History

The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel breed descends from the King Charles Spaniel and is still little known in Portugal.
This breed is among the 5 most popular in England, his homeland, and has been growing. There are about 14 000 registered Cavaliers a year, beating, for example, breeds such as the Poodle and Yorkshire.
There are reports of breed in British court since the 15th century. In the 17th century, named after King Charles Spaniel in honor of King Charles II, in love with these dogs. With time, has gone though some transformation. In the 19th century, had a smaller size, shorter snout, with well-marked angle where it meets the forehead; vaulted over head and ears set low.
Thanks to the interest of an American, Mr. Roswell Eldridge to recover the old type (size larger, flatter head, ears set high, stop and take longer snout), today we have its revival. Roswell in 1926 published an advertisement in the exhibition catalog of the famous English, Cruft's, offering a big cash prize for the best King Charles Spaniels of the old type, which was presented at the exhibition. Only two dogs were registered, but the seed was cast.
The award was extended for five years, helping to form a new squad, improved by selective breeding.
To differentiate this dog, which resurfaced, the "cousin" smaller, added a word to the Cavalier name. So today we have two distinct breeds: the King Charles Spaniel (known in the U.S. for Inglês Toy Spaniel) and the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, which differs in size, appearance and temperament.
Cavalier King Charles Spaniel was recognized as an independent breed, no longer tied to King Charles Spaniel. And in 1944 it was officially recognized by the Kennel Club.

Characteristics

Patterns

Dogs of this breed have a long and soft coat, with fringes on the ears and tail and sometimes in the  paws. Four colors are accepted on breed:

Black and Brown - Dogs with these colors are a black crow with tan markings above the eyes, on cheeks, inside the ears, chest, paws and  inside tail. The brown should be alive. White markings are not desirable.

Ruby - Solid color that covers the entire body in a red fire. White markings are not desirable.

Blenheim - Brands chestnuts well separated contrast with the background in white pearl.

Tricolor - Black and white with tan markings well separated over the eyes, on cheeks, inside the ears, chest, paws and inside tail .

The white line between the eyes, the Tricolor and Blenheim (pearl white with tan markings), can disappear in adult if it is narrow, but if it is large tends to remain . A rare diamond spot on the head of Blenheim may merge with other colors or disappear until 3 months.

The height of the exemplary breed ranges from 30 to 33 cm and weight varies between 5-8 pounds.

The excessive intersections between the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel caused the life expectancy of the breed to be reduced to about ten years, mainly due to heart problems, usually hereditary. Depending on the floppy ears is common that dogs have ear infections and also they are also very prone to obesity.

Temperament

The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel are excellent companion dogs, very gentle, loving and dependent on the owner. For this reason, do not like to be alone for long periods.

They are very playful and so quite suitable for children and at the same time the elderly, very well adapted to any environment.

Descending from  Spaniels are skilled hunting dogs. Do well in activities that require agility and endurance. Accompany gladly, the owner, on long walks and do succeed in competitions "Mini Agility", highlighting the speed and jumping ability. In England, where hunting is allowed, its performance is remarkable as a  hunter. There are trained to catch the prey and bring it back (a specialty of Retrievers and Spaniels); small birds obviously compatible with its size. They are also used to sniff out drugs.

The Cavalier is a typical companion dog. It is never aggressive or nervous. Do not wait, so we see him acting as a guard in defense of property. Sometimes get a little apprehensive with strangers, but that did not last long. Soon make friends with people and animals, including other dogs. Eager to please the owner, if make a mistake it is not necessary to punish him - just to warn sternly that it immediately disconcerted and try to repair the fault. Due to its strong connection with man, should be created within the family.
The Cavalier King are also quite smart and learn quickly and easily what they are taught.

Caring for the coat

Its coat does not require special shearing, which is even prohibited by default. Compared to other furry, it's easy to keep it beautiful, just a bath and a weekly brushing. Also clean the ears with cotton and alcohol, as they are longer and therefore more prone to inflammation and stench.