Cavalier King Charles Spaniel

[FELIX, Cavalier King Charles Spaniel]

TEENY: My little guy is stuck to me like glue! He loves to snuggle and any chance he gets to sit on my lap, he takes! Also, he follows me around the house. He loves EVERYONE he meets, dog or human.... unfortunately, this makes me worry some because I'm not sure he has the sense to know danger when it's right in front of his face!!

[Oliver & Henry's Mum]

Welcome to the Daily Puppy Felix. You should, if you have not already, go and start a thread about yourself in the Introduction section so we can all greet you properly, and get to know you. Oliver will be 6 in December, and Henry is 7 months old (on Monday).

This is a very helpful site. I have made some wonderful friends on here. Everyone is very helpful. There are several useful sections, such as Health, Behaviour as well as this Breed Specific one. Your questions don't have to remain in the Cavalier thread because you have a Cavalier.

Welcome to Jacques as well.

[FELIX, Cavalier King Charles Spaniel]

I will do my best to head over to the Introduction section soon! :- )

Thank you so much for the information re: the various threads! I'm internet-stupid so I expect this to take me a few more weeks to navigate ... but I'm really excited to join such a welcoming community of fellow dog lovers!! : o )

P.S. Oliver and Henry are absolutely lovely! It is great to see pictures of what Felix may look like as he grows... and grows... and eats me out of house and home! ; ) Happy belated birthday to Henry! Felix turned six months yesterday! It goes by so fast!!

[Oliver & Henry's Mum]

He is lovely! Oliver's 6th birthday is fast approaching on the 22nd of this month, so we're all very excited about that. Happy 6 months to Felix!

[Phyrie]

Hi Felix,

Cavs are Velcro dogs, for sure. I didn't pee alone for almost two years!

I understand what you mean when you say Felix isn't particularly thrilled about his dinner. Kiba was like that too, but a feeding ball soon took care of that. You put the ration of kibbles inside the ball and the dog has to bat it around the floor to release the kibbles from a small opening. Once it's fun, they love it! Of course, kibbles offered as treats and rewards is a great tool in your repertoire, too!

Kiba on steroids thinks he's starving, all the time, so he inhales his meals right now. But we're off the steroids as of yesterday, so I wonder if he'll back to the "meh... food" attitude again. We'll see.

Welcome, anyway. It's nice to see another Cav on the boards.

Phyrie

[Oliver & Henry's Mum]

Oliver was always a good weight until he became ill. He is now over weight, and we are doing our best to keep his weight down, but the medication, along with the nature of his illness, directly compete with weight loss.

He has always enjoyed his food however. Oliver is highly food motivated (somewhat like his Mum ). Cavaliers also have a tendency as they age, to put on weight, of which I've always been very mindful.

I'm sure as Felix grows and matures, he will put on the weight. Phyrie gave you some great suggestions

[Teeny83]

Welcome Felix, its nice to see another cavalier on the forum.

Deb or Phyrie, I was wondering if either of you would know if Daisy Fur will get any longer??

I know its all about the gene pool

This is a pic of her mother http://www.cuddlecavaliers.com/previous-puppies.html

and her Father Charlie http://www.chcavaliers.com/The_Boys.html

[FELIX, Cavalier King Charles Spaniel]

Cavs are Velcro dogs, for sure. I didn't pee alone for almost two years!

Ha ha, privacy is definitely a thing of the past!

Felix has certainly picked up appetite, although he is still very picky about when he eats.... at this point, he has food available all day and he is gaining weight just fine so we are not worried about it anymore, thank goodness. He is also food motivated, and training with treats is going really well...It is amazing how much he has grown (personality and weight) now that he is comfortable in his new home! He has figured out that the rug in front of the backdoor = treat= outside! He caught on quickly!

Question for all the Cavalier owners out there...

Felix seems melancholy sometimes, especially in the day or two after puppy class. I wonder if he is perhaps lonely, not having another dog to play with? He gets daily walks, lots of play time, and cuddle time too, however, I do have life responsibilities to attend to and he is so attached he just tries to be held whenever I am busy around the house. I am anticipating some possible separation anxiety issues with him, and doing my best to address it. He LOVES other dogs. In your experiences, do Cavs prefer to be in a two+ doggy household? What is the best time to introduce another dog? We have plans to add another dog (Cav) into our family in the future, but would love some ideas about the best time to do so.

With Thanks, Felix and I.

[Phyrie]

Kiba is my first Cav, so I can't answer the "when do you add another" question. Deb can, as she just added one.

I will say that Cavs THRIVE on attention from their humans. They don't DEMAND it, like some pushy breeds might, you know what I mean, in your face, nudge, nudge, play with me kind of stuff. But if you get busy and ignore them for a long period of time, they can become rather morose. Of course, those big Spaniel eyes are just built for staring up from the tops of paws, looking all "Puss in Boots" (from Shrek) at you! I don't think they mean to look so sad, it's all in the eyes.

When Kiba was growing up, he often went through periods of not eating at all, sometimes for a day or two! Since he stayed in fine weight, and was healthy, we didn't worry about it. Once we introduced the feeding ball, he no longer fasts himself, and since he's been on steroids for months, the little bugger thinks he's starving ALL THE TIME (although that is fast fading now that he's off the meds!).

Phyrie

[Oliver & Henry's Mum]

Teeny, as Daisy matures, her feathers will grow. They don't have a full coat until at least the age of 2. By the age of 5, their curls and feathers are even more pronounced. Trust me, they are easier to keep when their fur is silky and not too full, so enjoy these times. Daisy's Mum is a beauty, and so is her Dad!

Felix, as Phyrie suggested, Cavaliers thrive on human interaction and need it! Several breeders will not even sell their Cavalier pups to a home that does not have someone there all day long. Personally, I think they do well having another canine companion.

However, I would not dream of bringing home another puppy until my first pup was at least 2. Between the ages of 1 and 2, your dog is more like a teenager, and introducing a pup at that time can cause regressive behaviour as well as make it more difficult on you. 3 is a really good age, but I wouldn't wait much past the age of 5 to introduce a second dog, as then they are quite mature and set in their ways. It took Oliver a couple of months to fully accept Henry and now they are best friends.

The older one teaches the younger one, and I always find the second one to be a bit more cheeky than the first for some reason...nothing scientific, just my observations.

The only thing better than having a Cavalier, is having two! Timing is important, and you are smart to ask. Not everyone is as considerate a dog owner as you. Besides, it is a lot easier on the humans to have the older dog FULLY trained before a puppy comes home.

Felix is lovely, and I was pleased to see your post in the Introduction thread

[Teeny83]

Deb- Thanks for the info, I get worried about her being so cold in the winter, that’s why I buy her sweaters and jackets

[Oliver & Henry's Mum]

Teeny, if you want her coat to thicken, leave the jackets and coats off and nature will help her build her own coat. I know the weather in your area becomes extremely cold in the winter, so of course, use your own judgment.

I've noticed that Henry seems to feel the cold more than Oliver ever did. I have a couple of jackets that were Oliver's, one that looks like a sheepskin coat, and a spring/summer number from Lands End, in yellow that my Mum bought for Oliver's first Christmas. I am thinking about trying them on Henry. Oliver certainly doesn't need them anymore, nor would they fit

[FELIX, Cavalier King Charles Spaniel]

Felix has a little blue snowflake sweater! : o)

Thank you O&H's mum for your opinion! We did not want another puppy until Felix is older, but I was feeling worried and not wanting him to feel lonely! I think you are very wise in your comments. I think I just needed to hear it! Am I overprotective much?

I read and read and thought and read and thought so much before bringing Felix home... Now that he is here, I feel like I am constantly second guessing myself. One topic I am wrestling with is when to neuter him...

The breeder said @ least a year. The vet said 6 months. Various websites have said both...Does anyone have an opinion and/or referral for a really reputable book or website that covers this topic? I want to do what is best for Felix, above all else. I want to pick the safest and least stressful time for Felix.

With Thanks,

Felix and I

[Phyrie]

I do! I do! If I had a choice, and I could stand the lifting, marking and general obnoxiousness, I would wait until my Cav was two. If I couldn't bear it, I would try to stretch it to one year old. Kiba's umbilical hernia expanded suddenly at ten months, and needed surgery, so we decided to neuter him at the same time, to save a later anaesthetic. I regret it. I would much rather my boy had his full bone growth before neutering. That's my opinion. There are lots of studies being done that you can look up, and form your own opinion, of course.

I will say this, though. A vet might tell you that you can neuter an animal at eight weeks. It's their job to help prevent animal overpopulation, and sometimes they are not up on all the latest studies. Your vet may be right in that it's "safe" to neuter an animal that young, but it doesn't mean it's "best" for him. See what I mean?

Some breeders won't send you the paperwork on your dog without proof of speutering. Some even insist that you do it before six months, so you won't sneak in a breeding before the surgery! Most purebred pets are sold with a non-breeding contract, with which you may not be required to speuter, but you may not breed. Any breeding will result in a huge monetary penalty, and your resultant litter are NOT registrable. This helps prevent ignorant, but possibly well-meaning owners from indiscriminately breeding their dogs without knowing what the hell they are doing! I am NOT qualified to breed Kiba, and wouldn't dream of attempting it, even were he capable...

So, in summary, wait as long as you can stand it. Beware that the little bugger will lift his leg, and if you don't correct him, and stay on top of it, he may embarrass you at Grandma's house. Not to mention the humping, marking and other obnoxious behaviours. But they ARE manageable, if you are dedicated, especially with a small dog. I don't know how you manage a Rottie who wants to hump Grandma, but that's a whole different dog...

Phyrie

[Oliver & Henry's Mum]

I have started to type a response to the previous posts 5 times now, but there is a tug-o-war going on right behind me, between a Blenheim and a Tri! They are noisier than my two sons ever were

I agree with almost everything Phyrie said about neutering. I was trying to wait until Oliver was a full year before neutering, for bone growth and muscular development, but like Kiba, Oliver had a hernia that needed attention. Oliver was neutered at 8 months. He had already started marking a great deal, and became increasingly "difficult" particularly in the management of his love affair with his ducky.

The longest I would wait to neuter a male would be a year, and never before six months, unless there is an emergency. In my experience, some of the traits that a male acquires from the age of 1 until 2, are very difficult, even in the smartest of breeds, to "untrain" or avoid altogether. There are many factors that go into that thinking, but I'll leave it at that, for now.

I agree with everything else Phyrie said. We differ as well on the perfect age at which to bring home a puppy, but as I age, I am starting to agree more and more with Phyrie...almost

I'm sure you'll find the one-on-one time you have now with Felix, as he matures, affords you an opportunity to forge a deep and lasting bond, that will serve you both well on the arrival of a new little one in the future. Henry is at the age now where is he really able to communicate with me. I feel as though I spend a great deal of my time talking to both Oliver and Henry throughout the day. Oliver is happy to snooze while Henry and I cuddle and chat. I must admit though that the snooze is also occurring on or very near my lap. I am often covered in "Cavalier".

I'm enjoying hearing about Felix. Keep us posted Felix and I.