Help! I'm freaking out!

[lady and amber]

Lady and Amber are very different in size, Lady weighs 21 pounds and is a very healthy dog, Amber only weighs 15 pounds and has some health problems. Lady is not a fat dog just has a larger frame all round I personally prefer a bigger size dog.

[ice-cavi]

I think we tend to think too much of size .
Electra (my ruby girl)was quite a bit larger than other girls her age at around 4-5 months old but she has really good proportions and lots of lean muscle.In her first show she was actually credited for her "good" size and "fit" look and came home as best puppy in breed, so I no longer worry about her size
Personally I think a strong "big" cavalier is better looking than a very fragile and tiny one.

[Karlin]

I would definitely be of the opinion that the sad trend by some backyard (non-show world) breeders to deliberately breed 'teacup cavaliers' -- small sized dogs -- is a far greater problem for the breed's future and the health of individual dogs than having dogs somewhat over the breed standard.

Anyone deliberately breeding small dogs is going to be often selecting runts of litters which are always more prone to health problems. Also miniaturisation always needs to be done with extreme caution as it can introduce all sorts of problems, from the orthopedic (bones and joints) to the neurological (brain). In many quarters, breeding a small spaniel with a small skull is believed to be a major contributing factor to selecting for syringomyelia genes over time (skull size in individual dogs doesn't so far seem to be a factor in predicting SM, but the overall trend from the recreation of the breed, does. In SM, basically their skulls are too small for the brains -- and researcher Dr Clare Rusbridge says cavaliers have brains the size of a labrador's squished into that much smaller head! A big problem for the breed. ).

Smaller runts are also more likely to have open fontanels (incompletely closed skulls) which remains a risk for the dog and could be introduced in offspring. And anyone breeding extra small dogs and deliberately ignoring the associated health risks for the puppies and the breed is certainly not going to be breeding for health generally.

I've heard breeders say they will not breed or show boys smaller than about 15 lbs because they lack substance.

So for many, big is beautiful.

[JaneB]

If it makes you feel any better, Stephanie, I'm transporting a rescue dog on Wednesday that is reported to weigh over 40 pounds! I can't even imagine what she's (yes she) is going to look like. I've had other mill dogs that weighed close to 30 pounds but 40? I'll be sure and get pictures so you can all see what she looks like. I'm afraid she is going to need a strict diet for a very long time, poor dear.

[Barbara Nixon]

Hopefully she is large framed, so not as overweight as she sounds. At 33lbs, Monty is very skinny.