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Breed guide · Dogs
Her ancestors sat on a king's lap. I've given her mine.
Last updated 14 October 2026
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What they brought with them.
Tap a card to see what is going on.
At home
Waiting outside the bathroom door, never more than a cushion away on the sofa, and at the window when you leave.
What's going onCavaliers were bred to be close to a person, and nothing else. Waiting at the door is the breeding at work. Teach short spells alone while they are a puppy, and if they are distressed when you go out, contact your vet.
At home
A young Cavalier who seems perfectly well, and a vet who still wants to listen to their heart.
What's going onMitral Valve Disease (MVD, a leaky heart valve) starts early in Cavaliers and leads their health record. Their care includes cardiac screening (listening to the heart) every year from age one, and an echocardiogram (an ultrasound scan of the heart) by two and a half.
At home
Scratching at the neck or an ear on walks, often without touching the skin, or flinching when you touch their head.
What's going onIn Cavaliers it can be Syringomyelia (fluid-filled pockets in the spinal cord). It is painful, and the pain can be managed. Only an MRI scan can confirm it, so tell your vet. Walk them on a harness rather than a collar, so nothing presses on their neck.
At home
Sitting by your plate all evening with those big, dark eyes.
What's going onLap dogs were fed by hand for centuries, and the habit stuck. Extra weight speeds up heart disease in Cavaliers, so weigh their food and show the affection with a game or a walk instead.
At home
Nose down on every walk, and a sudden, keen interest in the pigeons and the building's cats.
What's going onThe Cavalier came from hunting spaniels, and many still love a good sniff. Give them time to follow their nose on walks, and keep them on the lead near roads until their recall is solid.
At home
Head shaking, scratching at one ear, or a warm, damp smell from under those long ears.
What's going onLong, heavy ears trap warmth and moisture, and ear infections are on their record from puppyhood. Clean them monthly with the solution your vet gives you, and have a look inside every week.
The bit nobody tells you.
Their day
Built for: The whole day on a lap, next to one person.
In Dubai: Often the working day alone in a flat.
Their food
Built for: Fed from the hand, at the table.
In Dubai: A share of every plate, because they are so easy to love.
Their body
Built for: Small enough to be carried everywhere.
In Dubai: A heart and a neck that need watching from the first year.
Missing you and the extra weight mostly come from that gap.
You cannot be home all day. You can make the time apart easier and keep their heart in view, and the ten things below show you how.
Your plan is built around their breed: the risks on a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel's record at every age, and the care that goes with each one.
Join the founding families. AED 1,999 of essential care for AED 199.
Ten things that make their life better.
They were bred to be with you. Time alone is a skill, and it is easiest to learn as a puppy.
Every age, most of all in the first six months
Why
They were bred to be with you. Time alone is a skill, and it is easiest to learn as a puppy.
What to do
From the first week, leave them in a safe room with a chew for a few minutes while you are home, then a little longer. Come and go without a fuss, and go back a step if they cry.
Separation distress is common in lap dogs, and it is treatable. Home fixes can make it worse.
Every age. A move, a new job or a new baby can set it off
Why
Separation distress is common in lap dogs, and it is treatable. Home fixes can make it worse.
What to do
Film them for twenty minutes after you leave. If you see howling, pacing, scratching at the door or accidents, do not punish it and do not buy an anti-bark device. Show the film to your vet.
Extra weight speeds up heart disease in Cavaliers.
Every age, most of all after neutering and from 4 years
Why
Extra weight speeds up heart disease in Cavaliers.
What to do
Weigh their daily food on kitchen scales and take treats out of that amount. When they ask at the table, answer with a game or a brush rather than a bite. A Body Condition Score (a check on whether they are the right weight) is in your plan from their puppy visits.
Hip Dysplasia (HD, a poorly fitting hip joint) is on their record from puppy to young adult, and arthritis as a senior.
Every age, with the hip evaluation by age two
Why
Hip Dysplasia (HD, a poorly fitting hip joint) is on their record from puppy to young adult, and arthritis as a senior.
What to do
Give them steps up to the sofa and bed, and put rugs down on marble. Lift them with one hand under the chest and one under the back end, and book their hip evaluation by age two.
Syringomyelia (fluid-filled pockets in the spinal cord) can make their neck painful, and a collar presses right there.
Every age
Why
Syringomyelia (fluid-filled pockets in the spinal cord) can make their neck painful, and a collar presses right there.
What to do
Clip the lead to a well-fitted harness, and keep the collar for their ID tag only. Get them used to the harness indoors, with treats, and refit it as they grow.
Baby teeth that stay put and crowding are on their record as a puppy.
Every age, starting in puppyhood
Why
Baby teeth that stay put and crowding are on their record as a puppy.
What to do
Brush daily with a dog toothpaste, a few seconds at first. Once a week, lift their lip and look for red gums or a loose tooth. A dental evaluation (teeth and gum check) is in your plan at their puppy visits.
Ear infections are on their record from puppyhood to prime adult, and that silky coat knots behind the ears.
Every age, most of all from 2 to 7 years
Why
Ear infections are on their record from puppyhood to prime adult, and that silky coat knots behind the ears.
What to do
Handle their ears every day while they are small, with a reward. Brush their coat and feathered ears several times a week. Clean the ears once a month with the solution your vet gives you, and look inside every week. Monthly ear cleaning is in your plan from age two to seven.
A Cavalier carried past everything never learns what is safe, and the spaniel in them loves to follow a smell.
Every age, most of all in the first six months
Why
A Cavalier carried past everything never learns what is safe, and the spaniel in them loves to follow a smell.
What to do
Walk them on their own feet, let them sniff, and let them meet calm dogs. If they are worried, give them more space instead of scooping them up.
Heat and excitement are hard on the heart, and the heart is this breed's biggest risk.
Every age, most of all puppies and from 7 years
Why
Heat and excitement are hard on the heart, and the heart is this breed's biggest risk.
What to do
From May to September, walk before sunrise and after dark. Put the back of your hand on the pavement for five seconds: if you cannot keep it there, they cannot walk on it. Keep summer walks short and carry water.
You see them every day, so you are the first to notice a change in their breathing, a new cough or tiring early.
Every age, weekly
Why
You see them every day, so you are the first to notice a change in their breathing, a new cough or tiring early.
What to do
Once a week, run your hands over them and look in their ears and eyes. Faster breathing while they sleep, or a new cough, means call your vet.
Four of these are in your plan. The rest you can do at home.
Join the founding families. AED 1,999 of essential care for AED 199.
Their health, at every age.
How old are they?
Their age
the first six months
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
6 months to 2 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
2 to 4 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
4 to 7 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
7 to 10 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
10 years and over
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Breed predispositions indicate an increased risk rather than certainty of disease. What is right for them always comes from their own history and an evaluation.
Before they come home.
Cavalier or King Charles
Two breeds carry the King's name. The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel has the longer nose and flatter head of the old court paintings. The King Charles Spaniel, called the English Toy Spaniel in the US, has a shorter face and a domed head. They have been separate breeds since 1945, so check which one you are meeting.
Colours
Cavaliers come in four lovely shades. Blenheim is rich chestnut on pearly white, often with a small chestnut spot on the top of the head. Tricolour is black and white with tan over the eyes. Ruby is a deep red all over, and black and tan is glossy black with warm tan points.
The first six months
Vaccinations, microchip and Dubai Municipality registration come first, with a baseline heart screening and their first eye and joint evaluations. Start short spells alone from the first week, and let them get used to a harness indoors.
Puppy health, 0 to 6 months
Getting the home ready
Dog steps up to the sofa and the bed, rugs on marble floors, a well-fitted harness, kitchen scales for their food, and a safe room with a chew for the times you go out.
Ten things that make their life better
Before you commit
Every Cavalier needs their heart looked after for life: cardiac screening every year from age one, an echocardiogram by two and a half, and one every six months in their prime. Knowing that before they come home means nothing about their care is a surprise. Ask the breeder whether both parents have had their hearts screened and an MRI scan for Syringomyelia (fluid-filled pockets in the spinal cord), and ask to see the results.
Their health, at every age
Before the clinics open
AED 1,999 of essential care for AED 199. No payment now.
For a new puppy: First 30 days with a new puppy · Puppy vaccinations in the UAE · Heatstroke in dogs
When it is not behaviour.
They'll keep your lap. If their breathing changes while they sleep on it, call your vet.
Before they were yours.
1500s to 1700s
Small spaniels kept the English court company for centuries. Charles II, king from 1660 to 1685, was so fond of these little dogs that the breed still carries his name.
What they still carryA whole life's work of being near a person.
The 1800s
Fashion bred the toy spaniel a shorter face and a domed head, and the longer-nosed type almost disappeared. The red and white dogs at Blenheim Palace gave the Blenheim colour its name.
What they still carryThe chestnut and white Blenheim coat.
1926 to 1928
An American, Roswell Eldridge, offered prize money at Crufts for spaniels like those in the old paintings. In 1928 a dog called Ann's Son won, and the breed club was founded the same year.
What they still carryThe longer nose and flatter head of the court paintings.
1945
The Kennel Club recognised the Cavalier as a separate breed in 1945. The American Kennel Club followed in 1995.
What they still carryA name of their own, apart from the King Charles Spaniel.
Today
In the UAE a Cavalier is a family dog in a flat or a villa, often while their people are out at work.
What they still carryA wish to spend the whole day on a lap.
The ones you type at midnight.
If the Cavalier suits you, so might these.
Bichon FriseThe same kind of dog: a small, cheerful lap dog, livelier, in a white coat that needs daily grooming.
Lhasa ApsoAnother small companion with a long coat, more independent, and more watchful with strangers.
Coton de TulearThe same gentle, people-loving temperament, in a quieter dog with a soft, cotton-like coat to groom.
CavapooA similar size and the same need to stay cool, in a Cavalier cross whose coat sheds less but needs regular grooming.
