The Staffordshire Bull Terrier is a British dog breed dating back some 200 years. The Staffordshire Bull Terrier may have descended from the smaller mastiff of ancient times.
There were two types of Mastiffs (big and small). The Old English Bulldog originated from the smaller of the two mastiffs. Dog breeders then crossed the Bulldog with one or more terriers to produce a dog breed known as the Bull and Terrier. Dog lovers bred the Bull and Terrier as a fighting dog with the Bulldog’s tenacity and the fire of the terrier. Then, the laws of the land put an end to such blood sports.
The Bull and Terrier might have disappeared if not for a group of fanciers led by Joseph Dunn, who appreciated the dogs and persuaded The Kennel Club (England) to recognize the breed as the Staffordshire Bull Terrier, the name of the English county where this dog breed was most popular.
Amongst all Pitbull type breeds, the American Staffordshire Terrier is the largest. The American Pitbull Terrier is medium in size. Staffordshire Bull Terrier is the smallest.
Staffordshire Bull Terrier Temperament
The Staffie draws his character of indomitable courage, intelligence, and tenacity from its past. This steady temperament coupled with his affection for family, friends, and kids, in particular, makes the Staffie a wonderful family pet. Some Staffordshire Bull Terriers may retain aggression towards other dogs, but generally speaking, the Staffie is an all-purpose dog breed.
General Appearance: The Staffordshire Bull Terrier is a smooth-coated dog. He should be of great strength for his size, and although muscular, should be active and agile.
Staffordshire Bull Terrier Size
Height (at the shoulder): 14-16 inches (36-41 cm), these heights being related to the weights. Weight: Dogs, 28 – 38 lbs (13-17 kg) Bitches, 24-33-1/2 lb. (11-15 kg).
Coat and Color: Coat is smooth, short and close to the skin. Staffordshire Bull Terriers can be red, fawn, white, black or blue, or any of these colors with white. Any shade of brindle, or any shade of brindle with white. Discourage Black and tan or liver color.
Head: Short, deep through, broad skull, very pronounced cheek muscles, distinct stop, short foreface, black nose. The mouth should be level, i.e., the incisors of the bottom jaw should fit closely inside the incisors of the top jaw, and the lips should be tight and clean. Eyes: dark preferable but may bear some relation to coat color. Round, of medium size, and set to look straight ahead. Ears rose or half-pricked and not large.
Neck: Muscular, rather short, clean in outline and gradually widening towards the shoulders.
Forequarters: Legs straight and well boned, set rather wide apart, without looseness at the shoulders, and showing no weakness at the pasterns, from which point the feet turn out a little.
Body: The body is close coupled, with a level topline, wide front, deep brisket, well-sprung ribs and rather light in the loins.
Hindquarters: Should be well muscled, hocks let down with stifles well bent. Legs should be parallel when viewed from behind. They should have well padded, strong and medium sized feet.
Tail: The tail should be of medium length, low set, tapering to a point and carried rather low. It should not curl much.
Staffordshire Bull Terrier puppies
Faults: Penalize in accordance with the severity of the fault: Light eyes or pink eye rims. Tail too long or badly curled. Non-conformation to the limits of weight or height. Full drop and prick ears. Undershot or overshot mouths. The following faults should debar a dog from winning any prize: Pink (Dudley) nose. Badly undershot or overshot mouth. Undershot: Where the lower jaw protrudes to such an extent that the incisors of the lower jaw do not touch those of the upper jaw. Overshot: Where the upper jaw protrudes to such an extent that the incisors of the upper jaw do not touch those of the lower jaw.
Staffordshire Bull Terrier vs Pitbull
Staffy vs Pitbull difference: How to tell a Staff from a Pit bull?
Size: The Staffordshire Bull Terrier is the smaller than the American Pitbull Terrier and the Pitbull is smaller than the American Staffordshire Terrier.
Staffordshire Bull Terrier is about 15 inches tall and weighs 15kg. Pitbulls are about 18 inches tall and medium in size.
The American Pit Bull Terrier sheds a bit more than the Staffordshire Bull Terrier. The APBT is smarter, more trainable. Staffordshire Bull Terriers are alert watchdogs and generally bark more often than the APBT. Both breeds are good with children when raised together. The Staffordshire bull terrier is safe when compared to an APBT due to its smaller size and strength.
American Staffordshire Terrier vs Staffordshire Bull Terrier
Staffordshire Bull Terrier is about 15 inches tall and 15kg. Amstaff is about 19-20 inches tall and looks much larger and muscular. Both the American Staffordshire Terrier and Staffordshire Bull Terrier shed minimally. Both breeds are good watchdogs. The Amstaff is a better guard dog due to its size and strength. Both breeds are good with children when raised with them.
