A Complete Price Guide for the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel

Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is a very clunky name. Yes, there was a Charles II of England, whose supporters in the English Civil War were nicknamed the Cavaliers. However, the name is not a natural one. As a result, it should come as no surprise to learn that there is another dog breed called the King Charles Spaniel, with which the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel has a very close relationship. For those who are curious, spaniels are called thus because they are supposed to be Spanish dogs. However, toy spaniels are speculated to be descended from East Asian dogs, which were brought over to Europe via trade networks. Whatever the case, Charles II is known to have been very fond of these animals, which brought about a general increase in the popularity of these animals among the English aristocracy. Something that remained true in subsequent generations. Eventually, the Kennel Club combined four different kinds of toy spaniels into a single dog breed called the Toy Spaniel, which should be better-known to interested individuals as either the English Toy Spaniel or the King Charles Spaniel. The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel came into existence because of an effort to recreate the toy spaniels that existed in Charles II’s time. Said effort met with a serious drawback because World War Two forced the destruction of most of the breeding stock. Still, enough dogs survived for them to become the progenitors of the Cavalier King Charles Spaniels that exists in the present time. As for why people would want a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, it is very clear that they have served as companion animals in generation after generation. Generally speaking, these dogs are playful, friendly, and affectionate people-pleasers. Furthermore, Cavalier King Charles Spaniels are good at getting along with not just humans but also other dogs, thus making them well-suited for multi-dog households. The best part is that these dogs are neither particularly energetic nor particularly un-energetic. Instead, they are flexible in the sense that they can accommodate different dog owners with different preferences in this regard. If people want to run around with their dog, they can get that from this dog breed. Similarly, if people just want a lapdog that will spend time with them, they can get that from this dog breed as well. As such, it is no wonder that Cavalier King Charles Spaniels are popular.

What Can You Expect to Pay For Your Cavalier King Charles Spaniel?

The price that people can expect to pay for a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel can see enormous variation depending on the exact method that they use to get one of these animals. Please note that each of these methods comes with both pros and cons. As a result, even if one seems perfect from the perspective of price, it is important to remember that surface impressions are very shallow by nature. For starters, if people want to get a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel for the lowest price possible, they are going to need to look for someone who is just giving away puppies. Most of the time, this kind of thing happens because someone’s dog has had an unintended pregnancy, meaning that they are scrambling to find suitable homes for the resulting puppies. On the whole, this method can be quite good so long as interested individuals keep a couple of things in mind. One, Cavalier King Charles Spaniels are popular but not that popular. As a result, there is no guarantee that they will be able to just stumble upon such opportunities when they go looking for them. Two, chances are good that these Cavalier King Charles Spaniels won’t have a lot of resources spent on them, meaning that there is an increased chance of them having either health issues, behavioral issues, or both. After all, people who give away puppies for free tend to do so because their resources are being stretched beyond the breaking point. Still, free is a very persuasive argument on its own.

Moving on, there are a number of methods that can help interested individuals get a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel for a lower price than otherwise possible. First, people should consider either adopting or rescuing one of these dogs, which should cost them just $50 to $300. The low price is an excellent selling point. However, there are a number of other pros to keep in mind as well. For example, there can be no doubt about the fact that doing this will be a good thing, seeing as how interested individuals will free up limited resources that can be used to help out other animals. Similarly, while the dogs that have been entrusted to animal shelters and animal rescues can have their issues, chances are good that interested individuals will be informed about them beforehand, thus providing them with a chance to prepare. In fact, it isn’t uncommon for them to get a chance to spend some time with the dog that they have set their eyes upon, which should give them a decent idea of whether things will work out or not. As for the problems with either adopting or rescuing a dog, well, the gist of it is that the availability won’t be very good. If people are determined to get a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel with no willingness to settle for a different dog from a different dog breed, they might have to wait quite some time, though they might be able to improve their odds by looking beyond the animal shelters and animal rescues that can be found in their local area.

The other low-priced method would be looking for people who are selling Cavalier King Charles Spaniel puppies at a lower price. Sometimes, people will do so for much the same reason that people will give such puppies away, meaning that this has much the same pros and cons. Other times, well, there are dog breeders who seek to make money by selling lower-priced puppies in larger numbers rather than higher-priced puppies in smaller numbers. This can be very problematic because severe reductions in their operating costs tend to come at the expense of their dogs’ wellbeing. Even if one ignores the ethics of the situation, one should pay attention to the fact that this means a much increased chance of health issues and behavioral issues. Something that is particularly dangerous for Cavalier King Charles Spaniels. As mentioned earlier, most of their breeding stock was destroyed during World War Two. Thanks to that, the modern members of the dog breed are descended from just six dogs, which is believed to be the reason that they suffer much higher-than-normal chances of getting heart failure from mitral valve disease. Responsible dog breeders are supposed to use just dogs with healthy hearts. However, if dog breeders are just looking to sell as many puppies as possible, chances are good that they aren’t paying much attention to these guidelines. Medical problems are extremely expensive, so much so that their associated healthcare costs can more than erase whatever money interested individuals might save by choosing the lowest-priced puppy.

Other than these methods, interested individuals have the option of buying a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel from a reliable and reputable dog breeder. If they do so, they can expect to pay $800 to $2,500, which is much more expensive than the other options that have been mentioned so far. On the plus side, interested individuals should be able to expect a healthier puppy, though they should still check out the dog breeder’s facilities, reviews, and testimonials to make sure that everything is as it should be. Furthermore, these puppies tend to have had a fair amount of money spent on their training as well as their healthcare, which will be reflected in their prices. Once again, interested individuals should verify such claims, particularly since it should be very easy for dog breeders to show the relevant documentation. In the end, people shouldn’t be surprised that what they get will reflect what they have spent.

What Do You Want From Your Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Anyways?

It is a good idea for interested individuals to figure out what they want from their dog. By doing so, they can get a better idea of what qualities matter to them and what qualities don’t matter to them. Something that could enable them to get a better deal on their Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. To name an example, purebred dogs are held in higher regard than their mixed-breed counterparts, which means that purebred dogs are sold at much higher prices. That is a significant problem on its own. However, it should also be mentioned that Cavalier King Charles Spaniels are one of the dog breeds that have been hardest-hit by the strict adherence to their standards, so much so that Norway banned their breeding on the basis that their health issues meant that it was impossible to do so in a responsible manner. As a result, people might want to consider whether they are willing to settle for a mixed-breed dog with Cavalier King Charles Spaniel parentage. That should be much cheaper. If they are lucky, said dog might be healthier as well.

Another issue to consider would be the coat color of the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. Currently, there are four coat colors that are accepted by the American Kennel Club. One would be Blenheim, which would be a white coat with patches of color that range from ruby to chestnut. Another would be ruby, which can range from ruby to chestnut. Other than these two, there is also the tri-color, which is dominated by white and black but will have patches of a third color on certain parts of their body. As for the fourth, that would be black and tan, which is pretty much what it sounds like. Blenheim is the most common coat color, so if people don’t particularly care about this, they might want to go for that in order to get a lower price. Otherwise, well, everything is complicated by the fact that the demand for certain coat colors and the availability of certain coat colors are very much tied with one another, meaning that interested individuals will need to do their own local research to see which ones are currently more popular than the others. Either tricolor or black and tan should be the rarest coat color, though ruby is apparently not very common either because of its lack of popularity. Of course, if people don’t care about having a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, they should remember that such dogs can come in coat colors that aren’t approved by the American Kennel Club. Something that should reduce their price. On the reverse side of things, if people want to get a puppy from champion parents, they can expect to pay quite a bit more than the normal range mentioned earlier. Indeed, there are claims that they might have to pay as much as $3,500 to $5,000, which seems rather excessive unless they are determined to get such a dog for whatever reason.

What Other Costs Should You Expect From Owning a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel?

It should be mentioned that the costs of owning a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel are quite high. As in, interested individuals can expect to spend about $3,000 in the first year and then $1,000 in subsequent years. A sizable chunk of these costs come from healthcare, which will cost about $600 in the first year and then $450 in subsequent years. This is assuming that the dog doesn’t get some kind of serious medical problem. If that happens, it isn’t uncommon for treatment costs to hit the thousands of dollars. For comparison, food is just about $130 to $180 a year, with the number increasing after the first while because an adult dog will eat more than a puppy. As for training, it can cost $100 to $300 for classes. However, that isn’t as pressing for these dogs as it is for some of the bigger, less biddable dog breeds out there, particularly for dog owners who are experienced enough to handle most things on their own.