Cavalier King Charles Spaniel

[FELIX, Cavalier King Charles Spaniel]

Felix ADORES leaves and sticks. After he goes potty, he will run in the back door as fast as possible with a leaf or stick in his mouth and try to get us to chase him, as he knows he is NOT allowed to have leaves or sticks inside the house, haha.

[Oliver & Henry's Mum]

Sail017....your dog is lovely! In my experience, Cavaliers do like to eat hair.

Sticks and leaves are also favourites but can upset their tummies. Oliver has always chewed his ear hair, much to my dismay, and Henry is starting to chew just one of his ears (the hair) which I'm trying to stop.

I think it is common for Cavaliers to lick and groom themselves, which I believe was your question. I'm not sure I have a solution to offer. Oliver will frantically chew at his hind end when in distress from his illness, which thankfully has not occurred in over a year now. He went through bouts of chewing off all of his hind feathers.

Before I acquired a Cavalier, I saw a bonnet that was used to hold their ears up when they ate or drank, or to keep them in peak condition for showing. I can't imagine one of mine keeping that bonnet on, but I see now why it was developed. If I ever see on for sale, I may acquire one.

It's nice to meet another Cavalier owner. The DP is a great place to share information. You should introduce yourself in the Introduction section so everyone can say hello.

[CavalierObsession]

I love reading this thread - it has been so helpful! My baby's name is Pearl and she's now 12 weeks old and I couldn't be happier. She is obsessed with leaves and does eat them. I guess there is no harm in this as long as they aren't poisonous? I diligently tried to pull them out of her mouth when she was younger but I'm starting to get tired of it and I've accepted she might eat a leaf or two a day and should still be ok!

I do have a question about weight. My girl is barely 12 weeks old and weighs 6.5 lbs. Does anyone remember what their cavaliers weighed at that age? I'm concerned she might be a tad on the heavy side. Without starting a huge food debate here, the food we are feeding her is meant for small puppies and suggests 1 cup a day. We've been feeding her just over half a cup a day and very few treats ( 10 calories or less a day of treats). I just want to see if we're on the right track weight-wise or if maybe she is on the heavier side!

[Sail017]

At 14 weeks, Maggie was 6 pounds but 6.5 seems just fine. Today as a full grown, 18 pound dog Maggie eats two half bowls a day (once in the morning and once at night). I monitored her eating for the longest time but now that she is almost 4 I tend to be a bit more relaxed. I exchange her half a bowl of food for fresh meats, etc and she seems to love this and hasnt gained at all. But I do make sure to keep her active, especially because she was alot more active as a puppy vs being an adult Cavalier. Does anyone else find that their dogs were a bit less active around age 3 and older?

[CavalierObsession]

Thanks for the feedback sail! Your girl is so pretty. If I could ask a follow up question to you and whoever else - as an adult how long/how far do you walk them everyday? I haven't been taking her on real walks yet because parvo is so rampant in my area and she's still not fully vaccinated. I'm used to labradors so I'm wondering what a reasonable distance/time is for a dog this size to get adequate exercise every day.

[Oliver & Henry's Mum]

To Pearl's Mum...

It sounds like Pearl is a good weight. I wouldn't be concerned about a puppy being overweight, especially one so young. If you are feeding her according to the guidelines you should have received from your breeder (or your vet, and I think if my memory is correct, your sister is a vet) then everything should be just fine.

A word of caution about eating leaves...Oliver's breeder made a point of mentioning that he will want to eat the leaves and not to let him as they do or can cause tremendous tummy upset. He came home in February when the ground was covered in snow but she was still concerned enough about the leaves to mention it.

Sail, I am pleased to hear that Maggie is keeping her svelte figure. Cavaliers do tend to gain weight after age 3. Oliver was up to 20 pounds by age 4. He became ill just before he turned 5, and has gained quite a bit of weight since then. His activity level, as well as his medication are a factor. He is fed the least amount of food possible.

As far as parasites go, I totally concur that it is better to be safe than sorry and restrict their exposure. I am hoping that Henry and Oliver will have more activity this spring and summer together. They weren't able to do much last summer.

I went shopping for the dogs this afternoon and managed to find an adorable little key chain in pewter that actually has a Cavalier on it! I had to buy it. We do love our Cavaliers!

[Sail017]

Maggie came to us in the summer at 14 weeks of age and we would just take her around our neighborhood in Nova Scotia (we were one of a few neighbors and she never really came in contact with other dogs) We are in a beach community up there so her favorite thing would be to run along the ocean on the beach chasing the birds which is why I wonder if she associates leaves with the birds? We also took her to a local beach club to walk her along that beach but although dogs were welcome, she again did not really come in contact with other dogs until after we moved back to our winter house (I went back to college and she lived with my parents) When Maggie moved back to Massachusetts she was about 6 months of age and at that time she had all her vaccines but was not spaded. Her breeder recommended we wait until second heat for spading and her vet told us that it would be fine just after a year old. what was your experience with the spading/neutering? We would walk her at least one walk a day but she was very playful at that age and unfortunately I cannot remember that far back, time sure does fly! Maggie has one good walk now up to the park a few blocks up the hill from us and runs around there and then comes back and usually at her age (almost 4 next month) she seems to do quite well with that and she does chase leaves but for the most part now she just takes them inside and drops them on the ground. Our vet said it wouldn't hurt her to eat a few but we havent found that she has been eating them now that she is older just pretending that they are a catch! Her vet said that she could be missing something from her diet, possibly fiber though she has trouble with wheat products and corn. I have her on Canidae lamb and rice but I am finding that the quality perhaps went down a bit because she doesnt like it as much as usually in the past few months so I substitute fresh foods as much as possible and her coat looks beautiful with fresh meats and veggies. We figured out that she is like a celiac human meaning she has trouble digesting wheat products and even oatmeal bothers her skin so I use an olive oil based soap and it helps. Her groomer uses non oatmeal soap as well and she hasnt had a problem there either. Does anyone else have allergy issues? what do your dogs eat for food?

[Oliver & Henry's Mum]

Sail, I found your post really interesting as I am in the process of wanting to make a switch to Oliver and Henry's diet. When Oliver first came home, he arrived with a diet plan from the breeder that covered the first year of his life. It included meat and/or fish being added to his food, 2 or 3 times a week, as well as a teeny bit of cod liver oil. Somehow, we got away from that as time went on.

I am going to go back to that. I am also interested in the food you give as Henry is approaching the year mark.

As far as spaying or neutering, I am of the opinion (as are both Oliver & Henry's breeders) to wait until as close to a year as possible for the males. Henry started marking the other day, so that is it. Once that behaviour starts, it is very hard to untrain, and one ends up with a male dog that needs to mark any new environment. I do not wish that! Henry is going to have his Mandanglies removed next Thursday.

Growing up, we mostly had female dogs. It is often suggested that one wait until after their first heat, but some are of the opinion that having a bitch spayed just prior to her first heat (after 6 months and before 9 months) is desirable. Ironically, I was discussing this very issue with a woman I see daily who has a French Mastiff. She waited until Nikki had a first heat to spay. I however, had both of my bitches spayed before their first heats.

Generally, unless a dog comes from a shelter or a rescue, it is best to wait until at least 6 months of age.

There are many debates on this topic in the Health Section of these Forums, and I have given you only my opinion and an general overview of what seems to be the status quo.

[Sail017]

the food that Maggie was bred on was none to be desired in my opinion. She was given Pedigree puppy and it "seemed" to be working until she was almost a year and then we switched her to the adult pedigree thinking that if it worked for the breeder and we didnt see any issues until that point then it should be fine. Shortly after I noticed that she was biting at herself and I brought her to a vet and they said try different foods and see if that helps. The tests for allergies are very expensive and are usually done if you cannot resolve the issues. Well I switched her to Iams thinking that it was as safe as it had been for my childhood dog Holly. It was a brand that was sold only in high end stores 15 or more years ago. That was awful! Maggie and I decided to come for a Christmas visit back home and boy the 10 and a half hour drive was terrible! She got so sick and she knows not to mess in the car so she found my suitcase in the back of the wagon and I just saw her jump fast to the back and get sick. I pulled into the nearest rest stop and cleaned her up and we finally made it back to Boston. I took her to the vet and they put her on the Science Diet I/D to neutralize her but it really didnt work the greatest but better than the Iams or Pedigree. When I got to Canada, I took her to a great little high end pet store and they gave me various samples. California Naturals was too rich but finally we found that Canidae worked for her and they put her on Lamb and Rice formula because they realized that it could be the wheat and grain that was bothering her. Sure enough about a week later she was happier, jumping and wanting to take walks, regular movements after meals instead of more than a few times a day and her biting subsided. I really believe that there are too many chemicals in dog foods and some people argue its just a dog but she means alot to me and Its worth it to see her so happy. I would highly recommend this food brand and for a dog Maggie's size it costs about 10 dollars or less every three weeks. I was also told to limit the fish intake so that is why I chose a lamb base instead. Its more neutral than beef or fish.

[Oliver & Henry's Mum]

Sail, thank you for that post. Gosh, that sounds like quite a drive you had...I don't envy you. I'll probably pop into Bark & Fitz as they carry several very good lines of food, such as Orijen and others whose names escape me right now, but that I recognized from other posts. I've written down your suggestion.

Oliver is a great little traveller and Henry is still becoming accustomed to the car. Neither of them ever have car sickness, and both will "ask" for me to stop.

Henry sure is feeling his oats all of a sudden. I think I booked his appointment for "alterations" at the right time. My goodness, he has been cheeky the last few days.

[FELIX, Cavalier King Charles Spaniel]

Felix's newest behavior: he EATS his toys. When we first brought him home, we bought a variety of toys to determine what he liked and given him stuff to chew on and play with. Recently, he has started not only chewing his softer toys, but EATING them!!

What is the best way to address this? He loves toys but I don't want him swallowing pieces of them, or if I correct him thinking it isn't okay to chew on his toys!

[Oliver & Henry's Mum]

Felix, we have yet to find a toy that Oliver does not destroy. Be very careful as Oliver ingested little bits of a black kong (supposed to be for Rotties and other large dogs and called indestructible) and he was very ill.

I buy rope toys for Oliver and he loves them. Yes, he ingests little bits of string, but never very much at once and he does "pass" them. I think it would be difficult to teach a dog to play nicely with his toys. Henry isn't nearly as destructive as Oliver was, but once Oliver gets involved, any stuffed toys last less than an hour and then I have to discard them.

Another chew toy that is good is a clear nyla bone. However, every toy has to be monitored because as soon as bits come off, you must take it away.

Good luck, and do be careful. So many toys that I see in the stores are sold as dog toys and they are quite unsafe. I hope this helps.

[FELIX, Cavalier King Charles Spaniel]

O&H's Mum-- your reply is certainly helpful!! I tend to purchase toys more sturdily made as I too have found Felix capable of destroying "indestructible" toys!!! He mostly prefers to eat the soft toys, however, swallowing pieces of stuffing and cloth

I will continue to monitor his toys!

Also, question: Is anyone else's Cav extremely shy with other dogs? I am curious if Felix's shyness with other dogs is common in Cavs or if it is a "Felix thing".

He LOVES people and will climb into laps and try to get cuddles or pets anytime from humans, however, when we go to puppy classes, playgroups, or the dog park he will wag his tail and smile and run around but he mostly stays at the fringes and when approached by other dogs will maybe sniff but more typically roll over on his back or let other dogs push him around. He will put his tail down and drop his head, almost like a cower, even if the other dog is simply giving a friendly hello. He attends puppy playgroup and the dog park has a special "small and shy dog" section so he is mostly with age/size appropriate dogs (although he is usually smallest 'cause he IS a Cav )

I want Felix to enjoy his time with other dogs and I am unsure how to help him feel safer / more comfortable in the above settings.

[Oliver & Henry's Mum]

Felix, Cavaliers are the least aggressive breed I think I've ever known. If your wee fellow isn't that sure about other dogs, that's alright. Obviously you are socializing him in appropriate settings. As long as he is happy with you, and other humans, then I wouldn't worry that he doesn't wish to make other dog friends.

Henry wants to make friends with every dog he sees, whereas Oliver prefers the larger ladies, like older Labs. They have been raised in the same environment so it really does depend on the dog. When Henry came home, poor Oliver was terrified of the puppy on two levels. The first being that the puppy would not stop jumping on Oliver and going for his face and the second one being, Oliver knew this was a baby and didn't want to hurt him or tell him off. I had to protect Oliver from Henry.

They are best friends now, as I knew they would be.

I'm glad you are monitoring his toys closely. It takes so little for them to develop a blockage, which can be fatal. Major surgery is often required if they develop a blockage, particularly from ingesting stuffing from a toy. There was another member on here who had Springer Spaniels and they nearly lost their first puppy to this. I can tell you that the owner was very hands on and very sensible, so it can happen rather quickly and be devastating.

Best of luck

[FELIX, Cavalier King Charles Spaniel]

[quote="Oliver & Henry's Mum"]Felix, Cavaliers are the least aggressive breed I think I've ever known. If your wee fellow isn't that sure about other dogs, that's alright. Obviously you are socializing him in appropriate settings. As long as he is happy with you, and other humans, then I wouldn't worry that he doesn't wish to make other dog friends.

Henry wants to make friends with every dog he sees, whereas Oliver prefers the larger ladies, like older Labs.




Felix too likes older female dogs!! There is a golden retriever (female) pup who is about 1 1/2 years old at his puppy playgroup. She is the ONLY dog he tries to hump!!! It is ridiculous.... he ignores all the other dogs and spends half of playgroup being redirected from very, very focused humping. At puppy classes, nothing! Shy as can be!