AKC Toy · UKC Companion · FCI standard 128

English Toy Spaniel.

FCI 128: utilization Companion and Toy Dog, 'without working trial'. FCI history: 'basically these were little gun dogs, but pampered by wealthy owners', crossed with toy dogs from the East. UKC history: developed by crossing local English spaniels with smaller toy dogs from the Orient. RKC: the King Charles and the Cavalier share a history in the miniaturisation of sporting spaniels and were shown together until 1945. Wikipedia: the breed 'still has the hunting instincts of its ancestors' and may not be friendly toward smaller animals..

Breed sets the odds. The parents set the dog. Every number here shows its source, its spread and how sure we are. Nothing on this page is a prediction about one dog.

0INHeightall null. An ideal from the standard, not a range.

8–14LBWeight, all linesbreed 7.9 to 14 lb.

0.5HRSExercise, every dayUp to 30 minutes per day (Royal Kennel Club band, King Charles Spaniel). Wikipedia: 'not a high energy breed', 'primarily a lapdog', suitable for apartment living.. The constraint most homes get wrong.

The body

What the breed is built like. Registry standards give an ideal, not a range.

Height at the shoulder

9 to 11 in

Breed clubAKC

No standard states a height; the figures are the AKC breed page and Wikipedia, so the low/high span both. Center blank.

Weight

7.9 to 14 lb

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 1989

Low is the FCI 3.6 kg converted (1 kg = 2.2046 lb). The registries print ranges, not a single ideal, so center is blank. One breed-wide figure, not split by sex.

Coat

AKC: profusely coated, heavy fringing on ears, body and chest, flowing feathering on legs and feet; straight or only slightly wavy, silken and glossy. UKC: long and silky, straight or slightly wavy, never curly. FCI 128: long, silky, straight, slight wave allowed, never curly; legs, ears and tail profusely feathered. Four colour varieties: Blenheim, Prince Charles (tricolour), King Charles (black and tan), Ruby.

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 1989

Shedding

Shedding 3 of 5 (AKC breed page trait score)

Breed clubAKC

AKC breed page trait score, 1 to 5: a breed-club tendency, never a measurement.

Heat tolerance

1 of 5 · Short-nosed, domed head with a 'very short' muzzle and a profuse, heavily fringed coat (AKC). The UKC asks that the head stay free of exaggeration 'so as to not compromise breathing'. The RKC lists a breathing test (BOAS grading) as a new Best Practice test for the breed. Wikipedia: 'being a brachycephalic breed', narrow airways 'increase their susceptibility to heat stroke'.

DerivedAKC breed standard, 1989

Derived: profuse coat plus a short muzzle = 1 on the rubric. The brachycephaly statements come from the RKC test notice and Wikipedia; the AKC and FCI standards describe the short muzzle without using the word.

The dog at home

What the breed asks of a day. The first thing most homes get wrong.

Exercise need

Up to 30 minutes per day (Royal Kennel Club band, King Charles Spaniel). Wikipedia: 'not a high energy breed', 'primarily a lapdog', suitable for apartment living.

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

RKC band 'up to 30' maps to 30.

Exercise need

Up to 30 minutes per day (RKC)

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

Energy

AKC Energy Level 3 of 5. Wikipedia: not a high energy breed, 'known as one of the quietest toy breeds'. The AKC standard: a 'bright and interested little dog, affectionate and willing to please'.

Breed clubAKC

Grooming load

3 of 5 · Grooming: more than once a week; coat length medium; sheds (RKC). AKC Coat Grooming Frequency 3 of 5. The AKC standard calls the coat profuse with heavy fringing and penalizes over-trimming of body, feet or tail fringes.

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

RKC 'more than once a week' maps to 3.

Grooming

More than once a week (RKC); AKC band 3 of 5; over-trimming of the fringes is penalized (AKC, UKC)

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

The work

What it was built to do in the field, and what a test or trial asks of it.

Role

Breed clubFederation Cynologique Internationale, 2026

How common the problems are

Evaluated dogs skew toward breeding stock; the numbers are still the best there are.

Most common disorders

Wikipedia (the article covers the UK King Charles Spaniel, which the AKC calls the English Toy Spaniel): 'health-related research on the breed has been limited, with no major studies conducted in Britain'. Eye problems listed: cataracts, corneal dystrophy, distichia (increased risk against other breeds), entropion, microphthalmia, optic disc drusen, keratitis. Heart: mitral valve disease and patent ductus arteriosus; an OFA cardiac survey ranked the breed 7th worst of 105 breeds, 2.1% of 189 dogs affected. As a brachycephalic breed, sensitive to anaesthesia and to heat stroke; patella luxation 4% of 75 animals tested by the OFA, and Finnish club surveys 1988-2007 of 5.3% to 50% in some years; open fontanelle, hanging tongue, fused toes (acceptable). The AKC CHIC list for the breed is a cardiac exam and an ophthalmologist evaluation; the RKC lists the BVA/KC/ISDS eye scheme and, from Aug 2026, breathing (BOAS) grading.

EditorialWikipedia

One editorial source, with the registries' test lists beside it; no peer-reviewed breed study was found. The OFA figures are as Wikipedia reports them, undated. Brachycephalic: the RKC test notice agrees.

akc bands

AKC breed page trait scores (1-5): Energy Level 3; Mental Stimulation Needs 3; Trainability Level 3; Barking Level 2; Watchdog/Protective Nature 3; Good With Young Children 5; Openness To Strangers 3; Good With Other Dogs 5; Shedding Level 3; Coat Grooming Frequency 3; Drooling Level 2; Affectionate With Family 5; Playfulness Level 4; Adaptability Level 4.

Breed clubAKC

Fourteen AKC bands in one row; the selector reads each by name. Breed-club ratings: a tendency, never a measurement.

What to ask a breeder for

The health clearances the breed’s own club and registry name. Reference only: what to ask for, never a statement about any dog’s health.

USOphthalmologist evaluationACVO / CAER · American Kennel Club, Toy Group Health Testing Requirements (recommended tests from the national breed club / CHIC; Poodle (Toy) entry)
USCardiac examinationAKC CHIC recommended (cardiologist exam) · American Kennel Club, Toy Group Health Testing Requirements (recommended tests from the national breed club / CHIC; Poodle (Toy) entry)

UKBreathing test for brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome (new Aug 2026; formal in the Health Standard from Jan 2027)KC Respiratory Function Grading scheme · The Royal Kennel Club, Breeds A to Z: King Charles Spaniel (the UK name of this breed; exercise, grooming, lifespan bands, health schemes)
UKEye testing (Best Practice)BVA/KC/ISDS Eye Scheme · The Royal Kennel Club, Breeds A to Z: King Charles Spaniel (the UK name of this breed; exercise, grooming, lifespan bands, health schemes)

How to read this page

Every value carries a label. Measured means peer-reviewed data on many dogs. Studied means peer-reviewed, smaller or indirect. Breed club means a club or registry states it. Editorial means expert opinion with no measurement behind it. Where two good sources disagree, both are shown and neither is averaged.

Published when the entry rests on the best information available from no fewer than three independent sources, checked by a second pass that did not write it. 6 sources on this page. Found something wrong? Tell us and the correction is logged with its date.

Also called: King Charles Spaniel, Toy Spaniel, Charlies, Prince Charles Spaniel, Ruby Spaniel, Blenheim Spaniel

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