King Charles Spaniel Breed Standard

General Appearance
Refined, compact and cobby.

Characteristics
Happy, intelligent, toy spaniel, with distinctive domed head.

Temperament
Reserved, gentle and affectionate.

Head and skull
Skull large in comparison to size, well domed, full over eyes. Nose blackwith large, wide-open nostrils, very short and turned up to meet skull. Stop between skull and nose well defined. Muzzle square, wide and deep, well turned up, lower jaw wide, lips exactly meeting, giving nice finish. Cheeks not falling away under eyes, but well cushioned.

Eyes
Very large and dark, set wide apart, eyelids block square to face line, pleasing expression.

Ears
Set on low, hanging quite flat to cheeks, very long and well feathered.

Mouth
Bite should be slightly undershot. Protruding tongue hightly undesirable.

Neck
Of medium length, arched giving proud carriage of head.

Forequarters
Legs short, straight. Shoulders well laid back, elbows close to rib cage.

Body
Chest wide and deep, back short and level.

Hindquarters
Sufficient muscle to give positive driving movement, stifles well bent, hocks well let down and defined. Stright when viewed from behind, turned neither in nor out.

Feet
Compact, well padded and feathered, toes well knuckled, round cat-shaped foot, well cushioned, pasterns firm. Occasionally central pads and nails fused togehter.

Tail
Docking optional *
Docked: Well feathered, not carried over or above level of back.
Undocked: Well feathered, not carried over or above level of back. In overall balance with the rest of the dog.

Gait / Movement
Free, active and elegant, driving from behind. Sound movement highly desirable.

Coat
Long, silky and straight, slight wave allowed, never curly. Legs, ears and tail profusely feathered.

Colour
Black and tan: Rich glossy black, with bright mahogany-tan markings on muzzle, legs, chest, linings of ears, under tail and spots over eyes. White patch on chest undesirable.
Tricolour: Ground pearly white, with well distributed black patches, brillinant tan markings on cheeks, linings of ears, under tail and spots over eyes. Wide white blaze between eyes and up to forehead.
Blenheim: Ground pearly white, with well distributed chestnut-red patches. Wide, clear blaze with the spot in centre of skull, should be a clear chestnut ed mark about a size of a penny.
Ruby: Whole coloured, rich chestnut red. White patch on chest highly undesirable.

Size
Weight: 3,6 - 6,3 kgs (8 - 14 lbs).

Faults
Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree and its upon the health and welfare of the dog.

Note
Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scotum.

• Docking is forbidden by law in Norway. Docked dogs are not aloud to be shown.