Discover the Perfect Companion
Our Velaris Cavalier King Charles Spaniels are loyal, friendly, and ready to join your family.
About Velaris Cavaliers
Our History
I have had an interesting and rewarding career as a veterinary technician. My previous work in emergency medicine and surgery has given me a deep understanding of animal health, and has helped me focus on improving the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel breed with other breeders. The health testing and ensuring the breed's future health is so important, especially for a breed like the Cavalier that has specific genetic concerns. It is very fulfilling to work with a group of breeders who share the same philosophies.
Our Process
Our breeding process is carefully designed to ensure the health and well-being of our dogs. We conduct extensive health screenings and genetic testing to ensure that our puppies have the best chance of growing up healthy. We are a small preservation breeder located in the Niagara region with our focus on temperament and health. Our Cavalier King Charles Spaniels are family companions who do compete in conformation and performance events, and are health tested by veterinary specialists.
Our Success Stories
Over the years, we have had the pleasure of placing many Cavalier King Charles Spaniels puppies in loving homes and enjoy hearing from our families and seeing the joy that our puppies bring to their lives. Being involved in organizations are important to me and I am a member of the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Club of Canada and the Canadian Kennel Club. Your puppy will be registered with the Canadian Kennel Club. If you think this breed is for you, click on the link below to learn more.
Find Your Perfect Companion at Velaris Cavaliers
We specialize in breeding Cavalier King Charles Spaniel puppies that are raised with love and care. Our puppies are well-socialized and make great family pets. Please inquire about our health testing.
Health Testing
MRI Scanning
Syringomyelia (SM) is a heritable disorder causing a fluid filled cavity (FFC) in the spinal cord with a reported overall prevalence of 39 to 46% in the Cavalier King Charles Spaniels (CKCS). There is a breeder here in Ontario that has been active in advocating for education and breed screening of Chiari Malformation and Syringomyelia in Cavalier King Charles Spaniels since 2007. In partnership with the Thames Valley Veterinary Service, she has organized multiple MRI scanning clinics, for breeders only, to improve and assist in our breeding programs. We are lucky to have our breeding girls come from lines with generations of MRI screening. All of our girls are MRI'd and cleared before breeding and are bred to sires that have been cleared by MRI'd as well.
Heart Echocardiograms
Heart Mitral Valve Disease is a terminal illness that affects over half of all Cavalier King Charles Spaniels by 5 years of age and almost all the breed by 10 years of age. MVD is the leading cause of death for the breed and prevents the heart’s mitral valve from closing after blood flows from the atrium to the ventricle.
We use the MVD breeding protocol of The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Club of Denmark (Cavalierklubben), and the Danish (Dansk) Kennel Club (DDK), using both auscultation and ultrasound. The protocol is a modification of the standard MVD protocol. Breeding dogs first must be examined by auscultation and echocardiograph at the age of 18 months or later by a cardiologist.
Eyes
DNA Testing
The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel has more than its fair share of severe diseases afflicting the eye. Our breeding dogs are cleared by a board certified veterinary ophthalmologist annually/biannually. Some breeds of dogs, such as the Cavalier, normally produce more tears than other dogs, causing rust-colored staining on the inside corners of the eyes. Watery clear discharge is typical but could also be caused by allergies or a nasolacrimal duct blockage. Yellow or green discharge is typical of a bacterial infection. Very thick and dry discharge that sticks to the eye is usually associated with chronic dry eye. Your puppies’ parents, and previous generations are screened yearly by an Ophthalmologist and cleared of any genetic eye disease. I find that as puppies, they have excessive tearing. Try and keep the area clean and dry. Once their head is fully formed, the tearing will decrease or disappear entirely. I often will use “Water Wipes” baby wipes to clean away dried secretions that are underneath the eyes. You may hear of people recommending adding blueberries to their diet to help.
DNA Testing
Blood Platelets in CKCS
DNA Testing
Dry Eye / Curly Coat Syndrome is a severe congenital condition of the skin, coat, claws, and eyes in some Cavalier King Charles Spaniel puppies. The reference to a curly or rough coat comes from the unusually curly abnormality of the cavalier's coat which is apparent at birth. However, the puppy also suffers from an extreme version of dry eye and as the affected dog matures, it develops a deterioration of the skin which results in seborrhea, consisting of skin inflammation and excessive oiliness. Also, the dog's teeth, gums, and other connective tissues may be adversely affected. The form of dry eye associated with curly coat also is distinctive in that it is of congenital origin. We have DNA tested our girls before breeding to detect mutations.
MCADD is caused by a fault in the gene that provides the instructions to make an enzyme called medium-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase (MCADD). This genetic fault causes the enzyme to either not work properly or be missing entirely, which means the body cannot fully break down fat to release energy. Our girls have been recently DNA tested for this as well.
DNA Testing
Blood Platelets in CKCS
Blood Platelets in CKCS
Episodic falling syndrome (EFS) is a unique genetic disorder in the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, due to a mutation of its brevican gene (BCAN). The disorder has been recognized in the breed since the 1960s. No other breed is known to suffer from it.
Symptoms of EFS vary, but they all are attributed to the dog’s muscles being unable to relax. Typical signs include the cavalier engaged in exercise or being excited or stressed, and then suddenly develop a rigid gait in the rear limbs, extending and retracting in an exaggerated, stiff manner, like that of a hopping rabbit. The dog’s back may be arched, and the dog often yelps. The dog may lose its footing while running. It usually loses all coordination and collapses on its side or on its face. When the cavalier collapses, it may hold its forelegs or hind paws over its head.
EFS is inherited as a autosomal recessive trait. Our girls are all DNA tested clear.
Blood Platelets in CKCS
Blood Platelets in CKCS
Blood Platelets in CKCS
Over half of all cavalier King Charles spaniels may have both an abnormally low number of platelets and also have oversized platelets in their blood. This benign condition is called idiopathic asymptomatic thrombocytopenia and is normal in cavaliers, requiring no treatment..
Platelets are the smallest cells in the blood system serve to bind together and clot when they come in contact with a damaged blood vessel. Despite the low platelet counts, the typical cavalier's blood platelets function normally, and the dog does not appear to experience any health problems due to either the size or fewer numbers of its platelets. There are, however, exceptions to this typical situation.
The typical CKCS with idiopathic asymptomatic thrombocytopenia does not appear to experience any health problems due to either the size or fewer numbers of its platelets. Nevertheless. many veterinarians have mis-diagnosed this benign disorder with either immune-mediated thrombocytopenia (IMT) or immune-mediated hemolytic anemia (IMHA). Make sure your veterinarian completes a manual cell count and is aware of this condition relevant in this breed.
previous Velaris Puppies
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Puppy Playground
Puppy Adoption Process
Adopting a puppy is an exciting experience, and we're here to guide you through the process. We keep in contact with our potential owners and let them know when our next litter is due. Once the puppies are here and we know colour and sex, we start to go through our list. Here at Velaris Cavaliers, we want to set the puppy up for success, see their personalities and choose which puppy would be the best fit for each home. We will take colour and sex into consideration. We mostly breed whole colours, with occasional Blenheim and tri-colours.
The first 4 weeks
Did you know that puppies are born with their eyes and ears closed? They tend to open them around 12-14 days old. When their ears open, we start to play music all the time. We start with classical music, forest sounds, and ocean sounds. As time goes on, they will be introduced to different desensitizing playlists - car horns, fireworks, baby cries, … They also end up listening to a lot of Taylor Swift. Our puppies get weighed twice daily and get exposed to different textures, but mostly they are kept isolated, warm and safe.
Feeding Puppies
The first food that our puppies receive as they start to wean is Royal Canin Puppy Mousse. It is easily digestible and full of nutrition. Once they have that down, we start feeding them 2-4 times a day as mom decreases the amount of nursing. As they grow, we start to feed our puppies a mixture of Big Country Raw as well as a kibble that contains high levels of arginine, EPA + DHA, antioxidants and B vitamins. Blueberries. quail eggs
Puppy Training Tips
Training your new puppy is essential for a happy and healthy relationship. We get puppies used to being in a crate, going outside, eating out of a bowl and playing with toys. They receive interaction with small children and get to play with our girls, having free range of our house (well, the first floor at least). Socialization is extremely important at a young age. Some of our puppies go to show homes so we try and have them all used to be bathed and blown dried. This breed does not require a lot of grooming. They do require their ears to be brushed out, but a good bath, nail trim and blow out, keeps these beautiful dogs looking great.
Still Deciding if a CKCS is for you?
Click on the following link to watch a quick video and earn more about the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and to see if this breed is the breed for you.
Check this Out!
Have questions or want to meet with other cavalier owners? There are many facebook groups you can look to join. Some groups host picnics and get togethers. You can do obedience, rally, sprinter, agility, and other Canadian Kennel Club events with your CKCS. There are also regional clubs within the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Club of Canada. Click to see if there is a club close to you.
Where
Products we love!
- For grooming, I like to have the Artero stripping knife. This tool is used to remove dead hair from a dog's topcoat without damaging the undercoat. The main brush I use for my dogs is called the Chris Christensen Ice Slip Dematting brush. I find this glides through the hair easily and is easy to work with.You can purchase this as well as buttercombs that are a must at Wheatley Wares. For shampoo, I enjoy using Spectrum Ten Soft & Smooth Coat Shampoo. I also like Chris Christensen Ice on Ice Conditioner. Check out the link below to Wheatley Wares online shop.
Finishing Coats
Do you want your Cavalier King Charles Spaniel to have a smooth and polished coat after a bath? Wonder how these show dogs look great? They use a finishing coat. These are custom made by a friend and come in amazing fabrics. Check out the link to her shop.
Spaniel Bowls
Spaniel Bowls
Did you know that there is someone locally that creates spaniel water bowls? These prevent their ears from getting wet when drinking water. They come in an assortment of colours and are dishwasher safe. I love them so much that I send all of my puppies home with one. If you are interested in them, check out her link below.
Current/ Upcoming litters
Freya
Harper
Harper
Freya had her last litter and we are excited to show off our very first rainbow litter! We have 1 of each colour. There are 3 boys and 1 girl in this litter.
Have questions about the process of acquiring one of our puppies? Please send us an email and tell me about yourself. Have you had a cavalier before? Where do you live? Please take time and tell me about your lifestyle and what you are looking for. Please remember that puppies are not made to order, so if you are looking for a specific colour or sex, you may need to wait longer.
Harper
Harper
Harper
Harper was bred, but she did not get pregnant. Unfortunately, this happens. We will try her again next season which will be in the summer. Until then, we will be quiet on the puppy front. We won't be expecting more litters until the end of 2025.