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Small breeds
Cavalier King Charles spaniels on Cape Ann: ears, feathering and the lap
The Cavalier is a spaniel that decided the lap was the better assignment. It still carries the spaniel's long ears, silky feathering and love of a soggy walk, and all three need looking after on a coast of salt water, granite and ticks. This is the breed as our groomers and handlers see it at 210 Eastern Ave.
Play style
Energy and play style: the lap dog that still wants a morning in the group
A Cavalier's idea of a good day is a walk, a game, a nap on someone and a second game. In the small-dog group of 7 to 10 dogs matched by size and temperament, a Cavalier is the peacemaker: it will trot with a Boston terrier, share a platform with a pug and then find the handler and lean. Gentle, rarely mouthy and slow to take offense, it is the dog our handlers use to settle a nervous newcomer. A boisterous large group is too rough for it.
Cavaliers were bred as companions, and being alone is the hard part of their day; a bored Cavalier puppy finds its own project, and it is usually a roll of something. That is why the breed does so well with daycare. A half day at $33 in the small group gives a Cavalier its social morning and a nap at home in the afternoon; a full day at $42 suits the young Cavalier still finding out how much play it has in it.
- Gentle, peacemaking play with Bostons, pugs and small doodles
- Leans on the handler between games; it is normal, not distress
- Half days for the nap, full days for the young Cavalier with more play in it
The coat
The coat and the groom: ears, feathering and feet, on a six-to-eight-week clock
A Cavalier has a silky, medium-length single coat with long feathering on the ears, chest, legs, feet and tail. It sheds moderately all year and mats where hair rubs: behind the ears, under the collar, in the armpits and between the toes. Our groomers' general practice is a full-service groom every 6 to 8 weeks, $75 for a dog up to 25 pounds, meaning a bath, a dry, a comb-out and a tidy of the feet, sanitary area and ear edges. The body is not clipped short; a shaved Cavalier loses the silk.
Between grooms, a bath alone is $55, and the two add-ons that matter are a sanitary trim at $10, which keeps the feathering behind clean, and dematting at $15 per 20 minutes for the felt that forms behind the ears when weekly combing lapses. Nail clipping at $16 every 4 to 6 weeks keeps the feet tidy under the feathering. At home the job is a pin brush and a fine comb twice a week, ears first, and a proper dry after any swim; a Cavalier that dries on the couch after Ravenswood will mat by morning.
| Area | At home | At Dogtown |
|---|---|---|
| Ears | Comb behind them twice a week; dry the flap and the opening after water | Cleaned and dried at every groom; dematting $15 per 20 minutes if felted |
| Feathering on legs and chest | Pin brush then fine comb twice a week; burr check after the woods | Combed out and tidied in the $75 full service |
| Feet | Comb between the toes after sand | Trimmed at every groom; nails $16 |
| Rear feathering | Check daily | Sanitary trim $10 |
| Whole coat | No clipping short | Bath $55 or full service $75 every 6 to 8 weeks |
This coast
This coast: salt water in the ears, burrs in the feathering, ticks in both
A Cavalier is a spaniel, and most will go into the water at Wingaersheek on an odd-numbered day in November without being asked. The long ears then hold salt water against the ear canal for hours; dry the flap and the opening with a soft towel before you leave the beach and again at home. Gloucester's beaches take dogs from October 1 to April 30, and Singing Beach in Manchester-by-the-Sea takes licensed, vaccinated dogs from October 15 to April 14, two per person.
Inland, the feathering is a burr magnet. Ravenswood Park and Dogtown Common are full of the seed heads that mat a Cavalier's legs within a walk, and from April to November the same feathering hides ticks; run a fine comb through the legs and ears after every woods walk and check the armpits, groin and toes. Halibut Point State Park requires a leash, which suits a companion's recall. In snow, watch the feathered feet for ice balls and road salt, and rinse and dry them at home.
- Dry the ear flap and opening before leaving the beach and again at home
- Fine comb through the feathering after every woods walk, April to November, for burrs and ticks
- Halibut Point requires a leash; rinse and dry the feathered feet after snow and salt
What we watch
Health notes our team watches for on a Cavalier
Ears first. A Cavalier that shakes its head, scratches at an ear or tilts after a swim is telling us something, and our handlers and groomers mention it to you the same day; a sour smell from the ear is a reason to see your vet rather than to book a bath. Eyes second, because the breed's large, round eyes pick up turf grit and sand, so a Cavalier that squints or weeps gets rinsed and reported. Both are observations, not diagnoses, and the AKC's breed guidance describes the checks a vet or a breeder does.
The third is the heart, and here we are careful. Cavalier owners usually already know that the breed's heart is something their vet listens to at every visit. A daycare team hears none of that; what we notice is a dog that tires sooner than it used to, coughs after play or would rather sit than run, and if our handlers see that change you hear about it at pick-up with a suggestion to see your vet. Ask your vet about the check schedule that makes sense for your dog.
Dogtown for Cavaliers
Dogtown for a Cavalier: the groom, the group and the routine
The rhythm that works for most Cavaliers is a groom every 6 to 8 weeks at $75 booked onto a daycare day, two or three small-group days a week at $33 or $42, and a lick mat at $5 or a frozen Kong at $6 for the settle block, because this breed loves a job it can do lying down. Grooming needs no evaluation; daycare needs the free one, on a weekday between 6:30 and 9:30 AM. Pup Van pick-up is $10 each way in Rockport, Gloucester, Essex and Manchester-by-the-Sea.
For a young Cavalier still learning to be alone, or one from a breeder or a rescue without much practice around other dogs, Dogtown Academy at $69 a half day adds a gentle training block and a sensory-garden session to the play, with a report card at pick-up. A Cavalier that is nervous of the group at first almost always comes round; the breed wants company more than it fears the new.
- 01
Comb the ears, legs and chest with a pin brush and a fine comb twice a week, ears first
- 02
Dry the ear flap and opening after every swim, bath or beach walk
- 03
Book the $75 full-service groom every 6 to 8 weeks, onto a daycare day when you can
- 04
Add a sanitary trim at $10 and nails at $16; ask for dematting only if the ears have felted
- 05
Check the feathering for burrs and ticks after every woods walk from April to November
At Dogtown
The services a Cavalier uses most
A full-service groom every six to eight weeks, the small-dog group for the social morning, and enrichment for the settle.
Asked and answered
Questions people ask about this
Short, complete answers you can act on today. More in the full FAQ.
How often should a Cavalier King Charles spaniel be groomed?
Why do a Cavalier's ears need so much attention after the beach?
Is a Cavalier a good daycare dog?
Do ticks hide in a Cavalier's feathering?
More questions? Read the full FAQ
Sources
Rules and dates change. We re-check every beach, licensing and ordinance page each spring and fall; the source above is the current word.
Keep reading
Next step
Ears dried, feathering combed, lap ready.
Book a full-service groom online with no evaluation, or book the free weekday evaluation to add the small-dog group to your Cavalier's week.
- 01Free evaluationWeekdays 6:30 – 9:30 AM
- 02Book a dayOnline, in the app or by phone
- 03Play, rest, repeatReport card at pick-up
