Cavalier King Charles Spaniels

Generally, the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is a good breed for inexperienced dog owners to own if they are looking for a small dog that is friendly and affectionate.

The Cavalier's small size makes it an excellent apartment pet as long as it is taken for a walk daily. Its exercise requirement is adaptable, and is content with long walks too.

The Cavalier is also a dog that is friendly and gentle-natured, so it is suitable as a companion animal for children and families as long as they are handled in the right way. It also gets along with other dogs and animals well. *

This breed is also eager to please, easy to train and is an attentive learner. It is very responsive to both commands and praise. *

Besides, the Cavalier is a very affectionate dog. It's a tail wagging, happy creature that is happy to snuggle with you any day. Its small size and soft coat also makes it nice to cuddle. *

Moreover, the Cavalier is a beautiful dog with a sleek coat that comes in many colours. Its feathering gives its appearance a nice touch, and this breed has bright, large, intelligent-looking eyes.

Of course, the Cavalier is not for everyone. If you are not committed to brushing your dog regularly, then this is not the right breed for you as its longhaired coat needs maintenance. The Cavalier is also a heavy shedder and may not be suitable for people allergic to dogs.

The Cavalier is also prone to separation anxiety, which may lead to destructiveness and barking when left alone. A Cavalier that is from bad lines or is not socialised enough may also be timid or shy around people. This breed also has strong chasing instincts and needs to be fenced in or kept on a leash.

The Cavalier can also suffer from serious health problems and a number of genetic defects, which will lead to a shorter life span. So if you're buying a Cavalier from a breeder, it is important to check whether it comes from lines with genetic defects.

* Dogs of the same breed can have very different temperaments. The temperament description is only based on what a majority of Afghan Hounds are like.

This depends on what breed of Dog you have. As a general rule, the smaller your Dog is the longer it will live and vice versa. Mongrel and cross-breed dogs tend to have slightly longer lifespans than pure-bred dogs, although this is not always true. Here is a few common breeds and their average lifespans:

• Labrador Retriever - 10 to 12 years
• Cavalier King Charles - 9 to 14 years
• Golden Retriever - 10 to 13 years
• English Bulldog - 8 years
• American Cocker Spaniel - 12 to 15 years
• Miniature Dachshund - 15 years
• Standard Dachshund - 12 to 14 years
• Staffordshire Bull Terrier - 12 to 14 years
• American Pit Bull Terrier - 12 years
• Chihuahua - 15 to 18 years
• St. Bernard - 8 to 10 years
• Great Dane - 7 to 10 years
• Dalmatian - 10 to 12 years
• Greyhound - 12 to 15 years
• Yorkshire Terrier - 13 to 16 years
• West Highland White Terrier - 13 to 15 years
• Boxer - 11 to 14 years
• English Bull Terrier - 11 to 13 years
• Siberian Husky - 12 to 15 years

You can get a King Charles Spaniel from a reputable dog breeder if you want a puppy with a known pedigree and history or is interested in showing your dog. A breeder recommended by a friend or a relative is the best, as some breeders may sell unhealthy puppies.

You may also get a King Charles Spaniel from an animal shelter. Not only are you offering a new home to an animal (at a usually inexpensive price), but you can be sure that it is healthy. However, potential behaviour problems developed from the past may be unknown.

Acquiring a King Charles Spaniel from a friend or relative is also possible, and it is very unlikely that you will end up with a sick dog. However, the chances of getting a dog through this method are odd as most owners want to keep their dogs, few are interested in breeding their dogs and the people you know may not own a King Charles Spaniel.

It is also possible to get a King Charles Spaniel from a pet shop, yet this is highly not recommended as many pet shops are known to sell puppies that are sick or have potential health problems. Many pet shop owners are ignorant about the puppies' health, as well as puppy mills, which is where most pet shop dogs come from. Many puppy mill owners are known to keep their dogs in small cages that were infrequently clean, leading to the spread of diseases as well as causing cruelty to animals.

No matter which way you acquired your dog, it is compulsory to take it to a reputable veterinary clinic for a check-up within three days after its arrival.

Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War. Although theParliament of Scotland proclaimed Charles II King of Great Britain and Ireland in Edinburgh on 6 February 1649, the English Parliament instead passed a statute that made any such proclamation unlawful. England entered the period known as the English Interregnumor the English Commonwealth, and the country was a de facto republic, led by Oliver Cromwell. Cromwell defeated Charles at the Battle of Worcester on 3 September 1651, and Charles fled to mainland Europe. Cromwell became virtual dictator of England, Scotland and Ireland. Charles spent the next nine years in exile in France, the United Provinces and the Spanish Netherlands.

A political crisis that followed the death of Cromwell in 1658 resulted in the restoration of the monarchy, and Charles was invited to return to Britain. On 29 May 1660, his 30th birthday, he was received in London to public acclaim. After 1660, all legal documents were dated as if Charles had succeeded his father as king in 1649.

Charles's English parliament enacted laws known as the Clarendon Code, designed to shore up the position of the re-established Church of England. Charles acquiesced to the Clarendon Code even though he himself favoured a policy of religious tolerance. The major foreign policy issue of Charles's early reign was the Second Anglo-Dutch War. In 1670, Charles entered into the secret treaty of Dover, an alliance with his first cousin KingLouis XIV of France. Louis agreed to aid Charles in the Third Anglo-Dutch War and pay Charles a pension, and Charles secretly promised to convert to Roman Catholicism at an unspecified future date. Charles attempted to introducereligious freedom for Catholics and Protestant dissenters with his 1672 Royal Declaration of Indulgence, but the English Parliament forced him to withdraw it. In 1679,Titus Oates's revelations of a supposed "Popish Plot" sparked the Exclusion Crisis when it was revealed that Charles's brother and heir (James, Duke of York) was a Roman Catholic. The crisis saw the birth of the pro-exclusion Whig and anti-exclusion Toryparties. Charles sided with the Tories, and, following the discovery of the Rye House Plot to murder Charles and James in 1683, some Whig leaders were killed or forced into exile. Charles dissolved the English Parliament in 1681, and ruled alone until his death on 6 February 1685. He was received into the Roman Catholic Church on his deathbed.

Charles was popularly known as the Merrie Monarch, in reference to both the liveliness and hedonism of his court and the general relief at the return to normality after over a decade of rule by Oliver Cromwell and thePuritans. Charles's wife, Catherine of Braganza, bore no children, but Charles acknowledged at least 12 illegitimate children by various mistresses. As illegitimate children were excluded from the succession, he was succeeded by his brother James.