Looking for a puppy?
Many people who end up on this website are looking to add a puppy to their family. They are searching for a reputable breeder. They want to find a breeder who does all the health testing and breeds carefully and ethically.
Reputable Breeder
A reputable breeder will provide the written health test results for both the sire and dam of any puppy sold.
At Foxwyn Cavaliers this includes:
Annual heart exam performed by a board certified Cardiologist
Annual eye exam performed by a board certified Ophthalmologist
Annual patella exam performed by a DVM
Hips tested (one-time) after 2 years of age, graded and cleared by the OFA
We do occasionally use older stud dogs who have been imported from the UK or might just be visiting in the USA for a limited time. They don’t do hips in the UK and other European countries. As a result, there are times when the stud dog we use will not have the hips done.
Once a dog has passed these 4 health tests, the breeder mails the test results into the OFA, and then CHIC issues a number for the dog. If the breeder prefers to hold on to the forms out of privacy concerns, then they should be able to give you copies of the current clearances.
We follow the “5 and heart clear” breeding protocol. This is perhaps the most important breeding standard of all. Almost 50% of ALL Cavaliers will develop a heart murmur, Mitral Valve Disease, MVD, before the age of 5. This is called “early onset”. Of the remaining Cavaliers, almost all will develop a murmur later in life. Murmurs which are late onset are manageable through medications and cardiac support. The relationship is simple, the earlier the MVD onset, the shorter the lifespan of the dog. By following the “5 and heart clear” breeding protocol, reputable breeders can delay the onset of heart issues by a significant amount of time. Breeders should only be breeding a Cavalier when it is age 5, and heart clear. If the dog is under age 5 at the time of breeding, then his/her parents must be found to be 5 and heart clear by a board-certified Cardiologist. This is why it is important to use older sires, and make sure the mother of the litter comes from heart-healthy lines. When you breed to this protocol for many generations, it does make a difference in the heart health of the offspring.
A reputable breeder will not post their puppies for sale on a website, along with a price.
A reputable breeder does not accept a credit card number/Paypal and then agree to ship a young pup to a person they have never met.
A reputable breeder will want to meet you in-person, and will invite you to their home to see the litter, and to meet at least the mother of the litter, and allow you to see how their dogs are generally kept.
The definition of a backyard breeder (BYB) is someone who breeds dogs as their primary way to earn a living, with an eye looking to profit. BYB's are motivated by profit and won't waste their time or money on health testing or exhibiting their dogs. Many will claim to do these things, but upon investigation, their claims are false. They tend to use lower quality lines and cut corners. Their dogs often lack a health history spanning generations.
We will only breed adult dogs over the age of 2 1/2 years old, and we follow our club breeding guidelines. Puppies are generally placed in their new homes at 12-14 weeks old. We do not ship young puppies. Many BYB's start breeding their dogs before 2 years of age, and will ship out tender young 8-week old puppies to their new homes.
There are only two legitimate registries for Cavaliers: The AKC and the CKCSC-USA breed registries. Many breeders will dual register their dogs with both clubs. The CKCSC-USA has a code of ethics which each member must follow. We have always dual-registered our Cavaliers. The CKCSC-USA club is stricter, and requires DNA testing of both parents. Therefore, the integrity of the CKCSC-USA pedigree is much higher than for dogs registered with the AKC pedigree.
We have noticed at least one breeder who falsely implies that they are a CKCSC-USA Club member by claiming that “they follow the CKCSC-USA’s Code of Ethics”, which in fact, they do not. They are 1. Not a Club member, and 2. Do not register all dogs in their house with the CKCSC-USA, and 3. Do not DNA both parents with every litter. That’s just for starters. As the former chairperson for the Club’s Registration Committee, only members can register their dogs with the Club. This is a primary requirement of the Club’s COE.
Unfortunately, you can never assume that some websites are being truthful. It’s “Buyer Beware”.
A reputable breeder shows their dogs or trains their dogs for performance events, and sometimes both. In particular, the AKC offers the designation of “Breeder of Merit”, which is an important designation. Showing dogs is the primary way that breeders receive peer review, and it is an opportunity for good breeders to show the public what their breeding program is producing. Although you may "only" be looking for a family pet, it is still very important to select a breeder who actively exhibits their dogs. This is something you can easily verify by Googling on the breeder's name. Good breeders are breeding a new litter in order to get their next Champion, and will typically keep one or more of the pups from the litter for their showing/breeding program. That way, the breeder is personally invested in each breeding and litter, seeking out the very best, healthiest lines available. Research into a dog’s pedigree is very important.
A reputable breeder is a valuable resource for the lifetime of your dog, and beyond. Good breeders sincerely want to know how their puppies mature and grow, as it provides valuable information about their lines and their breeding program over the long-run. We love to get updates and photos from our puppy families.
Any puppy bred by Foxwyn Cavaliers has a lifetime home with us, anytime, for any reason. We love our babies.
So that's it, enough to get you started. DO research any breed you are interested in, BUY from a reputable breeder that has the breed's best interest at heart and who does all the health-testing. ASK questions, and be prepared to be asked questions, as well. Most breeders are very particular about who buys their puppies, and that's a good thing.
Our Process
We normally will have one or maybe two litters per year. It depends on the year, and the health testing status and ages of our girls. Cavaliers have, on average 3-4 pups per litter, so you do the math, especially if you are looking for a specific color or gender. I would advise you to take your time, and wait for the right breeder/litter/pup. Sometimes people want a pup for a birthday, or another holiday. I would advise you to focus on the breeder, the health-testing behind the dogs, the temperaments, and the other important factors when getting a puppy. A puppy is at least a 10-12 year commitment and will live in your heart forever.
Our puppy placement process is simple, but it’s very often slow. Timing is often very unpredictable. At the end of the day, Mother Nature is always in control. It’s often difficult to determine which puppies are show prospects. We often end up placing show quality puppies in companion homes. Our companion homes are the best…we know that our babies are loved and spoiled by their families. There’s nothing better than that!
Puppy buyers usually email me from the website. I may answer an initial inquiry, to let folks know if we have pups, or not. (I’ll be honest, we get a lot of inquires. We often do not have time to keep up with them. Sorry.) Sometimes this will lead to a phone conversation. After a phone conversation, I will often send out a “Puppy Buyer Information Sheet”, and ask that the sheet be filled out and returned. Once we have a specific puppy to offer a family, we will then invite the whole family over for a visit. If everyone is happy with the puppy and it feels like a good fit for everyone involved, then we make plans from there.
There are a few things that we don’t do…We don’t take deposits. Either it’s a good fit or it’s not…and I’m not into keeping people’s deposits. We know that people like to shop around, and that’s okay. People can change their minds. For this reason… We do not maintain a wait-list. Any wait-list would be a thousand people long. We simply look for homes once we have actual puppies ready to place. Our website is really easy to modify, so we update the “AVAILABILTY” page on the site with updates. You might want to take a look!
PRICE
Okay, so everyone wants to know “How much are the puppies”!!! In 2022, the prices nationally for a 12-week old, well-bred puppy (health-tested parents) from a reputable, quality breeder runs $4500-$6500 range, give or take.
It may sound like a lot, but compared to other purebred dogs, its in the same ballpark as other toy breeds.
Cavaliers are a toy breed, and it is not always that easy to raise a litter. It actually requires a lot of breed-specific skill, training, and resources.
Small Litter Size: Cavalier litter size is relatively small, on average only 3-4 pups per litter. (I wish we had 11-12 puppies per litter like some of the larger breeds!)
Lifetime Care: The lifetime care for the mother, including health testing, veterinary expenses for breeding the litter, stud fees and more. This consumes thousands of dollars and huge time investment.
Missed Breedings: We often spend thousands of dollars in preparation and testing prior to breeding a litter, only to find out that the breeding did not take.
Breeding Integrity: It is not usual to raise a dog, finish a dog in the show ring and suddenly find out years down the road that the dog is not suitable for breeding due to an emerging health issue. This is a true test of a reputable breeder, earning their reputation by doing the right thing, and only moving forward with the best, healthiest dogs.
Neonate and Maternal Care: Even when you do get lucky, and everything goes right, the breeder literally works 24/7 (672 hours) for the first month of life on raising the new litter.
Lifetime Resource: After every puppy has moved on to their new family, the breeder still spends time working with their families for the lifetime of the dog.
Long-Term Commitment: All of the above factors into overall puppy prices. If a breeder does a quality job of breeding a litter, then they actually lose money over the long run. This is not a profitable hobby. I wish it were! It is truly a labor of love.
Can you find cheaper puppy prices? Yes. You can. But please consider the above points…
We don’t offer “open” or general visiting hours…purely out of concern for our own privacy and security. (If we have a specific pup available to you, then, yes, of course, we will set up a time to visit. Same with boarding reservations.) We need to be especially careful about disease transmission, and bringing germs into our home. We are a family, a private residence, and we value our security and privacy. We are not a commercial kennel.
Puppy Photos. I will admit, taking puppy photos is the bane of my existence. Puppies seem to know when you have a camera pointed at them. They honestly make the worst faces you’ve ever seen! Just know, we do our best taking pictures and even taking video.
We rarely have older adults available for adoption. Once our dogs reach a certain age, they just don’t leave. They are our pets, and we become way too attached to let them go. We do occasionally have older puppies available. These puppies will be between 6-18 months old, and we have been running them on as show prospects. Normally, most of our pups are placed between 12 weeks old and 16 weeks old.
We do a very complete puppy package for each of our pups. It includes important documents, as well as a well-stocked tote bag.