The History of the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel

The modern Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is a direct descendant of the small Toy Spaniels depicted in many paintings from the 16th to the 18th centuries.

Toy Spaniels were among the favourite dogs of the English royal court. They were particularly popular with the ladies of the court, who treasured these small, affectionate dogs as loyal companions. The breed eventually received the royal name “King Charles Spaniel.”

During the 17th century, short-nosed breeds became increasingly fashionable. This trend also influenced Toy Spaniels, with breeders favouring dogs with a more toy-like appearance, prominent eyes and increasingly shortened muzzles.

It was not until the 1920s that breeders began working to revive the original type of Toy Spaniel. This eventually resulted in the more robust Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, which was officially recognised as a separate breed in 1945.

Among the 18 Cavaliers registered with the British club in May 1945, which contributed to the foundation of the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel as a recognised breed, there were two brown-and-white dogs and one black-and-white dog, representing 17% of the registrations.

These colour combinations, which may seem unusual today, were demonstrably registered at the time and were also shown at dog shows. The bloodlines and genes associated with these special colours are therefore part of the genetic foundation of the modern Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.

In 1971, Mrs Amice Pitt of the British club wrote about her preference for the four colour combinations that are recognised today, and since then CKCS breed standards have continued to follow these colour classifications.

Since 1971, purebred Cavaliers have continued to be bred with other purebred Cavaliers and have also produced offspring in black and white, brown and white, various shades of brown and solid black.

As these colours are not accepted for participation in CKCS conformation competitions, most breeders have attempted to eliminate the genes responsible for such colours from their breeding lines.

Even today, the official – and in our opinion outdated – breed standard remains limited to only four recognised coat colours.

Unfortunately, eliminating what we might call “unusual colour combinations” can further reduce the genetic diversity of the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel population. From a genetic perspective, maintaining a sufficiently diverse gene pool is an important consideration for the long-term health of any breed.

Modern genetic testing can identify these colour genes even in traditionally coloured Cavaliers. One of our breeding goals is therefore to preserve and reintroduce colours that have historically existed within the breed and make them visible again in European Cavalier lines.

We are fully aware that these colours do not conform to the current breed standard. From our perspective, however, this standard has long been in need of reconsideration and further development, with greater emphasis on the long-term health and preservation of the breed.

We are especially proud to have taken this step as pioneers in Austria.

Let us continue writing the history of this wonderful breed – starting now.