How to Find a Cavalier

Looking for a healthy, well-adjusted Cavalier?
Please read this first.

Hobby/Show Breeders are the people who are breeding to the AKC/CKCSC published breed standard. They will affiliate themselves with the local and/or local breed clubs. These clubs have stringent ethical guidelines that breeders must agree to. Most of these people live by the code of ethics and a love of the breed. They breed for the superior qualities they are trying to perpetuate in the Cavalier and these qualities, as well as the health of the dogs they are breeding, are of paramount importance to them. They do not always have a litter available but when they do they try to get the very best homes possible for the puppies they are not going to keep. When you contact one of these breeders you may be asked many questions. These breeders will be interested in the well-being of the dog for the remainder of its life – not in a controlling or unpleasant way but concerned about how your puppy is doing, how your puppy is developing, any health or behavioral concerns that may arise…. They will also be responsible to that puppy for its entire life in the event you can not do so for a myriad reasons. But, do not stop here either. Continue on with the next set of questions or requirements for a breeder to be choosen by you.

You only want to work with a breeder that has done the health testing on the sires and dams of puppies you are looking into purchasing. Required tests are stimulated by both valid clubs for cavaliers meaning CKCSC.org and ACKCSC.org. The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals oversees most health testing and you can research a dogs testing and results by going to their website (ofa.org).  The easiest way to research a dog, is by AKC number or the CHIC number.  Keep in mind you are researching the parents of a puppy and not the puppy or litter you are looking into purchasing.  The breeder may also have more recent testing done that is not on the website for a few reasons but the breeder should be able to provide you a copy of the testing and results.  Be sure to SEE the certification of the testing either on the OFA website, their website or be able to provide you a copy of the testing and results – do not just take their word that they were performed. One of the classic excuses poor quality breeders say is “oh…I can’t find them…I will get them to you…” or whatever other excuses not to be transparent about the dog’s health certificates.

You may contact several breeders before you find one that you are comfortable with and want to work with. Reputable breeders are comfortable with this. They will frequently refer potential puppy buyers to other qualified breeders, especially if asked to recommend someone that might have puppies when they do not. This is also a sign of a breeder who is more concerned about people finding good breeders rather than just assuring they do not lose the sale (a sure sign that someone is in it for the wrong reason).

Please, do not use the “shotgun” approach to puppy buying. This is part of what keeps the bad breeders in business allowing poorly bred dogs to continue being bred. If you do so, you are part of the problem and why we have so many poor and unhealthy purebreeds currently. Another poor excuse I hear is “…oh…I just couldn’t leave the puppy in those terrible conditions…” But, all you have done is encourage ensured that person will continue breeding after all, you just gave the ultimate reward – $$$$. Why would they stop? Perhaps not intentially, you have just become the reason they keep doing what they are doing and the problem exists. True, you may have helped that puppy but harmed many many others that come after it and those specific dogs will continue to be bred.

Check with your local AKC/CKCSC Cavalier Breed Specialty Club for a list of these breeders in your area as well as the national clubs but still do your work. They are a great place to start but these lists are NOT a card blanche approval by the clubs.

Breeders

There are several types of breeders and/or people who are selling Cavaliers in today’s market. It is very important that you know the difference. Take your time and evaluate the situation. Do not be in a hurry.

Hobby/Show Breeders

  • Backyard Breeders -This type of breeder/producer is usually the person who has a few dogs or a “pair” who breeds an occasional litter but does not have any affiliation with other breeders nor are they bound by any codes of ethics. They advertise heavy as they can’t sell their puppies by word of mouth.  They may be great family people but do not know much about what they are doing. They may or may not do health testing and may not be familiar with proper care and conditions for raising a healthy litter of puppies. These breeders will are NOT interested in the dog/puppy once it is sold. They will not help you with advice, training, or any other concerns you may have (and are not a good source for the information anyway). They will not want the puppy back if you unable to keep it or it has problems. These dogs are usually selling at prices below the qualified breeder but not always. A recent trend is poor quality producers to do some health testing trying to trick you into thinking they are not what they are. I imagine they feel they are breeding well, but they don’t understand what that even means so certainly can’t accomplish such.
  • Commercial Breeders/Pet Shops -Commercial breeders (sometimes known as puppy mills) are just what the name implies. They have a commercial breeding operation, operated for profit and most frequently sell the puppies born at their breeding establishments to pet stores although some do sell “out the door” at their kennels. Commercial breeders have large kennels with hundreds of dogs although there are some that operate on a smaller scale. Many are located in the midwest or affiliate with certain religious groups. These poor animals do not live in a family environment. The parents and the puppies usually live their lives in small wire cages. Subsequently, many have not only health problems but personality problems as well that are difficult, if not impossible, to overcome. Amazingly, these dogs are usually much more expensive than what the ethical breeder sells their dogs for.  Do not be fooled by a pet store claims that they came from a “breeder”. Pet stores have learned that most people won’t by puppy from them anymore so they have changed there approach.  No ethical breeder will sell a puppy to a pet store – it is prohibited by all of the clubs. These places pray on the consumers need for immediate gratification who are willing to overlook/accept their sales tactics.
    It is up to you to decide which type of breeder you want your puppy to come from. Are you going to enable the people “producing” dogs in these situations or take a position to support ethical breeding.
  • Importers/Breeders -These people are not breeders but instead, they import dogs from foreign puppy farms. These poor puppies are born and raised in poor conditions and typically have multiple health and personality problems. Again, this type of seller will advertise heavily. Ads frequently begin with something like, “Imported from Ireland,” or “Belgian Imports” trying to sound exotic and extra special. The dogs are usually selling at prices far below those of the ethical breeder, the parents have not had the proper health checks before breeding, and there is no way they can give any guarantees. This is a sad situation.
  • The “Waiting List” – You may be asked if you would like to be on their waiting list. This is a list that some breeders will keep of people whom they have screened and became comfortable with placing one of their puppies. A deposit may or may not be exchanged at this time. Many new Cavalier owners have waited up to a year to get a dog from the breeder of their choice. It is not the norm that a puppy is available immediately although it does happen.

Health Testing

Currently, health testing is evolving quickly especially with DNA testing. Commonly accepted screening and DNA testing will be changing as we learn things and testing improves. There are lots of recent DNA tests being offered of late and we are learning which are of value and which are not as well as how to interpret them. Be leary of a person offering all sort of DNA testing trying to giving you a false sense of security.

DE/CC/EF. These are valid DNA tests that have been around for decades. The letters stand for Dry Eye, Curly Coat and Episodic Falling. Any reputable breeder should be able to prove that a puppy you are looking at will not be affected by these conditions.

You want to review the CHIC information/testing before going to see the puppies. Depending on the results, you may need to see a copy of the certificate. It is easy to say they have been done but if the breeder can not show you copies and/or you can not find evidence of them on the OFA web-site, ASSUME THEY DO NOT EXIST. Many dogs will have CHIC numbers that are published on the breeders website but not all. I know many intelligent people who were told the health test were done but the breeder was never able to and never did give them the copies (translation–they were not done or results were not ideal). These people know that once you see the puppy and are excited about bringing home a puppy, you will overlook the issue.

The appropriate parent club health tests for Cavaliers are as follows:

  • HEART–Mitral valve disease is a common concern in the breed. Hearts should tested yearly by a board-certified specialist (not a general practitioner). The ideal is to have a depth of history – meaning there will also be current information on the grandparent as well, or even further back. But, that can be challenging – (1) once a dog is no longer being breed, most people will not continue to do the testing due to expense and inconvenience, (2) unless the breeder owns the dog, he or she does not have control of whether the testing is done or not, and (3) many people will not report the finding when it a heart murmur leaving it an unknown – is the dog no longer being done or is it not being reported because it has a heart murmur?  For these reasons, it is invaluable to work with a breeder who you trust to be doing the best possible to breed healthy hearts. Talk to other breeders…we tend to know who is doing things well and who is not. Some Cavalier owners also know who is doing things will but that can be hit and miss.
  • EYES–Sire and dam should also be done yearly (CERF – Canine Eye Registration Foundation) by a canine opthamologist (It is also acceptable to do every second year especially if the breeder knows the lines they are working with). Most opthamologists will report ANY finding. Some of the findings are more important than others. Some potentially less important findings are categorized as “breeder option diagnosis” meaning the finding is reported and it is up the breeder how to use that finding. An example is distichia which is miss-placed eyelashes. They may or may not cause problems but will and should always be noted on the report. Good breeders will factor this information into choosing to breed a dog and, if so, which dog to breed to.
  • PATELLAE & HIPS–Hips and patellae (kneecaps) should be checked by a veterinarian before breeding. Hips are radiographed and sent to OFA (Orthopedic Foundation of America) for certification. They are given a score from best to worst as follows: Excellent, good, fair, borderline, or dysplastic from mild, moderate or severe. Dogs must be 2 yrs old before OFA will rate the hips – sometimes “preliminaries” are occasionally reviewed without scores before the dog is 2. Patellae are palpated and results should be sent to OFA which also keeps a database of patella certifications which are classified as normal up to a grade 4 luxation. Each side is graded independently. There is zero reason to breed a dog without passing patellas.
  • CHIC Certification–This acronym stands for Canine Health Information Center. AKC and OFA awards a CHIC certification and number when a dog has completed all the testing required, regardless what the results of the tests are. Each breed’s AKC parent club decides on what those tests should be.

Points to Remember

  1. In the US, the dog should be registered with the AKC and/or the CKCSC (the Cavaliers Club that regulated the breed prior to its acceptance into AKC – it is valid) but this is just the first hoop.
  2. Do not deal with someone USDA registered or any other bogus registry. These are commercial breeding farms, commonly referred to as puppy mills. Do not buy from a pet store. They are almost always supplied by puppy mills but definitely not a quality breeder, no matter what they say. It is against the Code of Ethics of Cavalier Clubs to sell to a broker or pet store, or to supply a dog for an auction or raffle.  A quality, ethical breeder will not do that.
  3. You should be able to find or ask questions and be comfortable with the answers to questions you have.  Ask as many questions of the breeder as a reputable one will be asking you—where the puppies were raised, what the breeder did to socialize them, what clubs the breeder belongs to, what good points the parents have, what are their less appealing qualities, do you own one or both of the parents and why, who is their veterinarian and if they can supply references. If the parents are not being shown (and winning!) ask who evaluated them as breeding quality–besides the breeder!! Be comfortable with the answers you get.
  4. If the puppies are still young, make certain the Mother is present with her puppies and if possible, ask to meet the sire too. If the sire is not available (many times they are not which okay), ask questions regarding the father’s health and temperament. You should be able to find the sire on a website and the breeder will have information about him. If the sire is not tested and available for viewing on a website, it is likely a backyard type breeding. Be sure the mother has a good temperament. The mother will influence the puppies more than the father, because she exerts an environmental influence over the puppies as well as genetic influence.
  5. Product requirements/warranty or guarantee stipulations – anyone who is selling a puppy and requires you to use a specific food, vitamin or product in order to either have your puppy or for the guarantee to be enforced is NOT legit. This is a method to ensure an income stream and/or nullify their “guarantee” neither of which is appropriate. Go elsewhere where you and/or you and your veterinarian can decide what is best for your dog. Most guarantees are useless – no one brings a puppy back after they get it home. Someone who highlights the guarantee is using it at a sales tactic to make you feel comfortable. You should be comfortable with the breeder and know people who have puppies from them or be able to talk to other owners.
  6. Reputable breeders will affiliate themselves with local and/or the national breed club. This also binds them to their breed ethics which are quite stringent and intended to protect the breed. Someone not affiliated with these clubs, are looking to profit from the dogs and you and/or do not know what they are doing. Period. Don’t be fooled.
  7. Buy the breeder first and then the dog. You want someone experienced and knowledgeable who you will be comfortable with for the lifetime of the dog. They should be there to answer an appropriate amount of questions as time goes on. They will want to know of any problems you are having and will require you to notify them if you are unable at any time for any reason to keep the dog and want to take the dog back without issue.
  8. Ask questions before deciding whether to even go meet a breeder/see puppies so you DON’T make an impulse purchase (which is what keeps the sub-par breeders that do bad things for dogs in business – it is up to you not to give them the support!). Decide ahead of time that you will not be impulsive. Give yourself some time to reflect on puppies you see and the information you receive from a breeder.
  9. Red flags–”I have any color, male or female available right now,” “The whole litter is show quality,” “The testing is not necessary,” “If you don’t trust my word, I don’t want to deal with you,” “My lines have no problems.” “Let’s meet at the local Sam’s…convience store…whatever”.  Are they dodging the questions about health certificates and testing?  It is uncommon that a good breeder will have multiple litters and puppies to choose from – be very leery of a cavalier breeder who has many litters and puppies consistently and at the same time and long wait list requiring deposits. There is a local breeder in my area that has made enormous amounts of money by taking deposits knowing they will go elsewhere before she gets them a puppy or they become wise to her poor breeding programs and forfeit the deposit.