Breed Standard

The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is an active, graceful, well-balanced toy spaniel, very happy and loving; fearless and sporting in character, yet at the same time gentle and affectionate. It is this typical pleasant 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 this breed type.

Head – Proportionate to the size of the dog, appearing neither too large nor too small for the body.

Height – 12 to 13 inches at the withers; weight proportionate to height, between 13 and 18 pounds. 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 the point of the shoulder to the point of the buttock, it 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 the size of the 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 a dome or peak; it should appear flat because of the high placement of the ears. The stop is moderate, neither filled nor deep. Muzzle – Full muzzle slightly tapered. Length from base of stop to tip of nose about 1½ inches.

Face – Well filled below eyes.  Any tendency towards snippiness is undesirable. Nose pigment is uniformly black without flesh marks and nostrils are well
developed. Lips are 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.