Hi

[Carol S]

Join our free community today.

Connect with other like-minded dog lovers!

Login or Register

Hi and thank you for letting me join. We are hoping to welcome either a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel or a Cavachon puppy in the next few weeks and hoping to get some advice about the breeds.
My husband and I are both retired so plenty of time to give to a puppy. We lost both our two Shih Tzu’s in the last couple of years they were both 13 years of age we had them from small puppies but that is along time ago so probably much has changed.
Thank you for reading this.

 

[JoanneF]

Hello and welcome to the forum, a new puppy is always exciting!

I'm not sure what sort of advice you are looking for, but since cavaliers have quite a lot of health issues, I'd strongly recommend you look for a breeder that can show a history of no heart or CM/SM (spinal problems) for several generations back.

 

[Carol S]

Hello and welcome to the forum, a new puppy is always exciting!

I'm not sure what sort of advice you are looking for, but since cavaliers have quite a lot of health issues, I'd strongly recommend you look for a breeder that can show a history of no heart or CM/SM (spinal problems) for several generations back.

 

[JudyN]

Welcome to the forum

 

[Carol S]

Hi Joanne thank you for your reply. I was wondering if there were other members on here that have either a Cavalier or Cavachon that would be able to give advice on feeding and general advice of the breed. I have done quite a lot of research and am aware that they are susceptible to a Mitral valve problem. I would only be looking for a puppy whose parents were health / DNA tested. Also would only consider a Licenced breeder. The reason we are thinking of a Cavalier or Cavachon as to their calm nature rather than an energetic breed.

 

[Carol S]

Welcome to the forum

Thank you Judy x

 

[excuseme]

Beware of puppy farmer's, they will also have a breeder licence

 

[Carol S]

Beware of puppy farmer's, they will also have a breeder licence

Thank very much Excuseme. It is very difficult to find a puppy these days where the breeder is genuine and dedicated to the breed. x

 

[JoanneF]

@excuseme is right - you only need a license if you are producing several litters a year. That isn't actually a good thing, a licensed breeder is one I personally would avoid.

Please read this thread, and do come back with questions.

Puppy Farming

If you find a breeder you like, and would like us to check their website for red flags, please ask. We would be happy to do that.

 

[Carol S]

Thank you so much for that it was very helpful.I thought that if a breeder has a breeders licence they can be visited by the council un-announced at any time and they could be closed down if the conditions were found to be poor. It is a bit of a minefield really isn’t it? I thought I was doing the right thing by only considering a licenced breeder. x

 

[JoanneF]

You are right, it's a massive minefield. Scammers in any field are utter scum, but when it comes to puppies, they tug on all the emotional heartstrings too. And people who think they are 'saving' a puppy are often just leaving an opening for a poor dam to be bred again and again.

But I'm glad you joined us, we will do whatever we can to help you find a responsibly bred pup, if you want us to.

 

[Carol S]

You are right, it's a massive minefield. Scammers in any field are utter scum, but when it comes to puppies, they tug on all the emotional heartstrings too. And people who think they are 'saving' a puppy are often just leaving an opening for a poor dam to be bred again and again.

But I'm glad you joined us, we will do whatever we can to help you find a responsibly bred pup, if you want us to.

That is very kind, thank you. Wales unfortunately has a bad reputation for puppy farming which makes it a lot more tricky as that is where we live in west Wales and we don’t want to travel too far.

 

[JoanneF]

You might want to steer clear of crossbreeds like the cavachon you mentioned then. They are very seldom bred responsibly. If a breeder is going to spend the time, the effort and the expense of testing their dogs for being suitable for breeding, it's normally for the love of the breed so they see unlikely to breed with a different one.

What about rescue?

 

[arealhuman]

Hello and welcome! @JoanneF beat me to it - can you find a reputable rescue nearby? Our first rescue dog, Jimmy, although he was Croatian, came from a Welsh rescue (and we're not in Wales!).

 

[Carol S]

Hello and welcome! @JoanneF beat me to it - can you find a reputable rescue nearby? Our first rescue dog, Jimmy, although he was Croatian, came from a Welsh rescue (and we're not in Wales!).

Hello and welcome! @JoanneF beat me to it - can you find a reputable rescue nearby? Our first rescue dog, Jimmy, although he was Croatian, came from a Welsh rescue (and we're not in Wales!).

Hi arealhuman. Yes we are more than happy to look for a rescue dog or puppy. I have a couple of concerns though. One is that our nearest rescue says in the Adoption policy that they will retain ownership dog the dog. This sounds to me like the new “ owner” is fostering and not the real owner of the dog/ puppy. In other words we would be paying for its feed, vet bills etc and not be the real owner. The other concern is they may think our garden is not suitable as it is very big. The boundary hedges are above a tall bank and to fence it all would be very expensive. That said our two Shih Tzu’s never ever ventured out of the property and I was always with them anyway. x
.

 

[Flobo]

Hi and welcome from me too. I can't add any more really, puppy farming is rife and yes it is a minefield out there when looking for a pup. Other than rescue centres there are CKCS specific rescues, it might be worth a look if you're not dead set on a pup? It sounds like you could be perfect for a dog in need...

 

[Carol S]

Hi and welcome from me too. I can't add any more really, puppy farming is rife and yes it is a minefield out there when looking for a pup. Other than rescue centres there are CKCS specific rescues, it might be worth a look if you're not dead set on a pup? It sounds like you could be perfect for a dog in need...

Hi Flobo. I was going to look at the CKC S rescue centres to see if there was one in west Wales or not too much further than that area. We are both retired so have all the time in the world to give to this search. But as my hubby is recovering from hip replacement surgery he doesn’t want to travel too far. Also when we bought our last dog sadly no longer with us , we bought from a breeder in north Wales she didn’t travel very well at all , and I am sure that was the reason she never was good in the car throughout her life.x

 

[arealhuman]

our nearest rescue says in the Adoption policy that they will retain ownership dog the dog. This sounds to me like the new “ owner” is fostering and not the real owner of the dog/ puppy. In other words we would be paying for its feed, vet bills etc and not be the real owner.

I don't think that's out of the ordinary, I guess it's so they can easily get the dog back if the find it's being neglected or ill treated. I'm sure this was in our first rescue dog's paperwork, not sure about our current one without checking. You'd be paying for food, vet bills and so on if you owned the dog.

The other concern is they may think our garden is not suitable as it is very big. The boundary hedges are above a tall bank and to fence it all would be very expensive. That said our two Shih Tzu’s never ever ventured out of the property and I was always with them anyway. x
.

Most adoption centres will do a home visit to check this stuff. Our last one was virtual, following on from COVID. I had to take photos of our garden and inside the house, as well as video, and tell them the height of our garden fences. One was deemed a bit short, but is only for a small length in the garden and our dog demonstrably can't jump that high! It would be a different matter for a larger dog, though.

Obviously you'll do what suits your circumstances, but I'd not discount a rescue dog just yet. Any questions, please ask, several of us on here have rescue dogs

 

[Hemlock]

We posted at the same time!

It makes good sense to get in touch with a CKC-specific centre. These breed centres are often far more tuned in to their particular breed than dog rescue centres, which latter vary very much in competence and dog-savvy - ness (I used to work with certain rescues on a volunteer basis back in the day). Being mostly staffed by volunteers, one doesn't always get the best of information. Also there is nothing to stop them supplying a dog from a puppy farm that is every bit as much of a health disaster as any one you could have bought directly from the breeder.

Re: garden - yes you need a dogproof fenced area but it doesn't have to be the whole garden. For instance, we have the third nearest the house fenced.

Regarding who owns the Rescue Centre dog if one of those contracts you mention is in place - this is a real minefield, and I'd suggest if you want a dog that comes with this to talk to a dog-specific solicitor before you commit.

 

[JudyN]

Why don't you ask your nearest rescue if you could discuss what their ownership clause entails, and explain that you're worried they might take the dog back? You could also describe your garden and your situation in general, and see what they say. Some rescues will have strict policies about fencing and similar, others are more happy to judge on an individual basis and see if there's a dog who is a good match. Of course, if they're happy to let you have any dog they have without asking many questions, you should probably steer well clear.

I look after a 3-year-old cavapoo one day a week and he really is an easygoing, gentle little soul, but of course, dogs are all individuals. Another breed often recommended for their gentle nature are greyhounds, and there are plenty of retired ones in rescues. But then you do have to consider their prey drive, and whether they come with any baggage from their former lives.

Good luck with your search - I hope you find your perfect pup soon.