HISTORY
As you may know, small spaniels were very popular among nobility in England in the 16th century. They were particularly favored by King Charles II , who is said to have seldom been seen without his dogs. During the reign of William III, the longer-nosed spaniels fell out of fashion and shorter nosed, Asian breeds, such as the pug and chin became popular. During this time, the small "King Charles Spaniels" were bred with pugs, chins and perhaps other breeds to create what is currently known as the English Toy Spaniel (or the "King Charles Spaniel" outside of North America).
Some background from Wikipedia:
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During the 16th century, a small type of spaniel was popular among the nobility in England. The people of the time believed that these dogs could keep fleas away, and some even believed that they could prevent forms of stomach illnesses. These dogs were sometimes called the "Spaniel Gentle" or "Comforter", as ladies taking a carriage ride would take a spaniel on their laps to keep them warm during the winter. Charles I kept a spaniel named Rogue while residing at Carisbrooke Castle, however it is Charles II that this breed is closely associated and it was said of him that "His Majesty was seldom seen without his little dogs". There is a myth that he even issued an edict that no spaniels of this type could be denied entry to any public place.
The King Charles Spaniels of this time resemble those displayed in this illustration:
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...During the reign of King William III and Queen Mary II, the long nosed style of spaniel went out of fashion. The Pug was the favoured dog at the time in the Netherlands, and with William's Dutch origin, they became popular in England too. At this time interbreeding may have occurred with the Pug, or other flat nosed breeds, as the King Charles took on some Pug-like characteristics, but in any event the modern King Charles Spaniel emerged.
The dogs of that time are similar to the one displayed here:
MR. JOSEPH NAVE'S BLACK AND TAN KING CHARLES SPANIEL "COVENT GARDEN CHARLIE."
They resemble the modern day "English Toy Spaniel". Below is an illustration of the English Toy Spaniel from the turn of the century:
Cavaliers and ETS share a common history until around 1926. At that time, Roswell Eldridge offer a price for the best spaniels of the "old type", as from the time of Charles the II. It is from this contest that we have the Cavalier.
The following Wikipedia article contains a nice, concise summary of the common history and the emergence of the Cavalier (with the exception of referring to the ETS forehead "ugly").
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cavalier_K ... es_Spaniel
from the article...
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In 1926, American Roswell Eldridge offered a dog show class prize of twenty-five pounds each as a prize for the best male and females of "Blenheim Spaniels of the old type, as shown in pictures of Charles II of England's time, long face, no stop, flat skull, not inclined to be domed, with spot in centre of skull." The breeders of the era were appalled, although several entered what they considered to be sub-par King Charles Spaniels in the competition. Eldridge died before seeing his plan come to fruition, but several breeders believed in what he said and in 1928 the first Cavalier club was formed. The first standard was created, based on a dog named "Ann's Son" owned by Mostyn Walker, and the The Kennel Club recognised the breed as "King Charles Spaniels, Cavalier type".
It is at this time the the two breeds diverge. The English Toy Spaniel is essentially the same dog that developed in the 1600s. Cavaliers were developed from the "King Charles Spaniel" and are the breed we know today. This is one of the reasons why Cavaliers are known as "Cavalier King Charles Spaniels" and it is not really acceptable to refer to them as "King Charles Spaniels". King Charles Spaniels aren't a breed in the United States and represent a different breed outside of North America.
DIFFERENCES IN THE BREEDS
Perhaps all of that is fascinating, but a bit more than you were looking for.
The two breeds look very similar and come in the same color combinations. For English Toy Spaniels "Tris" are known as "Prince Charles" and Black and Tans are known as "King Charles". The same naming is not accurate for Cavaliers.
ETSs are generally a little smaller than Cavaliers, with the breed standard calling for 8 to 14 pounds, vs. 13 to 18 pounds for Cavaliers. ETSs also have dome-shaped heads and have a flatter face. The muzzle is very short and the eyes sit closer to the nose.
Like Cavaliers, ETSs are very affectionate, but are generally a little calmer and a bit quirkier. They are very happy and playful litlte dogs. They are known for their clown-like characteristics. They are also generally more stubborn than Cavaliers.
You can find this complete post, with additional references, on our message board. We warmly welcome both Cavaliers and English Toy Spaniels to our forum.
http://www.cavaliercorner.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=491
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