JUDGING THE
CAVALIER KING CHARLES SPANIEL
by Stephanie Abraham Submitted by the American Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Club
J udging the Cavalier well is a bit like catching a genie in a bottle. Just when you think you’ve “got it right,” up jumps some new as- pect of the breed to remind you that you really didn’t quite understand it at all! Nonetheless, we persevere, and if you are a careful student, you will find that you can succeed in spite of the pitfalls before you. For one thing, while the Cavalier is a true Toy Spaniel, he should not be light-boned or fragile. Just as his ancestors (bred by the Duke of Marlborough) had “to be able to go all day behind a horse,” so too the modern Cavalier must be a sturdy little dog with good spring of rib to accommodate adequate heart and lung room. He must be easily able to enjoy a good hike with his family. He must be as sound as any good-moving dog is sound—even though he is not called upon to race, or to pull a cart, or to bring a wild boar to bay. In other words, his Toy status does not give him license to be a weakling or un- able to physically exert himself. The Cavalier is actually a very sporting dog and those who own one will soon
learn that they have a keen penchant to chase things that move—butterflies and birds beware! Size is another slippery slope for many judges—and breeders alike. While the Standard tells us 12-13” inches at the withers, it is sometimes difficult to grasp the very significant difference in appearance that variation represents. Add to this the acceptable weight variation of 13-18 lbs and it is easy to see that there is considerable—accept- able—difference in size for this breed. [Then] add gender considerations and the presumption that males are larger than females (but not always in every case), you can appreciate the dilemmas facing judges in the ring. The best solu- tion is to educate your eye by immers- ing yourself in the breed; watching literally scores of Cavaliers in order to sort out what is ok and what is not. Oh, did I forget? There is no DQ for size. So maybe, just maybe, your best Cavalier in the ring will be a little under or a lit- tle over that 12-13” recommendation. We need to remember that the world will not come crashing down if we re- ward the very best specimen who may be a bit outside the guidelines.
34 • T op N otch T oys , O ctober 2022
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