To determine if a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is purebred, you can examine its characteristics in areas such as its head, coat, and body.
1. Head Characteristics: A purebred Cavalier King Charles Spaniel has a head of moderate size, slightly rounded with a flat appearance. Its eyes are large, round, and dark brown, giving them a clear and bright look. The ears are set high, long, and wide, with abundant feathering, giving an elegant and noble appearance.
2. Coat Characteristics: The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel has a medium-length, silky coat, often with slight waves. The most prominent feature is the long feathering on the ears, chest, legs, and tail. The coat colors are typically a rich chestnut with pearl white patches; a deep black with pearl white patches, with tan markings on the cheeks; or a deep red with bright tan markings above the eyes, on the cheeks, inside the ears, on the chest, legs, and underside of the tail.
3. Body Characteristics: The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel has a neck of moderate length, well-muscled and slightly arched. Its topline remains level at all times. Its body is short and sturdy with a moderate chest depth. The legs are strong and powerful, and the tail is set moderately low, naturally hanging down. A typical characteristic is that the tail does not move when the dog is in motion.
4. Gait Characteristics: When walking or running, the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel displays good reach in the forelimbs and strong drive in the hindlimbs, exhibiting a solid and graceful movement. When viewed from the side, its stride is appropriate, neither rushed nor sluggish. When viewed from the front and rear, its path is straight, with no unnecessary movements.
How Much Does a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Cost?
Depending on the quality, the price of a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel generally ranges from $800 to $2000 for those of average quality. For Cavaliers with slightly better qualities, prices can be around $3000. Show-quality dogs or puppies from show-quality parents can fetch prices of tens of thousands of dollars. Among toy breeds in the UK, the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is second in popularity only to the Yorkshire Terrier.