Cavalier King Charles- how good is their recall?

[Mrs Tiggywinkle]

Hello everyone, I'm thinking of getting a Cavalier ( would have to be from health tested parents). Have always thought of these as being very trainable little dogs but have recently read a few things suggesting they can be difficult when it comes to recall/ running off chasing things/ not listening/ difficult to get back. Just wondered what the experience of some owners has been? I'm thinking it's like with any dog and the more time and patience is invested in training, the better the results, but would be interested to hear people's experiences.

 

[hollysh]

I am a dog walker/boarder and have been looking after my cavalier spaniel Oscar for 2 years since he was young. He is the loveliest dog. Amazing temperament. Has great recall. He does love to run. He runs miles, very athletic and yes he does like to chase birds. But he does come back when i call him.
With any dog it is down to training and what the owner teaches them. Oscar has a great owner.

 

[JoanneF]

I don't have any idea specifically about cavs but can recommend the book Total Recall by Pippa Mattinson.

 

[Jack-Russell-Lover]

I've never had a Cavalier but I think it mostly depends on training. When I tell people that my Jack Russell has great recall they seem really surprised because they've heard from other owners that They have rubbish recall and can't be let off the lead.
I put the training in to make sure she had a really reliable recall because I love letting her off lead and do that as much as I can so take note that it isn't always about the breed.

 

[Kara 1]

I have one rescue jack Russell with a very very high prey drive and my other rescue jack Russell is never far from my side same as I have 2lurchers with hit and miss recall and 1 with excellent references recall ..I think it's down to the dog itself not the breed

 

[merlina]

Well our village dog walker has one client that's never off lead and it's a Charlie! So I guess it's the luck of the draw as well as training- since this one has had the lot! We've always had cockers and what's true of them is true for all spaniels: they come back when they're not on the scent of game. Otherwise forget it. You may as well get out your sandwiches and eat while you wait. As for 'health-tested parents' I'd be really careful re King Charleses. There is the horrible disease where the skull is too small for the brain and the result is unspeakable for dog and owner. (Syringomelia). I know MRI scans are meant to be able to predict this. Breeders claim certainty. I'm unconvinced. It has even appeared in crosses such as Cavapoos.

My sister has had two KC's and will never have another.

 

[Jack-Russell-Lover]

This is the reason I wouldn't get a Cavalier unfortunately, I think they're lovely little dogs and would love one but the risk of Syringomyelia is too much

 

[Macbeth]

We owned a King Charles cross Border Collie and he was amazing, brilliant recall and so easy train with a super kind nature. Fetch was his favourite game which helped when he was a puppy and doing recall. Every puppy needs training. Xxx

 

[Mrs Tiggywinkle]

Thank you for the replies everyone. It seems on the whole that as I thought , training is the key. I suppose anyone can be unlucky and get an indvidual dog ( of any breed!) that doesn't respond to it.
The health problems are a worry I do agree but I've read and researched as much as I can and have always wanted one of these dogs. None of the breeders I've contacted so far have claimed " certainty" with the health testing, simply that it means they're dong all they can to breed healthy dogs but ultimately it can't be gauranteed. As well as looking for health testing, I'm also looking at the history of the parents' lines in terms of health. Again, no gaurantees ,but just doing everything possible to improve the chances of a healthy dog.

 

[Biker John]

I've never had one, but a lady I know used to run two in agility, and those were well trained and very responsive. They also lived to a decent age. They were also very friendly with people and dogs.

 

[malwhit]

Most of the Cavaliers I have seen locally have good recall. They all tend to be a bit chunky, which is a nice way of saying they are overweight