PREPARING FOR BABY'S ARRIVAL

FOOD:

Royal Canin Mini Puppy 33 is what we feed. This can be mixed w/ 1/2 Eukanuba Puppy (Small Breed) available at Petsmart, and some feed stores. Please do not change to another brand before your puppy is a year old.

Let puppy eat as much as she wants. Keep her crock full. If you feel the puppy is stressed and not eating, you may entice her with some grilled chicken or canned puppy food such as Science Diet, Little Cesars, Might Dog, etc. Don't give your puppy milk, red meat of any kind, or any fried foods.

Your puppy is used to eating dry food only, so if she's eating well, don't give her anything else. It is easy to create a finicky little monster who will pout to see what delectable dish you'll come up with next!

DISHES:

2 Heavy 16 oz. ceramic crocks (available at Petsmart) One for water and the other for dry food

EX-PEN:

All dogs need a "den" where they eat, sleep and relax. Also for times when you must leave your cavalier for a few hours, an ex-pen is the solution.

You will need to order a 36" X 36" puppy playpen (with hygienic floors, pans and lid to avoid escaping) from Central Metal (www.centralmetalproducts.com), petedge.com, etc. or pick one up from one of the vendors at a dog show. This will be where puppy eats and sleeps and will be big enough to keep her in for the rest of her life. The other available size is a 24" X 36" and is really not big enough for an adult cavalier.

This is NOT a crate.

BEDDING:

We recommend having several donut beds on hand. One for in the ex-pen and one for the crate for road trips. It's great to have several to replace the ones you're currently washing.

For the main cover in the ex-pen we use washable rubber backed pads ordered from discountpads.com (valethics). These lay flat and stay in place. This will cover up the hygienic floor nicely and is easy to clean.

GROOMING/ TACK:

2 Brushes-- A natural bristle brush i.e. Mason Pearson or #1 All Systems Natural Boar Brush (www.petedge.com) Use this brush on all sensitive areas i.e. legs and head. This is also the only brush to use on puppies.

The other brush you'll need is a soft slicker brush to straighten ears, back coat and feathers on legs and tail. (not for puppies). You'll need a steel comb for the ears and feathers. Bathe your cavalier as often as you wish. If your dog is shedding excessively, you need to bathe her more often. We recommend a weekly bath.

If you are not going to do this yourself and ever plan to compete your dog at shows, make it crystal clear to the groomer that no hair is to be cut whatsoever on your dog. You are allowed to trim only between the pads of the feet. It is such a severe penalty in the cavalier show ring that you can't win if the judge detects any scissoring. We recommend grooming your cavalier yourself.

There are many good shampoos and conditioners on the market. The two criteria for broken colored cavaliers are whitening and moisturizing. We like Oster Show White vanilla shampoo and Coat Handler conditioner. (www.petedge.com) For whole colors, use a black enhancing shampoo and for rubys, a shampoo with henna. #1 All Systems (petedge) has many to chose from. Always dilute these products for easier rinsing.

Thornit ear powder (do internet search, based in England). This keeps drop-eared breeds ears dry and clean. We highly recommend it.

A grooming table with an arm and noose will prove invaluable

for drying your cavalier. He/she will learn to stand for exam while you groom. These may be ordered from many online stores, compare for the best prices at the time.

A rug on your washing machine will do in a pinch.

Never leave a puppy or adult dog unattended while on a table or any raised object. Many accidents have occurred in grooming shops, dog shows and homes even when dogs are noosed.

We always keep Miracle Groom on hand for quick clean-ups. It is a complete odor and stain remover and safe to use directly on animals. (available at Tractor Supply Co. and Petsmart.) You'll want a bottle in the car as well along with a roll of paper towels to keep feet and ears pristine.

TOYS:

Cavaliers love soft latex squeaky toys, milk bones (any brand) rawhide is okay as long as you throw it away before it becomes too flimsy. You should be aware that there is a danger of choking on rawhide. Booda bones (ropetoys) and Greenies are good chew toys. Never give a dog chicken or pork bones.

COLLARS AND LEADS:

Collars are great for puppies as they accustom them to future leash training. For show dogs, take care that the collar isn't wearing off any hair around the neck or throat areas.

It's a good idea to have an ID tag on the collar with your name and # in the unthinkable event that your puppy gets away from you.

Leashes can be purchased at dog shows or ordered from many internet stores i.e. Petedge or Cherrybrook.com. We like the Rescos (cordohide) with a slide for training and showing. For walks around the neighborhood, a leash that snaps to your dog's collar is safest. Make sure you can get two fingers between your dog's collar and neck. Any more than that and it's too loose and your dog will slip out; less than that and it's too tight.

CARRIER: (TEMPORARY HOUSING AND TRAVEL ONLY)

A #200 series Vari-Kennel will prove useful for trips to the vet and training class, etc. Whatever brand you get, be sure it is large enough for an adult cavalier, this way you'll only have to buy one crate.

Although many breeders keep their dogs in crates for the better part of the day and night, please don't. They're simply not big enough for a cavalier to move around in and they encourage frantic behavior. Crated dogs are prone to urinary/kidney infections from having to wait for long periods of time to go out to potty.

Wire crates have some advantages and disadvantages. They are better than plastic because the dog can see out of them more. They also allow for much better air flow. They are however, very cumbersome to carry to and from the car. Even the very large ones are not suitable to house a dog in because they are not up, off the ground like a play pen with raised floors. Being directly on the floor is too cold for a cavalier.

OUTSIDE PLAYPEN:

It is very handy to have an outside, portable exercise pen for baby to play and potty in. These vary in size, but a 6-8 panel should suffice. These clip together on both ends and can be taken on trips for roadside stops.

HOUSEBREAKING:

Above anything, when it comes to housebreaking your cavalier baby, be patient. All of our dogs use a doggy-door. While we understand that this isn't feasible for everyone, it is a tremendous advantage for you. Your puppy already has the idea of keeping her den clean and to potty elsewhere. You can easily build on this by taking her out to where you want her to go, frequently. The most important times are first thing in the morning, again in an hour in the morning, and every 2 hours after that and once more the last thing before you go to bed. All spaniels have a fast digestive tract so babies need to go more frequently than some other breeds. Take heart, adults only need to go out 3-4 times per day.

If you're lucky enough to have a dog door, surround it with a small portable ex-pen so puppy will have to use it. Make it big enough for her water, food and toys. You may need to block it open a bit with a brick until she learns how to use it, since these doors vary. Be sure her outside area is secured with either a dog run or secure fence.

We will not address crate training as we do not approve of this method for cavaliers.