First Let Me Say That Yesterday We Delivered , From A Georgeous Pair Of Champion Bloodline Cavalier King Charles Spaniels,(both Blenheim In Color) Alitter Of 5 Healthy Pups...however To Our Surprise, The First 2 Were Black And Tan...in The Sire's Pedigree Ther Are A Couple Of Black And Tan Cavies A Few Generations Back...also A Ruby...anyway The Last Three Were The Strangest Color I Have Ever Seen...they Are A Sable/mink Color With Dark Shading On Their Muzzle, And Some Tan On The Side Of Their Face...i Have A Couple Of Pomeranian Males On The Premises But They Are Both Extremely Secure, And No Chance They Could Have Gotten To My Female Cavalier...the Sire To The Pups Fathered His First Litter A Week Ago, All Tri-color Or Blenheim....has Anyone Out There Ever Seen Or Heard Of A Sable Cavalier King Charles Spaniel? Also Does Anyone Know Of A Resonably Priced Dna Testing Facility? May Need To Test The Pups To Prove That They Are Cavies...these Pups Should Be Georgeous! And Definitly Unique!!

Hi, I also breed cavaliers and have chatted to a friend that has been breeding for years, in the different colour variations.

I only breed blenheim so far, and I have spent the time and money to make sure they are pure blenheim only - so I only have blenheim pups.

I was told that because your blenheim is obviously from a tri-blenheim breeding that although rare, this is not completely unheard of and that the 'sable' are really ruby and will lose the colouring once they loose the puppy coat. However, for England, because of the other breed of (entire??) dogs you have on site they would require a dna test to register them. My friend said the best dna test she got was through her vet - hopefully this would be the same for you.

Hope this helps,
Amy

[Kingsbridge Cav]

I am familiar with some sable coated Tri-colored Cavs out of Oklahoma. I am uninformed as to the pedigrees or what this coloration may have stemmed from. I just know that I wouldn't register these dogs since they are not within the breed standard even if they do prove to be purebred. Not sure the info on them turning a different color after first shedding is correct. The sire of pups advertised as "rare sable" Cavaliers is also a sable coloring. I was dissappointed to see that the pups were listed as a desireable anomalty and they asked $3000 for them with AKC registration. This is not within the breed standard, which is required by the registrar. I wonder what color was listed on the registration application?
I have also been a bit ill at ease with some of the dogs I've seen in recent AKC shows that show a dull black in the tri-colored. They look a bit "sable" to me also when the breed standard calls for "jet black".
Your vet should be able to help you with DNA testing. If they don't do it themselves, they will know where to go. You can also get a DNA test kit from the AKC website, but not sure if they test for the breed of just for a DNA match to the registered sire and dam.

[Lara's mom]

If the pups don't "measure up" because of their colour, sell them for a reduced price as pet quality pups. There will be many people who have no interest in the breeding racket who would offer them the loving homes they deserve.

[Yogi]

the other issue is that you cannot actually determine the coloring in a yojng pup as they generally will change. Even in my Paps, what I see originally is not what develops after approximately 3 weeks. At that point the true coloring starts to come out. What appeared black turns sable etc.

[pinsnpugs]

Thatw as my thought as well. It may very well be a temporary color, common in many breeds, that will change as they get older.