Cavalier King Charles

earring

Me and my partner are planning to a get a small dog and I am going through different breeds at the moment. I like the Cavalier King Charles breed, and the Shetland Sheepdog breed is cute too. However I am mainly looking at the King Charles breed at the moment.

1.
We both work full time so this is obviously my biggest concern and I want to be sure we can offer a nice home. We normally leave from home at 7:15am. My partner gets home at around 4pm and I normally get home after 6pm or 6:30pm. I know these are very long days – are they too long? I would obviously take some time off at the beginning to be with the puppy. We live in a terrace house so we have no garden but lots of nature nearby so the dog would get out for long walks with us, but only during the evenings and weekends. I would obviously take the dog out every morning too.

Any comments? I have been thinking about a dog for ages now but I am not sure about these long days…

2.
My second question is around snoring: I heard these dogs snore a lot, is this true? Also, do they have breathing difficulties? My friend says these dogs sound like ‘pigs’ with their blocked noses even when awake?

3.
How long did it take to house train your King Charles and how long time would you recommend me/us spending time at home with the puppy at the beginning, before leaving him/her alone for the day?

Many thanks

Toulouse

Here's a great forum for all things CKC related http://www.cavaliertalk.com/forums/forum.php

Obviously be very very careful where you source your pup if you're not going down the rescue route as this breed suffers from all sorts of horrible health problems due to poor breeding and is one of the most popular puppy-farmed dogs.

And yes, I think all day is too long for a CKC. They are a lap dog, bred to be companions although you could get around working all day by employing a dog walker or using day-care.

kylith

CKC are notorious for health problems, they also don't do well left on their own.

I'd recommend going to a rescue and adopting two older dogs. You will probably be able to find a pair which are used to being left on their own for a few hours.

Are you intending to keep them indoors or outdoors when you're at work? Keeping them inside will mean that you'll need to get someone to come and let them out at midday to toilet. Keeping them outdoors means possibly reviewing your breed toward something hardier, and/or getting a decent insulated kennel and secure run/securing your garden.

Be aware that pedigree dogs left in a garden may be a target for thieves.

any short nosed dog will snore and snuffle. It may be possible to relieve this with surgery, but that'll be expensive. Bear in mind that the shorter the muzzle the more they'll difficulty they'll have breathing, and the more they'll snore.

girl in the striped socks

What do you plan on doing with the pup during the day when you are working?
It's a long time to leave a puppy on its own without anyone checking in a few times.
Also I have yet to meet a healthy ckc dog. Fabulous looking dogs but absolutely riddled with health problems. If your heart is set on one then be prepared for expensive vet bills & medication at some stage. Maybe there is a reputable breeder out there but I personally don't know of one.
Also I could be jumping the gun a bit here but if a snoring dog is an issue then how will you manage when they howl, bark, pee, poo, chew, scratch etc?
Puppies are hard work, don't be under any illusion that a small breed is going to be any different.
The thousands of abandoned puppies & dogs in kennels every year is testament to this. People get them but don't realise how much work goes into them.
I'm not trying to say you will be irresponsible but research, research, research & then when you have that done research some more.

westies4ever

my step daughter has a ckc. he has had a lot of health problems. he has epilepsy, a heart condition, constant ear infections and he snores and snuffles a lot. he costs them a fortune in vet fees etc and tbh i cant see him living to a ripe old age. (hes 3). having said that they didnt do a great deal of research when they got him (despite my advice).

he doesnt like to walk to far and is a total lap dog. he sheds a fair bit as well.

he has stayed with us a few times and i find him fragile, clingy and easily tired compared to my westies. having said that hes placid, sweet and affectionate and does enjoy gentle play.

they leave him alone from 8.30 to 5.30 in the evening. i dont approve of this at all but they seem to think hes fine.

not a breed i'd go for myself but each to their own.

lorebringer

CKCS do not do well on their own for long periods of time. They are very social dogs and are not happy campers being left alone.

They do suffer from an elongated palate, which is what causes the snoring noises. This can be minor or a serious problem. They also suffer from heart problems (MVD) and skull malformation problem (Syringomyelia), along with others. Buying from a good breeder is a must on these problems, and even then there is no guarentee.

House training a CKCS takes as long as it takes, all dogs are different. Personally, I wouldn't trust any pup until they are at least 6 months old, if not 9 months, to be 100% house trained and even then there can be the odd accident. Leaving the pup alone for long periods of time will hinder house training, you could paper train the pup (so that they could go on the paper while you are not there) but this isn't a final and you will still need to go on and properly toilet train the dog.

Toulouse gave you a great forum on CKCS, check it out!

Cherry Blossom

Hi OP, as you have also mentioned Shelties, it is worth noting that this is actually another breed that cannot bear to left on their own for any extended period of time. Neither breed would really suit a home where the owners all work full-time. Both breeds can be highly prone to separation anxiety in a situation like this.

Valentina

I have two Cavaliers. Please believe me when I say they are extremely clingy, needy dogs. They thrive on human companionship and really don't do well if left on their own for extended periods (more than 4 hours.) I'm lucky that I work close to home and my OH and I do shift work so 99% of the time one of us is here with them. Honestly I think the approx 8 hours you or your OH will be leaving your dog on their own for 5 days a week is too long, for any dog.
I have gone out and left toys out for the dogs and when I come back they are exactly where I left them. They don't play when they're on their own, they just sleep. Even if one of us is here, they will run to the window and cry as the car pulls out of the driveway.

If you had a garden I would strongly advise against leaving the dog unattended in it. Pedigree dogs are targets for thieves.

They are very bright dogs but can be silly Both of mine were house trained at about 1 year old and will sit at the back door if they need to go out. Both were easy enough to train but it did take time and we did have several setbacks. As well as house training you should teach your dog basic commands like - sit, leave it, stop and recall.

Both my dogs snore, one is worse than the other as she has a slightly shorter nose. I wouldn't even be considering their snoring as a downside though. All dogs snore! They don't make noise when they're awake though.

Bear in mind these dogs shed like there's no tomorrow. My dogs have to be brushed down once a day otherwise we are drowning in dog hair! I also have to vacuum about 3 days a week just for the dog hair. They also get professionally groomed a couple of times a year as I wouldn't be happy doing it myself.

I'm lucky that neither of my dogs have had any serious health problems as of yet. Both are insured which comes to about €350 annually. When things go wrong for pedigrees it is generally expensive so please, please consider insurance.

If you decide to go ahead with a dog, please be extremely vigilant in researching any breeders. Ask questions about the parents, ask to see the parents. Ask the breeders about the pros and cons of the breed. A good breeder will tell you both sides. There is an Irish Cavalier Rescue page on Facebook that often have older dogs looking for homes.

earring

Hi All,

Many thanks for your replies, appreciate them.

I am a fan of the irish cavaliers rescue page on FB already, I actually ended up liking them by mistake and this is how I started to like this breed. Lovely dogs.

Good to hear you are all saying it would be too long for the (or any) dog to be left alone for that period of time. I was actually googling doggy daycares and lunch time walkers yesterday, just to get an idea of what’s out there. I would definitely be looking after the dog like it was a human baby so no worries there. This is why I am doing research now too, to actually find out whether I could keep a dog or not. I would get an insurance and all that, and I am ready to cover all the vet costs etc so that is fine too. We have no back garden, only a terrace, so I would not leave the dog outside for the day (no way! Poor little dog) nor I would be able to let the dog to run around outside as it is a public housing estate / driveway even though it is a lovely development just beside the sea.

My sister has a gorgeous 5 months old Shetland Sheepdog puppy, very well looked after, so I have got to learn a lot from her too. I know how much work it takes to raise a puppy. However she is a fulltime student so the dog only has to stay alone for max 3 hours per day. My friend has a new terrier puppy too and she has been in tears with all the work the puppy requires so I know how it can be!

I will keep doing my research and see what to do. I am not going to get a dog that doesn’t live a happy life… nor I want to purchase a breed that has several health problems, I don’t mind spending money on my dog but I’d feel so bad for the poor little dog. One of you mentioned the snoring etc, just to clarify, the snoring itself isn’t a big problem but I am more concerned about the health of dogs like this. My friend had a dog that snored and he seriously sounded like he had breathing problems.