{"id":7723,"date":"2026-08-11T12:22:44","date_gmt":"2026-08-11T12:22:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/noblecrownkennel.com\/o-rasi\/boje-kavalira\/"},"modified":"2026-08-11T12:28:15","modified_gmt":"2026-08-11T12:28:15","slug":"boje-kavalira","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/noblecrownkennel.com\/en\/about-breed\/cavalier-king-charles-spaniel-colours\/","title":{"rendered":"Cavalier colours: Blenheim, tricolour, black and tan, and ruby"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is recognised in four colours, and all four are equally correct.<\/strong> None is a rarity in terms of value, none is more expensive than another, and none carries a different temperament.<\/p>\n

This article explains how each of the four colours looks, what the standard requires, and what the terms you will hear from breeders mean.<\/p>\n

Two groups: parti-colour and whole colour<\/h2>\n

The four colours fall into two groups, and that division matters more than it seems at first glance.<\/p>\n

Parti-colours<\/strong> have a white ground with coloured patches. These are Blenheim and tricolour.<\/p>\n

Whole colours<\/strong> have no white ground. These are ruby and black and tan.<\/p>\n

The difference matters in breeding. Parti-colour is mated with parti-colour, whole colour with whole colour or with parti-colour, but crossing produces combinations the standard does not recognise, for example a whole-coloured dog with white patches. That is why a serious breeder plans the colour of a litter rather than leaving it to chance.<\/p>\n

Blenheim<\/h2>\n

The best known and most common colour. Chestnut-red patches on a pearly white ground.<\/p>\n

The standard asks for well-separated, evenly distributed patches and a clean white free of ticking. On the head a white blaze is required, dividing the coloured areas above the eyes and across the skull.<\/p>\n

In the middle of that white blaze, on the skull between the ears, there is sometimes a round chestnut mark called the Blenheim spot.<\/strong> It is desirable but not required. A dog without it is an equally correct Blenheim.<\/p>\n

The name comes from Blenheim Palace, the estate of the Dukes of Marlborough, where dogs of this kind were bred as far back as the eighteenth century.<\/p>\n

Tricolour<\/h2>\n

Black patches on a white ground, with tan markings. Tan is a warm reddish colour that sits in precisely defined places.<\/p>\n

The tan markings are required:<\/p>\n