- Breed Standard of the Cavachon
- Breed Standard of the Bichon Frise
- Breed Standard of the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
BREED STANDARD OF THE CAVACHON
About the Cavachon
An impeccable blending of the regally bred Cavalier King Charles Spaniel with the fabulously unique Bichon Frise has produced perhaps one of the most wonderful and versatile, if not one of the most popular, canine breeds available today. Although the Cavachon is not considered a ‘pure bred’ mix, it should be remembered that many of the present day commonly recognized ‘pure bred’ lines started out in much the same way, with careful thought and planning given to the blending of the breeds chosen, with regard to excellence in distinctive bloodlines, temperament, intelligence, etc.
The Cavachon is, like both parents, a particularly versatile dog and has enjoyed popularity from all age groups, and from those of all family environments, single, married, with and without children, the elderly, and from among any situation of which you can conjure. While the Cavachon is the perfect companion animal and lap dog, he or she is eager to please and is as happy to run and play with children if the situation so warrants. This dog has an innate sense of when the time is appropriate to sit quietly and when the time is right to run like the wind! Since the size of the adult Cavachon is typically under 20 lbs., apartment life is as suitable as estate living or farm life. They are happiest with others, including cats and children; solo living or long stretches of being alone is not for this breed who knows no stranger, loves life, and most of all, loves you/your family more than life, itself.
The Cavachon is well known for its low-to-no shedding and ‘allergy friendly’ benefits. Obviously these are two characteristics which have only served to increase the demand for the Cavachon as how much more wonderful can you get than to hold, love and snuggle your puppy with a gorgeous coat and have little to no hair on you afterwards? Or, for those who have never been able to know the love of a dog because of allergies, finally, the opportunity is available to have this beautiful pet! Other than routine brushing, nail, ear and teeth care, there is no extraordinary amount of grooming necessary.
Intelligence is graced by gentleness in this creature, with aggression out of the question. If a stranger enters your home you will be notified, but please do not expect your Cavachon to stand guard dog duty; he/she is really just not up to that challenge other than notification that someone has arrived. This furbaby is not a fighter! Nor is your Cavachon a ‘yapper’! He/she will make you smile and laugh with some ‘talking’ – but ‘yapping’, no. Training, whether it be potty or command, usually comes fairly quickly with the Cavachon, but must be done with patience and lots of love and praise, never with scolding or spanking. Consistency and patience are the keys.
Cavachons are available in several colors, depending on the coloring of the Cavalier and the Bichon. At maturity, most Cavachons are between 10-20 pounds and stand somewhere around 10-13” tall. The height and weight will vary, of course, and are dependent upon genetics, diet, exercise, environment, and other factors.
With a Cavachon, you can expect much more wonder and something much more precious than we could ever tell you by stringing words together! What we know you will find is one of the great loves of your life.
BREED STANDARD OF THE BICHON FRISE
About the Bichon Frise
The Bichon Frise is a non-shedding breed, and considered essentially hypo-allergenic, enabling many of those who suffer with allergies, and even asthma, to live happily with the love of these exquisite furbabies.
The breed is playful and is gentle mannered, with a keen intelligence that shines behind its dark eyes and alert, intense expression. This is a dog with a merry temperament, bred for companionship and lap-loving. They generally love other animals and children, since the Bichon is of a tolerant and affectionate nature.
At maturity, the Bichon is sturdy, but small and able to accommodate apartment or home quarters. This dog loves walks and playing, but lap and love time is a requirement, as well!
Bichon Frise Breed Standard
General Appearance
The Bichon Frise is a small, sturdy, white powder puff of a dog whose merry temperament is evidenced by his plumed tail carried jauntily over the back and his dark-eyed inquisitive expression.
Size, Proportion, Substance
Dogs and bitches 9½ to 11½ inches are to be given primary preference.
Proportion - The body from the forward-most point of the chest to the point of rump is ¼ longer than the height at the withers. The body from the withers to lowest point of chest represents ½ the distance from withers to ground.
Substance - Compact and of medium bone throughout; neither coarse nor fine.
Head
Expression - Soft, dark-eyed, inquisitive, alert.
Eyes are round, black or dark brown and are set in the skull to look directly forward. An overly large or bulging eye is a fault as is an almond shaped, obliquely set eye. Halos, the black or very dark brown skin surrounding the eyes, are necessary as they accentuate the eye and enhance expression. The eye rims themselves must be black. Broken pigment, or total absence of pigment on the eye rims produce a blank and staring expression, which is a definite fault. Eyes of any color other than black or dark brown are a very serious fault and must be severely penalized.
Ears are drop and are covered with long flowing hair. When extended toward the nose, the leathers reach approximately halfway the length of the muzzle. They are set on slightly higher than eye level and rather forward on the skull, so that when the dog is alert they serve to frame the face.
The skull is slightly rounded, allowing for a round and forward looking eye. The stop is slightly accentuated.
Muzzle - A properly balanced head is three parts muzzle to five parts skull, measured from the nose to the stop and from the stop to the occiput. A line drawn between the outside corners of the eyes and to the nose will create a near equilateral triangle. There is a slight degree of chiseling under the eyes, but not so much as to result in a weak or snipey foreface. The lower jaw is strong. The nose is prominent and always black.
Lips are black, fine, never drooping.
Bite is scissors. A bite which is undershot or overshot should be severely penalized. A crooked or out of line tooth is permissible, however, missing teeth are to be severely faulted
Neck, Topline and Body
The arched neck is long and carried proudly behind an erect head. It blends smoothly into the shoulders.
Body - The chest is well developed and wide enough to allow free and unrestricted movement of the front legs. The lowest point of the chest extends at least to the elbow. The rib cage is moderately sprung and extends back to a short and muscular loin. The forechest is well pronounced and protrudes slightly forward of the point of shoulder. The underline has a moderate tuck-up.
Tail is well plumed, set on level with the topline and curved gracefully over the back so that the hair of the tail rests on the back.
The feet are tight and round, resembling those of a cat and point directly forward, turning neither in nor out.
Pads are black. Nails are kept short.
Hindquarters
The hindquarters are of medium bone, well angulated with muscular thighs and spaced moderately wide. The upper and lower thigh are nearly equal in length meeting at a well bent stifle joint. The leg from hock joint to foot pad is perpendicular to the ground. Dewclaws may be removed. Paws are tight and round with black pads.
Coat
The texture of the coat is of utmost importance. The undercoat is soft and dense, the outercoat of a coarser and curlier texture. The combination of the two gives a soft but substantial feel to the touch which is similar to plush or velvet and when patted springs back. When bathed and brushed, it stands off the body, creating an overall powder puff appearance. A wiry coat is not desirable. A limp, silky coat, a coat that lies down, or a lack of undercoat are very serious faults. Trimming--The coat is trimmed to reveal the natural outline of the body. It is rounded off from any direction and never cut so short as to create an overly trimmed or squared off appearance. The furnishings of the head, beard, moustache, ears and tail are left longer. The longer head hair is trimmed to create an overall rounded impression. The topline is trimmed to appear level. The coat is long enough to maintain the powder puff look which is characteristic of the breed.
Color
Color is white, may have shadings of buff, cream or apricot around the ears or on the body. Any color in excess of 10% of the entire coat of a mature specimen is a fault and should be penalized, but color of the accepted shadings should not be faulted in puppies.
Gait
Movement at a trot is free, precise and effortless. In profile the forelegs and hind legs extend equally with an easy reach and drive that maintain a steady topline. When moving, the head and neck remain somewhat erect and as speed increases there is a very slight convergence of legs toward the center line. Moving away, the hindquarters travel with moderate width between them and the foot pads can be seen. Coming and going, his movement is precise and true.
Temperament
Gentle mannered, sensitive, playful and affectionate. A cheerful attitude is the hallmark of the breed and one should settle for nothing less.
Bichon Frise Standard(s) adapted from akc.org
BREED STANDARD of the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
General Appearance
The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is an active, graceful, well-balanced toy spaniel, very gay and free in action; fearless and sporting in character, yet at the same time gentle and affectionate. It is this typical gay temperament, combined with true elegance and royal appearance which are of paramount importance in the breed. Natural appearance with no trimming, sculpting or artificial alteration is essential to breed type.
Size, Proportion, Substance
Size - Height 12 to 13 inches at the withers; weight proportionate to height, between 13 and 18 pounds. A small, well balanced dog within these weights is desirable, but these are ideal heights and weights and slight variations are permissible.
Proportion - The body approaches squareness, yet if measured from point of shoulder to point of buttock, is slightly longer than the height at the withers. The height from the withers to the elbow is approximately equal to the height from the elbow to the ground.
Substance - Bone moderate in proportion to size. Weedy and coarse specimens are to be equally penalized.
Head
Proportionate to size of dog, appearing neither too large nor too small for the body.
Expression - The sweet, gentle, melting expression is an important breed characteristic.
Eyes - Large, round, but not prominent and set well apart; color a warm, very dark brown; giving a lustrous, limpid look. Rims dark. There should be cushioning under the eyes which contributes to the soft expression.
Faults - small, almond-shaped, prominent, or light eyes; white surrounding ring.
Ears - Set high, but not close, on top of the head. Leather long with plenty of feathering and wide enough so that when the dog is alert, the ears fan slightly forward to frame the face.
Skull - Slightly rounded, but without dome or peak; it should appear flat because of the high placement of the ears. Stop is moderate, neither filled nor deep.
Muzzle - Full muzzle slightly tapered. Length from base of stop to tip of nose about 1½ inches. Face well filled below eyes. Any tendency towards snipiness undesirable. Nose pigment uniformly black without flesh marks and nostrils well developed.
Lips well developed but not pendulous giving a clean finish.
Faults - Sharp or pointed muzzles.
Bite - A perfect, regular and complete scissors bite is preferred, i.e. the upper teeth closely overlapping the lower teeth and set square into the jaws.
Faults - undershot bite, weak or crooked teeth, crooked jaws.
Neck, Topline, Body
Neck - Fairly long, without throatiness, well enough muscled to form a slight arch at the crest. Set smoothly into nicely sloping shoulders to give an elegant look.
Topline - Level both when moving and standing.
Body - Short-coupled with ribs well spring but not barrelled. Chest moderately deep, extending to elbows allowing ample heart room. Slightly less body at the flank than at the last rib, but with no tucked-up appearance.
Tail - Well set on, carried happily but never much above the level of the back, and in constant characteristic motion when the dog is in action. Docking is optional. If docked, no more than one third to be removed.
Forequarters
Shoulders well laid back.
Forelegs straight and well under the dog with elbows close to the sides.
Pasterns strong and feet compact with well-cushioned pads. Dewclaws may be removed.
Hindquarters
The hindquarters construction should come down from a good broad pelvis, moderately muscled; stifles well turned and hocks well let down. The hindlegs when viewed from the rear should parallel each other from hock to heel.
Coat
Of moderate length, silky, free from curl. Slight wave permissible. Feathering on ears, chest, legs and tail should be long, and the feathering on the feet is a feature of the breed. No trimming of the dog is permitted. Specimens where the coat has been altered by trimming, clipping, or by artificial means shall be so severely penalized as to be effectively eliminated from competition. Hair growing between the pads on the underside of the feet may be trimmed.
Color
Blenheim - Rich chestnut markings well broken up on a clear, pearly white ground. The ears must be chestnut and the color evenly spaced on the head and surrounding both eyes, with a white blaze between the eyes and ears, in the center of which may be the lozenge or "Blenheim spot." The lozenge is a unique and desirable, though not essential, characteristic of the Blenheim.
Tricolor - Jet black markings well broken up on a clear, pearly white ground. The ears must be black and the color evenly spaced on the head and surrounding both eyes, with a white blaze between the eyes. Rich tan markings over the eyes, on cheeks, inside ears and on underside of tail.
Ruby - Whole-colored rich red.
Black and Tan - Jet black with rich, bright tan markings over eyes, on cheeks, inside ears, on chest, legs, and on underside of tail.
Faults - Heavy ticking on Blenheims or Tricolors, white marks on Rubies or Black and Tans.
Gait
Free moving and elegant in action, with good reach in front and sound, driving rear action. When viewed from the side, the movement exhibits a good length of stride, and viewed from front and rear it is straight and true, resulting from straight-boned fronts and properly made and muscled hindquarters.
Temperament
Gay, friendly, non-aggressive with no tendency towards nervousness or shyness. Bad temper, shyness, and meanness are not to be tolerated and are to be severely penalized as to effectively remove the specimen from competition.
excerpted from AKC Breed Standards – akc.org
