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Smart Owner's Guide
Cavalier King Charles Spaniel (HC) (Smart Owner's Guide
Dedicated to the world's most elegant, intelligent, and affectionate toy dog, the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, this Smart Owner's Guide from the editors at Dog Fancy magazine offers the most up-to-date and accurate information every dog owner needs to become a well-informed caregiver for their dog. Illustrated with color photographs of adorable puppies and handsome adults, this easy-to-read primer is designed in a modern, lively manner that readers will find user-friendly and entertaining. Each Smart Owner's Guide offers a description of the breed's character and physical conformation, historical overview, and its attributes as a companion dog. The reader will find informative chapters on everything they need to know about acquiring, raising, and training this remarkable purebred dog, *Finding a breeder and selecting a healthy, sound puppy *Preparing for the puppy's homecoming, shopping for supplies, and puppy-proofing the home *House-training *Veterinary and home health maintenance *Feeding and nutrition *Grooming *Obedience training for basic cues (sit, stay, heel, come, etc.) *Solving potential problem behaviors (barking, chewing, aggression, jumping up, etc.) *Activities to enjoy with the dog, including showing, agility, and therapy work *And more! Entertaining tidbits and smart advice fill up colorful sidebars in every chapter. Real-life heroes and rescue stories are retold in full-page features. Recipes, training, and care tips are highlighted in feature pages. The Resources section of the book includes contact information for breed-related organizations and rescues as well as practical guidance on traveling with dogs, identification, and locating qualified professionals to assist the dog owner, such as pet sitters, trainers, and boarding facilities. This information-packed Smart Owner's Guide is fully indexed. With 135 photographs of dogs and puppies.
176 pages, Hardcover
First published May 3, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
June 16, 2023
I only occasionally pick up breed books in thrift stores, but if it looks nice and is also something I can give away later when I meet someone who has a dog of the breed I do. This book on the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel looked shiny and nice so I got it and then read through the parts I wanted.
I will start with what I don’t like, but maybe won’t bother other people. On the front cover, and the back cover, and about every fourth page, there were pleadings to go to their FREE online Cavalier resource. I found this too much.
OK, I like the breed well enough, although I think their faces are smooshed in a bit too much. As they are described in this book, it sounds like any other good dog to me. I did learn some things though. The book said it is the largest of the toy breeds for start.
I knew of course a bit of the link with King Charles, where the breed got his name, but didn’t know it was the Charles’ heir, King Charles II (known as the Merry Monarch) who helped distinguish the breen from other toy spaniels. One bit also mentions:
‘Charles and his brother, James II, had a pact to continue breeding the toy spaniels, even in the event of Charles’ death. James was so committed to the preservation of the dogs that one story tells of a shipwreck in which James was heard yelling, “Save the dogs! And, as if an afterthought, “… and the Duke of Monmouth.”’
The AKC wanted to bring them into their fold, (bring them out of the Miscellaneous Class), and there was the usual squabble with the main club for the breed, the CKCSC, voting not to accept the role as parent club for the AKC, so 12 members decided in 1994 to accept the responsibility of forming a Parent club that would work with the AKC.
The pictures are overall good. The also often have a ‘Notable & Quotable’ caption under it, none of which struct me as too insightful, like the following example:
‘I suggest that puppy buyers ‘buy’ a breeder first, then wait for the pup. In other words, find someone you like and trust.’ – Christine Solomon, a Cavalier breeder from Long Grove, Ill.
I also learned that ‘About one-third of Cavaliers have macrothrombocytosis (unusually large blood platelets) or asymptomatic thrombocytopenia (unusually low platelet count), which are relatively harmless conditions seen only in this breed.’
One other thing I learned was that as dogs get older, they need more protein in their diet to help them maintain their ideal body condition. Maybe I am the late to learn this but didn’t know. As my last dog had kidney problems, I would have thought less to help avoid kidney problems. Guess I will have to investigate that when my current dog gets older.
So, I learned a few things in the book. Otherwise, normal stuff on the breed, grooming, diet, and basics of training. It seems like an adequate breed book that I will probably give away when I meet someone with a Cav. Not one I would recommend for anyone who didn’t have one.
I will start with what I don’t like, but maybe won’t bother other people. On the front cover, and the back cover, and about every fourth page, there were pleadings to go to their FREE online Cavalier resource. I found this too much.
OK, I like the breed well enough, although I think their faces are smooshed in a bit too much. As they are described in this book, it sounds like any other good dog to me. I did learn some things though. The book said it is the largest of the toy breeds for start.
I knew of course a bit of the link with King Charles, where the breed got his name, but didn’t know it was the Charles’ heir, King Charles II (known as the Merry Monarch) who helped distinguish the breen from other toy spaniels. One bit also mentions:
‘Charles and his brother, James II, had a pact to continue breeding the toy spaniels, even in the event of Charles’ death. James was so committed to the preservation of the dogs that one story tells of a shipwreck in which James was heard yelling, “Save the dogs! And, as if an afterthought, “… and the Duke of Monmouth.”’
The AKC wanted to bring them into their fold, (bring them out of the Miscellaneous Class), and there was the usual squabble with the main club for the breed, the CKCSC, voting not to accept the role as parent club for the AKC, so 12 members decided in 1994 to accept the responsibility of forming a Parent club that would work with the AKC.
The pictures are overall good. The also often have a ‘Notable & Quotable’ caption under it, none of which struct me as too insightful, like the following example:
‘I suggest that puppy buyers ‘buy’ a breeder first, then wait for the pup. In other words, find someone you like and trust.’ – Christine Solomon, a Cavalier breeder from Long Grove, Ill.
I also learned that ‘About one-third of Cavaliers have macrothrombocytosis (unusually large blood platelets) or asymptomatic thrombocytopenia (unusually low platelet count), which are relatively harmless conditions seen only in this breed.’
One other thing I learned was that as dogs get older, they need more protein in their diet to help them maintain their ideal body condition. Maybe I am the late to learn this but didn’t know. As my last dog had kidney problems, I would have thought less to help avoid kidney problems. Guess I will have to investigate that when my current dog gets older.
So, I learned a few things in the book. Otherwise, normal stuff on the breed, grooming, diet, and basics of training. It seems like an adequate breed book that I will probably give away when I meet someone with a Cav. Not one I would recommend for anyone who didn’t have one.
November 13, 2017
There isn't much to say about this book other than it provided great information on how to take care of my beautiful dog. However, I will say that this book will really only be fun to certain people. Those of us who have a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel or are hoping/planning to get one and those of us who just really love dogs and enjoy learning about them. So please give this book a try if you are willing, but remember it may be "boring" if there really is not any reason why you should read it.
March 4, 2019
Pretty good, although there are a lot of little "ads" thrown in to "login to find out more" or "join our online club!" that got old after a bit.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews