Cavalier Puppies: Healthy, less inbred
Red-Dawn Cavaliers is a member of the world wide project of re-creating a healthier and less inbred Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. Located in Dallas Texas.
Learn more at the Cavalier Improvement Project
Red-Dawn Cavaliers on Facebook
Alicia of Red-Dawn with Helen a Cavalier
Why our Cavalier Puppies are healthy and less inbred
Our Cavalier King Charles Spaniel puppies stand out because they are thoughtfully bred with a strong emphasis on low inbreeding, health, and longevity, setting them apart from many traditional breeders. We focus first on science based reduction of inbreeding and increasing genetic diversity, which plays a critical role in producing healthier, more resilient dogs. Every parent dog in our program is OFA CHIC certified, extensively DNA tested, and are Echocardiogram screened to evaluate heart health, ensuring that each litter is backed by comprehensive, science-based screening. As a result, our puppies are not only beautiful and affectionate, but also confident, well-rounded, and better equipped for a long, happy life as part of your family.
Red-Dawn’s History
At Red-Dawn, our passion for dogs spans decades. While we are best known for our Golden Retrievers and former Border Collies, but we’ve always had a special place in our home for “little dogs” as well. In fact, our journey began in the 1980s with a rescued Dachshund/Chihuahua mix. Later, in the early 2000s, we became Breeders of Merit (BOM) for Chinese Cresteds and earned top AKC show rankings. By 2009, we transitioned into Miniature and Moyen Poodles. Most recently, we proudly welcomed Cavalier King Charles Spaniels (CKCS) into our home. We combine our experience, dedication, and commitment to producing exceptional companion dogs.
Red-Dawn baby CKCS
Our Goal with Cavalier King Charles Spaniels
At Red-Dawn Cavaliers, our mission is simple: to produce healthier Cavalier King Charles Spaniel puppies through increased genetic diversity. Above all, we believe health must come first, before appearance, coat, size, or type. After all, nothing is more heartbreaking than seeing a beloved dog suffer from preventable health conditions.
Cavaliers are a loving, affectionate breed, but they are also known for serious inherited health issues. These problems largely stem from a high Coefficient of Inbreeding (COI), a measure of how genetically similar a dog’s parents are. Based on modern DNA testing, most Cavaliers have a COI between 25% and 50%, with many averaging around 35%. To put this into perspective, the offspring of full siblings from otherwise unrelated lines would have a COI of approximately 25%.
Jasper, Blenheim CKCS
Why Genetic Diversity Matters
Because of this limited gene pool, the only long-term solution for improving Cavalier health is to increase genetic diversity. At Red-Dawn, we take a science-based approach that focuses on:
- Advanced DNA health testing to reduce inherited diseases
- Comprehensive health screening, including MRI scans, echocardiograms, and OFA certifications
- Honest evaluation of each dog’s health and temperament
- Careful selection of dogs that retain the classic Cavalier personality and appearance
Our Approach to Cavalier Outcrossing
Many current outcross programs follow a traditional “backcrossing” model breeding a Cavalier to another breed (F1), then repeatedly breeding offspring back to pure Cavaliers. While this approach quickly restores the Cavalier look, it also rapidly increases inbreeding again over just a few generations.
For example, DNA data shows that:
- First-generation crosses (F1) have 0% COI
- By the F1b generation, COI rises to 10–15%
- By F1bb, it reaches 18–25%
- By F1bbb, inbreedimg climbs back to 25–32% essentially returning to the same high inbreeding levels seen in purebred Cavaliers
As a result of repeated backcrossing into Cavaliers, much of the health benefit from the original outcross is quickly lost.
A Better Path Forward
Red-Dawn Oliver a Blenheim Cavalier stud
Instead, our program focuses on maintaining genetic diversity across generations. Rather than repeatedly breeding back to pure Cavaliers, we prioritize pairing dogs with mixed Cavalier heritage to preserve the benefits of a broader gene pool. This approach allows us to:
- Keep COI levels significantly lower
- Retain valuable genetic diversity from carefully selected outcross breeds
- Gradually select for dogs that look and behave like Cavaliers over time
By thoughtfully choosing puppies that exhibit the hallmark Cavalier temperament who are gentle, affectionate, and family-oriented, we can maintain the breed’s beloved traits while improving overall health and longevity.
Red-Dawn Cavalier, black and tan
Healthier Structure for a Better Life
In addition to genetic diversity, we also support improvements to physical structure. Many breeders in modern Cavalier improvement programs agree that a slightly longer muzzle and skull are beneficial. This helps reduce the risk of serious conditions such as Chiari-like malformation (CM) and syringomyelia (SM), as well as other brachycephalic-related health issues.
For this reason, we avoid breeding for overly short noses or exaggerated head shapes, prioritizing function and health over extreme features.
Our Red-Dawn Cavaliers
- Henry, Chocolate Boy, OFA CHIC
- Oliver, Blenheim Boy, OFA CHIC
- Jasper, Blenheim Boy, OFA CHIC
- Jazzy, Blenheim Girl, OFA CHIC
- Ben, Blenheim Boy OFA CHIC
- Arland, half Cavalier OFA CHIC equivalent
- Marley Rose, half Cavalier OFA CHIC equivalent
- Our Dogs are all Embark DNA to get an overview of health and other traits. In addition, we test with other DNA companies as health tests are invented. Recent DNA tests for 2023/2024 include: MCADD & MVD
- We do OFA certificates on Hips, Heart, Eyes, Patella.
- Some dogs are PennHip certified and Cardiac Echocardiogram tested.
- ** Note, most Cavalier fail their Echocardiogram, the machine that shows all the functions of the heart. Our Cardiologist says that most pure-Cavaliers cannot pass an Echo starting between 2-4 years of age. Also, the vast majority of CKCS have an audible murmur starting around 5 years of age. Based on OFA records, only a few Cavaliers can pass an Echo after 5 years of age. For more on this subject read up at the Cavalier Improvement Project.
- Contact Alicia of Red-Dawn
Cavalier and puppy
Cavalier Puppies
Cavalier puppies sold by Red-Dawn are not AKC registered and are not considered “pure”. This equals a more genetically diverse dog with fewer or no health problems. Getting a Cavalier from Red-Dawn means you want a dog who has a higher chance at living a very long and healthy life.
Guardian Program
We need willing participants in our Cavalier genetic diversity breeding project to co-own or be “guardians” of intact boys and girls. This means the dog is your pet, but we breed it only if it passes all the health screening. This allows us to get more generations of dogs bred, sooner, but not overwhelm us with too many dogs at home. If you live a reasonable drive from Dallas Texas, you may qualify as a Guardian.
We are connected with Cavalier breeders all over the world. We may be able to connect you as a Guardian to a breeder near you.
Help us! We need non-Cavaliers!
Red-Dawn Jasper, Cavalier stud dog
We, like many other breeders participating in the Cavalier Cross-Breeding Improvement Project, need access to healthy good tempered dogs of many breeds (and cross breeds) to use as parents to be crossed with our Cavaliers. If you have a dog that might help improve the Cavalier breed, please contact us! If you have an intact Cavalier or Cavalier cross, also contact us.
Contact Alicia of Red-Dawn
Genetic Diversity and COI
Cavalier King Charles Spaniels are all highly inbred. The average COI is 35%. The least inbred a Cavalier dog has shown on DNA testing is 25%. For comparison, the offspring of full siblings from 4 unrelated grandparents is 25%. Cavaliers are more inbred than the child of full siblings.
By crossing a Cavalier to “other” breeds, we can minimize or stop the Cavalier specific health problems. This is because genetic diversity and low inbreeding helps mammals thrive.
Below are some examples to show DNA proof inbreeding of Cavaliers
Our Cavalier, Oliver, comes from mostly “pet” bred American genetics with a little American Show. His COI is 29% and his lowest possible match on Embark’s Matchmaker Tool is 25%. He is not related to Jasper when looking at their pedigrees.
Jasper is our mostly European pedigree Cavalier boy. His DNA inbred score is 33% and his lowest match with all Cavalier ladies in the Embark DNA database is 25%. Oliver and Jasper are not related on paper, they come from vastly unique pedigrees and continents. But yet, they can NOT match below a 25% COI with the Cavalier ladies on Embark.
Genome comparisons
Offspring: half Cavalier + half Poodle = 2% COI. Look at the golden yellow tick marks between the Cavalier, Poodle and their offspring! It is clear from these pictures what is most healthy.
By crossing two mostly unrelated breeds with majority not-shared health concerns of each breed, the offspring has a greater chance of not inheriting any recessive traits that plague either of the parent’s breeds. We do not know how to stop some of the breed specific health concerns of Cavaliers, like SM/CM or MVD. We do know that skull shape is associated with SM/CM. And we know Cavaliers are highly prone to MVD in the heart. By crossing a Cavalier with a breed that does not have SM/CM or MVD, we likely reduce (if dominant) or eliminate (if recessive) those health problems. What we do know from history and science of multiple species, inbreeding is not creating as healthy offspring as outcrossing.