The Staffordshire Bull Terrier

The Staffordshire Bull Terrier presents an brilliant mix of intelligence, bravery, & tenacity tempered with a sweet affection for it is relatives. As a breed, it is often shrouded in myth & misconception about it is history & origin. Read on to learn the truth about where the Staffordshire Bull Terrier came from & what the difference is between this breed & others similar in name & appearance.

The Staffordshire Bull Terrier, or "Staffie", as fans of the breed call it, dates back to Elizabethan England when an ancestor of the Bulldog was used in a bloody sport called bullbaiting (also bearbaiting). This dog was closely linked to the Mastiff & weighed in at between 100 & 120 pounds.

Around the 19th century, when bullbaiting was outlawed, dog fighting quickly gained popularity & the giant bullbaiting canines were crossed with smaller terriers & a smaller, faster breed of dog was born, weighing about 60 pounds. This dog became known as a "Bulldog Terrier" or "Bull & Terrier" & was further refined by outcrosses to an ancestor of the Manchester Terrier. This produced a dog of about 30-45 pounds that came to be known as the Staffordshire Bull Terrier, which is the sister breed out of which came the English Bull Terrier (1860), & later, when exported to North The united states around 1880, the American Pit Bull Terrier & the American Staffordshire Terrier.

Although definite breeders have pursued slightly different goals with the American Staffordshire Terrier, often often called the AmStaff, & the American Pit Bull Terrier (APBT), the stay virtually indistinguishable & a single dog could conceivably be simultaneously registered as both an AmStaff with the AKC & as an APBT with the UKC.

The Staffordshire Bull Terrier, however, is a distinct breed. It is official, AKC standard states that the Staffie stands at 14-16 inches; male canines weigh 28-38 pounds & females weigh 24-34 pounds. This is in contrast to the AmStaff which has no such size or weight limit. The Staffie's color is also restricted allowing red, fawn, white, black, blue, or brindle or any of these colors with white & disqualifying black-and-tan & liver color.. AmStaffs can be any color except white (80% or more).

Described by the AKC as a, "formost all-purpose dog", the Staffordshire Bull Terrier can be an clever & affectionate relatives dog & a courageous & tenacious protector. An all around lovely dog with a rich history!