Find Your Breed Match

The Staffordshire Bull Terrier

Find out if the Staffordshire Bull Terrier or the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is the dog for you.

Brave, playful, and clever

The Staffordshire Bull Terrier is a family dog through and through. Silly, friendly, and smart, they make loyal companions devoted to their families. With a wide, smiling mouth, broad chest, and compact, solidly muscled body, the Staffordshire is a sweetheart—official breed standards mandates the Stafford must be affectionate with children—but also a powerhouse. As the AKC notes, “While [the Stafford] is a sweet-tempered, affectionate dog, his strength and determination require an experienced owner who can work with him in a firm, but gentle way.” This dog is gentle, playful, and clever, but also brave, tenacious, and slightly stubborn.

This is also a breed that doesn’t always socialize easily with other dogs or animals. Dayna Lemke, the author of A New Owner’s

Guide to Staffordshire Bull Terriers says: “It’s better to go into the Stafford experience expecting to have a dog who isn’t canine social than the other way around.” Early and extensive socialization with other dogs and animals is recommended for all Staffords.

If you’re looking for a loyal, lovey dog devoted to its family, one who perhaps prefers human friendship over canine buddies, the silly, smiling Stafford might be the dog for you.

Is the Staffordshire Bull Terrier right for you? Find out more at: moderndogmagazine.com/breeds/staffordshire-bull-terrier

The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Affectionate, graceful, and gentle

Despite being named after a king and boasting one of the most unquestionably upper crust pedigrees of any breed, the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is too full of affection to stand on formality. Perhaps this is the secret behind the long love affair between the Cavalier and the British monarchs—surrounded by propriety and stiff etiquette, the royals must have delighted in the unassuming and unrehearsed antics of their little spaniels.

At least three Stuart kings owned the breed, as well as Queen Victoria, whose favourite pet during the early part of her reign was a Cavalier named Dash. The young queen even wrote an epitaph for Dash upon his death.

Confusingly, the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel has a cousin with a similar name —the dome-headed, short-faced King Charles Spaniel. The Cavalier is primarily distinguished by his longer muzzle and flatter head.

The Cavalier currently ranks 19th in popularity in the US, thanks to the compact, friendly, and adaptable nature of this breed. At 12 to 13 inches in height, the Cavalier is small and portable yet is not fragile or dainty. The essence of the Cavalier’s personality is “Hello! I love you!” The breed sports a silky, medium-length coat in black and tan, ruby, tricolour, or red and white.

Today, the Cavalier may find repose upon a cozy couch rather than on the silken cushions of her courtly past, but one thing has not changed—as Queen Victoria wrote of her own darling Dash, these sweet-natured spaniels still “live beloved.”

Is the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel right for you? Find out more at: moderndogmagazine.com/breeds/cavalier-king-charles-spaniel