How old should a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel be before trying to train it to sit, heel etc?

Most Cavalier King Charles Spaniel breeders will not place a puppy until at least 10 weeks of age and many 12 weeks of age. I recommend beginning basic training at 10 weeks or as soon as you bring your puppy home. You will want to keep the training sessions very short at this early age and the training must be fun at all times without anything negative in any way. By starting your training early with your puppy you and your puppy will both enjoy the deeper bond it forms between you and your puppy.

What is the best chew bone for my Cavalier King Charles Spaniel?

I give my Cavaliers cow-knuckle bones that can be found at Petsmart, Petco, and most pet stores. They are a rather large knuckle bone so when you first see them you might think they are too large for your Cavaliers, but your Cavalier will lay beside the bone and chew on it and will not have any problems enjoying it even though they are rather large. Over time your Cavalier will chew the bone down. Since I have been giving my Cavaliers these bones I have not had to put them under anesthesia to get their teeth cleaned. Their natural chewing on these bones have helped tremendously with keeping their teeth clean naturally and they really enjoy them.

How do you train out a gay tail in a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel?

Many trainers use a stick of some sort, similar to a yard stick. Something so you can remain standing. When the tail goes up just lightly tap it and say "Tail Down". Once your dog has caught on to keeping the tail down when you have the yard stick switch the training item to something small like a glove or something. Begin to use the glove to train the tail and once the glove becomes the training item you can then carry the glove into the show ring with you and put it in your pocket to show your dog if the tail begins to rise without having to say anything. It can take some time for the dog to connect with what you are trying to teach him so prepare yourself to be patient and give it time...might even be a month or two, so do not rush it. Remember to keep it at just a simple tap without heavy scolding of any kind because Cavaliers can easily loose their happy attitude if you scare them into any type of submission. You are slimply trying to teach them to recognize their tail and then to recognize that you prefer it down when you are in their presence. Over time with gentle persuasion you can accomplish training the tail without losing your happy temperament in the process.

My new Cavalier King Charles Spaniel puppy likes to chew on my hands. What is the best way to get her to stop chewing on my hands?

All Cavalier King Charles Spaniel puppies go through a teething stage up to around 6 months of age. Puppies begin erupting teeth around 3 weeks of age and by 10 weeks of age they have a good stong set of choppers that can really smart and especially if chewing on your hands. I give a light tap on the nose and say "No" right at the moment a Cavlier puppy begins to chew or mouth on my hands. They usually get the message after the 2nd or 3rd tap and stop. I also hand them a toy that they can chew on. If you do not give them something to chew on in place of your hands it can cause them to begin to want to stay clear of your hands so by giving them a toy you quickly change their attention from your hands to the toy.

I am looking for a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel puppy to purchase and several breeders have warned me about the heart disorder in Cavaliers. What should I look for when interviewing with breeders?

Make sure that both parents of the puppy you are considering to purchase have been heart cleared within the past 12 months by a cardiologist preferrably. Also try to obtain information about the heart clearances on ancestries for each parent. Heart murmurs are believed to be inherited through a polygenic mode of inheritance. All dogs have heart disease in their genetic history, however the Cavalier often shows signs earlier than most other breeds and therefore the studies in Cavaliers have been more extensive than other breeds. Polygenic genes are believed to need a specific number of markers passed on for the disorder to appear. One parent cannot give enough markers to cause the disorder and it takes two parents to pass on markers that add up to the certain number needed to cause the disorder to appear. Most Cavaliers probably carry markers, but at this time a specific marker or DNA profile has not been established. If you are getting a puppy from a breeder who has several generations of heart certifications then you will have more information to go on, but polygenic genes can skip many generations before they appear again, so Cavalier breeders cannot guarantee you that a puppy will not develop a heart problem. Most breeders will do the very best they can to breed away from heart issues and will give you some type of health guarantee to help you get a replacement puppy, while keeping the affected puppy, should the unexpected happen. Polygenic genes are also affected by diet and environment, so these two areas become the new owner's responsibility. If a Cavalier is raised in a home with a smoker then the second-hand smoke could be the tipping point to cause the heart disorder to appear. If the new owner is feeding a grocery store type dog food then diet can play a huge role in causing the heart disorder to appear. You will need to really discuss the best options with your breeder about the genetic background along with recommended diet and environment to give your puppy the best opportunity to live a long and healthy life.