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CARING FOR YOUR CAVALIER

Vaccinations - Your pup should have been vaccinated by his breeder and you will have been given a certificate stating when the last was done, and when he is due for his next. Usually, once he has had all his needles as a pup, he will just need an annual booster. You will need  to present this certificate if you want to board your dog or join an obedience club.

Worming - A good breeder will have wormed the pup regularly in the early weeks and will tell you when he is next due. Then you should discuss worming with your vet when you take the pup for a check up or a vaccination, and he/she will advise you on a suitable worming program.

Heartworm - Heartworm is very serious in dogs and can kill. It is vital to use medication to prevent infestation. Daily or monthly treatment is available. Monthly medication is easier to keep track of, and some now incorporate flea control and other things. This is something to discuss with your vet also. If you have an older dog and it has not been on heartworm prevention, it MUST have a blood test done by the vet, before commencing treatment.

Feeding - There are many ways to feed your dog, the breeder will be happy to discuss the type of food they prefer. One thing to take note of is that artificial colourings/flavourings and preservatives can cause skin, and sometimes, health problems.

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Puppies - Most young pups are on 3 - 4 meals per day. Your pup should come to you complete with a diet sheet from his breeder to let you know what he is eating. It is quite common for a pup to arrive at his new home and turn up his nose at whatever you've been told to feed him! A healthy pup will not starve, so offer him his dinner and if he leaves it take the bowl away after 10 minutes. At the next meal do the same. It is a good idea to keep fairly closely to the diet he has been on to lessen the chance of a tummy upset. Once he has settled in you can then make some changes if you don't like the current diet. It is not unusual for a young pup to have a touch of diarrhoea with the stress of leaving mum and his siblings and familiar surroundings, also the change of water in different areas can cause tummy upsets, speak to your breeder about this. Make sure he has access to fresh water and miss a meal if this happens. Obviously a very young pup can't go too long without food so for the next meal offer him something very bland and easy to digest. Cooked chicken, boiled rice and a little yoghurt (with live cultures) are usually well tolerated. If the diarrhoea doesn't settle quickly or if there is vomiting or blood in the stool please take him to the vet.

Adults - Adults need one main meal each day, which can be given morning or evening. Most Cavaliers LOVE food and it is important for their health that they not be over-fed. Those big brown eyes tell everyone that they are starving!!! A fat Cavalier snores more, puffs and pants when exercising, and the extra weight puts a lot more strain on the heart. In a breed that can have heart problems it is very unwise to let your dog get fat. You are doing them no favours! Meals can be stretched a bit more with veggies and/or boiled rice. Avoid letting them have snacks through the day - though if you must, there are a few things that are better than sharing your cake! Frozen (and fresh) baby carrots are good, and most just adore ice cubes. Experiment with low joule treats until you find something.  If you use food treats when training cut back a bit on the quantity of food in their meal.

Water - Leave a bowl of fresh water down at all times. While house training a young pup you might like to pick up the bowl in the evening so they won't have a big drink before bed. Though in very hot weather make sure they have access at all times.

Bed - Cavaliers love to sleep with their owners but not everyone wants a dog in the bed! Decide where you want them to sleep and make sure they are comfortable. A crate with nice cosy bedding, is one option. Otherwise a kitchen or other room where you can set up a bed for them. You may need to put down newspapers, if they are loose in a room it is quite possible they will toilet during the night. Young pups usually can't last through the night. Don't leave water down for them unless it is a very hot night. Take them out to the toilet last thing at night and then snuggle them up with a cuddly toy and something to chew. If they can be in their crate in your bedroom they will probably settle well, and you will know if they need to go out to the toilet during the night.

Training - Cavaliers are intelligent dogs and are (usually!) not difficult to train. One thing to note is that they have NO road sense at all, so it is important to keep them on lead unless you have a safe area away from roads. Even a well trained Cavalier can take off to 'talk' to another dog or child and they won't stop to check if a car is coming.

Your first concern with a pup will obviously be house training. A baby puppy needs to be taken outside frequently and to be watched constantly to be sure they won't toilet on the carpet. A crate is a very handy thing to have with a pup in the house. It is a safe place for them to be when you can't watch them and dogs will generally not soil their own bed. I know many people see a crate as a 'cage' for a dog but the dogs do come to love their crate and see it as a safe den. If you feed the pup in his crate and tuck them away in it with treats and toys they won't see it as a punishment. They will run to a crate at dinner time and quite often curl up for a sleep in an open crate during the day. They are good for safe car travelling, and also when visiting and on holiday, the pup can be put safely in the crate out of people and harms way!

As soon as the pup wakes from a nap, has a meal or a drink take them outside to the place you want them to toilet. Wait with them and as soon as they do their business, use a word you want them to respond to - 'toilet' -'wee' - something that you feel comfortable with! Reward them with praise and a tiny treat. Keep treats handy and always have one ready to reward behaviour you like (and want a pup to repeat). Only give a really small treat. Take them back in after they have finished.  If you repeat the chosen word and reward each time they perform, they will quickly learn to go on command. Take them out frequently through the day.

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Further Training - There are many Cavaliers with titles in Obedience, Agility, Tracking and even a few Endurance titled Cavaliers! They are a breed who love to be with you and want to please. A Cavalier needs to be trained with positive reinforcement - lots of praise, tiny treats and fun. A happily working Cavalier is a joy to see.....  the tail never stops! If you are interested in building a wonderful bond with your dog, training is a great way to do it. Puppy pre-schools can be a great way to socialise your pup and some teach you basic obedience. If you find you are interested, find an obedience class that uses these positive methods and learn how to teach your dog. (See Cavalier Activities page.)

Grooming -

Brushing:
Get your pup used to being brushed and combed at an early age. They don't need much grooming at this age but it's good to get them used to it.  A natural bristle brush and a comb are needed. Make sure you comb thoroughly behind the ears as this is a spot where they will tangle when older. Just a very short session and reward the pup. Don't get annoyed with them - you want them to remember being brushed as a good thing - not a time when they get into trouble! When they are older and has a beautiful coat you will need to brush them a couple of times a week. A rubber mit is very good for removing dead hair - both from them and your furniture! The mit is also good for working shampoo into their coat.

Bathing:
A good bath and brush and your dog will look wonderful. They are small enough to fit in the laundry tub so a bath every week or two is a simple matter. Use a good quality dog shampoo and conditioner, warm water and rinse well. Make sure they don't get chilled in cold weather. On a hot day they can run outside to dry (as long as they don't roll in the dirt!) or you can use a hair dryer or fan heater. It is a good idea to get puppies used to sitting up on something, maybe your washing machine with a towel on it, and being dried with a hairdryer. This will make things much easier for when your Cavalier has a lovely long coat and the weather is bad.  Puppies don't need a bath very often - be guided by your nose and eyes.

Eyes:
Many Cavaliers have a problem with runny eyes while they are young. It is because they have such large eyes plus their heads change shape as they grow. This quite often settles down once they are older. In blenheims and tricolours this can cause a stain. Under the eyes can be wiped with a damp cloth each day, always upwards, or you will make the staining worse. There are products available to help remove the stains. You do need to clean regularly to keep the area stain free. A good clean, dry, and then a dab of vaseline (careful not to get into the eyes) each morning seems to help quite a lot.

Teeth:
It is important to look after your dogs teeth - tooth problems have been linked to illness so it is vital to your dogs health to care for them. If they eats raw bones regularly that may be enough to keep them clean, but otherwise you may need to have your vet clean them and then you will need to attend to them regularly. There are toothbrushes and toothpaste especially for dogs (don't use people toothpaste). It would be a good idea to get them used to you cleaning their teeth while they are young. Not all dogs chew their food properly, so raw bones daily can make a marked improvement. Some chew toys are designed to help fight tartar build up.

Ears:
Check your dogs ears weekly or if they are scratching at them - if there is brown wax or any sort of smelly discharge they need attention. Many people use an ear cleaner regularly to keep the ears clean. Check the ears and if they look clean and there is no odour and the dog is not scratching you can leave them alone. If your cavalier gets ear mites, you will need drops from the vet to clear this up. Food getting in the long ears is rather unsightly and messy. There are a couple of ways around this without trimming off their beautiful ears! They can eat out of a 'spaniel bowl'. This is a bowl that is narrower at the top than others and the ears fall either side of the bowl - or they can wear a 'snood'. This is a small elasticised, material 'hat' that goes over their head and keeps the ears tucked back out of their dinner. Excellent if they are eating a raw bone! These are available through the internet (see Rescue Page) or at dog shows.

Nails:
Their nails will need clipping. Buy some nail clippers for this. Be careful not to cut into the quick (the pink vein you can see if you hold it to the light - though in a whole colour mightn't be able to easily see it). Just take the sharp end off the nail. Some breeders remove the dew claws - a nail part way up the inside of the leg - but if your dog has them it's important to cut them regularly or they can grow around into the leg. Cutting nails on puppies can be a bit of a bother. Some of them wiggle and squirm and you don't want to hurt the pup. Enlist a helper to distract the pup with a little treat or toy and once you finish let the pup know how wonderful they are! Even if you only do a couple of nails and then come back and do more later you are training the pup to cooperate and it's important that they do not see it as punishment.

Trimming:
Cavaliers are a 'natural' breed. They are not clipped - though a pet dog can be if you want. A show Cavalier is not trimmed - the only trimming allowed is between the pads on their feet. It is a good idea to do this to cut down on slipping on smooth floors. If you walk the dog on hard surfaces often this may not be needed. A pet Cavalier can be trimmed by a groomer if you'd prefer a bit less coat to deal with.

Anal Glands - These are small sacks located at either side of the dog's anus and contain foul smelling liquid. Cavaliers can have a problem with them not expressing naturally, sometimes this can be due to incorrect diet. They are supposed to empty when the dog has a bowel motion and when they don't the dog tries to relieve it by 'scooting' across the floor on their bottom! Your vet can express them for you if this is a problem and you can learn to do it yourself - ask the vet to show you how. If ignored they can become impacted and an infection can ensue. Many people think this scooting is caused by worms but with regular worming it is unlikely to be the cause.

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Toys - There is a huge range of toys available for dogs. Be sure you provide your pup with safe and suitable toys. Pups like to cuddle up with a soft teddy bear but if they are a chewer beware they don't rip the bear open and swallow a squeaker or an eye! Some love disembowelling soft toys and others are good with them, so it does depend on the dog. Any toy with a squeaker needs to be checked regularly to make sure the dog hasn't damaged the toy to get the squeaker out. Some dogs get into a frenzy over squeakers! Nylabones seem fairly indestructible and most dogs love rawhide chews and pigs ears but there have been cases of rawhide causing obstructions so care should be taken with them. Large bones can provide hours of entertainment. Kong's are a hollow rubber toy that can be filled with treats and can keep a pup busy for a long time as they try to get every scrap of food out. They can also be used as a ball.  Balls should be big enough that they can't be swallowed. If you put your pup to bed with a toy do be sure it is a safe toy. Leave squeaky toys for when you can supervise play.

Desexing - Pups need to be desexed at around 6 months old. Unless you have bought a pup from a reputable breeder on main register it is a pet, and will benefit from desexing. A male is unlikely to lift his leg and mark every tree in sight and they will not be looking for girls all the time!! It also negates the chance of testicular cancer and prostate problems. An undesexed bitch will leave blood stains around your house every six months and attract males from the neighbourhood - you run the risk of one of the neighbourhood Romeo's managing to scale the fence! She is also likely to suffer phantom pregnancies, and there is also the risk of pyometra (life threatening) for which she would need emergency spaying to save her life. Some vets believe the chance of mammary cancer is lessened if she is desexed young.

Microchipping/Registration - By law, pups in some states must be microchipped before sale. If this is the case in your area your pups breeder will provide you with details of microchipping. The chip is very small (about the size of a grain of rice) and is implanted via a needle into the pups back between the shoulder blades. There are several registries that your dog can be placed on and if they are found wandering they will be scanned and traced back to you via one of the registries. Just having the microchip in place is not enough - you need to be sure they are on at least one register.

Further Information See:
OzCavalier Email List Website, we are a friendly list for those interested in the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel in Australia. List members may seek advice, or provide advice on any Cavalier related topic. See Links page for address.

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