Caring for a
Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Puppy

When you first get your Cavalier King Charles Spaniel puppy home your new puppy will miss its litter mates and familiar surroundings of my house the first few days. Your puppy may cry off and on which is very normal. I try not to pick up the puppies when they are crying because it will teach them to cry in order to get picked up. Your new puppy should only cry the first night or two and then will begin to settle into your new surroundings.

Cavalier King Charles Spaniel in Blenheim Color/Colour at 5wks

Allow your Cavalier King Charles Spaniel puppy to have his own designated area whether it be a crate or I actually like to us particle board partitions that can be purchased at Home Depot for about $5 each. I hook together 4 boards in a square shape using cable ties also found at Home Depot for a couple bucks. The boards are 3 feet by 2 feet high, which gives plenty of room to add a litter box, bed, an area for water bowl and room to walk around a bit. I have tile floors and just place a small rug down that can be washed in the washing machine. It is nice having the litter box just in case they need to go potty, but for the most part I take them outside regularly with the other adult Cavalier King Charles Spaniels and they do begin to prefer going outside. A Cavalier King Charles Spaniel puppy does not fully have control of their bladder until around 16 weeks of age so by transitioning them to a crate when they are a little older is sometimes easier.

We feed our Cavalier King Charles Spaniel puppies Pro Plan Chicken and Rice Puppy Food. At 10 weeks of age they will be used to being fed 2 times a day with 1/2 cup of dry food at each feeding. When you feed your Cavalier King Charles Spaniel puppy leave the food down for about 20 minutes unless he eats all of it sooner. Once fed, he will need to go outside to potty. If after 20 minutes your Cavalier King Charles Spaniel puppy has not eaten all his food then go ahead and take the food away and take your Cavalier King Charles Spaniel puppy outside to potty. On the next feeding resume with the 1/2 cup as usual. Sometimes Cavalier King Charles Spaniel puppies know when they are full and it is best to allow them to follow their own clock as far as being full if they do not wish to eat the full 1/2 cup feeding.

Most Cavaliers love to eat so it is up to us to limit their food intake to the amount they actually need each day to protect them from becoming overweight, which is a very unhealthy condition and could affect their health long term.

If I have a smaller puppy sometimes I have found they cannot eat the full 1/2 cup at one time. If I feel they really need to eat more of their food then I add a 3rd feeding at noon until they are older and can eat the full 1/2 cup at one feeding. I never feed more than 1 cup per day. Normally, I will not allow puppies to go to their new home until they are eating twice a day and developmentally ready to make the transition from my home to their new home with their new family.

We feed our adult Cavalier King Charles Spaniels Pro Plan Chicken and Rice. We feed 1/2 cup twice a day for a total of 1 cup per day.

Cavalier King Charles Spaniel in Tri Color/Colour

Cavalier King Charles Spaniel in Black & Tan Color/Colour

Cavalier King Charles Spaniel in Ruby Color/Colour

We recommend that you take your Cavalier King Charles Spaniel puppy to the vet or to a groomer every six weeks to have their nails trimmed and anal sacs expelled or you can have your vet show you how to do both the nails and anal sacs and you can do them yourself at home.

I also recommend that your Cavalier King Charles Spaniel puppy be given a bath every 3-4 weeks even if it does not look dirty. The overall look and feel of your Cavalier puppy will be much healthier.

Cavalier King Charles Spaniels may need to have their teeth cleaned by a veterinarian. Oral hygiene has been linked to a healthy heart so you should check your Cavalier's bite at least monthly to see if tartar is starting to build up on their teeth.

I buy my Cavalier's cow-knuckle bones once a month and the chewing they do on these bones actually grinds away the tartar build-up naturally. Since I have gone to the bones and have not had to get any of my Cavalier's teeth cleaned at the veterinarian's office for quite some time now.

When teeth are cleaned by a veterinarian they are put under anesthesia. I have been told that Cavalier's should receive a round of antibiotics the week before having their teeth cleaned by a veterinarian because during the cleaning process they clean into the gum line where bacteria can enter the blood stream, which goes directly to the heart.

Try the cow-knuckle bones as this is the best way to handle the teeth cleaning in a natural way and your Cavalier will love it also.

Cavalier King Charles Spaniel in Blenheim Color/Colour at 5 wks