Page 210 - ShowSight - September 2020

JUDGING THE
CAVALIER KING CHARLES SPANIEL
BY STEPHANIE ABRAHAM
Submitted by the American Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Club
Judging 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 aspect 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 unable 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!
208 | SHOWSIGHT MAGAZINE, SEPTEMBER 2020