A charming and very enchanting toy breed has some tough language in its AKC breed standard.

The line in the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel standard that has real “teeth?”  “Specimens where the coat has been altered by trimming, clipping, or by artificial means shall be so severely penalized as to be effectively eliminated from competition. Hair growing between the pads on the underside of the feet may be trimmed.”

A Cav owner who doesn’t show their dog might wonder: What’s the big deal with trimming a companion toy breed?

Honestly, there isn’t one. A sensible “pet groom” is not a mortal sin in a dog that will never see a show ring.  Later on, we’ll share our conjecture on how a change in this rule might impact a pet owner. For now, let’s discuss why trimming could be problematic in a show ring.

The tone of the wording makes it clear to judges that there is zero wiggle room to reward a sculpted dog because it undermines the breed’s natural appearance so essential to breed type. A natural look contributes to the Cavalier’s elegant outline and soft expression, traits that set it apart from a breed like the English Toy Spaniel which penalizes over-trimming, but does not prohibit trimming entirely.

Some owners have found that trimming or clipping often changes the texture of their dog’s coat, making it look “fuzzy” or “cottony” instead of silky, and that once cut, it tends not to grow back with the same texture. We defer to breed owners on that point, but we can say that a groomer with a good eye can hide a multitude of sins with a pair of scissors, and if one person can “sculpt” their dog to look structurally perfect while another presents their dog naturally, the judge isn’t evaluating two dogs, he or she is evaluating a dog and a canine topiary. Should a sculpted dog do some winning, and human nature being what it is, the ring could quickly fill with thinned and scissored coats, and the natural Cavalier could be lost. A harsh penalty is intended to ensure a level playing field.