Colors of Cavalier King Charles Spaniels Explained

Let’s start with the basics. If you want to know more about Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, learning about their coat colors and patterns is a must!

Read more about cavalier king charles spaniels here!

I’ll take a closer look at the colors of Cavalier King Charles Spaniels and explore what makes each shade so special.

In this article, I’ll explain all I know about cavalier colors, what is the most popular color, how the cavalier breed standard describes them, and what to look out for if you are after the dog show success!

The Four Colors of Cavalier King Charles Spaniel

Cavalier King Charles Spaniels come in a handful of colors, some of them being more popular than others. The colors of are blenheim, tricolor, black and tan, and ruby.

These colors are officially recognized in different Kennel Clubs around the world and any other color or combination of colors is highly undesirable.

Let’s look at the four different colors!

The Blenheim Cavalier

Let’s start with the most popular color of the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel: Blenheim.

The breed standard says that Blenheim has rich chestnut markings that are well broken up, on a bright white ground. Markings are evenly divided on the head, leaving room between ears for a much-valued lozenge mark or spot.

In some Blenheim dogs, there is a chestnut spot in the middle of the forehead: this is called the “Blenheim” spot. The Blenheim spot is also known as the mark of the “Duchess Thumb Print”, based on the legend that Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough while awaiting news of her husband’s safe return from the Battle of Blenheim, pressed the head of an expecting dam with her thumb, resulting in five puppies bearing the lucky mark after news that the battle had been won.

Wikipedia

Dog Shows:

Blenheims are most common and they dominate in the dog show rings with their popularity. Sometimes you can see a blenheim cavalier with an almost entirely white face without the rich chestnut markings. This is considered highly undesirable in dog shows.

The Black and Tan Cavalier

Black and tan can be referred to as King Charles because Charles I of England preferred this color. Raven black with rich tan markings above the eyes, on cheeks, inside ears, on chest and legs, and underside of the tail.

Black and tan is probably the least popular color for cavalier king charles spaniels and I don’t understand why.

In my experience, it is much harder to keep Halla’s tricolor coat bright and not yellow. Dirt, oils from the skin, food stains, and environmental factors like grass and air pollution can all lead to white fur turning yellowish or dull over time.

Dog Shows:

Note that any white markings are undesirable and they will be considered a minor fault in dog shows.

The Ruby Cavalier

Ruby is the only solid color for Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. Ruby is rich red color without any markings. The ruby color is particularly striking because it’s a uniform, glossy, and vibrant shade of red, with no other colors mixed in.

Some describe this color as rich chestnut depending on what country’s breed standard you look but the different wording means the same.

Dog Shows:

Note that any white markings are undesirable and they will be considered a minor fault in dog shows.

The Tricolor Cavalier

Also spelled as ‘Tri-Color’. This color variation used to be less popular but has quickly become the second most popular color. Tricolor can be referred to as Prince Charles.

Tricolor means the cavalier has a white areas with large black markings broken up. Rich chestnut tan markings over the eyes, cheeks, inside ears, inside legs, and on the underside of the tail.

Dog Shows:

Sometimes if the tricolor has almost entirely black back without the white breaking up the pattern, dog show judges will make negative mention of it. Any other color or combination of colors is highly undesirable.

The Royal History of Cavalier Colors

The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is named after King Charles II of England, who was a known lover of the small spaniel breed, and particularly favored toy spaniels during the 17th century.

During his reign, these spaniels were often seen at royal courts, accompanying the king and his courtiers, and were even depicted in paintings and portraits from the era.

Read more about the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel history here!

One of the most distinctive features of the Cavalier is its beautiful coat. But the story behind these colors—particularly how they received their names—is as fascinating as the breed itself:

Black and tan is sometimes referred to as ‘King Charles‘. King Charles II’s love for these dogs, including those of the black-and-tan coloration, helped elevate the breed’s status and contributed to the breed’s development.

The Tricolor color pattern is sometimes referred to as ‘Prince Charles‘ variety in recognition of Prince Charles, the heir apparent to the British throne, who is known for his love of the breed.

The name Blenheim is believed to have been popularized by the Duke of Marlborough, whose family has deep ties to Blenheim Palace, located in Oxfordshire, England. The name reflects the aristocratic, noble history of the breed, which was favored by English royalty and the upper class.

What is the Most Popular Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Color?

Finnish CKCS Club reported that out of all registered cavalier puppies in 2022

1. 56% blenheim
2. 22% tricolors
3. 12% rubies
4. 10% were black and tans

Over half of all of cavaliers were blenheims, they surely dominate the popularity!

Did you know: Tricolor used to be way less popular color in the past. The Finnish data shows that in 2017 tricolor climbed to become the second most popular color.

This verifies my empirical research, I have seen the shift and rise of tricolors too. Heck, I used not to like the color but now I have Halla, the tricolor cavalier.

Other Color Variations

Cavalier King Charles spaniels only come in four colors that are recognized in different Kennel Clubs around the world. The colors of cavalier king charles spaniels are blenheim, tricolor, black&tan, and ruby.

There might be articles on the internet that cavaliers come in exotic colors like chocolate and merle. You can even find pictures of these dogs.

I have also seen pictures of “all black” cavaliers that often have small white markings on their paws and chest. Those dogs are most likely a mix of cavalier and solid black English Cocker spaniel and the little white markings come from their cavalier side.

Then there are all white cavaliers with blue eyes and pink spots on their noses. These dogs have a rare hereditary condition called albinism. ‘It is a common misconception that all albino animals have characteristic pink or red eyes‘, Wikipedia tells us.

Merle and chocolate color genes come from other breeds that have been mixed with cavaliers. Therefore those are not purebred cavaliers.

Let me emphasize, that there is nothing wrong with having a mixed-breed dog. I’m not an elitist like that.

But I have a problem with how these variations are marketed as exclusive, rare, and all the other bullshit. I will be doing more in-depth articles about chocolate and merle colorings in the future.