The Cavalier King Charles belongs to the IX. FCI Group - Companion and Toy Dogs; Section 7. - English Toy Spaniels

GENERAL APPEARANCE : Active, graceful and well balanced, with gentle expression.

BEHAVIOUR / TEMPERAMENT : Sporting, affectionate, absolutely fearless.  Gay, friendly, non-aggressive; no tendency towards nervousness.

HEAD:

Skull almost flat between ears, stop shallow. Nostrils black and well developed without flesh marks. Length of the muzzle from base of stop to tip of nose about 1 1/2 ins. (3,8 cm).  Well tapered.  Face well filled below eyes.  Any tendency to snipiness undesirable.
Lips well developed and not pendulous. Jaws strong, with a perfect, regular and complete scissor bite, i.e. the upper teeth closely overlapping the lower teeth and set square to the jaws. Eyes large, dark, round but not prominent; spaced well apart. Ears long, set high, with plenty of feather.

NECK : Moderate length, slightly arched.

BODY :
Level back, short-coupled, chest moderate; good spring of ribs.

TAIL : Length of tail in balance with body, well set on, carried happily but never much above the level of the back. 

LIMBS

FOREQUARTERS : Legs moderately boned, straight, shoulders well laid back.
HINDQUARTERS : Legs with moderate bone.
Well turned stifle, no tendency to cow- or sickle-hocks. Feet compact, cushioned and well feathered.

GAIT / MOVEMENT : Free-moving and elegant in action, plenty of drive from behind.  Fore-and hindlegs move parallel when viewed from in front and behind.

COAT: Long, silky, free from curl.  Slight wave permissible.  Plenty of feathering.  Totally free from trimming.

Recognized colours are :

Black and Tan : Raven black with tan markings above the eyes, on cheeks, inside ears, on chest and legs and underside of tail.  Tan should be bright.  White marks undesirable.
Ruby : Whole coloured rich red. White markings undesirable.
Blenheim : Rich chestnut markings well broken up, on pearly white ground.  Markings evenly divided on head, leaving room between ears for much valued lozenge mark or spot (a unique characteristic of the breed).
Tricolour : Black and white well spaced, broken up, with tan markings over eyes, cheeks, inside ears, inside legs, and on underside of tail.

Any other colour or combination of colours highly undesirable.

WEIGHT :  5,4 - 8 kg (12 - 18 lbs).  A small, well-balanced dog well within these weights desirable.

FAULTS : Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree and its effect upon the health and welfare of the dog.

N.B. : Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.