Temperament is very important when choosing an agility prospect. However, if structure is not paramount your Cavalier King Charles Spaniel puppy may not hold up as an adult with the wear and tear of injuries that can come from picking a Cavalier puppy with poor structure.
Agility is a high-impact sport and it puts a lot of stress on the body through jumping, sharp turns, and weaving. A sound Cavalier King Charles Spaniel must be the first task and then finding a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel with high drive, easy trainability, and most importantly the will to please is the best route to finding a good agility candidate.
An agility dog needs to be as structurally sound as a conformation dog. The only exception comes in the shape of the head itself. The head shape is one of the paramount body parts that conformation breeders pay attention to. "Type" is very important to conformation breeders and if a female puppy's head looks like a dog or a dog's head is too feminine then most of the time those puppies are placed into other homes and are not kept by the breeder for the conformation ring. The head shape is not a problem in the agility dog so getting on a top breeder's waiting list for an agility prospect might be easier than you think. I know several good kennel names for Cavalier King Charles Spaniels that I can recommend to you that have experience with their offspring doing very well in agility.
The next thing I would insist on is health certifications on the ancestry before adopting a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel puppy. Make sure both parents have either "Excellent" or "Good" hips and that the grandparents also have either "Excellent" or "Good" hips. Do NOT accept Fair in either the 1st or 2nd generation of the pedigree because your drive will come from the hips and in the sport of agility this must be as good as it can possibly be to minimize injuries down the road.
When considering an agility prospect it is also a very good idea to meet the sire and dam and get a feel for their temperament as well in your own evaluation and not by what the breeder tells you. Dogs behave differently with their owners so the owners opinion is correct in their observation of the dogs with them, but your opinion might be different of how the dogs behave around you as a stranger. An agility dog must be comfortable around strangers because during the event it will be off lead and running loose through the course.
If I have two Cavalier King Charles Spaniel puppies that are structurally sound then I will need to determine their temperament traits in order to choose the best Cavalier puppy for performance events. The first Cavalier puppy is confident, very sociable, does not mind being restrained or held, comes happily when called, has a strong desire to retrieve toys, and will investigate loud noises without running away. The second Cavalier puppy is a bit more reserved, independent, dominant over littermates, will chase a ball and then run off with it, and struggles often when being held. It is obvious the first Cavalier puppy would be the better choice for a performance event, while the second Cavalier puppy would make a perfect pet for a family with children or even an elderly family that is seeking companionship. |
