Built for Cavalier King Charles Spaniel breeders

A Cavalier Waitlist as Calm as the Breed

Cavaliers mean small litters, families who have waited most of a year, and buyers who ask about hearts before they ask about color. Whelpify gives your program a real website, one organized waitlist, and deposits through your own Stripe account, with no marketplace cut.

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Typical litter3to 5 pupsSmall litters, so every puppy is spoken for early

AKC popularityTop 15Consistently among the most registered toy breeds

Heart examsyearlyCardiologist auscultation on every breeding dog

Go-home10to 12 weeksMany Cavalier programs hold puppies past eight weeks

Cavalier King Charles SpanielToy Group

About the breed

The Gentlest Companion Breed, With the Most Demanding Heart

The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel was recreated in 1920s England from the toy spaniels painted beside the Stuart kings, and it has kept the soft expression and the lapdog temperament ever since. It is now one of the most popular toy breeds in the United States, and well-bred puppies are almost always reserved before they are born.

Cavalier families tend to be informed and patient. They know the four colors, Blenheim, tricolor, ruby, and black and tan, they often want a specific one, and they have usually read about mitral valve disease and syringomyelia before they ever fill out an application. They expect a breeder who screens, publishes the results, and stays in touch for a long wait.

That is because the breed's health picture is real. Mitral valve disease is the leading cause of death in Cavaliers and shows up far earlier than in other breeds, which is why the MVD breeding protocol asks for heart-clear parents of a certain age with heart-clear parents of their own. Syringomyelia, eye disease, hip dysplasia, and patellar luxation round out the list every serious program screens for.

Breeding Cavaliers today

What the Market Looks Like Right Now

Honest context for planning a litter. These are the ranges we see on public listings and in parent club guidance; your region, your lines, and your reputation move them.

Typical pet price$2,500 to $4,500Heart-protocol parents, MRI-scanned lines, and titles sit at the top; limited registration is the norm for pet homes.

Litter size3 to 5Averages near four. Small, slow-growing puppies make early weights and supplementation decisions matter.

Gestation63 daysFrom ovulation. Most Cavaliers whelp naturally, but small dams and singleton litters mean your vet should know the date.

Deposit norms$300 to $500Usually non-refundable, applied to the balance, with the balance due before or at go-home.

Waitlist length6 to 12 monthsEstablished programs commonly carry a waitlist that spans more than one litter, and color requests stretch it further.

What buyers ask firstHeartsThe parents' latest cardiologist exam and their ages, then whether the line has been MRI-scanned for syringomyelia.

Whelping and Raising Notes for Cavaliers

Cavalier newborns are small, often well under half a pound, and can slip into hypoglycemia quickly. Daily weights from day one are your early warning system, especially for the runt in a litter of four.
Many Cavalier breeders hold puppies to ten or twelve weeks because the breed matures slowly and travels badly when tiny. If you do, say so on the site so families plan for it.
Color is settled at birth but markings shift. A Blenheim "lozenge" on the head is prized and worth photographing early; tri and black-and-tan points brighten over the first weeks.
Eyes and ears need attention from the start. Long ear leathers and prominent eyes are breed hallmarks, and families will expect to hear how you clean and check them.

Why Cavalier breeders pick Whelpify

A Cavalier Program Is a Trust Business, So Show Your Work

Three things Cavalier breeders spend the most time on, and how Whelpify handles each one out of the box.

01 / Hearts

The MVD Protocol, Visible on Every Parent Page

Record each dog's annual cardiologist exam, the age it was cleared, its eye, hip, and patella results, DNA panels, and MRI grade once, and every litter and puppy page shows the parents' screening beside their photos and pedigree. Because pedigrees link three generations, the heart-clear grandparents the protocol asks about are right there too.

Cardiologist examClear at 3 yrs

Sire and dam heartsClear at 5+

Eyes (annual)Normal

OFA hips / patellasGood / Normal

EFS / CC-DEClear

MRI (CM/SM)Grade A, scanned 2025

02 / Waitlist

A Year of Families, in Order

Cavalier buyers apply early and wait patiently, as long as they hear from you. Every application lands in one queue with the family's color and sex preference, timing, and notes attached, with numbered positions you can reorder yourself. When a litter is born, the families who asked for a Blenheim girl are a filter away, not a scroll through a Facebook inbox.

01The AbernathysBlenheim female · any litter#1

02K. DelacroixRuby · male preferred · fall#2

03Patel familyTricolor · either sex#3

04J. MorrisseyBlenheim · second Cavalier#4

03 / Raising

Twelve Weeks of Updates, on a Schedule

Holding puppies to ten or twelve weeks means more weeks of families waiting. Weigh-ins and photos go on each puppy record, the litter page updates itself, and offers, balance requests, and contracts all sit on the same litter record so nothing is a surprise in the last week.

Day 0Litter born, interested families notified

Week 3First photos, colors and markings confirmed

Week 6Offers out with a response window, deposits in

Week 9Balance requested, contract sent for signature

Week 10 to 12Go-home, receipts and signed copies on file

Health testing

The Screening Cavalier Buyers Know by Name

The American Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Club's health guidance and OFA's CHIC program for the breed center on heart, eyes, hips, and patellas, with the heart exam repeated every year. Most serious programs add DNA tests and talk openly about MRI screening for syringomyelia.

The MVD breeding protocol, endorsed by Cavalier clubs for decades, asks that a dog not be bred before two and a half years, be heart clear by a cardiologist at that age, and come from parents who were heart clear at five. Showing those ages next to the results is what an informed buyer is looking for.

Each dog record has a health section for results, registry numbers, and uploaded certificates. The public parent page shows what you choose to publish, including the date of each heart clearance, and every puppy from that pairing links back to it.

Heart

Annual auscultation by a board-certified veterinary cardiologist, recorded with OFA, watching for the murmur that signals early mitral valve disease. The protocol cares about the age at which a dog is still clear.

Eyes

Annual exam by a board-certified veterinary ophthalmologist through the OFA eye certification registry, watching for cataracts, retinal dysplasia, and dry eye.

Hips

OFA evaluation at 24 months or older (or PennHIP). Hip dysplasia is more common in the breed than its size suggests.

Patellas

OFA patellar luxation evaluation by a veterinarian, graded Normal or by luxation grade.

MRI for Syringomyelia

Not a CHIC requirement, but widely discussed and increasingly expected. Scans grade Chiari-like malformation and syringomyelia; many breeders publish the grade and the age at scan.

DNA Panels

Episodic falling syndrome (EFS) and curly coat / dry eye syndrome (CC/DE) are the two breed-specific tests. Carriers can be bred responsibly to clear partners, and buyers increasingly ask to see the result.

Everything under the hood

Set Up the Way a Cavalier Program Runs

The full platform is included on every plan. Here is how the pieces map to a Cavalier breeder's week.

Heart Results, Ages and All

Record each cardiologist exam with its date, note the age in the result, and publish it on the parent page. Eyes, hips, patellas, DNA, and MRI grades sit beside it.

One Waitlist, Numbered and Yours to Reorder

Every inquiry and application lands in one queue with statuses from first contact to deposit paid, follow-up reminders, and notes on each family.

Color Preferences, Captured and Matched

Families state a color and sex on the application. When a Blenheim girl goes available, the families who asked for one are notified, and those who pass stay on the list.

Your Own Stripe, Not a Marketplace Cut

Deposits and balances go straight to your bank account. Prefer Zelle, Venmo, or a check for some families? Send an invoice and mark it paid in one click.

Weekly Photos and Weights, Per Puppy

Log weights and photos on each puppy record and the litter page updates for the families watching it. Twelve weeks of updates without twelve weeks of group texts.

Contracts Families Sign From Their Phone

Your purchase agreement, health guarantee, and spay/neuter terms become signable forms attached to each family's file, with signed copies on both sides.

How a Cavalier program actually runs

Small Litters, Long Lists, and a Lot of Patient Families

The rhythm of a Cavalier program is particular. These are the numbers the workflow is shaped around.

Typical litter

3to 5 pups

Every puppy gets its own page, status, weights, and deposit record from birth.

Waitlist span

2litters or more

Families routinely wait through a litter for the right color. Statuses and notes keep the list honest.

Buyer specificity

color· sex · timing

Preferences are captured on the application and matched when a puppy goes available.

Health focus

heart· eyes · hips · patellas

Annual exams attach to parents and appear on every puppy page automatically.

Go-home

10to 12 weeks

A longer raise means more weeks of weigh-ins, photos, and a litter page that keeps updating.

Deposit strategy

per-pup· $300 to $500

Offers with a response window, automatic balance requests, and receipts for every payment.

Cavalier King Charles Spaniel FAQ

Questions We Get From Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Breeders

Can I show each parent's heart clearance, with the age, on my Cavalier website?

Yes. Each dog record has a health section where you enter results, dates, and registry numbers and upload certificates. What you publish appears on that dog's public page and on every litter and puppy page that descends from it, so the MVD protocol ages are visible where buyers look.

How does Whelpify handle a Cavalier waitlist that spans more than one litter?

Every applicant sits in one queue with a numbered position, a status, their preferences, and notes. When a litter is born you offer specific puppies to specific families with a response window, and anyone who passes stays on the list for the next litter without re-applying.

Can families request a color like Blenheim or ruby in advance?

They can state a color and sex preference on your application, and those preferences are used to notify matching families when a puppy becomes available. Final matching is always your call.

I hold puppies until ten or twelve weeks. Does the timeline support that?

Yes. The litter record carries its birth date and status, and you decide when offers go out, when the balance is requested, and when puppies go home. Weigh-ins and photos keep the litter page current for as many weeks as you raise them.

Do I have to use Stripe for deposits?

No. Stripe is built in if you want card payments straight to your own account, and you can also send invoices for Zelle, Venmo, PayPal, Cash App, or check and mark them paid yourself. Whelpify takes no cut of your sales either way.

Can I show a three-generation pedigree on every puppy page?

Yes. Link each dog's sire and dam once and Whelpify draws a three-generation pedigree with photos and registration numbers on every dog and puppy page, which is exactly where a Cavalier buyer wants to see heart-clear grandparents.

30-day free trial

Set Up Your Cavalier Program the Way You Actually Run It

Every plan starts with a 30-day free trial and includes the full platform. Most breeders have a site up in an afternoon.

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