Lakewood Cavaliers' primary goal is to breed for health, temperament and type. Below are some answers to frequently asked questions in addition to information about the cavalier breed.
LAKEWOOD PUPPY FAQ
How long until I can take my puppy home?
Our puppies are ready to go home at 8-10 weeks of age.
We do our best to extensively socialize each individual puppy. Puppy pictures will be posted frequently so you can watch them grow.
What organization are your puppies registered with?
Lakewood puppies are all AKC registered. The AKC is the only officially recognized registry for Cavalier King Charles Spaniels in the United States.
What about other registries?
BEWARE that unofficial "for profit" registries like: ACA, APRI, FIC, UABR, NAPDR, NDBA, WKC, KKC, SKC, NKC, DRA, etc., are completely bogus. They were simply created by individual "puppy mills" who lost their right to register with AKC due to ongoing violations of animal cruelty. They do not hold any dog shows or events, except mill house/broker auctions.
Why not buy from a pet shop?
Pet shop puppies, including AKC, come from USDA large scale commercial wholesalers, AKA puppy mills. While the puppies may be cute in the pet shop window, all the adult dogs behind them spend their entire lives in cages without handling, vet care, socialization, or grooming.
What makes your puppies superior?
The parents were chosen very carefully and we are very picky about what we like and what we want reproduced in our puppies.
Lakewood puppies will be extensively socialized and raised in our home with lots of love; they are handled from birth. Puppies run in the yard and play hard in the sunshine, then hang out under the shade of trees.
ABOUT CAVALIERS
Do cavaliers shed?
Yes. Cavaliers are a mild to moderate shedding breed and need regular brushing. If you want a non-shedding or hypo-allergenic dog, please pick a different breed.
Do cavaliers need a fenced yard?
Yes. Cavaliers are sight dogs and (Provided there are no eye problems) they see extremely well. They will quickly locate and chase a bird, lizard, butterfly, or squirrel into traffic with no regard for their life.
How long do cavaliers live?
Compared to other small breeds, the life span of a cavalier is a short 10 - 12 years with few reaching 13 - 15 years.
Do cavaliers make good companions?
Yes. While all dog breeds make good canine companions, the Cavalier King Charles is a toy breed. The AKC recognized "Toy Group" of dogs are bred; for no other reason except, to be a companion to humans.
Are cavaliers good with other pets?
Yes and no. Cavaliers do fine with other dogs and cats, but birds, small reptiles, and rodents may not fare as well. You must also take into account the other pet.
CAVALIER GENERAL APPEARANCE
The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is an active, graceful, well-balanced toy spaniel, very gay and free in action; fearless and sporting in character, yet at the same time gentle and affectionate. It is this typical gay temperament, combined with true elegance and royal appearance which are of paramount importance in the breed. Natural appearance with no trimming, sculpting or artificial alteration is essential to breed type.
SIZE, PROPORTION, SUBSTANCE
Size - Height 12 to 13 inches at the withers; weight proportionate to height, between 13 and 18 lbs. A small, well balanced dog within these weights is desirable, but these are ideal heights and weights and slight variations are permissible
Proportion - The body approaches squareness, yet if measured from point of shoulder to point of buttock, is slightly longer than the height at the withers. The height from the withers to the elbow is approximately equal to the height from the elbow to the ground.
Substance - Bone moderate in proportion to size. Weedy and coarse specimens are to be equally penalized.
HEAD
Proportionate to size of dog, appearing neither too large nor too small for the body.
Expression - The sweet, gentle, melting expression is an important breed characteristic.
Eyes - Large, round, but not prominent and set well apart; color a warm, very dark brown; giving a lustrous, limpid look. Rims dark. There should be cushioning under the eyes which contributes to the soft expression. Faults - small, almond-shaped, prominent, or light eyes; white surrounding ring.
Ears - Set high, but not close, on top of the head. Leather long with plenty of feathering and wide enough so that when the dog is alert, the ears fan slightly forward to frame the face.
Skull - Slightly rounded, but without dome or peak; it should appear flat because of the high placement of the ears. Stop is moderate, neither filled nor deep.
Muzzle - Full muzzle slightly tapered. Length from base of stop to tip of nose about 1 1/2 inches. Face well filled below eyes. Any tendency towards snipiness undesirable. Nose pigment uniformly black without flesh marks and nostrils well developed. Lips well developed but not pendulous giving a clean finish. Faults - Sharp or pointed muzzles.
Bite - A perfect, regular and complete scissors bite is preferred, i.e. the upper teeth closely overlapping the lower teeth and set square into the jaws. Faults - undershot bite, weak or crooked teeth, crooked jaws.
NECK, TOPLINE, BODY
Neck - Fairly long, without throatiness, well enough muscled to form a slight arch at the crest. Set smoothly into nicely sloping shoulders to give an elegant look.
Topline - Level both when moving and standing.
Body - Short-coupled with ribs well sprung but not barrelled. Chest moderately deep, extending to elbows allowing ample heart room. Slightly less body at the flank than at the last rib, but with no tucked-up appearance.
Tail - Well set on, carried happily but never much above the level of the back, and in constant characteristic motion when the dog is in action. Docking is optional. If docked, no more than one third to be removed.
FOREQUARTERS
Shoulders well laid back. Forelegs straight and well under the dog with elbows close to the sides. Pasterns strong and feet compact with well-cushioned pads. Dewclaws may be removed.
HINDQUARTERS
The hindquarters construction should come down from a good broad pelvis, moderately muscled; stifles well turned and hocks well let down. The hindlegs when viewed from the rear should parallel each other from hock to heel.
Faults - cow or sickle hocks.
COAT
Of moderate length, silky, free from curl. Slight wave permissible. Feathering on ears, chest, legs and tail should be long, and the feathering on the feet is a feature of the breed. No trimming of the dog is permitted. Specimens where the coat has been altered by trimming, clipping, or by artificial means shall be so severely penalized as to be effectively eliminated from competition. Hair growing between the pads on the underside of the feet may be trimmed.
COLOR
Blenheim - Rich chestnut markings well broken up on a clear, pearly white ground. The ears must be chestnut and the color evenly spaced on the head and surrounding both eyes, with a white blaze between the eyes and ears, in the center of which may be the lozenge or "Blenheim spot". The lozenge is a unique and desirable, though not essential, characteristic of the Blenheim.
Tricolor - Jet black markings well broken up on a clear, pearly white ground. The ears must be black and the color evenly spaced on the head and surrounding both eyes, with a white blaze between the eyes. Rich tan markings over the eyes, on cheeks, inside ears and on underside of tail.
Ruby - Whole-colored rich red.
Black and Tan - Jet black with rich, bright tan markings over eyes, on cheeks, inside ears, on chest, legs and underside of tail.
Faults - Heavy ticking on Blenheims or Tricolors, white marks on Rubies or Black and Tans.
GAIT
Free moving and elegant in action, with good reach in front and sound, driving rear action. When viewed from the side, the movement exhibits a good length of stride, and viewed from front and rear it is straight and true, resulting from straight-boned fronts and properly made and muscled hindquarters.
TEMPERAMENT
Gay, friendly, non-aggressive with no tendency towards nervousness or shyness. Bad temper, shyness and meanness are not to be tolerated and are to be so severely penalized as to effectively remove the specimen from competition.
Approved Date: January 10, 1995
Effective Date: April 30, 1995