average weight and height of a cavlier

[anniemac]

A lot of the researchers into SM feel the larger cavaliers, with longer noses and less domed skulls, are the future of the breed.

I understand that is something they are looking at with the current study.

I am not sure how or if the actual "size" (meaning pounds) plays a difference. I could be the exception but Elton is really small with no SM at an older age. However, I've been told that Ella had more of the domed skull but she was larger (especially on prednisone) in "size" but not sure in relation to her head vs. Elton's.

I wanted to edit this and delete it but just read post on a FB group and maybe size is something in the future. I just know Elton is one of the smallest cavaliers ive seen.

[Karlin]

It's more that brain size doesn't really vary a lot in dogs -- so breeding them with small sizes means smaller skulls for that brain. Most small breeds also have other anatomical extremes -- high domed heads, tiny snouts, flatter snouts and squashed nose, big eyes in a small skull, ears set at different places... and many of these things together -- it is known that these things turn their internal anatomy around inside their skull, which doesn't seem like the best idea even just as a general point. Also, CM/SM only really exists in toy breeds=small dogs.

Of course not every dog with a given feature that is believed to increase risk of CM/SM will have CM/SM, and some will develop SM well after the point at which an MRI is done, so dogs really need to be followed through life with MRIs to get an accurate picture.

That is what some researchers are trying to do no, and what Rupert's Fund gives money for... knowing more about dogs older than 5-6 is really important to understanding how this condition develops and why it is late onset or no-onset in some dogs and early onset in others. The goal would be to move as many dogs to late, milder onset or no onset.

[joandesan]

A lot of the researchers into SM feel the larger cavaliers, with longer noses and less domed skulls, are the future of the breed.

Most males these days seem to be up around 20-22-ish lbs according to some of my friends who show and breed cavaliers. Many feel the need standard sized males even at the top of the standard, are a bit small.

10-12 pounds would have been under the US breed standard -- and no one should be breeding for extra small cavaliers -- so it's good to have ended up with a larger dog I think rather than extra small.

Aaaah! I feel better about Bosco and his 20 lbs then! Most of the males I have met are either way overweight, or much smaller than Bosco. Glad to know that bigger may be better than smaller. I excercise him and monitor his food, so I'm assuming he is just "big boned"!

[jasperpaw]

My youngest who will be 3 in a couple of months time is about 20 lb, he is more of the shape of the show cavalier, he is very hairy so looks bigger, my older cavalier who will soon be 13 is often mistaken for the younger of the two dogs and he is much slimmer and higher in the legs and a completely different shape - which I guess is quite a compliment for him.