs and dangerous), we have heard myriad stories of dietary indiscretions. We put all hazardous garbage into a trash compactor or straight out into our garage; our dogs cannot get into anything more serious than paper shredding. However, if we did not have a toy basket for them, they might try to eat the furniture (they will eat foam and such causing similar abdominal problems). A simple dish basin holds a number of interesting toys that we bring out daily. We also take it away on a daily basis to keep it novel for them.
Our dogs love sterilized compressed bone (you buy this at the pet store), gumabones, nylabones, kong toys and the original rope type Booda bones. We are not thrilled with rawhide type chews, which can wrap around the intestines. If you use the compressed bone, watch for chips or cracks and throw away any bones that might be coming apart or have become sharp.
We try to make homecoming a quiet time filled with warmth and reassurance. Cavaliers are great family dogs. However, if you are buying one for your child, you may be hoping that your new dog will bond with the child more than the rest of the family. Please be aware that entrusting the care of a puppy to a child is like entrusting a child to an older child; supervision is needed!
Part of bonding is simply timing, and the other part is effort. I assume that you will be getting a younger puppy that will still need crate training. What we do, is to train both the children and the puppies. I keep a small crate in the child's bedroom, and one downstairs. Initially, the puppy is put in to sleep with the child and I come in later at night and take the puppy outside for a last period of relief. Then I will put the puppy back into the crate in the child's room. I have asked my children to try to be aware in the middle of the night if the puppy is whimpering to go out. If they are old enough (and not prone to falling down stairs with a puppy), they can take it out themselves in the night if needed.
If they are not old enough, I ask them to wake me up to do this. When the puppy is old enough (finished growing and all growth plates closed) not to be hurt jumping or falling off a bed, I allow the pup to sleep with the child with the door closed. It is VERY important that the child be aware of small things that the puppy can inappropriately eat that may be in the child's bedroom, wastebasket or other places at this point. A good plan is to bring a gumabone or nylabone to bed for the puppy to chew and to teach the puppy what IS appropriate to chew and what is not. Also important is that the puppy be in the room with the door closed and not be able to wander into trouble. A night light is appreciated by both at this point.
In the morning, the child takes the puppy out and gives it food himself, and then takes it out again, rewarding it for good behavior with a biscuit. I try to leave time for the child to play with the puppy before school. This may mean that they have to get up a bit earlier, but it is worth it. Hopefully, then the puppy is a bit tired, and can go into the downstairs crate for the school period. I usually feed the lunch myself and again let the puppy out, and give it a toy to play with rather than spending a lot of time bonding with it myself. After school, the child's first responsibility is to the puppy; come in, take the puppy outside, an extended play period, etc. The puppy may need another nap before dinner. The child feeds dinner to the puppy.
Eventually, the puppy comes to understand that most food, all nurturing and all play is provided by the child to which you intend to bond it. This has the added advantage that most puppies raised this way are house trained much more quickly than with newspaper. A month or two of disturbed nights is well worth the reward of a house trained dog!
I know it will be hard for other members of the family not to spend extended time with the new pup, but if you want the pup to "belong" to one member, then this system should be explained to all and agreed to by all family members. Of course there will be a few hugs and pats by others...as should be! However, the PRIMARY care provided really does become the child...and both puppy and child grow up much the better for the experience.
Hope this helps! If you need more specific information, please feel free to write to me. We love our dogs, and we love to help others to love them.
BEST of luck in Cavaliers,
Suze at Llawen Cavaliers
