All Breeding Stock Tested Clear: Heart, Hips, Patellas, Eyes

BREED STANDARD

As approved by the Canadian Kennel Club.

Effective January 1, 2004

SIZE:

Height 30-33 cm (12-13 inches). Weight proportionate to height 5 to 8 kg. (12 - 18 lbs.). Slight variations permissible. A small, well-balanced dog well between these heights and weights is desirable. Overall type and quality should not be sacrificed for size alone. A weedy specimen is to be penalized as severely as a coarse one.

COAT;

Long, silky and free from curl, though a slight wave is permissible. Feathering on ears, legs and tail should be long, and the feathering on the feet is a feature of the breed. It is common and permissible for bitches to carry less coat than dogs. No trimming, scissoring, clipping or artificial colouring is allowed and this should be severely penalized.

COLOUR;

BLENHEIM:

Bright chestnut red markings, well broken up, on a pearly white ground. The red on the head must extend around the eyes as well as down over the ears. A pure white muzzle is preferred. There must be a distinct white blaze between the eyes. Between the ears may be the lozenge or spot unique to the Blenheim, which is a highly desirable, but not essential, characteristic.

TRICOLOUR:

Jet black markings well broken up on a pearly white ground. The black on the head must extend around the eyes as well as down over the ears. There must be a distinct white blaze between the eyes. A pure white muzzle is preferred. Rich tan markings appear over the eyes, on cheeks, inside ears, under the tail and around the vent. Tan should appear inside the legs where it is adjacent to black.

RUBY:

Whole-coloured rich red. White marks are undesirable.

BLACK AND TAN:

Jet black with rich tan markings over the eyes, on cheeks and muzzle, inside the ears, on throat and chest, on forelegs from knees to toes, on the inside of the hind legs also extending from hocks to toes, on the underside of the tail and surrounding the vent. White marks are undesirable.

HEAD;

Almost flat between the ears, without dome. Stop moderate. Length from base of stop to tip of nose about 1-1/2 inches (4 cm). Nostrils should be well developed and the pigment black. Lack of stop, or too deep a stop, are to be penalized equally. MUZZLE: Tapering slightly to the nose. Lips well covered and well cushioned but not hound-like. There should be cushioning beneath the eyes, which contributes much to the sweet, gentle expression characteristic of the breed. MOUTH: Teeth strong and even, meeting in a scissors bite. Level and under-shot mouths are to be discouraged. However, a slightly undershot bite in an otherwise well-balanced head with the correct sweet expression should not be penalized in favour of a scissors or level bite with a plain head or hard expression. EYES: Should be large, round and set well apart. Colour should be a warm dark brown, giving a lustrous, limpid look. Eye rims should be dark. Small, light or bulging eyes, or a white ring surrounding the iris are very undesirable.

FOREQUARTERS:

Forelegs straight and set well under the dog. Bone moderate. Elbows close to the sides. Shoulders well laid back. Pasterns strong and feet compact, well-feathered and with well-cushioned pads.

BODY:

Short-coupled with ribs well sprung but not barreled. Chest moderately deep leaving ample heart room. Back level. Slightly less body at the flank than at the last rib, but with no tucked-up appearance. Bitches may be slightly longer at the loin.

HINDQUARTERS:

Hind legs moderately muscled, well angulated at the stifles. Hocks relatively short and at right angle to the ground when standing. Hind legs should parallel each other from hock to heel with no tendency to long, cow or sickle hocks.

TAIL:

Set on so as to be carried level with the back. Tail should be in constant motion while the dog is moving. Docking is optional, leaving 2/3 of the tail and the tail must balance the body. A white tip must be left on the tails of Blenheims and Tricolours.

GAIT:

Free moving and elegant with good reach in front and sound drive from the rear. Head carried slightly forward on the move. Back level and tail carried straight behind as an extension of the line of the back. Good length of stride from the side. Front and rear should move straight and true.

Note: The Cavalier should be moved on a loose lead and never “strung up.”

FAULTS:

Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault, and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in proportion to its degree.

Nervousness, shyness and aggression in adults.

Trimming, scissoring or artificial colouring.

Lack of a white blaze in Blenheims or Tricolour.

White marks on Ruby or Black and Tan.

Small, light or bulging eyes, or a white rim around the iris.

Long, cow or sickle hocks.

Tail carried well above the topline.

DISQUALIFICATIONS:

Colours other than the four above.

Clown faces (white around one or both eyes or white ears.)

Tricolours and Black and Tans lacking tan markings.

Aggression.

INTERPRETATION OF THE

BREED STANDARD

INTRODUCTION;

In December 2002 the Board of Directors of the Canadian Kennel Club approved the revised Standard for Cavaliers. The effective date for the new Breed Standard is January 1, 2004

The standard is intended as a guide to help breeders and judges in deliberations, always remembering that no dog is perfect, champions included, and all have faults to some degree. It is essential to remember when judging to look at the dog as a whole and to appreciate the virtues as well as noting the faults.

In this booklet it is hoped to elaborate on the Standard and to explain in detail some of the finer points, with a view to making the judge’s task a little easier and to assist in interpreting the standard correctly.

GENERAL APPEARANCE: Active, graceful and well balanced, with gentle expression.

Not all standards define expression under this heading but for the Cavalier it is essential. No head would be correct without the soft melting expression that comes from the large limpid dark eyes.

A well balanced dog should be very slightly longer from withers to tail than from withers to ground, with the tail adding to the balance, waving happily and following the line of the spine to the tip.

There should be a definite difference between dog and bitch, the bitch being more feminine and the dog having more substance throughout and therefore looking more masculine. The Cavalier is shown free standing on a loose lead and should not be penalized for fidgeting. It is against their nature to be wooden. They should be moved on a loose lead to show off the gaiety of their temperament.

CHARACTERISTICS: Sporting, affectionate, absolutely fearless.

TEMPERAMENT: Gay, friendly, non-aggressive; no tendency to nervousness.

These two may be taken together. Although a Toy Dog, they are by no means inactive. They should be well able to run or walk for miles and hunt rabbits (as many do), but their affection and gentleness will make them ideal household companions. In fact they are suited to any environment, be it country mansion or city apartment. There should be no fear or mistrust in their eyes - only gentleness and a willingness to please. A temperamentally typical puppy in the ring is more likely to be alert to the judge and restless on the table than to stand like a statue, however puppies when first shown can be unsure of themselves. Any sign of bad temper in the ring should be penalized.

HEAD AND SKULL: Skull almost flat between the ears. Stop shallow. Length from base of stop to tip of nose about 3.8- 4 cms. (1 1/2 inches). Nostrils black and well developed without flesh marks, muzzle well tapered. Lips well developed but not pendulous. Face well filled below eyes. Any tendency to snipiness undesirable.

Type is all important. The skull should be wide enough for the large eyes to be spaced well apart. The length of muzzle of 1 ½ inches depends slightly on the size of the dog, but it should be in balance with the width of the skull between the ears. Not all skulls are ruler flat, most having a gentle rounding between the ears, but a pronounced curve with low set ears is undesirable. A puppy could well have a pronounced occiput, which would give the required width when the head ‘breaks’. When viewed in profile the muzzle should be tapered to the tip of nose and the lips should not look houndy.

The head should be well cushioned under the eyes to give the softness and to avoid the snipey look which spoils the gentle expression. On the other hand too much fullness on the cheekbones will exaggerate the head and give coarseness, which is also undesirable. Gentleness and softness must be the key to all the head properties.

Shallow stop - this is midway between the deep stop of the familial King Charles and the very shallow stop of the Cocker (see diagrams 1a and b).

The lips just cover the lower jaw. Any exaggeration will be pendulous and create houndiness.

Nostrils should be black - in all colours. Some go “off” with the weather and bitches may be affected by their season but dense black pigment is highly desirable. Flesh marks can sometimes be seen in young dogs. It is difficult for breeders as the young dog with a small flesh mark will usually give all year black nostrils when it fills in. Older dogs should be penalized but not to the extent of putting an inferior specimen over an otherwise good one. Lips also should preferably be black.

EYES: Large, dark, round but not prominent; spaced well apart.

The eyes play a most important part in the Cavalier. As stated they should be large, round and dark with melting expression. Not small, almond shaped or prominent. Eyes should be dark brown with black rims, and with Blenheims and Rubies definitely darker than the hair colour around them. Both very light and very black eyes will tend to give a hard expression, prominent eyes a startled expression. Light eyes are one of the hardest faults to breed out and therefore should be most penalized.

EARS: Long, set high, with plenty of feather.

Leathers should be long with plenty of feathering so that the ears frame the face. Black and Tans and Tricolours will usually have more feathering than Blenheims and Rubies - though not longer leathers.

Ears set too high will give a startled look, set too low will give a rounded skull.

MOUTH: Jaws strong, with a perfect, regular and complete scissor bite i.e. the upper teeth closely overlapping the lower teeth and set square to the jaws.

Teeth should be strong. A wry mouth is one in which the lower jaw is twisted to one side, placing the upper and lower jaws out of line with one another. This is a definite fault. A slightly undershot or level bite in a young pup could be overlooked as many will come correct by 18 - 24 months. A correct head shape with a very slightly undershot jaw that looks alright in profile is preferred to a snipey head with a perfect bite.

NECK: Moderate length, slightly arched.

The neck should be sufficiently arched and long enough for the dog to carry his head proudly, but not thrown back, as this will shorten his stride. It should be set into well laid shoulders to give that elegant look. Seen in profile there should be a crest on the upper arched portion of the neck, and the lower line of the neck should be ‘clean’ with no tendency to throatiness.

FOREQUARTERS: Chest moderate, shoulders well laid back; straight legs moderately boned.

Forelegs should be straight when viewed from the front, with elbows close to the side, and placed so as to give width of chest for good heart and lungs, with good bone - that is in balance with the body.

The shoulders should be well laid back (see diagram 2 and 3). Upright shoulders often coincide with a stuffy neck and give rise to the short and sometimes high action which is so undesirable. Withers should be fairly prominent and have sufficient space between shoulder blades to allow for freedom of movement. The upper arm and shoulder blade should be well angulated and the forearm should be longer from elbow to knee than from knee to ground, thus giving a longer stride.

BODY: short coupled with good spring of rib. Level back.

Short coupled refers to the length between the last rib and the hip. Slab-sidedness is a fault leaving insufficient room for heart and lungs. The back or topline should be level when both moving and standing, roached or dipped backs being most undesirable. The shortness in the body should be mainly in the lumbar region, i.e. the loins; and this part should be strong and well muscled in order to be able to transmit the powers of propulsion to the front end.

HINDQUARTERS: Legs with moderate bone; well turned stifle - no tendency to cow or sickle hocks.

The hindquarters construction should come down from a good broad pelvis, very slightly sloped to give an attractive tail carriage, that carries on from the level topline. A narrow pelvis can be the cause of hind movement being too close. Good angulation comes from wellturned stifles, with well developed muscle on the thighs. Insufficient angulation at the stifle joint (i.e. ‘straight through the stifle’) and lack of muscle will give rise to slipping patellas.

Hocks should be straight and parallel when viewed from behind, not turned in as cow hocks or turned out (see diagram 4). Hocks should be well let down - that is short from hock to ground, and be well feathered. Markings can also detract and distort movement i.e. one brown leg or hock and one white. Extra vigilance is needed then as odd colouring is not a fault in itself.

FEET: Compact, cushioned and well feathered.

Pasterns should be strong and pads well cushioned. Feet are rounded not catlike or hare foot. Nails and pads can be any colour. Black pads on Blenheims denotes good pigment. It is permitted to remove excess hair between the pads and at the base of the leg at the back of the pads, (for hygiene) but not scissored all round the feet, therefore removing completely the desired feathering.

TAIL: Length of tail in balance with body, well set on, carried happily but never much above the level of the back. Docking optional. If docked no more than one-third to be removed.

The tail should be a continuation of the spine, level with, or slightly below, the back. It should be in constant motion when the dog is moving but carried level. A gay tail is one carried too high over the back and should be penalized. Docking (not more than 1/3 off) is optional but almost outmoded, so a shorter tail should not be a fault provided it does not spoil the general balance. It should be well feathered. (See diagram 5).

GAIT/MOVEMENT: Free moving and elegant in action, plenty of drive from behind. Fore and hind legs move parallel when viewed from in front and behind.

The correct movement is light and active, covering the ground with level topline. Moving away the legs should be straight and parallel. Towards you the forelegs should also be parallel with no throwing out of elbows or paddling. In profile the balance of the dog should show up, making an elegant picture from nose to end of tail in one flowing movement, with proud head carriage and good arch of neck, making good use of the hindquarters and hocks. Regular rhythmic steps with hind legs moving well forward under the body, will give plenty of drive. There should be no hackney action in front. Pacing, i.e. when the fore and hind leg on each side move together is undesirable. (See diagrams 6 and 7)

COAT: Long, silky, free from curl. Slight wave permissible. Plenty of feathering. Totally free from trimming.

The silky coat, really fine to the touch is a feature of the breed. This should be the same in all colours. Most coats do not develop until about 18 months old. With the correct silky texture, the white on the Blenheims will be a pearly white, with profuse feathering. With undesirable curly coats, the hair is often coarse, and with dense ones, the hair is often short with less feathering. Trimming is to be frowned on except between the pads.

COLOUR:

Black & Tan: Raven black with tan markings above the eyes, on cheeks, inside ears, on chest and legs and underside of tail. Tan should be bright. White marks undesirable.

Ruby: Whole coloured rich red. White markings undesirable,

Blenheim: Rich chestnut markings well broken up, on pearly white ground. Markings evenly divided on head, leaving room between ears for much valued lozenge mark or spot (a unique characteristic of the breed).

The chestnut should be the rich bright chestnut of a horse not that of a ‘conker’, which brings the colour to border onto mahogany, sometimes even ‘liver’. The latter is a warning sign of a loss of pigment.

Tricolour: Black and white well spaced, broken up, with tan markings over eyes, cheeks, inside ears, inside legs, and on underside of tail.

The tan should be rich and bright.

Any other colour or combination of colours most undesirable.

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