New with some questions.

Hey, I'm Brian. My family and I have wanted a CKCS for a while, and we have some questions.

how much do they shed? We have mild allergies.

how easy are they to train?

how would they be around birds? We have 2 very small finches in a cage. They are high enough up though I think.

any more advice and tips would be awesome.

brian

Our Cavalier sheds daily, and sheds gap heavily twice a year. We have lint rollers in every room *and* our cars.
They are not " hypoallergenic" because they have fur instead of hair.
Cavs have a hunting background. All spaniels do. I'm sure there are some who wouldn't bother a bird, but ours wants to chase and catch every moving thing she sees outside. This is why we have to keep her on a leash outdoors.

Hi Brian:

I doubt the finches would be an issue. They should be inaccessible in a cage and also a puppy raised around them would likely be pretty indifferent. I know people with cavaliers and parrots, budgies, even an owl! But an individual dog might be overly interested in them. Still, if they are not accessible I can't see the likelihood of any problems.

Cavaliers do tend to be easy to train because most have a strong interest in food! So they do very well in rewards-based training classes (APDT or CPDT or Positively certified instructors will all use such friendly methods, which cavaliers really respond to ).

They do shed and could be an issue for people with allergies. It usually isn't the hair so much as the dander (shed skin flakes etc) that causes issues. While medical folks say there really isn't such a thing as a truly hypoallergenic dog, people with allergies tend to find dogs with short, non-shedding, tight coats a better fit (eg poodles, bichons). Maybe they have less dander, maybe it's the hair; I don't know! It's good to look carefully into the issue of allergies and keeping a pet, as often times the dog ends up having to be rehomed, which is generally upsetting to the home and can be an expensive mistake.

Thanks for the replies. That's good to know about the finches because we wouldn't give our birds away to get CKCS. I do understand they are hunting dogs though, so we have to take that into account.

the shedding may be the problem by the way It sounds. We would hate to get one, and then have to give he/she away.

they seem like great dogs.

worst comes to worst, we may have to get a hypoallergenic dog. Even though no dog truly is hypoallergenic, it would help decrease the allergens for us. Thanks all.

brian

Cavaliers do shed. A lot. I found out recently I am allergic to dogs. I love my Cavaliers, and I'm getting allergy shots weekly to help with the symptoms, but because they do shed so much I honestly would not recommend a Cavalier for anyone allergic to dogs. I have been miserable ever since getting my Cavaliers (zyrtec every day, literally for 5 years and still not complete relief). It was only a year ago that I found out the cause of my allergies was my dogs. Now I would not trade them for the world, but if you ask me if I would have gotten Cavaliers knowing I"m allergic - no way.

My allergist says it is the saliva that people react to, and all dogs have saliva so there is no such thing as a truly hypoallergenic dog. That said, I went to Meet the Breeds at Westminster in NYC last week and talked to some of the breeders of "hypoallergenic" breeds such as poodles, Havanese and Bichons. They all seemed to express pretty good success when placing their dogs in homes that have allergens and as a bonus these breeds seem to have pretty long life spans and minimal health issues when compared to Cavaliers.

I hope this is coming across helpful as I intend it and not too harsh. I can totally understand the appeal of Cavaliers. But speaking as someone with dog allergies I feel like I need to be honest both for the sake of your family and your future puppy. When something happens to one of my cavaliers, it is hard to imagine having any other breed. Cavaliers are the sweetest dogs, but given you do have allergies, if you do get a Cavalier please make sure you have a plan for rehoming the dog should you be unable to keep him or her in your home due to the allergies.

Thanks lani. It doesn't sound harsh at all, it's really helpful to hear from someone with Allergies. These are the comments we need to make the best decision.

As much as we want them, I don't think we will be getting a CKCS beacuse of the possible bird present aggressive behavior and especially the allergies.

Brian - yes, best to not get the dog and possibly it and you suffer the trauma of rehoming it. I think our Cav has affected my allergies for the worse.

Oh, yes, the shedding. Our house is dusted and vacuumed weekly and I still find dog hair on the cooktop and (gasp!) in the refrigerator. :lpy: There is even dog hair on my iPad screen as I am typing this......and we only have one dog.

That's not good. Wouldn't be good for allergies. Thanks

On the bird issue, I had a year-old Cavalier who chased every bird in sight when I got him. A few months later I could walk him across a town square filled with pigeons and he took no notice of them - it's all a matter of training and Cavaliers are very trainable (mine went on to do competition obedience and loved it). He was allowed to chase pheasants in the countryside (never a hope of catching them!). But sadly your allergy issue does sound as if a Cavalier won't be the right breed for you.

Kate

Kate H said:

On the bird issue, I had a year-old Cavalier who chased every bird in sight when I got him. A few months later I could walk him across a town square filled with pigeons and he took no notice of them - it's all a matter of training and Cavaliers are very trainable (mine went on to do competition obedience and loved it). He was allowed to chase pheasants in the countryside (never a hope of catching them!). But sadly your allergy issue does sound as if a Cavalier won't be the right breed for you.

Kate

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My CKC has absolutely no hunting issues. He will stop and watch the rabbit that goes through our yard, and has never pulled for squirrels or birds while walking. He must be lacking the hunting gene!

Joan

I actually believe it's a bit of a gamble about whether you get the hunting gene! My Lucky thinks squirrels and cats are prey, but pretty much ignores birds. Sparky doesn't really show any interest in hunting any animal, but if Lucky starts barking and chasing he will follow suit.

My Remy got the hunting gene to my dismay. He barks and wants to chase my son's cat, Plumpy. who outweighs him by a couple pounds, and chases the deer from our yard. As much as I try to train him to ignore Plumpy, he just does not seem to get it. Plumpy, on the other hand, does not act threatened, but I am more afraid of Remy getting hurt so I make sure they do not interact. He ignores birds for the most part, but he has only been exposed to the outdoor variety.

Barn is a little confused, he has grown up with rabbits and cats. He loves nothing more then jumping round garden with them- not attacking them or hunting them, just grazes with them. Cats too, he plays chase with them, he chases them- playfully, then comes running back through being chased by them. He is very brave as you can tell. They all share beds, blankets, space, fine.
In the yard, he will bark at crows, magpies & pidgeons if they make a noise but when we walk, nothing bothers him.