Breed Priorities – English Toy Spaniel

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260 – September, 2023

By Nikki Riggsbee

The English Toy Spaniel is thought to have originated from China and/or Japan or perhaps bred down from the Spaniels from Spain. They have been well-documented for centuries, and included in many paintings. They were favorites of England’s Charles I and Charles II, and were especially popular during the reign of the latter. Charles II lent his name to the breed which is called the King Charles Spaniel in places other than the United States and Canada.

Some crosses with possibly Pugs or Japanese Chins were done in Victorian-era England producing a breed with a flatter face and a more domed skull. This version came to the United States and was one of the first toy breeds recognized by AKC. In the early 20th century in England, Roswell Eldridge revived the original version of the breed based on the dogs in the early paintings. The resurrected breed is now called the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.

The English Toy Spaniel comes in four colors, each referred to by a different name. The red and white ones are called Blenheim; black and tan are King Charles; black, white, and tan are Prince Charles; and the solid red as Ruby. The breed is shown as varieties; the solid colors (King Charles and Ruby) are shown together as one variety, and the broken colors (Prince Charles and Blenheim) shown together as another.

Twenty-eight English Toy Spaniel experts were invited to take a survey on their breed’s conformation priorities. Four declined, and nineteen agreed to participate. Eleven surveys were received by the deadline. Those who contributed have been in the breed almost twenty-eight years on average. Those who are also judges have been approved for the breed for nearly twenty-one years on average.

The AKC English Toy Spaniel breed standard says, “The important characteristics of the breed are exemplified by the head.” I was curious how this would be reflected in the results.

English Toy Spaniel Virtues

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260 – September, 2023

Short URL: http://caninechronicle.com/?p=271536

Posted by AnthonyA on Sep 20 2023. Filed under Current Articles, Featured. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.