Staffordshire Bull Terrier

The Staffordshire Bull Terrier is an old time breed of dog, originally bred for bull-baiting, lion fighting, and eventually dog fighting. They originated in the "Black Country" of England. more...

The Staffordshire Bull Terrier evolved out of a "Proto-Stafford" that was originally bred for the beforementioned sports. At the time that they were being developed there were no written standards for their physical composition. Dogs proven in the pit were bred with others of like skill and ability and over time the Stafford was produced. In the early part of the 20th century they gained respectablity and was accepted into the Kennel Club of England as the Staffordshire Bull Terrier - not to be confused with the White Bull Terrier. The Staffordshire Bull Terrier is an English breed of dog and should not be confused with their larger cousin theAmerican Staffordshire Terrier or the American Pit Bull Terrrier.

Appearance

The Staffordshire Bull Terrier is a stocky, muscular dog that exudes character, strength and athletic ability. Their expressive countenances indicate their mood and intelligence. They have a broad head, defined occipital muscles, a relatively short foreface, defined stop and rose or half prick ears and a dark round eye and a wide mouth with a clean scissor-like bite. The cheek muscles are usually pronounced and give the impression of strength. Their lips show no looseness. The head tapers down to a strong well muscled neck and shoulders placed on squarely spaced forelimbs. They are a square dog built of squares. Their feet are neat and tight and with frequent excercise. Their nails should need little to no trimming. Their rib cage is well sprung and is topped by a level top line. They are tucked up in their loins, and the last rib of their cage should be visible. Their tail is carried like an old fashioned pump handle. It is rat-like in compostion - not too long or too short. Their hind quarters are well muscled and are the drive in the Stafford gait, being well let down in the hock. They should look like a train coming and going. They may be coloured black, brindle, red, blue(rare), white or any blending of these colors with white. White with any color over an eye is known as piebald or pied'. Liver-colored and black and tan dogs sometimes occur but these are considered an unacceptable color for the showring or any reputable breeding program. The coat is uniformly smooth and never trimmed. The dogs stand 14 to 16 inches at the withers and weigh 24 to 38 pounds with bitches on the lighter side and male dogs on the heavier side.

Temperament

The Stafford (Staffie or Staffy) is renowned for loyalty to their owners and stability of temperament, qualities which can make them an excellent family pet. When properly bred and socialised, they are naturally fond of people, playful, energetic, and have an affinity for children, which has give rise to their nickname of "Nanny Dog". Their medium size, off-duty quietness and easy to care for attitude adds to their appeal as a family pet. However, they are inherently dog aggressive toward other dogs and should never be left unleashed when around other unfamiliar dogs. Many find it difficult to resolve this aggression with their affable Stafford. It should be noted that through selective breeding over centuries the characteristics that made them fierce in the pit also made them devoted companions of humans, because any pit dog who showed any hint of human aggression was culled out of a breeding program. A "man-biter" was simply unacceptable. Conversely those early forebears who excelled in the pit were also at the hearths of their owners if not in their children's beds.

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