Kindly contact us at nicole@lakevillecavaliers.com or ckcsmommy@yahoo.com
if you cannot find an answer to your question.
We specialize in breeding health tested Cavalier King Charles Spaniels. We strive to be responsible, professional, caring preservation breeders - that is, we breed Cavaliers to maintain, protect, and ideally improve their unique breed type, temperament, health, and structure. We believe that pet owners deserve to have beautiful, healthy, stable, well bred Cavaliers, and we are meticulous in planning for each breeding and evaluating the resulting offspring for breeding potential. We only pursue conformation titles on dogs that are worthy examples of the breed. We provide lifelong support for pet owners, and our dogs always have a home with us to return to, no matter when, no matter why.
We do not breed puppies solely for profit. We do not breed on every heat cycle and strictly limit the number of litters that each female can whelp. We do not allow everyone and anyone to use our stud dogs. We do not sell puppies to buyers sight unseen, and we do not sell puppies to just anyone.
We recognize that some buyers only want a dog, not necessarily a lifelong relationship with us, so we are not everyone's cup of tea. Our dogs are our family, and we take our responsibilities to them extremely seriously. We want to work with pet owners who respect our values and who will love our dogs as much as we love them.
The AKC (American Kennel Club) is the premier registry of purebred dogs in the U.S.A. AKC registration ensures that your puppy is a purebred Cavalier King Charles Spaniel whose lineage has been verified against the AKC's registration records.
The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Club of the USA is the original breed club for Cavaliers in the U.S. It is not part of the AKC and maintains its own pedigrees and stud book. CKCSC registration further documents your puppy's purebred status and is required if you wish to compete in CKCSC events.
All of our Cavaliers are dual registered with the AKC and CKCSCUSA. Buyers will receive registration papers and pedigrees from both registries for their puppies.
Both the AKC (American Kennel Club) and the CKCSCUSA (Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Club of the USA) maintain their own breed standards for Cavalier King Charles Spaniels in the USA. A breed standard is the in-depth, written descriptions of how the ideal dogs in a breed should look, move, and act. In the AKC, members of the national parent club, the American Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Club, established and periodically update the AKC breed standard for Cavaliers. Similarly, CKCSCUSA members established and update its breed standard for Cavaliers.
Below are the links to these standards:
AKC: https://images.akc.org/pdf/breeds/standards/CavalierKingCharlesSpaniel.pdf
CKCSCUSA: https://ckcsc.org/standard
Initially, it is important to note that there are different kinds of titles. Conformation titles - championships, grand championships, National Owner-Handled Series - are earned by competing and winning in conformation shows where judges evaluate the dogs against the ideal dog described in the breed standard. Shows like the Westminster Kennel Club or the National Dog Shows are conformation competitions. Performance titles are earned by competing and winning in various disciplines, such as agility, rally, nose work, hunt tests, dock diving, FastCAT, etc. Essentially these events test a dog's ability to properly perform certain tasks on demand, and the dog's appearance or similarity to the breed standard is irrelevant. Companion titles are typically titles that evaluate a dog's suitability for certain roles or ability to exhibit desired behaviours on cue. These titles include Canine Good Citizen, AKC Temperament Test, trick dog, and obedience titles. In some breeds, breeding dogs commonly earn both conformation, performance, and companion titles. In others, breeding dogs might only have conformation titles and there is less emphasis on other titles. The AKC adds titles to a dog's registered name as they are earned; these are the abbreviations that you see in dogs' registered names. Conformation titles are prefix titles (appearing before the name) while most - but not all - performance and companion titles are suffix titles (appearing after the name).
Cavaliers are an extremely versatile breed, and it is not uncommon to see dogs with multiple titles. However, reputable breeders will frequently pursue conformation titles on their breeding dogs since, after all, conformation (theoretically) rewards dogs which adhere closely to the breed standard. An absence of a conformation title on a breeding dog is not necessarily a red flag though. I firmly believe that not every dog needs a conformation title to contribute to the breed. I also do not believe in titling all of my dogs by any means necessary; I try to only show what I think is my best work in the conformation ring and will never force a dog who does not enjoy being in the ring to show or else.
Lakeville Cavaliers publicly reports all health tests on breeding stock to the Orthopaedic Foundation for Animals ("OFA") database. Cavaliers which have completed all health tests recommended for the breed are issued a Canine Health Information Center ("CHIC") number, which is included in the OFA database. You can search these health tests by visiting www.ofa.org. On each of our dogs' individual pages, you will find links to their OFA health testing as well.
Our breeding Cavaliers undergo OFA basic cardiac and CAER eye exams annually. After age 1, our Cavaliers complete an OFA patellar luxation exam. After age 2, we take X-rays for their OFA hip and elbow tests. Prior to breeding, we also perform genetic testing for inherited conditions such as dry eye/curly coat syndrome, episodic falling, degenerative myelopathy, and MCADD (medium-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency).
We encourage our pet owners to complete these tests and report the results to OFA even though their dogs will not be used for breeding. Veterinary researchers use the data collected in the OFA database for various purposes, such as developing new treatments for debilitating diseases. We also require pet owners to update us at least once per year about how their dogs are doing, if they have been diagnosed with any potentially inheritable conditions (e.g., syringomyelia), if they have experienced any unusual health problems such as allergies or vaccine reactions, and when the sad day comes, how they passed away. Keeping track of how your dogs live and age hopefully helps us improve our breeding program and, if necessary, remove dogs from breeding.
Lakeville Cavaliers offers a one year health guarantee against hereditary defects/genetic disorders. Nature being nature, we can never guarantee that every puppy will be 100% perfect and will never suffer any health problems. However, we do everything in our power to breed healthy, long-lived Cavaliers and to reduce the risks that they will suffer avoidable health problems. We recommend buyers to purchase pet insurance whenever possible while their dogs are still puppies. Our sales contract also requires pet owners to take their dogs for regular preventative veterinary care, give them monthly heartworm preventative, vaccinate them in accordance with local laws and as recommended by their veterinarians, feed them a high quality diet, ensure they get adequate daily exercise and maintain a healthy weight, and promptly treat all illnesses (e.g., pancreatitis) and infectious diseases (e.g., kennel cough).
"Hereditary defects" refer to medical conditions caused by a mutation in a dog's genes or chromosomes that is passed down from parents to their offspring. Most, but not all, hereditary defects are covered by our health guarantee. Thus, if your puppy is diagnosed with something like a liver shunt or progressive retinal atrophy - severe medical conditions that negatively impact his/her quality of life - you have the option of returning the puppy to us for a full refund of the purchase price OR a replacement puppy from a future litter. Alternatively, since many people quickly bond with their puppies and cannot imagine ever returning them, we may allow you to keep the puppy and still provide you with a full refund. If your puppy is diagnosed with a fixable hereditary defect (e.g., slipping patellas), you have the option of returning the puppy to use for a full refund of the purchase price OR a replacement puppy from a future litter OR allowing us to arrange and pay for the appropriate veterinary care to correct the problem.
"Genetic disorders" include certain inherited health conditions such as syringomyelia, dry eye/curly coat syndrome, episodic falling, and degenerative myelopathy. While we test all of our breeding stock and always attempt to breed away from these health conditions, genes mutate and not always for the better. Our one year health guarantee also protects buyers if their puppies are diagnosed with debilitating genetic disorders.
Our guarantee is designed to address atypical early onset health conditions and congenital defects that may limit a dog's lifespan and/or activities of daily living. Hereditary defects that do NOT negatively impact a dog's quality of life, such as umbilical hernias or light-coloured eyes or undershot/overshot/wry bites, are NOT covered by our health guarantee. Health issues that appear later in life, such as age-related dry eye or cataracts or heart murmurs, are also NOT covered by our guarantee.
Again, we do everything we can to breed healthy, structurally correct, temperamentally sound, happy puppies who can thrive in a variety of families and living environments. We ask that our pet buyers do everything they can to give their dogs the best chances at long, successful, productive lives.
Both the AKC and CKCSCUSA breed standards - the in-depth, written descriptions of how the ideal dogs in a breed should look, move, and act - only recognize four colours for Cavaliers. The most common colour is Blenheim, rich chestnut markings well broken up on a clear, pearly white ground, followed by tricolour, jet black markings well broken up on a clear, pearly white ground with rich tan markings over the eyes, on cheeks, inside ears and on the underside of tail. The tricolour pattern is sometimes referred to as "Prince Charles," but no matter what the colour, the breed name is always Cavalier King Charles Spaniels. Blenheims and tricolours are commonly called particolours, which means a dog has different colours on different parts of the body. Blenheims and tricolours that have mostly solid coloured bodies with minimal white are called "blanketed."
The two rarer colours of Cavaliers are often called "whole colours." The third most common colour of Cavalier is ruby, a solid rich red coat (although the hair may be lighter in colour on the underside of the ears and on the abdomen). The rarest colour of Cavalier is the black and tan, a jet black coat with rich, bright tan markings over eyes, on cheeks, inside ears, on chest, legs, and on underside of the tail. The black and tan colour scheme is sometimes called "King Charles," but this is separate and apart from the breed name which is always Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. Only about 20% of breeders in the U.S. breed whole colour Cavaliers, but they are seemingly more common in other parts of the world.
We work very hard to breed and title Cavaliers in all four colours, and all accepted colours are to be judged equally in conformation competition. That is, in an ideal world judges should not prefer or reward any one colour over the others. However, because of the relative rarity of rubies and black and tans, some judges may go months or years seeing only Blenheims and tricolours in the ring, and televised events like the National Dog Show tend to only show the Best of Breed winner (which is usually a Blenheim) and not all of the Cavaliers who competed. In fact, when we started in Cavaliers, the conventional wisdom was that if you wanted to win, you should show Blenheims and only Blenheims. Fortunately times have changed, and a great Cavalier in any colour can succeed in conformation.
The short answer is no. All of our Cavaliers are one of the four accepted colours. While there are some historical records suggesting that Cavaliers came in other colours (e.g., liver and white or solid black), these dogs were uncommon, and breeders largely eliminated non-standard colours from their kennels, choosing to focus on the four accepted colours only. In extremely rare cases, purebred, standard coloured Cavalier parents have unexpectedly produced off colour puppies, but competent breeders ONLY seek to breed the four accepted colours.
While there are people who deliberately produce and sell off colour Cavaliers, these dogs cannot show in AKC or CKCSCUSA conformation competitions. Moreover, Cavaliers have never historically had merle genes, so any "merle Cavalier" by definition cannot be purebred. Finally, despite how these dogs are often marketed, there is NO reliable, unbiased evidence that off colour Cavaliers are generally healthier or live longer than their standard colour counterparts.
Again, the short answer is no. All of our Cavaliers are purebred, meaning our dogs are descended from long, well-documented, multigenerational lines of ONLY registered Cavalier King Charles Spaniels and no other breeds of dog. We take great care to provide our buyers comprehensive information about their dogs' pedigrees, ancestors, and extended family trees.
Mixed breeds, sometimes called "designer dogs," are just another name for mutts. As an AKC Breeder of Merit and active member of many dog clubs, it is a violation of their Breeder Codes of Ethics for us to knowingly and willfully breed and sell non-purebred dogs.
We are aware that many irresponsible producers market mixed breeds/designer dogs as unique or rare or not available to the general public and charge buyers correspondingly high prices for them. Others tout the alleged benefits of "hybrid vigour," falsely argue that all purebreds are too inbred to ever be healthy, and make outlandish claims that by mixing two different breeds together, the resulting puppies get more "good genes" and avoid various congenital health issues. Our breeding program is grounded in hard science and not fairy tales. Studies have shown that hybrid vigour is grossly misunderstood and that mixing breeds does not automatically improve health outcomes in offspring. In one large scale study of dog aging, a greater proportion of owners of purebred dogs than mixed breed dog owners reported no medical conditions for their dogs.
Moreover, Cavaliers have been bred for centuries primarily as loving companions for humans and to a lesser extent as hunting spaniels who flush and retrieve birds. Mixing in a breed whose historical purpose or job is wildly different - poodles are well known as water retrievers, for example - risks producing unstable temperaments and diminishing biddability (a dog's natural willingness and eagerness to work with and follow human direction). Finally, as any dog groomer will gladly tell you, mixing coat types is a recipe for disaster. Cavaliers have a silky, single, drop coat that is somewhat similar to human hair whereas poodles have a dense, tight, curly coat and Labrador retrievers have a short, water-repellent double coat. Even with regular bathing and brushing, many designer dogs end up with mat-prone coats that often result in complete shavedowns at the groomer.
Cavaliers have proven themselves to be highly versatile dogs that adapt well to a wide range of living environments and can succeed in multiple endeavours such as dog sports, therapy, assistance work, and emotional support. It is difficult for us to see what good could possibly be gained by mixing in another breed or breeds when Cavaliers are already amazing dogs.
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/veterinary-science/articles/10.3389/fvets.2023.1140417/full
In general, all puppies are sold as pets with limited registrations and on spay/neuter contracts. This means owners cannot show their dogs in conformation events, but they can still compete in many other dog sports such as agility, obedience, freestyle dance, dock diving, etc. Limited registration also prohibits owners from using their dogs for breeding, but their dogs can be trained and serve as therapy or service dogs or to perform other important roles.
As responsible preservation breeders, we generally keep the very best puppies in each litter whom we believe can contribute to the breed and our breeding program. Whether we show them in conformation or not depends on a lot of factors, and not all breeding stock will have conformation titles as a result. Our overarching goals are to continually improve with each successive generation and breed high quality Cavaliers.
Consequently, we sell the puppies that we do not keep as pets and companions only. We do not sell puppies to show homes or for breeding except in extremely rare circumstances and then only to people with whom we have a strong, multiyear relationship based on trust and shared values. However, we truly enjoy mentoring people in this breed, so if you are interested in conformation and breeding, be upfront about it. We will always try to help genuinely dedicated, responsible people achieve their dreams.
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