King Charles Spaniel
GENERAL APPEARANCE : Refined, compact and stocky.
Personality: affectionate and kind.
Energy Level : Moderately Active.
Good with children: Yes.
Good with other dogs: With supervision.
Grooming: Seasonal.
Life expectancy : 10-15 years old.
Bark level: Bark when necessary.
HISTORICAL SUMMARY
An obvious relative of the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, this dog is known in some countries as the “English Toy Spaniel” and derives its name from a dog that was a favorite of King Charles II. "Toy Spaniels" have been prized as pets both in England and on the Continent, and have been bred to an ever-smaller and smaller size of "Setter" (hound) dog that established the "spaniel" type. Basically, these were small shooting hounds, but pampered by wealthy owners, admired for their companionship, and crossed with the “toy” type dogs of the East, giving rise to their facial appearance.
Country of Origin: Great Britain.
BEHAVIOR AND TEMPERAMENT: Happy, intelligent, small spaniel with a distinctly domed head. Reserved, kind and affectionate.
HEAD:
CRANIAL REGION
Skull: Moderately large in comparison to size, well domed, full over the eyes.
Stop: Between the nose and the skull, well defined.
FACIAL REGION
Nose: Black, with large and well-opened nostrils; short and projecting upwards.
Muzzle: Square, broad and deep, well projected upwards.
Lips: Perfectly joined, giving a good finish to the muzzle.
Jaws and Teeth: Broad jaw. Bite with a slight undershot. Tongue showing (with mouth closed) is highly undesirable.
Cheeks: Not drooping below the eyes, but quite full (voluminous).
Eyes: Relatively large and dark; well separated. Eyelids at right angles to the axis of the face; pleasant expression.
Ears: Set on low, hanging close to the face, very long and well feathered.
NECK: Of medium length; arched, giving the head a proud bearing.
TRUNK
Back: Short and level.
Chest: Broad and deep.
TAIL: Well feathered, carried neither above nor below the level of the back. In total harmony with the rest of the dog.
MEMBERS
PREVIOUS
Shoulders: Well sloping.
Elbows: Close to the rib cage, turning neither in nor out.
Forearms: Legs short and straight.
Metacarpals: Firm.
Feet: Compact, well padded and feathered. Toes well curved, round, in the shape of “cat feet”, well padded.
HINDQUARTERS
General appearance: Sufficient musculature to generate a movement with good propulsion.
Knees: Well angulated.
Metatarsals: Hocks well let down and defined. Straight when viewed from behind, turning neither in nor out.
Feet: Compact, well padded and feathered. Toes well curved, round, in the shape of “cat feet”, well padded.
GAIT/MOVEMENT: Free, active and elegant, with the hindquarters providing propulsion. A movement of integrity is highly desirable.
COAT
Hair: Long, silky and straight; slight waving is allowed, never curly. Legs, ears and tail with profuse fringes.
COLOR:
1. Black and Brown: A rich glossy black, with bright reddish-brown markings on the muzzle, legs, chest, inner side of the ears, below the tail and dots over the eyes. White spot on the chest is undesirable.
2. Tricolor: Pearl white base color with well-distributed black spots; Bright brown markings on the cheeks, on the inside of the ears, below the tail and spots over the eyes. Wide white band between the eyes and over the forehead.
3.“Blenheim”: Pearl white base color, with well-distributed reddish-brown spots. Broad light band with well-defined reddish-brown “spot” in the center of the skull, approximately the size of a penny.
4. Ruby: Unicolor, intense reddish-brown. White spot on the chest is highly undesirable.
WEIGHT: from 3.6 to 6.3 kg.
FAULTS
Any deviation from this standard should be considered a fault and penalized in exact proportion to its severity and its effects on the health and well-being of the dog.
DISQUALIFYING FAULTS
• Aggressiveness or excessive shyness.
• Any dog that shows any sign of physical or behavioral anomaly must be disqualified.
• Atypical dogs.