Raising A Cavalier King Charles Spaniel

The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is small: it only weighs 10 to 18 pounds and stands 11 to 13 inches. Why such a long and big name for a pooch this tiny? Well it's said that they originated from England and were kept amongst royalty as the ideal pet – King Charles II in particular seemed to like this breed the most. What made this dog so popular is it's beauty and playful nature. It just loves playing all sorts of games with its human companions, like running around after the human owner. Or nibbling at your shoes, which some people find to be adorable, but for others (like me) to be annoying.

Nevertheless, it's an extremely affectionate dog breed, which needs an owner to somewhat do the same in turn. Giving them attention is the basic requirement for this dog – it's just as important as feeding it or showing it love. Single people married to their jobs aren't suitable as an owner of this breed. Not giving it enough attention and having it cooped up inside the house for long grueling hours changes its personality, for the worse. Keeping it in a lonely environment triggers the development of behavioral problems, such as being hyperactive. It'll be running around uncontrollably inside the house in a destructive manner, possibly knocking over flower vases and other small things it's capable of knocking down.

Having it locked up could also make the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel nervous. This means that it could get scared at the sight of normal human behavior, especially that of other humans that it doesn't know. It would be bowing its head and tail as it walked away from strangers. All this just from locking it up – so if you don't have the time to give it the attention it requires daily, you should never consider getting this as a pet, unless there's another member in the household with nothing much to do and could satisfy its needs. Training a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel won't be difficult.

It's surprisingly intelligent, which makes learning easy. They are very willing to learn and can become very obedient and master several tricks. With the right dog training methods, their good sense of smell coupled with great agility can actually be used for hunting. When teaching this pooch, remember that its core characteristic, which is being affectionate and the demand for human attention. With that in mind, you could work it to your advantage – a routine with utilizing positive comments such as “good boy” or “good doggy” plus doggy treats would condition it to become even more eager to learn. Training routines should be consistent and full of fun if you want to make things easier for the both of you.

Set time for you and your Cavalier King Charles Spaniel to just chill out and go around. Have it meet the other pets in the neighborhood as well as your friends. It will enjoy and need socialization very much, which happens to be one of the building blocks in dog behavioral development.