Breed Spotlight: English Toy Spaniel

Get to know a dog breed at the AKC Museum of the Dog! Each month we are highlighting one of the 201 recognized breeds in the American Kennel Club. You’ll learn the history of the breed as well as key characteristics of their anatomy and coat that help them meet the standard. Activities include artmaking, stories and books, a collectable breed fact sheet, and an opportunity to meet a live dog. August’s Breed Spotlight: English Toy Spaniel.

The merry English Toy Spaniel was bred to be the companion of kings. But ETS are spaniels first and pampered lapdogs second, and beneath the patrician exterior beats the heart of a real doggy dog-bright, loving, and willing to please. The ETS, like many toy breeds kept by royals, came to assume the personalities of their aristocratic owners. They can be proud and willful, and extremely discriminating in their choice of friends. With their favored humans, they are affectionate at home and exuberant and curious at play.