Advice on getting a puppy
Irish Cavalier Rescue never has puppies for rehoming -- but if you are seeking a puppy, we are happy to offer advice for finding a healthy, happy, quality puppy from a good breeder. This usually takes research and time as often, good breeders have waiting lists for their pups.
We cannot emphasise enough how important it is to seek out a quality breeder who breeds with health as a top priority, along with meeting the breed standard.
In general, this means a breeder who is also showing their dogs.
If any breeder is breeding more than two breeds of dogs, avoid them -- any good breeder would have their hands full breeding and showing one breed, and may just manage two. More than two is the sign of a puppy farm or a puppy broker.
If a breeder claims they have ‘champion lines’ this means nothing if the champions do not appear in the first TWO generations (parents or grandparents).
Why health matters
Too many breeders breed only to make money off a pet market, and care little for the welfare of the breed or the individual dogs, which over time has wreaked havoc on all purebred dogs. Cavaliers have been particularly hard hit by the ready market for these cute puppies. The breed began with a very limited gene pool in the 1920s (it is a reconstructed breed) and now has an average life expectancy that has been cut by a third to half its normal length, because indiscriminate breeding has produced the highest incidence of early onset heart murmurs (mitral valve disease, or MVD) in any breed. About 50% of cavaliers will have a heart murmur by age 5 and almost 100% by age 10. The average life expectancy for a cavalier -- which should be 12-15 years for a small breed - is only 7-10 years. An additional serious problem has crept into the breed as well, a neurological problem called syringomyelia. You can read more about these health issues here.
The good news is that careful breeders can significantly reduce the incidence of MVD and the age of onset by following well-known heart protocols and breeding for long-lived cavaliers. They will also lower the incidence of every other health issue -- some of which, like patellar luxation (loose knees) are expensive to surgically fix. That means you get a puppy that is far more likely to live a long, healthy life! So you can see how important it is to get a puppy from a breeder who understands the breed’s health issues and will work to produce the healthiest puppies possible.
Where do I go?
To begin with, never hunt for a puppy through small ads, online small ads sites, discussion boards, or the Buy&Sell, as most puppies advertised this way are from ‘backyard breeders’ (breeders who do not work to produce quality, breed standard dogs, and especially, do not breed for health. Matings will be indiscriminate with no research into the health or longevity of a given line, vastly increasing the chance of MVD and other costly problems). Or, they are from puppy farmers -- who cruelly battery-farm cavaliers and other breeds in small cages or mucky farm outbuildings. You might have read of the many raids on such operations conducted by the ISPCA and Ulster SPCA in recent times and seen the horrific pictures of such places..
Be aware that even though the ad may say they are ‘IKC registered cavaliers’ this means little (though it is better than an unregistered dog, which means you are definitely looking at backyard-bred or puppy farm cavaliers of the lowest quality). Though the Irish Kennel Club is working to tighten its system, it is not too difficult to get IKC status for puppies -- so IKC registration (or the equivalent for the country in which you live) should be seen as the starting *minimum* in your search for a puppy. Beware of the many meaningless puppy registries that have been created to facilitate backyard breeders and puppy farms/mills. These are worthless and are intended to dupe you, the puppy buyer, into thinking this is a breeder who cares and breeds carefully. You can read a list of these registries here.
Meeting breeders
We recommend visiting dog shows (you can contact the IKC for more information on when and where they are held) to see cavaliers, get a feel for the breed, and talk to some breeders. You can contact the breed secretary (numbers are listed on the IKC website) to see which registered breeders are expecting litters. Specifically ask for breeders that cardiac-test all their breeding stock and be firm on this point. Some breeders have websites, but not many in Ireland.
If you go to visit a breeder expect to be asked a bit about yourself and home situation. Good breeders are proud of their dogs and will be happy to talk to you about their history as a show breeder, their lines and their puppies. They will have the mother at their house and be ready to show you her with her puppies. In particular, ask the breeder to see the cardiac clearances on the adults -- any good breeder will be happy you asked.
Brokers often masquerade as breeders, but because they are selling on puppy farm puppies (which they buy in bulk, cheaply and sell to you at full quality price!) they will never have the mother for you to see. Likewise puppy farm breeders usually will not allow you to see their facilities or the mother so that you won’t be horrified by the conditions in which they breed). If someone offers to meet you somewhere to show you the puppy, that is also the hallmark of a broker or puppy farmer who doesn’t want you to see where the puppy comes from. You can find more advice on what to look for in a breeder here.
Finally: your breeder should not rehome a puppy younger than EIGHT WEEKS. Younger puppies can end up with behaviour problems as they won’t have had enough time to socialise and be guided by mother and siblings. If a breeder wants to home a puppy to you at younger than eight weeks, find another breeder.
Feel free to read through the information on the Cavaliertalk board and join it if you wish (it’s free!), a community of cavalier owners, which has many Irish and international members happy to offer advice on the breed and on getting a puppy.
Training classes
If you are in the Dublin area and have a new puppy or a new adult cavalier and are looking for an obedience class or private training, Irish Cavalier Rescue highly recommends Dog Training Ireland. DTI offer agility classes too -- which cavaliers love!
