# Lyra & Cadence



## lucidity (Nov 10, 2009)

So it's been a couple of days since I brought Lyra home; she's a Blenheim Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. Her name is Lyra, after the heroine of the "His Dark Materials" trilogy (the first volume is "The Golden Compass"). For those of you who remember me posting (or whom I've spoken to on PM), she was she show quality puppy who was supposed to be exported to be shown and titled, but then when that fell through, she went to a family... After a month, the mom developed really bad allergies to the pup, so she got rehomed to me.

She is 5 months old and really really energetic! I forgot how crazy and spazzy puppies are *headdesk*. We're still trying to find some semblance of an equilibrium here... Cadence alternates between hating her and being really rough and stealing any toys she has with playing with her non stop.

She is I'm guessing, around 8.5lbs right now. Any ideas on how much she'll weigh at maturity? At 5 months Cadence was something like 6lbs and he's around 9.5lbs full grown.

Anyway, on to pictures! Sorry, they aren't very good because it's so hard to catch a moment when Lyra is sitting STILL!


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## Empawium (Jul 7, 2011)

Beautiful dog! I have a friend who has a King Cavalier Spaniel and she is about 20 lbs. full grown. They are great dogs with awesome personalities. They are very calm and in control and also seem easy to train.


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## Daenerys (Jul 30, 2011)

Awww so cute!! I love the name Lyra, one of my favorites.


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## Abbylynn (Jul 7, 2011)

She is adorable though I am not very familiar with the breed.


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## alphadoginthehouse (Jun 7, 2008)

Good thing Roxxy doesn't like female dogs...I would so fly/boat over to wherever you are and steal her! She is really cute. The spot on her head is funny. Cadence and Lyra will develop a good friendship after awhile. Remember, he had your undivided attention for 2 yrs...so just like a human child, it can be a bit rocky at times.


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## InkedMarie (Mar 11, 2009)

Both of them are just gorgeous! Congrats, again!


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## Porphyria (Jul 18, 2011)

So cute! I absolutely love Lyra's name! I'm a huge fan of the His Dark Materials trilogy, and the name Lyra has been on my list of future dog name options for a while now! 

Anyway, I'm looking forward to seeing more pictures and hearing more about her, she looks like a sweetie. I'm glad she and Cadence seem to be hitting it off.


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## Michiyo-Fir (Jul 25, 2009)

She's soooo cute and looks like a real sweetheart! I'd guess she'll end up around 13-15lbs? 

Truffles is quite big, about 20 lbs and she was about 10 or 11 lbs around that age.


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## Daenerys (Jul 30, 2011)

Porphyria said:


> ...and the name Lyra has been on my list of future dog name options for a while now!


Its on my future human list


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## lucidity (Nov 10, 2009)

Thank you everyone!  She is a real sweetie and very lovable and cuddly. I actually have some pictures of her as a baby, from the breeder. Will upload them here soon. She was a wee cutie!



Daenerys said:


> Awww so cute!! I love the name Lyra, one of my favorites.





Porphyria said:


> So cute! I absolutely love Lyra's name! I'm a huge fan of the His Dark Materials trilogy, and the name Lyra has been on my list of future dog name options for a while now!
> 
> Anyway, I'm looking forward to seeing more pictures and hearing more about her, she looks like a sweetie. I'm glad she and Cadence seem to be hitting it off.


I was initially going to name her Scarlett, (after Scarlett O'Hara), but people kept thinking about Scarlett Johansson (ewww), so I decided on Lyra instead. I love the His Dark Materials trilogy too! 

Porphyria, they are getting along OK, not the best because Cadence is jealous of her and keeps bullying her, but hopefully they'll become best friends soon  



alphadoginthehouse said:


> Good thing Roxxy doesn't like female dogs...I would so fly/boat over to wherever you are and steal her! She is really cute. The spot on her head is funny. Cadence and Lyra will develop a good friendship after awhile. Remember, he had your undivided attention for 2 yrs...so just like a human child, it can be a bit rocky at times.


Lol, you'd have to fly all the way to Asia for that, haha. That spot on her head is the trademark of Blenheim Cavaliers; it’s called the Blenheim spot or a “lozenge”. It’s a plus point for show Cavs.  

Gahh I know! I’m still finding the balance here... Lol. Not sure what is too little attention and what is too much (for Cadence). At least he has a buddy to play with now though.



Michiyo-Fir said:


> She's soooo cute and looks like a real sweetheart! I'd guess she'll end up around 13-15lbs?
> 
> Truffles is quite big, about 20 lbs and she was about 10 or 11 lbs around that age.


Yeah, I’m guessing around 12-15lbs too. I’m going to bring her to the vet’s next week for a wellness check and hopefully get an accurate measure of her weight. She feels almost the same weight as Cadence already, lol. Ahh I wanna see pics of Truffles!


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## +two (Jul 12, 2011)

Congratulations! She is a cutie for sure.


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## Charis (Jul 12, 2009)

I love them!


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## GrinningDog (Mar 26, 2010)

His Dark Materials! I put the name Lyra and the trilogy together before I even read this thread. Hehe. Very cool name, great for a clever, fiesty pup. 

Your dogs are adorable together. I'm sure, over time, Cadence will adjust to having a sister to play with. I don't know how Gypsy would be if I brought another dog home. She'd probably love a buddy, but I think she'd be pretty peeved not to have my attention on her all the time.


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## lucidity (Nov 10, 2009)

Thanks again everyone! 



Kirsten&Gypsy said:


> His Dark Materials! I put the name Lyra and the trilogy together before I even read this thread. Hehe. Very cool name, great for a clever, fiesty pup.
> 
> Your dogs are adorable together. I'm sure, over time, Cadence will adjust to having a sister to play with. I don't know how Gypsy would be if I brought another dog home. She'd probably love a buddy, but I think she'd be pretty peeved not to have my attention on her all the time.


Lol, they are sure a handful! I always have to be super vigilant because whenever Cadence gets the opportunity, he'll bully her by biting her legs and ears and turning her over. Sigh. Peeved is the right word! Cadence has been staring at me with that "how could you" look whenever I'm petting Lyra.

Anyway, as promised, here are baby pics!









Babies! Lyra's in the middle.









Still in the middle.









8 weeks old. That's her in the corner.









Lol, I love this picture of her. She's the one with her eyes closed.









That's her on the left.









Here she's on the right.









And again.


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## Michiyo-Fir (Jul 25, 2009)

EEEEEEE piglets!!!!! I want one!!


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## InkedMarie (Mar 11, 2009)

omg, I can't stand the cuteness of those puppies!


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## ioreks_mom (Oct 1, 2008)

so cute!! congrats on the pup  and i LOVE the name!! if i ever end up with a female dog she will for sure be called lyra. we almost had a dog from the spca before brom and we were going to name her lyra.


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## alphadoginthehouse (Jun 7, 2008)

Michiyo-Fir said:


> EEEEEEE piglets!!!!! I want one!!


I agree...so very cute!


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## hequestrian (Jul 26, 2011)

Sooooo cute! 

I have not been on here much recently. Im excited you found your new addition. 

I have had Phoebe now for about 4 months now. She and Fred are just starting to get to where Fred doesn't get super upset if I pay more attention to her. He still doesn't like her touching "his" toys. They cuddle more and he definitely seems to be adjusting. He doesn't bully her near as much any more. But she also has had a serious size disadvantage and even now is still much much smaller than he is. 

They will adjust  She is super duper cute!


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## So Cavalier (Jul 23, 2010)

OK Lucidity....No PM to tell me!!!!!! I just saw these pictures. Congrats. She is a beauty! I am really happy that this puppy worked out for you. 

Size-wise adult cavaliers average around 17-18 lbs. Mine range from 17 to 20.



> The spot on her head is funny.





> That spot on her head is the trademark of Blenheim Cavaliers; it’s called the Blenheim spot or a “lozenge”.


Here's a fun myth of how Blenheim cavaliers "got their spot".

http://www.cavalierplanet.com/articles/myths.htm

Congrats again and welcome to the wonderful world of Cavaliers...just a warning....Cavaliers are like potato chips....it is hard to stop with just one.



PS Remember our conversation regarding Paps and Cavs.....the Sire of Anne's Son was pretty much believed to be a Pap.

http://blog.universalcavaliermagazine.com/archives/18


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## Tofu_pup (Dec 8, 2008)

So Cavalier said:


> the Sire of Anne's Son was pretty much believed to be a Pap.
> 
> http://blog.universalcavaliermagazine.com/archives/18


Very interesting link. Is there a picture anywhere on the web?

And congrats Lucidity!!! She's going to be a real looker(with a great name to boot)!


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## lucidity (Nov 10, 2009)

Cavalier puppies are SO cute aren't they?!! I think they make for some of the cutest puppies ever, lol.



ioreks_mom said:


> so cute!! congrats on the pup  and i LOVE the name!! if i ever end up with a female dog she will for sure be called lyra. we almost had a dog from the spca before brom and we were going to name her lyra.


You know, I kept thinking of you and Iorek when I named her Lyra!!  Lyra and Iorek should totally meet up.. Maybe she could "ride" on his back like how Lyra rides on Iorek's back all the time in HDM. 



hequestrian said:


> Sooooo cute!
> 
> I have not been on here much recently. Im excited you found your new addition.
> 
> ...


Aww, thanks!! Good to hear that Fred and Phoebe are doing better now.. Yeah, I can't wait till Lyra gets bigger than Cadence so that she can defend herself. Even though they're almost the same size now, she still just kinda lies down and takes the bullying. Sigh.



So Cavalier said:


> OK Lucidity....No PM to tell me!!!!!! I just saw these pictures. Congrats. She is a beauty! I am really happy that this puppy worked out for you.
> 
> Size-wise adult cavaliers average around 17-18 lbs. Mine range from 17 to 20.
> 
> ...


Lol sorry!! I was meaning to PM you, but been so busy lately! You know, the usual puppy things.. doing lots of laundry because of the pee/poo.. etc. etc. Wow, 17-20lbs is pretty big! I'm having to watch her food intake really closely because she is a MONSTER. She eats everything and anything. She keeps trying to steal Cadence's food too. I'm having a hard time training her to do anything because once she smells the treats she goes crazy and can't focus at ALL!

Thanks so much for the links.. I'm gonna go read through them now 



Tofu_pup said:


> Very interesting link. Is there a picture anywhere on the web?
> 
> And congrats Lucidity!!! She's going to be a real looker(with a great name to boot)!


Thanks!!  I can't wait till she grows out of the "uglies".. Her fur is just so short right now, LOL.


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## ioreks_mom (Oct 1, 2008)

lucidity said:


> You know, I kept thinking of you and Iorek when I named her Lyra!!  Lyra and Iorek should totally meet up.. Maybe she could "ride" on his back like how Lyra rides on Iorek's back all the time in HDM.


when you come back to canada we should do just that! haha! too bad we are on totally opposite sides of canada.


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## Tofu_pup (Dec 8, 2008)

Kennedy topped out at 16 pounds(when she's fit) and she's a runt compared to all but one of the cavaliers we know. The boy that's even smaller than her happens to be from what I hear is a great breeder(health testing out the wazoo). I intend to meet this breeder and her dogs eventually.

My roommate's uncle has a male(her entire family has cavaliers!) that weighs 24 pounds. He is the biggest I've met but he's totally fit. You can feel his ribs a bit and he's just a solid hunk of muscle.


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## lucidity (Nov 10, 2009)

Tofu, wow! 24lbs is HUGE!! But then again, I guess Cavs do get pretty heavy sometimes. Your Kennedy's 16 is pretty normal though. Btw, did you have a lot of trouble training her to do simple tricks? I've been finding it very, very hard to train Lyra to do anything (even "sit"). I don't know if it's because she's just such a spazz, or loves food so much that she can't pay attention, or if.. Cavs are just not very.. bright.  It only took me something like 1 week to teach Cadence "sit", "lie down", & "paw".

Anyway, I got some new pics of the dogs so here they are:


















Trademark Cavalier waggy tail. I swear, she NEVER EVER stops wagging her tail. EVER! Even when she's asleep and I walk by her, she'd open her eyes and wag her tail.









She loves that Kong tennis ball.









Cadence staring at a squirrel, LOL.









My pretty little dogs!


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## Michiyo-Fir (Jul 25, 2009)

Oh my gawwwwd I looove her!! Send her here send her here!! She's absolutely adorable! 

Regarding trick training. I think we're just spoiled by Papillons. Most of the Cavs I've met take a while to learn a trick. Truffles is food obsessed too lol she'll keep clawing and poking her face at my hand or pocket or whatever if she knows I have treats. Even now, all she knows is sit, lie down, shake and beg... She tries so hard though that I sometimes feel a little bad for her haha. Nia on the other hand doesn't try very hard (not very food motivated) but she still gets it after 10-20 reps depending on the trick.

Edit: Cadence is looking good too! If I didn't want a BC so badly your pics might just push me over to the Cav side for my next dog! The only thing I don't like about Cavs is their ears though. Very annoying to clean when it gets really long. We end up always clipping Truffles' ears just so it stays a little cleaner and even that doesn't help all that much.


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## Charis (Jul 12, 2009)

They are so cute!
How often do you get stopped on walks? Can you make it though one without someone commenting on your dogs?


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## lucidity (Nov 10, 2009)

Michiyo-Fir said:


> Oh my gawwwwd I looove her!! Send her here send her here!! She's absolutely adorable!
> 
> Regarding trick training. I think we're just spoiled by Papillons. Most of the Cavs I've met take a while to learn a trick. Truffles is food obsessed too lol she'll keep clawing and poking her face at my hand or pocket or whatever if she knows I have treats. Even now, all she knows is sit, lie down, shake and beg... She tries so hard though that I sometimes feel a little bad for her haha. Nia on the other hand doesn't try very hard (not very food motivated) but she still gets it after 10-20 reps depending on the trick.
> 
> Edit: Cadence is looking good too! If I didn't want a BC so badly your pics might just push me over to the Cav side for my next dog! The only thing I don't like about Cavs is their ears though. Very annoying to clean when it gets really long. We end up always clipping Truffles' ears just so it stays a little cleaner and even that doesn't help all that much.


LOL some days when she's being a spazz I totally feel like sending her off to somewhere far!!

Argh I know what you mean!! I think it was a bad idea to get a Pap as my first dog, hahaha, because now my expectations are so high! Cadence isn't really food motivated too, so when he was a baby he'd just do whatever I taught him to just because. And he was also very, very much better at paying attention and looking at ME to see if he was doing it right (and he was so much younger than Lyra is now!). Lyra on the other hand.. is EXACTLY like Truffles!! She LOVES LOVES LOVES food and when she knows I have treats, that's it.. she won't do ANYTHING else but keep nosing/pawing at my hands to get the treats. 

You know how some dogs are "fun" to train? I think Paps are fun to train because they pay attention and they "get" what you want. I actually had lots of fun teaching Cadence tricks.. but with Lyra it's such a chore!! I get so irritated by the end of each training session because she's just.. so.. ditzy. -__- I'm sorry to say it, but it's true! She doesn't pay attention AT ALL. And nope, she still doesn't even know "sit". 

LOL! Cavs and BCs are so different though! Although I think I'd say BCs and Paps probably are more similar than Paps are to Cavs. Lyra's ears actually don't get dirty at all (prolly because the fur is still thin and short), it only gets slobbery because Cadence loves to chew on them. I think I'll be keeping her ears clipped short too, when she gets older. I also couldn't stand all the fur on her feet, so I unceremoniously clipped all the icky parts off and trimmed them too (they picked up SO much dirt). She has such hairy feet!!



Charis said:


> They are so cute!
> How often do you get stopped on walks? Can you make it though one without someone commenting on your dogs?


Lol, if it's late at night (my favourite walks because nobody bugs me!) then no, I don't get comments, but generally.. yes... I get stopped a LOT. Or I get longgg stares. Mostly by kids and ladies, the men are more like "meh, girly dogs" LOL. They usually go like "ooooo that one looks like a butterfly! And look at the little one's floppy ears!". Because Cavaliers and Papillons are pretty rare here, everybody always thinks I have a longhaired Chihuahua and a Cocker Spaniel. -___-


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## Charis (Jul 12, 2009)

lucidity said:


> . Because Cavaliers and Papillons are pretty rare here, everybody always thinks I have a longhaired Chihuahua and a Cocker Spaniel. -___-


lol. Do they ever argue with you? "No you really do have a chi and a cocker spaniel!"


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## Tofu_pup (Dec 8, 2008)

First off, they are an adorable pair!

It took a while to get through to Kennedy with training. She's not stupid(in fact she uses her brains to be pretty manipulative). She just gets waaaayyyy too jazzed over treats. I could have the most bland knock off milkbone but she'd be throwing rapid fire tricks at me hoping to hit the right one. So yea, calming down and turning on her brain is a constant joy.


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## Michiyo-Fir (Jul 25, 2009)

lucidity said:


> LOL! Cavs and BCs are so different though! Although I think I'd say BCs and Paps probably are more similar than Paps are to Cavs. Lyra's ears actually don't get dirty at all (prolly because the fur is still thin and short), it only gets slobbery because Cadence loves to chew on them. I think I'll be keeping her ears clipped short too, when she gets older. I also couldn't stand all the fur on her feet, so I unceremoniously clipped all the icky parts off and trimmed them too (they picked up SO much dirt). She has such hairy feet!!


Hahaha Cavs are my retirement dogs! I love their snuggliness and sweetness though. Not like my manipulative moody Pap >.> BCs are just awesome too. The ones I've met were pretty snuggly too so that's good.

The other thing is Truffles doesn't listen. Nia will listen to me talk like she's actually paying attention. Truffles has no reaction half the time I talk to her or even say her name -___- lol when I have food she always follows me though hahahah. Poor girl, she would literally eat herself to death if we let her. She once got into a cupboard and half half a bag of dog food!!! Her tummy was sticking out like a melon after it was quite scary...But at the next meal time she still wanted to eat and kept whining by her food bowl because we didn't feed her.

I clip Truffles' feet too. They're like big hairy mops, I know show ppl leave the hair and they're supposed to but it's UGLY!! I love Papillon feet all clipped and clean and the hair sticking out from every single direction on Cavs just bother me!! Whenever I see Truffles, the first thing I do is clip her feet since I don't see like for like a year at a time. Usually there's so much hair you can't even see her paw pads. I wonder how she doesn't slip and fall on hardwood or marble......


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## Tofu_pup (Dec 8, 2008)

All that feathery fur actually gives Kennedy an advantage around here. Kaki and I quite literally can't make it out the front door without thorns sticking into her pads. I don't remember ever removing a thorn from Kennedy's paws. And thorns are a massive pain; normal bikes tires won't last 24hrs in Colorado.


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## So Cavalier (Jul 23, 2010)

> I think I'll be keeping her ears clipped short too, when she gets older. I also couldn't stand all the fur on her feet, so I unceremoniously clipped all the icky parts off and trimmed them too (they picked up SO much dirt). She has such hairy feet!!


NOOOOOO! You are killing me here! Cavaliers without long feathery ears and hairy little slippers are like the Mona Lisa without her smile......

Cavaliers are not dumb. Lyra is still a baby. She'll catch on soon enough. All of my dogs show great focus. Two have rally titles, one has agility titles.



> I don't remember ever removing a thorn from Kennedy's paws.


Mine are burr magnets! We must have very different kind of vegetation. Mine get so many burrs so easily....drives me crazy.


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## Tofu_pup (Dec 8, 2008)

So Cavalier said:


> NOOOOOO! You are killing me here! Cavaliers without long feathery ears and hairy little slippers are like the Mona Lisa without her smile......
> 
> Lyra is still a baby.
> 
> Mine are burr magnets! We must have very different kind of vegetation. Mine get so many burrs so easily....drives me crazy.


Shaved and trimmed cavaliers make me cringe.
I was walking up on a woman with a small dog. I thought to myself,"That looks like a cavalier butt with a shih tzu body...". Wrong. It was just a poor nekid cavalier.

Lyra is still just a wee one.
Yes, Kennedy's brain falls out her bottom over food but I've also lost track of the things I've taught her. She'll do a trick I taught her like two years ago and totally forgot about while I'm making my dinner. I really don't know what she knows...apparently her memory is better than mine.

Burrs are a different story but we can dodge those if we avoid tall brush. Thorns can't be avoided. Even musher's wax only does so much for Kaki's exposed paw pads.


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## lucidity (Nov 10, 2009)

Tofu_pup said:


> It took a while to get through to Kennedy with training. She's not stupid(in fact she uses her brains to be pretty manipulative). She just gets waaaayyyy too jazzed over treats. I could have the most bland knock off milkbone but she'd be throwing rapid fire tricks at me hoping to hit the right one. So yea, calming down and turning on her brain is a constant joy.


See, I think that's the problem with Lyra too. Once she smells treats or sees me going to the kitchen, she just becomes a total ditz. Even if what I have are just kibbles! I tried using toys instead as a reward, but she got bored and just walked off, lol. So now I'm trying to figure out another way to train her...



Michiyo-Fir said:


> The other thing is Truffles doesn't listen. Nia will listen to me talk like she's actually paying attention. Truffles has no reaction half the time I talk to her or even say her name -___- lol when I have food she always follows me though hahahah. Poor girl, she would literally eat herself to death if we let her. She once got into a cupboard and half half a bag of dog food!!! Her tummy was sticking out like a melon after it was quite scary...But at the next meal time she still wanted to eat and kept whining by her food bowl because we didn't feed her.
> 
> I clip Truffles' feet too. They're like big hairy mops, I know show ppl leave the hair and they're supposed to but it's UGLY!! I love Papillon feet all clipped and clean and the hair sticking out from every single direction on Cavs just bother me!! Whenever I see Truffles, the first thing I do is clip her feet since I don't see like for like a year at a time. Usually there's so much hair you can't even see her paw pads. I wonder how she doesn't slip and fall on hardwood or marble......


SAME story! Lyra is constantly trying to steal Cadence's food (I have his bowl up on the couch where she can't get it, because he's such a slooowww eater and half the time he only nibbles throughout the day), and then she whines and cries when she can't get it. -__-

I find the unclipped feet really annoying! When I first got Lyra I tried to leave her fur on, but after a couple of days it just bothered me so much that I trimmed her feet, lol. It also helped her with running, actually.. because my entire house is either tiled or hardwood, she was always tripping all over the place with all that fur on her paw pads.



So Cavalier said:


> NOOOOOO! You are killing me here! Cavaliers without long feathery ears and hairy little slippers are like the Mona Lisa without her smile......


LOL I think that's my reaction when people shave their Papillons.. I just go like NOOO!! WHY?!! But I really cannot stand hairy feet, unfortunately.. and the fur gets so dirty. I keep Cadence's feet, bum, and belly trimmed so I'm gonna do the same with Lyra, lol. And the ears unfortunately will eventually pick up too much dirt when we walk outside.  I'm kind of OCD about cleanliness, so yeah.. I contemplated getting a snood and making Lyra wear it during walks just to avoid having her ears get dirty, but that would make her feel so hot in this tropical weather.


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## lucidity (Nov 10, 2009)

Charis said:


> lol. Do they ever argue with you? "No you really do have a chi and a cocker spaniel!"


Haha, no, thankfully! But there was once a lady to asked me "Papillon? Is that some kind of mixed breed?" I was like.. "Uhh, no, they are a breed of their own", then she looked at me really suspiciously and walked away.


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## Michiyo-Fir (Jul 25, 2009)

So Cavalier said:


> NOOOOOO! You are killing me here! Cavaliers without long feathery ears and hairy little slippers are like the Mona Lisa without her smile......


Hahaha that's probably my reaction when people say they cut off the fringes on their Papillons or something. But I honestly cannot stand hairy feet too. Gum sticks to it!! And then it's a huge pain to get it off and a torture to everyone. Plus other disgusting things get stuck and then the dogs climb all over the bed and inside the covers with the kids, ew no.


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## lucidity (Nov 10, 2009)

Lol totally!! Also the fur gets all grey and brown and stuff.. Even Lyra's tail fur is kinda discoloured because unlike Paps, Cavs have lower set tails and whenever she sits on the ground outside, her tail gets on everything.. Every time I bathe her I have to put extra shampoo on her tail to get it to go white again, LOL. 

Phew, just bathed 2 dogs, and clipped all their nails!! I've been having trouble clipping Lyra's dewclaw... It's new to me because Cadence's were removed as a baby. Lyra has so much fur on her feet and the dewclaw nails are so small, I'm afraid I might nick a quick. Her paw fur grew out SO quickly btw. It's only been 2 weeks since I trimmed them and now they're pretty long again already.

Forgot to share some pics of her sleeping:





































These ones are crappy quality because the only camera I had with me at the time was my iPad camera (which sucks REALLY BAD btw):









She was initially sleeping on the hardwood floor, but kept moving around till her butt dropped onto the tiled part. She woke up for a while, looked around, and went like "meh, whatever, this still works", and went back to sleep, LOL.









Love this pic! They were watching me put on make up to attend my cousin's wedding.

ETA: Does Lyra look kinda skinny to you guys? I can't really tell.. she acts like she's constantly ravenous, so I dunno if I'm feeding her too little or what...


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## lil_fuzzy (Aug 16, 2010)

Sooo cute, love the markings

Regarding training, could you train without using treats? It was something I was thinking about earlier, because as a kid I didn't know you could train with treats, I just used praise and pats, and still managed to get a reliable sit out of my childhood dog. I was toying with the idea of experimenting with my next dog, say just teach the first couple of behaviours completely without treats, just to see if I could. If they can't think straight because there are treats around it might work too? Just a thought.


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## Michiyo-Fir (Jul 25, 2009)

Lyra looks fine to me! Not too skinny because she's still very young, she shouldn't be really bulky. 

Are they doing a bit better together now? Less fighting and wrestling and bullying?


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## PatchworkRobot (Aug 24, 2010)

She is super cute!


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## So Cavalier (Jul 23, 2010)

From the photos, Lyra looks like she is at a good weight. She won't fill out for a while. I can't remember when mine started filling out...maybe after a year or so. You want to keep her on the thin side if you can. Remember heart disease is a real problem for cavaliers. BTW How is the other tiny little Cavalier doing?


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## lucidity (Nov 10, 2009)

lil_fuzzy said:


> Regarding training, could you train without using treats? It was something I was thinking about earlier, because as a kid I didn't know you could train with treats, I just used praise and pats, and still managed to get a reliable sit out of my childhood dog. I was toying with the idea of experimenting with my next dog, say just teach the first couple of behaviours completely without treats, just to see if I could. If they can't think straight because there are treats around it might work too? Just a thought.


I actually tried that, but Lyra just completely ignored me. I tried using toys as a reward too, but she also got bored and just walked off. Yesterday I finally managed to get her to sit on command! I think it had to do with the fact that she was tired, and so wasn't as spazzy and excitable.



Michiyo-Fir said:


> Lyra looks fine to me! Not too skinny because she's still very young, she shouldn't be really bulky.
> 
> Are they doing a bit better together now? Less fighting and wrestling and bullying?


That's what I thought, but she keeps acting like I'm starving her so I wasn't sure!! I'm feeding her 1/2 cup a day (Acana), the same as what Cadence gets.. At first I was feeding her 2/3 cups a day but her poo kept coming out really soft so I cut back and now it's fine.

They're doing a LITTLE better now.. At least Cadence isn't bugging her 24/7 anymore but he still bullies her a lot.. especially when we're playing fetch. He hates when she gets the ball, so he'll just body slam her or try to steal the ball.. if those fail, then he resorts to pulling her ears. -___-



PatchworkRobot said:


> She is super cute!


Thanks!! 



So Cavalier said:


> From the photos, Lyra looks like she is at a good weight. She won't fill out for a while. I can't remember when mine started filling out...maybe after a year or so. You want to keep her on the thin side if you can. Remember heart disease is a real problem for cavaliers. BTW How is the other tiny little Cavalier doing?


I actually like her body now, it looks healthy.. lol. I just wasn't sure, because she keeps trying to steal food! And going to her empty bowl to lick it. 

The tiny Cavalier (her name is Chloe) is doing pretty well according to the breeder, growing reaaalllyy slowly, lol. I am going to go and visit soon (the breeder wants to see how Lyra's doing) so I'll get to see how much she's grown! She's still a teeny tiny Cavalier--I'll try to get some pics when I visit.


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## ThoseWordsAtBest (Mar 18, 2009)

ioreks_mom said:


> so cute!! congrats on the pup  and i LOVE the name!! if i ever end up with a female dog she will for sure be called lyra. we almost had a dog from the spca before brom and we were going to name her lyra.


I was going to say, she and Iorek would be best friends! And she really could ride on his back.


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## So Cavalier (Jul 23, 2010)

> That's what I thought, but she keeps acting like I'm starving her so I wasn't sure!!


You could feed a Cavalier a whole cow and they would still act like you were trying to starve them....Cavaliers LOVE food. I always say Cavaliers are like Hobbits...they are small, they are sweet, they love to eat and they have hairy feet.


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## lucidity (Nov 10, 2009)

ThoseWordsAtBest said:


> I was going to say, she and Iorek would be best friends! And she really could ride on his back.


LOL I know right?!! What a coincidence! I wish we were in the same general location so we could take pics of that really happening...



So Cavalier said:


> You could feed a Cavalier a whole cow and they would still act like you were trying to starve them....Cavaliers LOVE food. I always say Cavaliers are like Hobbits...they are small, they are sweet, they love to eat and they have hairy feet.


Oh man, I know! One of the breeders I visited actually had one female who's really skinny because she just doesn't like food. When I heard that I just went like "Wow, really?! I've never met a Cavalier who didn't love food!".

LOL about the hobbit thing. That is so true! Are your dogs raw fed btw? I've been thinking of giving Lyra some raw but I'm not sure if she'll like it and I'm kind of afraid of the mess I'll have to clean up after... On her ears I mean, lol.


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## Michiyo-Fir (Jul 25, 2009)

You can tie her ears up with a hair tie (not too tight!!) above her head. Otherwise I found it's a mess with Truffles. We actually stopped feeding her raw all together because she was getting chicken juice all over her hair and then the kids would kiss her all over and put her in bed and stuff, unsanitary. But then, Truffles likes to shake the meat around...like how dogs shake stuffed animals. It's really disgusting haha


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## Sendiulino (Jun 20, 2011)

Sam does the toy-stealing with Jasper, which always ends in a play-fight (fighting but no growling/yelping/hurting, they're just getting into a light scrap over it, haha). It's pretty humorous. We just let them work it out on their own terms. Eventually they get tired and lie down with each other, each on a separate bully stick or chew of some sort


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## So Cavalier (Jul 23, 2010)

> Are your dogs raw fed btw? I've been thinking of giving Lyra some raw but I'm not sure if she'll like it and I'm kind of afraid of the mess I'll have to clean up after... On her ears I mean, lol.


Yep, we have been feeding raw for many years now. The dogs wear snoods during meal times to keep their ears clean. They are easy to put on and take off. When you are feeding four hungry dogs, quick is good.


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## ioreks_mom (Oct 1, 2008)

ThoseWordsAtBest said:


> I was going to say, she and Iorek would be best friends! And she really could ride on his back.


he would love for her to come ride on his back  he loves doggies!


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## ThoseWordsAtBest (Mar 18, 2009)

ioreks_mom said:


> he would love for her to come ride on his back  he loves doggies!


Make him that suit of armor!


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## ioreks_mom (Oct 1, 2008)

i really, really should!


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## ThoseWordsAtBest (Mar 18, 2009)

Pringles cans make for good fake armor.


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## lucidity (Nov 10, 2009)

So Cavalier said:


> Yep, we have been feeding raw for many years now. The dogs wear snoods during meal times to keep their ears clean. They are easy to put on and take off. When you are feeding four hungry dogs, quick is good.


I'm gonna have to go and find some snoods... or in a pinch, I might use a soft headband! I just came across this picture my friend posted on her facebook:










That's what she does to her Cavalier when she gets raw bones, LOL.


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## ioreks_mom (Oct 1, 2008)

ThoseWordsAtBest said:


> Pringles cans make for good fake armor.


good to know! thanks


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## hequestrian (Jul 26, 2011)

They are too cute. Love the latest pictures!


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## lucidity (Nov 10, 2009)

Thanks!! 

Managed to get some new photos yesterday:









Seems like I can only get decent pictures of her when she's sleeping or about to fall asleep, lol.




































Finally growing out of the uglies!!


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## Tofu_pup (Dec 8, 2008)

LMAO at the raw bone picture! That face is ridiculous.


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## ThoseWordsAtBest (Mar 18, 2009)

Oh lord I love Cavy faces. I used to groom a show Cavalier and he'd just look at me and smile the whole time.


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## lucidity (Nov 10, 2009)

Tofu_pup said:


> LMAO at the raw bone picture! That face is ridiculous.


Haha, I know right?!! She just looks so sad. I think I'll need to get one of those headbands though. It's such a genius idea!



ThoseWordsAtBest said:


> Oh lord I love Cavy faces. I used to groom a show Cavalier and he'd just look at me and smile the whole time.


TOTALLY. They have the absolute "I'm so innocent looking, please give me food" faces.


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