The Breed

The King Charles spaniel, or the English Toy spaniel, as it is called in the US, resembles the more common Cavalier King Charles spaniel, which has been developed into an own breed from the King Charles spaniel in the beginning of the 20th century. China or Japan is considered the original home countre of the King Charles spaniel. From there, the first representatives of the breed came to Britain in the 16th century. The breed got its present name during the times of the English kings Charles I and Charles II and held a stable position at the English Court. The present appearance of the breed is a result of crossings made during the 19th century.

The King Charles spaniel is compact and elegant. Its coat requires daily grooming and particular attention should be paid to the ears The coat is straight and silky. The colours are black and tan, also called King Charles ( black with mahogany red markings on the nose, above the eyes, on the legs, chest and the edges of the ears), Tricolour, also called Prince Charles, blenheim (pearly white with chestnut red markings) and ruby (solid chestnut red). The height of the dog is not specified in the breed standard, but the weight should be 3,7 - 6,3 kilos.

The first King Charles spaniels came to Finland already in the beginning of last century. Later the strain disappeared and representatives of the breed where introduced again to our country in the 1960´s. The King Charles spaniel is still quite rare. The yearly registration number is approximately 20 dogs.

The fanciers of the breed have their own club, King Charlesin spanieli r.y.