Other names: English Toy Spaniel, Toy Spaniel, Charlies, Prince Charles Spaniel, Ruby Spaniel, and Blenheim Spaniel.

King Charles Spaniel (also known as the English Toy Spaniel) is a small dog breed of the spaniel type. In 1903, the Kennel Club combined four separate toy spaniel breeds under this single title. The other varieties merged into this breed were the Blenheim, Ruby, and Prince Charles Spaniels, each of which contributed one of the four colors available in the breed.

Thought to have originated in East Asia, toy spaniels were first seen in Europe during the 16th century. They were made famous by their association with King Charles II of Great Britain and Ireland (1630–1685) and have been linked with British royalty since the time of Queen Mary I (1516–1558). Members of the breed were owned by Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia.

King Charles Spaniel and the other types of toy spaniels were crossbred with the Pug in the early 19th century to reduce the size of the nose, as was the style of the day. The 20th century saw attempts to restore lines of King Charles Spaniels to the breed of Charles II’s time. These included the unsuccessful Toy Trawler Spaniel and the now popular Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. The Cavalier is slightly larger, with a flat head and a longer nose, while King Charles is smaller, with a domed head and a flat face.

Historically the breeds that were merged into King Charles Spaniel were used for hunting; due to their stature, they were not well suited. They have kept their hunting instincts, but do not exhibit high energy and are better suited to being lapdogs. The modern breed is prone to several health problems, including cardiac conditions and a range of eye problems.

History

It is thought that the toy spaniels that eventually became King Charles Spaniel originated in East Asia, primarily Japan. They may share a common ancestry with the Pekingese and Japanese Chin. Toy spaniels were given as gifts to European royalty.

The red and white variety of toy spaniel was first seen in paintings by Titian, including the Venus of Urbino (1538), where a small dog is used as a symbol of female seductiveness. Further paintings featuring these toy spaniels were created by Palma Vecchio and Paolo Veronese during the 16th century. These dogs already had high domed heads with short noses, although the muzzles were more pointed than they are today. These Italian toy spaniels may have been crossed with local small dogs such as the Maltese and also with imported Chinese dogs. The Papillon is the continental descendant of similar toy-sized spaniels.

The earliest recorded appearance of a toy spaniel in England was in a painting of Queen Mary I and King Philip. Mary, Queen of Scots (1542–1587), was also fond of small toy dogs, including spaniels, showing the fondness of the British royalty for these types of dogs before Charles II.

King Henry III of France (1551–1589) owned a number of small spaniels, which were called Damarets. Although one of the translations of John Caius’ 1570 Latin work De Canibus Britannicis talks of “a new type of Spaniel brought out of France, rare, strange, and hard to get”, this was an addition in a later translation and was not in the original text. Caius did discuss the “Spaniel-gentle, or Comforter” though, which he classified as a delicate thoroughbred. This spaniel was thought to originate from Malta and was sought out only as a lapdog for “daintie dames”.

Captain John Saris may have brought back examples of toy spaniels from his voyage to Japan in 1613, a theory proposed by Commodore Matthew C. Perry during his expeditions to Japan on behalf of the United States in the mid-19th century. He noted that dogs were a common gift and thought that the earlier voyage of Captain Saris introduced a Japanese type of spaniel into England.

Description

King Charles has large dark eyes, a short nose, a high domed head, and a line of black skin around the mouth. On average, it stands 9 to 11 inches (23 to 28 cm) at the withers, with a small but compact body. The breed has a traditionally docked tail. It has the long pendulous ears typical of a spaniel and its coat comes in four varieties, trait it shares with its offshoot, the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.

The four sets of markings reflect the four former breeds from which the modern breed was derived. Black and tan markings are known as “King Charles”, while “Prince Charles” is tricolored, “Blenheim” is red and white, and “Ruby” is a single-colored solid rich red. The “King Charles” black and tan markings typically consist of a black coat with mahogany/tan markings on the face, legs, and chest and under the tail. The tricolored “Prince Charles” is mostly white with black patches and mahogany/tan markings in similar locations to the “King Charles”. The “Blenheim” has a white coat with red patches and should have a distinctive red spot in the center of the skull.

King Charles Spaniels are often mistaken for Cavalier King Charles Spaniels. There are several significant differences between the two breeds, the principal being the size. While the Cavalier weighs on average between 13 to 18 pounds (5.9 to 8.2 kg), King Charles is smaller at 8 to 14 pounds (3.6 to 6.4 kg). In addition, their facial features, while similar, are distinguishable: the Cavalier’s ears are set higher and its skull is flat, while King Charles’ is domed. Finally, the muzzle length of King Charles tends to be shorter than the typical muzzle on a Cavalier.

The American Kennel Club has two classes, English Toy Spaniel (B/PC) (Blenheim and Prince Charles) and English Toy Spaniel (R/KC), while in the UK, the Kennel Club places the breed in a single class. Under the FCI groups, King Charles is placed in the English Toy Spaniel section within the Companion and Toy Dog Group, along with the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.

Temperament

King Charles is a friendly breed, to the extent that it is not typically as suitable as a watchdog as some breeds, though it may still bark to warn its owners of an approaching visitor. It is not a high energy breed and enjoys the company of family members, being primarily a lapdog. Although able to bond well with children and tolerant of them, it will not accept rough handling. It prefers not to be left alone for long periods. Known as one of the quietest toy breeds, it is suitable for apartment living.

The breed can tolerate other pets well, although King Charles still has the hunting instincts of its ancestors and may not always be friendly towards smaller animals. It is intelligent enough to be used for obedience work and, due to its stable temperament, it can be a successful therapy dog for hospitals and nursing homes.