Responsible Breeding Rules for Cavaliers

King Charles Cavaliers are delicate and gentle-natured dogs bred for their temperament, coat color and conformation. Cavaliers have either a black, white and brown tricolor, black and chestnut on white, a solid rich red or a black and tan coat. Irresponsible breeding of the Cavalier has resulted in nearly 100 percent of these canines diagnosed with mitrovalve heart murmur by age 10.

  1. Cavalier Clubs and Societies

    • Becoming a member of a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel club or society as well as the American Kennel Club (AKC) is an important step in becoming a responsible Cavalier breeder. Clubs provide breed-specific information on breeding and conformation regulations as well as identifying poor qualities and health problems that are associated with poor breeding practices. Making breeders and owners aware of what potential threats exist to the Cavalier breed is part of the mission statement of such clubs and societies.

    Breeding Practices

    • Breeding Cavaliers before they are sexually mature and fully developed, which does not occur until 18 months or older, has resulted in poor conformation and genetic disorders that severely debilitate the Cavalier. Along with heart murmurs, another debilitating disorder that stems from premature breeding practices is syringomyelia. This genetic disorder affects the spinal cord and results in paralysis; early signs of this disease in Cavaliers manifests as uncontrollable urges to scratch the back of the head, neck and shoulders to relieve pain.

    Medical Testing

    • An important aspect of responsible breeding of Cavaliers is medical testing of breeder dogs to ensure that genetic and hereditary disorders are not bred into the breed. Pups should also be tested before they are sold to ensure that genetic and hereditary disorders are not unintentionally disseminated back into the Cavalier population. All Cavaliers should be tested for hip displaysia, retinal displaysia, mitral valve disease, syringomyelia, as well have their patellas checked for manipulation.

    Using Test Results

    • The most critical aspect of responsible breeding of Cavaliers is using the information provided by the Cavalier's veterinarian to make responsible breeding choices. Continued breeding of Cavaliers that fail to have a clean bill of health is an unethical breach to the breeding rules set by Cavalier clubs and societies because it contributes to the decline of the breed. Not testing pups before being sold is also a negligent practice because it threatens the health of the breed as well.