Cavalier King Charles Spaniel

[melster122]

Thanks for that smallonion. I am sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo excited!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[TacDiver05]

They are a spaniel, so a decendent from hunting dogs, so a chase instinct is sometimes present. I agree that they are much less likely to cause problems than a poodle. But like all dogs they should still be supervised around birds at all times. You just never know when the preditor will come out in a dog!

Just my thoughts
Chris

[jen&friends]

[font=Comic Sans MS]I can say with some certainty that any hunting dog they may have been decended from has disappeared. They were in fact bred to be "lap dogs", and it was a job well done!
I know you were looking for names - you might want to check out this site![/FONT]
http://ftp.cac.psu.edu/~saw/royal/royalgen.html

[felisdomesticus]

Please consider adopting a dog before buying one from a breeder. It may be hard to find a Cavalier in rescue but it can be done.

[LissaKokoKiwiKaseySam]

3rd time cocker spaniel owner here.. The Cavs are great lap dogs...doesn't her majesty have one? Least I think she did..

As for the hunting instinct..it may be gone, but it certainly isn't forgotten. All of my girls were raised around birds, but it is Bailey, who I have the most problem with..she's the only one that started out as a puppy with the birds...

Bailey would never intentionally hurt any of the birds, but she sure is willing to try and play, and knows darn well that THEY don't belong on the floor, and she's gonna do her darndest to make sure they go home to their cages where they belong ( in her eyes anyway)..the weight of a dog could do some serious damage to a bird..intentional or not, the outcome would be the same. This is not to discourage you from getting a dog..no way..just a reminder that it CAN happen. Heck, if I didn't have kids, I'd sure have a second dog in the house... Bailey is actually my first 'only child' in 18yrs of dog ownership.

Mind you, this is the same dog that hogs the covers, kicks my hubby, and snores BETWEEN us every night...all 17lbs of her. I've never ONCE told her she's a dog....don't think she'd believe me anyways..

I don't know if there are many shelters in England, but chances are pretty good that you could in fact find a Cav in one of them...or see if you can find a Cav rescue league by doing an internet search..you might just get lucky!

[TacDiver05]

Originally Posted by jen&friends

[font=Comic Sans MS]I can say with some certainty that any hunting dog they may have been decended from has disappeared. They were in fact bred to be "lap dogs", and it was a job well done!
I know you were looking for names - you might want to check out this site![/FONT]
http://ftp.cac.psu.edu/~saw/royal/royalgen.html

ALL dogs are preditors and have the potential to go after a prey animal. That is the point I was trying to get accross. I have a lab at home and have no problems because of supervision. Any dog can do well with birds, and any dog can kill birds...it's all your responsibility.

[The Outlaw]

Jen:

Every Cav I ever met was simply a lap dog. I don't even remember them fetching! I think they are the perfect pet in a bird house, if you want a dog. And, I think that raising a puppy with your birds is probably a better way to go. You don't know what a dog's past history with birds is.

[TacDiver05]

Cavaliers are the ultimate groupies and are usually delighted to have the company of cats and dogs of any size. If you have a large dog, you will need to watch your Cavalier puppy carefully while it is small. Because Cavaliers are spaniels with a strong sporting instinct, they should be watched closely around birds and other small animals as well. Many Cavalier owners report that they have trained their dogs to live happily with hamsters, gerbils, rabbits, and the like. (In households where no one is home during the day, the companionship of another dog or a cat is highly recommended.)

This is a quote from the FAQ's on the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Club USA. I at one time worked in a bording kennel dealing with all breads of dogs. We had one that would come in and was a champion rat killing dog. The risk is there.

My only concern is that when people talk about dogs like this, it seems to be forgotten that they can still be dangerous to small animals.

[dyeman]

I own and occasionally breed Papillons, which I have been told are somewhat related to the Cavs. I never liked what I considered "Fufu dogs" until I met Allette, our female Papillon. She is the best combination of energetic and yet a lap dog I have ever met. They even train Papillons for agility trials. I have never had them attempt to harm any of our pets, birds or otherwise.

We currently have a litter that just weaned and I am retiring Allette after this, she had some trouble and I won't risk her health.

[melster122]

First of all thank you everyone for your comments. Please rest assured that I have not entered into this lightly. We have thought about it long and hard, have read countless books and have even spoken to the vet about the best dog to have with other pets. I love Worple and would not want any harm to come to him. I will not be leaving the dog and parrot unattended just as I don't leave the cats and parrot unattended.

I have investigated in detail the idea of a rescue cav and have decided that with the children and other pets in the house I would feel happier with a puppy in the house so that he can grow up with us.

Dyeman your puppies are wonderful.

Jen&friends thanks for the website info.