Cavalier King Charles Spaniel: Size, Colours, Lifespan
The Cavalier is a small, silky companion spaniel in four colours, and the breed most strongly linked to heart valve disease. Here's its size, how Blenheim, tricolour, ruby and black and tan are inherited, what large studies found about heart disease and lifespan, and how it relates to the Cavapoo.
By PuppyGenes · How we research and write our guides
The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is a small companion spaniel, 30 to 33 cm tall and 5.5 to 8 kg, with a long, silky coat in four colours: Blenheim, tricolour, ruby and black and tan. It was Canada's eighth most popular breed in 2025. It's also the breed most strongly linked to degenerative mitral valve disease: in English veterinary records, Cavaliers had about 47 times the odds of a diagnosis compared with crossbred dogs.
At a glance
| Trait | Cavalier King Charles Spaniel |
|---|---|
| Size | 30 to 33 cm and 5.5 to 8 kg |
| Coat | Long and silky, sometimes slightly wavy, with feathering; no trimming needed |
| Colours | Blenheim, tricolour, ruby, black and tan |
| CKC group | Toy |
| Origin | Recreated in England from 1926 to match the spaniels in King Charles II's portraits |
| Median lifespan | About 9.8 years in a UK Kennel Club survey |
| Popularity | No. 8 in Canada |
A breed recreated from old portraits
King Charles II of England favoured small spaniels, which became known as King Charles Spaniels. Later breeders crossed them toward a snub-nosed, round-headed look, and by the 1920s the long-nosed dogs of the old royal portraits had disappeared. The CKC's breed page tells how, in 1926, a wealthy American offered prizes at Crufts for the dogs that most resembled them. British breeders took up the challenge, and by 1945 the recreated breed was established, named the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel to set it apart from the snub-nosed King Charles.
Four colours, two kinds of genes
| Colour | What it looks like | What makes it |
|---|---|---|
| Blenheim | Bright red-chestnut markings on a pearly white background | Red pigment plus white spotting |
| Tricolour | Black markings on white, with tan over the eyes, on the cheeks, inside the ears, on the legs and under the tail | Black with tan points, plus white spotting |
| Ruby | Solid rich red | Red pigment, no white spotting |
| Black and tan | Jet black with tan markings | Black with tan points, no white spotting |
Two choices explain all four colours: whether the coat is red or black with tan points, and whether it has white spotting. The tan points come from the tan-points version of the agouti gene, which a dog usually inherits from both parents, as a 2011 study showed, and the white comes from white-spotting genes. Our coat colour hub explains how these genes interact, and our guide to the Cavapoo shows how Cavalier colours combine with the Poodle's.
Heart disease and lifespan
Degenerative mitral valve disease, a slow failure of one of the heart's valves, is far more common in Cavaliers than in other dogs. In a study of 111,967 dogs at 93 English vet practices, Cavaliers made up about a third of the dogs diagnosed with it, 131 of 405, while making up less than 2% of the other dogs. After accounting for age, sex, weight and insurance, Cavaliers had about 47 times the odds of a diagnosis compared with crossbred dogs.
Owners' reports point the same way. In a UK Kennel Club survey, heart failure, at 19.8%, and cardiomyopathy, at 10.8%, together accounted for about three in ten of the Cavalier deaths reported, and the median age at death of 222 Cavaliers was 117 months, about 9.8 years. A 2022 study of UK veterinary records put the breed's life expectancy at birth at about 10.5 years.
Regular vet checks can pick up a heart murmur early, and it's reasonable to ask a breeder about heart checks in the puppy's parents. The PuppyGenes report doesn't include genetic disease or health screening, so health questions belong with your vet.
Temperament
The CKC describes the Cavalier as gentle and affectionate, with a happy, sporting and fearless nature; early in its history it was known as the "comforter". It's a born lapdog whose exercise needs are easily met, and it's relatively quiet and calm. In a 2026 UK study of owner-reported behaviour in 9,402 dogs, Cavaliers scored better than Cavapoos on 8 behaviour scales, including fear, excitability and separation-related problems, while Cavapoos scored better on trainability.
Breed is still a loose guide to any one dog. A 2022 study of more than 18,000 dogs found breed explains only about 9% of behavioural differences between individual dogs.
Cavaliers and Cavapoos
The Cavalier is one parent of the Cavapoo, usually crossed with a Miniature or Toy Poodle. Our guide to the Cavapoo covers its size, coat, colours and behaviour research, and our list of the most popular dog breeds in Canada shows the two regions where the Cavalier makes the top five: central Ontario and Saskatchewan. If you're weighing a test, our guides to whether dog DNA tests are legit and dog DNA testing in Canada cover what to check before you buy.
Frequently asked questions
- How big do Cavalier King Charles Spaniels get?
- About 30 to 33 cm at the shoulder and 5.5 to 8 kg, according to the CKC.
- How long do Cavaliers live?
- About 10 years on average. A UK Kennel Club survey found a median age at death of about 9.8 years, and UK veterinary records gave a life expectancy at birth of about 10.5 years.
- What colours do Cavaliers come in?
- Four: Blenheim, which is red-chestnut on white; tricolour, which is black and white with tan; ruby, which is solid red; and black and tan.
- What is a Blenheim Cavalier?
- A Cavalier with bright red-chestnut markings on a pearly white coat. It combines red pigment with white spotting.
- Do Cavaliers get heart disease?
- They're strongly predisposed to degenerative mitral valve disease: in one English study, they had about 47 times the odds of a diagnosis compared with crossbred dogs. Regular vet checks can pick up a heart murmur early.
- What's the difference between a Cavalier and a Cavapoo?
- A Cavapoo is a cross between a Cavalier and a Poodle, usually a Miniature or Toy. Cavapoos often have wavy or curly coats and shed less, and their size depends on the Poodle parent.
From general to personal
See how this applies to your dog specifically.
Our at-home Complete Dog DNA Test adds your dog's own results to these tips across six report sections: breed ancestry, coat colour, physical appearance, temperament and size predictions, genetic diversity and oral microbiome. The report does not include genetic disease or health screening.