Cavalier King Charles Spaniels

With regard to serious medical problems....All breeds have their peculiar medical issues, and responsible breeders are constantly watching their stock and also the animals they breed to.  If puppies show these tendencies, they are often only sold as pet and neutering or spaying is a requirement of ownership-to prevent the problem from compounding.  Most responsible breeders don't stop contact with you when the puppy goes home.  They keep in touch at least once in awhile to find out if you are encountering and unusual medicl issues.  I know that my last breeder could tell you exactly how long every one of her offspring lived, what the medical problems were, and what caused their death.  She also was scrupulous about getting those details from those whose lines she wished to breed to...And as in anything to do with living things-every precaution in the world will not guarantee complete good health-most vet screenings before puppies go home would turn up serious problems, and many breeders even offer a window, where you can take the animal to your own vet for an expert opinion on health before they consider the sale final.  I would say, rather than fearing the negatives, put your energy into locating a breeder who is truly passionate about the well-being of their breed and is hoping by careful crossing to come up with dogs that resemble the breed standard as perfectly as possible.  The fact is that they won't breed often and they probably won't breed alot, but if you manage to locate one, it will be worth the wait.  The breeder will become one of your good friends, educating you to appreciate the breed as much as they do, and supporting you throughout the ownership process.
 

I am also thinking about getting a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. I think they are the cutest dogs ever (besides my dog Vinnie, of course ), and from what I understand the breed in general has a great temperment. I have been looking into the breed for a while, and when I asked my trainer what small breed he recommended- they were the 1st breed on his list!
     The health problems are a concern w/ any dog. The one thing I did read is that Cavs have a high incidence of Mitrovalve prolapse (a type of heart disease). Apparently, it is in almost 100% of the breed, it is just a matter of how early and how severe. Most responsible breeders wait until the dogs are older that show no evidence of it (like 4 or 5yrs old) to breed them, to make sure they arent breeding dogs that have early onset of the disease. I have heard that this is (in many cases) a controllable and livable condition, and that if you love this breed, it shouldn't deter you from getting one. There are other health problems associated w/ cavs as well as any breed, but Mitrovalve prolapse is the main issue. Humans get Mitrovalve prolapse too, my grandma has had it all her life and she seems fine & she just turned 80!
  There are a few problems that have caused me not to get a Cav yet:
1. The expense: I believe a puppy costs about $1000 and up! That has something to do with the relative rarity of this breed (although gaining popularity). I think that there are about 4 breeders in my entire state (OH), and I think 2 of them are in my area. Fortunately (and unfortunately) many of these breeders do not focus on constantly breeding (they are mostly showing them), so litters are hard to come by & they often have waiting lists. Finding available cavs for rescue are even more rare.
2. I just got my dog in September 05 and I have been up w/ the puppy shenanigans for nearly a yr, although Vinnie has made tremendous progress. Vinnie is finally housebroken (although i still crate him during the day). I dont know if I am quite ready to deal with this stuff all over again.

If you have your first dog well socialized, they can be as real asset in getting a new puppy used to the rules of your house.....But you want the older dog to be really solid on their obedience, or they can revert to puppy behavior just like a child to get your attention.   I haven't had to housebreak a dog in years, because it seems that our senior pack members, one of them always steps up and lets the youngster know that the messy stuff goes outside.  I had a brittany spaniel who trained my akita, my german shepherd and a doberman.....She would sit in the back stoop and snarl at them until they went out into the yard and left their deposit.  Her attitude was that the loaded gun wasn't getting back into the house until it had emptied itself.  I guess her nose didn't like the odor of puppy doo....She would even grab the pup by the scruff and drag them to the back door if they started to leak on the carpet.....but she was about 2 1/2 to 3 before we brought a new one into our home.
 
As far as cost, if your heart is set on a pure bred dog, reputable breeders across all breeds, will probably charge at least $800 to $1000 as average ( it can go much higher for show quality and the right to breed the animal), but truly this only reflects the costs an actual breeder goes through to have pups health screened, the maternity vet care for the bitch, food, and the kit of startup supplies that they usually send home with new owner, microchipping, etc.  In many breeds it is required that dew claws be removed, tails docked, ears cropped, and those are all best done when the pup is very small-and of course, involve additional costs.  Some breeders will charge full price for a pet puppy, but reimburse you once the animal has been spayed or neutered by your own vet.  A responsible breeder, really doesn't make any money after all is said an done-especially when you consider cleaning up after multiple puppies for 8-12 weeks, which is a 24/7 thing.