Not just a Pretty Face

Perhaps because the Cavalier is in the toy group it does not seem to be expected to be sound, both by judges and some breeders. Yet the Standard (UK version) clearly calls for a well built, sound moving dog. The Cavalier is described as "active, graceful, well balanced" overall. Gait is described as "free moving and elegant in action, plenty of drive from behind. Fore and hind legs move parallel when viewed from in front and behind." The Standard then goes on to discuss the structure of a Cavalier.

It is often said that because all-breed judges can’t possibly understand the intricacies of all breeds they fall back on structure and movement as their criteria for awarding dogs in a breed. I wish this was true in Cavaliers as it might make their judging comprehensible in some cases however for the most part I find it rarely so. It seems once the judges reach the toy group their understanding of soundness and movement flies out the window. I don’t know why it should be accepted that a toy doesn’t need to be built right and move well.

I know that I am not the only breeder of a toy breed that is frustrated by this attitude from judges, that structure and movement is not important in the toy breeds. It is!! In my opinion it is totally unacceptable to award dogs that are hoping around on three legs because their patellas are out of place, that their toplines are so bad they have a resemblance to camels, that they can only do small circles or short “down and backs” because they can’t reach and drive and cover ground.

Some refer to the Cavalier as a “head breed” but it is far more than just that. If it is to be an active, graceful, well balanced dog then one must look past the head for it to fulfill this portion of the Standard. It is neither good for the breed to have pretty headed cripples or plain headed good moving dogs winning and then being bred from, so a balance between the two needs to be achieved.

Essences

There are certain features in each breed that help make a breed special and different. In our North American culture of the all breed show dog we often see a more generic show dog with those features being discounted if not lost entirely.

Some of the features in the Cavaliers that we are in danger of losing are the large round eyes, the correct tapering and length of the muzzle, the arch of neck, silky coats and the correct sweet temperaments.

The eyes should be virtually the first thing that strikes a person when looking at a Cavalier. I am so used to looking at my own dogs and taking certain features for granted that it rather surprises me when I look at other Cavaliers in the show ring and realise that what I take to be normal is actually turning into a rarity. What I consider small eyes seems for many other breeders to be normal size eyes, yet I have breeders who admire my dogs for their large eyes. Having lost the feature breeders can still recognise them when they see them so surely they can bring them back into their lines if they cared enough.

This year I was discussing a Cavalier with an all breed judge and mentioned tapering in the muzzle. They expressed quite a bit of surprise that the muzzle should be slightly tapered as opposed to the blocky full muzzles often seen. The Cavalier was developed to be different from the Charlies (English Toy Spaniel) so both length of muzzle and the tapering was one way to make the breed different. The Cavalier was developed to look like the older "nosey" style spaniel seen in paintings of King Charles II times. While the shorter fuller muzzled dogs can sometimes look appealling - if not overdone into a "planet of the apes" head - it is incorrect. The "planet of the apes" head is also a head style that is being more commonly seen in the show ring and entirely incorrect if not gross. Yet it is rewarded by some judges. The “planet of the ape” head is a dog with a rather domed top skull occasionally with some bulging over the eyes, a deeper stop and a shorter broad muzzle that is or has the illusion of being somewhat tilted up. Earlier this year I watched one of the “planet of the apes” dogs being awarded points with the judge claiming that it had better “fill” than a more correctly headed Cavalier. This makes me believe that some judges don’t actually understand what or where the fill is supposed to be on a Cavalier. The fill is under the eyes not through the muzzle area.

Arch of neck is so rarely seen in Cavaliers anymore yet it is mentioned in the Standard (UK version). It so finishes the look of a Cavalier in a stacked position yet seems to be missing in most Cavaliers these days. A couple of years ago I imported a male from the UK and the one thing that he stamps on his puppies is arch of neck. I hadn’t really noticed it until we compared a bitch’s puppies from two different litters, one my import and the other another stud dog. In the one litter the puppies had a wonderful arch of neck and in the other litter it wasn’t there. Looking around at all the puppies I have out of my import we then realized they all had the same arch of neck. It seems to be something this dog is prepotent for and gives that added finish to his offspring.

A Cavalier’s coat is supposed to be long and silky and free from trimming. Yet I have heard of breeders requesting dogs that have a more woolly profuse coat. Is this because of the North American fashion in many breeds to have a coat that can be trimmed and shaped? I find it a bit ironic to see Cavaliers in the ring with big bushy feet but they’ve been stripped and trimmed elsewhere. How silly is that?

The true essence of a Cavalier is its sweet easy going temperament. A dog that happily and calmly greets people, lays quietly on the lap or sofa and is easy to live with. Unfortunately the rather frenetic show dog temperament is creeping into our breed. Do we really want our breed to turn into a neurotic, anxiety driven dog like has happened in other breeds? Even a campaigned dog might spend at best 10 % of his life in the ring but can you live with him in a home the other 90% of his life?

There are certain essences that make our breed unique. As breeders we should do everything we can to keep those essences in our breed or we will just be breeding a generic show dog without the “wow” factor.

Hair, please!

'Tis the season. For professional groomers this is the busiest time of the year. Everyone wants their dogs to look cute and clean for Christmas. We are going at full tilt trying to accomodate as many clients as possible and hoping we will manage to stay the course until Dec. 25th without collapse.

A good friend of mine and fellow groomer says that what goes out of the grooming shop is in direct proportions to what comes in. In other words, if the dog is regularly groomed and kept matt-free and the owners haven't done any self-grooming, ie. chopped important bits out that are needed to make the dog look good, then we can do great things.

The favourite refrain of owners at this time of the year is "hair, please", even though they know their dog is a solid matted mess which even the best groomer can't save. And no we don't believe that it matted like that overnight or they were fine until a couple of weeks ago when the appointment was booked so it is our fault that the dog is matted or any of the other multitude of excuses we hear on a daily basis. We often have no choice and can't put the dog into the hairdo they want or worse have to shave the dog right off. We aren't miracle workers!

There are also those dogs who absolutely hate the grooming process and fight tooth and nail to avoid have anything they don't like done. Trying to make these sorts of dogs look like anything is usually a battle royale.

Then we also have the owners who bring pictures and want their dogs to look just like the dogs in the pictures. Besides the more obvious reasons such as their dog is nothing like the dog in the picture both in shape and hair texture, those dogs in the pictures are often frequently groomed and have the hair to shape. Those dogs also tend to have a lot of "product" in their hair to hold the shape and will require bathing to remove it as soon as the picture shoot is finished. I have no doubt should one of the dogs in many pictures be out in a rain shower when they dry their hair would be like a rock with all the powders and sprays that were holding it in place congealing.

So when you take your dog to the groomers for their Christmas have realistic expectations. Sometimes the best we can do is present you with a clean dog wearing nothing but a Xmas bow!

The Great Divide

When I started in dogs nearly 30 years ago a breeder and exhibitor were usually one and the same. Sure you occasionally would come across a person who would just buy or lease a dog to campaign and had a "win at all costs" attitude but most exhibitors were breeders first. The point of dog shows to them was to show off their breeding stock and have them assessed by knowledgeable judges. One would get together at shows and discuss the merits or faults of a dog and how to correct them. Going to specialties were a must, both to compare your dogs to others in your breed and to view possible stud dogs for future use. Breeding future show dogs who embodied your closest vision of breed type and developing your own distinguishable line was the end goal of it all.

Now it seems there is a division between exhibitors and breeders. Yes many exhibitors breed litters but there is no longer such an interest in developing a breeding program or breeding a correct dog within the Standard. They breed to put something in the ring that the JUDGE will like, not what a breeder may consider correct.

You now see dogs in many breeds that deviate from what the Standards dictate as correct breed type. For example coats of the wrong texture, more profuse or longer than is required, appealing “baby doll” heads that are totally incorrect for a breed, sloping toplines when a Standard calls for level, too big or too small dogs, the wrong types of movement for a certain breed, show dog temperaments, and so on. The breeders in the exhibitors know that these things are incorrect but “for the win” they are willing to be faddish and even change the look and character of their breed.

For the good of our breeds we must close the divide between breeders and exhibitors. As breeders we are supposed to be the protector of our breeds and we cannot let Judges dictate the “look” for our breed, even if it means we will not win in the show ring because in the long run our breeds will win.

Getting Started

A complaint often heard is how difficult it is to get started in Cavaliers. Nobody will sell a dog to a rank novice.....

There are reasons for this. Both from the seller's side and from the buyer's side.

A breeder invests a lot of work and time into their dogs and trying to produce something that is show quality for the ring. From their perspective selling to a rank novice to dogs can often be a waste of a dog for various reasons. Novices basically don't have a clue how to train, prepare and present a show dog. Their first dog is a learning experience and they rarely do well with their first dog in the show ring just from the presentation angle alone. Then quite frankly as much as many try to pretend it doesn't exist there is the politics. Professional handlers and well-known exhibitors will often get the "nod" over the lesser knowns. And a novice is usually very obvious. Many novices get bored with the whole show experience and give up.

The buyer is often looking for something they can breed and showing is usually a secondary consideration. Their expectations are high. They want something that if it is going into the show ring is going to be able to beat everything right from the start. (When you find that dog let me know because I'll be approaching your breeder as well!!)

If you are truly interested in getting involved in the world of Cavalier breeding and showing (not just to make some quick bucks) the best way to start is to attend dog shows and find out who the local breeders are in your area. Talk to them. Find out what they consider makes a good Cavalier. Look at Cavaliers at shows, in books, online. Try to decide what you like, as breeders often breed different "types" or looks. If a breeder has the "type" you like then approach them and try to develop a relationship with them. If they aren't able to sell you a dog then they will often be able to direct you to a breeder who can.

My suggestion to a novice is to ask for your first show dog to be a male. It is often easier to get a male for show from a breeder, if you are a novice, than a bitch. Most breeders tend to want to retain any good bitches for themselves or sell to other experienced breeders but males tend to be superfluous. A novice is more likely to get a good quality male than a bitch. (And in North America particularly in the US expect to have the dog on a co-ownership basis. It is common practice particularly if you are a novice and not intended to offend.) The male will give you the opportunity to "learn the ropes" in the show ring and decide if you like it. You can continue to study the breed and really understand what you are looking at and for in the breed. And it will get your face seen in the ring so that when you approach breeders for a good show quality foundation bitch you will be taken seriously.

Dog showing can be fun but never so much so as with your first dog when it is all fresh and winning that first place ribbon is a thrill. Even though your first dog may not be a world beater it is a starting point. So go out there and have fun!

Patience is a Virtue

I have been asked to answer the question "what is the minimum amount of dogs needed to develop a breeding program?"

Given the current state of affairs in Cavaliers with many new to the breed in North America buying in, in my opinion, excessive amounts of dogs on a continuous basis with no real purpose except to buy a "winner" I think it is a pertinent question. Developing a successful breeding program takes careful planning, time, luck and patience. Too many are on a fast track and think that buying lots of dogs will get them somewhere fast.

Breeding someone else’s dogs together and having a successful litter does not mean you have a breeding program. It is the result of someone else’s hard work. The true trick is to have successful litters after several generations of your own breeding.

I suppose the flippant answer to the "minimum amount of dogs" would be 2. One to supply eggs and one to supply sperm.

Conventional wisdom says the needed dogs to develop a breeding program has usually been 2 bitches. A well bred foundation bitch and a secondary bitch of similar type and lines. Those bitches can then be bred to different outside studs, related or outcrossed and the best puppies retained. By breeding back and forth between the two bitch lines and going out to different studs as needed a breeding program can be developed.

Any kennel’s true strength is in its bitches! So choose your bitches well. I will address the need for stud dogs in a later post.

No Slippers in my house, except on my feet

Somewhere along the way feathering on feet has gone overboard into the massive "slippers" which some Cavaliers sport. Too me this excessive hair on feet looks ridiculous and indicates a dog that is not getting enough exercise other than out in a garden to do its "business". A Cavalier with the correct pretty soft head, beautiful large eyes, long ears and tail, proper body type and size is what is needed to make it distinguishable from other breeds, not the massive "slippers". A Cavalier with large "slippers" is only a messy looking Cavalier.

There is no shame in trimming a pet Cavalier's feet, despite what your breeder might have told you, the trick is to doing it right so that there is still some feathering on the feet. In other words, when you take your Cavalier to the groomer tell them you do not want a clean foot like a Springer Spaniel but some of the featherings left.

I groom a lot of Cavaliers as a professional groomer and a breeder and this is how I groom a pet Cavalier's foot ...

All the hair is cleaned off the pads of the foot. I then take rounded scissors and from the pads of the foot upwards I shape the foot around fairly closely. Any hair that can be pulled down between the pads is cut off but the hair between the toes on top of the foot is left. I then take thinning shears to tidy the foot around to take away the "cut" look. I brush the top of the foot pulling the hairs up between the toes so that it is sticking out and if there are any excessively long straggles I take a small amount off with the thinning shears to neaten. You still have feathering on the feet but just a small amount.

Excessive hair on a Cavalier's foot is only good for collecting dirt and wet, so go ahead and get those scissors out and start trimming your pet Cavalier's feet. You, your house and your Cavalier will all feel better for it!

Toenails and Hardwood Floors don't go!

Toenails and Hardwood Floors don't go!

Recent trends have homeowners putting in hardwood or laminate floors like it is going out of style. Unfortunately if you have dogs (and even cats) toenails click and clack and scratch ....

We often have dog owners coming in wanting the toenails cut as "short as you can get them because they are clicking on the hardwood floors". Guess what? No groomer can get the average dog's toenails short enough to prevent noise. Even my own dogs nails click on the wood floors!

A dog’s (and cat’s) toenails have a “quick” or a blood vessel. This “quick” grows as the nail grows. Generally speaking the more often you cut the toenail the further back the “quick” will be located. If you cut a toenail into the “quick” then it will bleed. While no dog has ever died from the “quick” being cut it can sometimes difficult to get stopped. Though groomers and veterinarians use a styptic powder to stop the bleeding occasionally the bleeding will start up again when the dog walks on the pavement or carpet or gets the toenail wet. So most groomers attempt to cut the nails without hitting the “quick. Besides the mess involved it is also often painful for the dog to have the “quick” cut. Also we find as groomers that nothing upsets an owner more than having a dog return home and jump on the clean white sofa or bed covering and start leaving bloody smears everywhere!

There are two methods of cutting a dog’s toenails. One, which most groomers and veterinarians employ is using a toenail clipper and just cutting off the end of the toenail. There is also something called a “Dremel” tool which is an electric grinder which grinds or files down the toenail. This method takes some time and needs to be done on a regular basis to keep the nails short. With dogs that have their nails cut by a “Dremel” tool this usually involves starting a dog at a young age so that they can get used to the noise and sensations of having their nails cut with this method.

Part of the reason for long toenails (beside the obvious of not having their nails their nails cut regularly) is the average pet dog’s sedentary lifestyle. Toenails will generally file down naturally when the dog is walked on a hard surface such as pavement. A brisk walk on pavement several times a day will be far more effective in keeping toenails short than anything else – besides it is healthier for you and the dog so get out there and walk!