Basic questions about King Charles cavaliers

Wantobe

Pretty basic questions: just adopted two gorgeous KCCs, unexpectedly and rather suddenly!

We brought them for about a 2hour walk today- nothing strenuous, just around the town, maybe 6/7k. They seem to be wrecked- flat out wrecked- after it, would this be too much exercise for them? They are 5, one a bit overweight.

Three days a week, they will be alone in the house ( actually not really alone but with someone in her early twenties who won't be that active in caring for them, as in she might take them for a walk during that time, but might not but would let them out to do their business and all that), is it better to leave them inside or outside? This would be between 9.30 am to about 2pm. If inside, can they be confined to one room?

crayola_sky

congratulations on the addition to your two dogs. I had a cavalier growing up, we lost him a year and a half ago on valentines day.
may i strongly suggest a cavalier fourm ive been a member of since oliver was a pup, cavaliertalk.com theres some REALLY great information on this fourm. and personally with what ive been through with my last dog..i really suggest being 'in the know' with the breed. best way to do that is by talking to a group of people who own them as well

i am acutally about to adopt my own cavalier, he or she should be born this week and i bring home 9 weeks later.
im pretty excited


as for leaving indoors or outdoors i think its a personal decision.
how old are the dogs?
i dont tink i would feel comfortable having my dogs outside all day alone. theres people who can steal them, things that could hurt them..the weather..etc. but thats me. my aunt on the other hand..has a lab mix and leaves her outside pretty much ..all the time. shes on a covered 2nd floor patio with the option to go down into the yard and do her buisness. i always feel sorry for her when im over in the winter.

it is said..that the dogs can go the lengths of their months without needing to be out (say theyre 3 months..thats 3 hours..etc)
would hte 20 year old not just open a door once every few hours to let the dogs in/out?

Toulouse

Firstly this http://www.cavaliertalk.com/forums/forum.php is an excellent resource for Cav owners.

Regarding the exercise they might not be used to such a long walk, particularly if one is a little overweight. You might have to start off a bit slower and build their fitness levels up.

Cavaliers are indoor dogs imo so I wouldn't leave them outside. 9.30am to 2pm is fine and if they are given a quick walk before you leave then they will be grand with not being walked by the person who will be in the house. She can let them out for a pee. They will be okay confined to one room e.g the kitchen.

Good luck with your new dogs!

Wantobe

Thanks for the reply, I'll have a look at that forum.

They are both 5, only have them day and a half and they seem fairly lazy/laid back. Which I don't mind but I want to be sure I'm 'doing right' by them.

Yep, the 20 year old is our au-pair and she likes dogs and will let them in and out, but maybe she will be out some days meeting friends and that sort fo thing.

They will have a walk every morning, as they will walk with the children to school and another walk to collect them at 2. And probably another walk later on.

Outside we have a nice size garden and a covered area which will always be dry but can be quite windy. While I can get them a little dog house etc I wonder is the breed best indoors: they seem quite indoorish- although that's prob'ly not a word! I know probably time will tell and we can try both options, but just wondering if anyone has opinions on it.

crayola_sky

yes definitley check it out. the people there have been a great support to me

i would definitly keep them indoors then. if they can get let out most days once or twice i think they'll be fine.
if you feel more comfortable leaving them in a ceritan room with less to get into..do that.

our oliver was pretty laid back..lazy too. he would sleep most of the time when we were out..(that being said my mum worked from home) so sometimes ...if he wasnt asleep and found himself home alone..he would cry.

we could arrive home..stand outside our door and hear 'owe owe owe owe oweeeee' a song i miss these days

crayola_sky

oh also.. can you post pictures on htis board (im new haha) i would loveeee to see your new babies!!!
oliver was a tri..which i loved. but my new pup will be a blenihem.
what are their names?

magicbastarder

a two hour walk for a dog with legs maybe eight inches long is probably akin to a six hour walk for a human; it's not surprising that they'd be shagged after that, especially if they were not fit.
we had a CKC, who was taken for a three mile walk five days a week by my mother; he was the fittest CKC you'd probably have seen.

Wantobe

OMG, I feel bad now! Poor little guys. It's hard enough for them adjusting to a new home.

lorebringer

As a long term Cav owner, and lover, it's great to hear you adopted 2 fuzzy babies!

Cavaliers are definitely indoor dogs - they don't tend to do well outside, particularly for long periods of time. The other issue with leaving them outside is theft - being small dogs they are easy to take from a garden, esp. if they are there for a long period of time.

A 6/7 km walk is a bit far for Cavaliers - if one dog is overwieght (which is all to common with the breed), try reducing his/her food intake or try a light version of a good brand of food to reduce calories. A good half hour walk in the evening, and one in the morning if possible, is all they really need. Once they get fitter and more used to regular walking, you can bring them out for longer! Heart issues are a serious concern for Cavaliers and regular walking will help keep them fit and healthy, plus keeping the weight under control (easier said than done!)

Wantobe

I'm obviously on a steep learning curve here so I appreciate all the replies. Believe it or not my last dog was a dobermann, more than 10 years since he died. Obviously very, very different! The 'owe oweee' reminded me of him straightaway- if I tried to leave without him he would howl like his heart was breaking. He was just a great fellow.:o

And photos are a no no apparently! A friend asked me to post a photo of them on facebook so she could see them, and I brought out the camera and one of them went running to hide in his travel box ( we have left it there for him to hide in when he feels insecure). So I don't want to stress him! The other guy ( charlie) is fine, much more outgoing but we need a bit of patience for Monty.

magicbastarder

this was our wee fella:

Wantobe

He's beautiful. Monty and Charlie are tricolours. When they have adjusted I might be able to post a photo ( although it might not be same quality as yours )

crayola_sky

Yes, i would..if you register or even take a lot at cavalier talk.. take a look in the health fourms.
we lost oliver to the heart problems that are with the breed.
it would be good to be aware of both those and the SM.. for as long as i had oliver..and as long as i was a member of the ct communitiy..i never made myself aware of the health issues untill after oliver got sick.

i remember..oliver was pretty lazy..he didn't often like going for walks..he'd like to go out for a walk to do his buisness..and once he was done he wanted to go come ..hed hunch hismelf down..and try to stand his ground.
he also did this if my dad dared put a rain jacket on him..he was mortified. haha. dad learned quick. no jacket.

Your pup is beautiful magicbastard!!!i love the eyes!!

i love the name charlie. thats the lead choice for a male if i get a male

Papillon!

cavalier king charles are the best dogs in the world! they love walks but id keep it to an hour or so:)

namoosh

I think they are indoor dogs, my friend has two he said they are prone to heart complaints, eye trouble and obesity due to inbreeding, very placid and good with kids.

Papillon!

yeah they love walks but mine definitely likes the indoor life. she just wants to be cuddled and loved all the time.

extremely easy going and great with other kids and dogs. Make sure theyre socialised lots and I cant see any problems at all.

Mine is 9 years old now and Ive never had any problems with obesity or otherwise (shes a picky eater thow). She has a very slight heart murmer now, but the vet says its much less than expected for the breed at her age and not enough to need medication. Shes a lil trooper

bayou

Our CKC is now well over 11 and showing his age, I'm afraid. For the past year or so, he's been on Vetmedin for the heart murmur and is now fairly anti exercise. Still as bright as a button hearing and sight wise, but we are steadily preparing ourselves for the inevitable. He is getting rather heavy as a result of limited exercise and this is not good.

I would like to get another CKC as soon as possible, but my wife isn't as keen on the idea.

kylith

OP definitely work to build up their exercise levels slowly but, assuming they're both healthy, they should be ok for 2 hour walks once you've increased their stamina gradually. I've seen Chihuahuas do 6 mile hikes, so I can't imagine that, once they're fit, a spaniel would have much problem.