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Staffordshire Bull Terrier | Staffordshire Terrier Dog Breed Introduction
Staffordshire Bull Terrier ( affectionately referred to as Staffy, Stafford, or Stafford Terrier) is a small to medium-sized pure bred dog in the Terrier group from the United Kingdom. Staffy was descended from the 19th century bull and terriers( created by crossing bulldogs and terriers). It is closely related to the modern Bull Terrier even though the two breeds don’t resemble each other and were developed along independent lines.
The ancestors of Staffies were used for the now outlawed blood sports such as bear baiting and bull-baiting. However, responsible breeders have worked to produce a sweet-natured and family oriented Staffy This breed has a reputation of being a nanny dog. However, the old fighting instinct still lurks within the breed making it essential for puppies to be socialized with other dogs in order to learn good canine behaviors.
Staffordshire Bull Terrier History | Origin
The Staffy was developed in parts of Birmingham and Staffordshire in the United Kingdom from the bull and terriers. The story behind the creation of modern staffies is rather brief but somewhat confusing due to the multiple aliases attached to these dogs in the centuries past such as Brindle Bull, Patched Fighting Terrier, Bull-and-Terrier, and Staffordshire Pit-dog that were used in blood sports such as bear-baiting and bull-baiting.
Following the illegalization of the Blood Sports through the passing of the Cruelty to Animals Act 1835, people started promoting the matching of dogs against each other. Therefore, dog breeders migrated from away from the heavier bulldogs and introduced terrier blood into their crosses for agility and gameness. The Bull and Terrier crosses produced the breeding stock that over the courses of decades evolved into the modern conformation show dogs currently known as Bull Terrier and Staffordshire Bull Terrier.
James Hinks of Birmingham, England, is credited for perfecting the Staffordshire Bull Terrier in the 19th century. This was named after the County of Staffordshire where it was particularly popular. Prior to the American Civil War, Great Britain immigrants brought their bull and terrier crossbreeds into the United States. These dogs became the ancestral progenitors of Boston Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, Miniature Bull Terrier, and American Pit Bull Terrier. The Staffy breed was recognized by AKC in 1975.
Staffordshire Terrier | Staffordshire Bull Terrier Lifespan
A Staffy is a long lived breed that has a lifespan of 12 to 14 years.
Staffordshire Bull Terrier Grooming
A Staffy has a short and smooth coat that sheds all-year round at moderate levels and heavily once a year. Weekly brushing is recommended to remove dirt, loose hair, and promote new hair growth using a hound glove or horsehair mitt. Brush the coat at least thrice a week during the heavy shedding season.
Staffies need an occasional bath every 6 to 8 weeks unless it rolls into something stinky. Use a hypoallergenic canine shampoo and conditioner. After a bath, thoroughly rinse off the grooming products from the skin using lukewarm water to avoid skin irritation. Wipe the face using a clean damp washcloth or unscented canine wipes instead of soapy water that irritates the eyes.
Trim the nails every 3 to 5 weeks using nail clipper or grinder. Overly grown nails are painful for a Staffy while walking or running. Brush the teeth of a Staffy at least twice a week if not daily using a dog-formulated toothpaste and toothbrush to remove excess tartar. Clean the ears on a weekly basis using an ear cleanser solution and cotton balls to remove excess wax, debris, or dirt. While cleaning the ears, check out for odor, dark discharge, or redness. These are symptoms of dog’s ear infection.
Staffordshire Bull Terrier | Staffordshire Terrier Shedding
Staffies shed all-year round at moderate levels. However, the shed hair is more noticeable either in Spring or Fall when experiencing seasonal change.
Staffordshire Bull Terrier Hypoallergenic
A Staffy is not a hypoallergenic breed. It sheds throughout the year at moderate levels and heavily when experiencing seasonal change. Shedding releases dander and hair into the environment. Dog’s dander, hair, saliva, urine, and mucus contain a protein allergen that triggers allergic reactions.
How To Train A Staffordshire Bull Terrier | Staffordshire Bull Terrier Training
A Staffy is an intelligent, calmly protective, and a loving pet. It also learns and responds quickly which makes training easier. Staffies also have a zeal to please and easily comply with the requests of their parents. However, a Staff was originally bred to fight other dogs hence most have retained a strong prey drive. Therefore, socialization training is crucial to enable the dog to control its temperament to become a truly perfect pet. To set up a Staffy for a successful training, it is imperative from the beginning that a pup has a consistent and clear training.
A Pet should learn the rules and follow them at all times. Naturally, dogs thrive in a social group where leadership or a pecking order has been established. If the hierarchy order has not been set up in a family, a Staffy will assume the role of a leader and the owner will be subordinate to them. This leads to behavior issues. Pet parents should create the leadership by having the dog wait for things like food, teaching leash manners, and joining you in the personal space when invited.
Socialization training and responsible upbringing helps to tame the natural dog aggression instinct that a Staff possess. This training start at the age of 3 weeks when the puppy is with the breeder until the age of 16 weeks after the pup has settled in the new home. After the age of 16 weeks, this training may continue to ensure the dog matures to have a well-rounded temperament and personality. Normally, parents take their puppies home from the age of 8 weeks. To socialize a Staffy, expose it to different places, people, animals, surfaces, smell, situations, sight, and sounds such as whistles, baby crying sounds, sirens, washing machines, lawn mowers, and vacuum cleaners.
Enrolling a Staffy in a puppy class will also serve as a form of socialization from the age of 8 weeks. These classes ensure puppies interact in a controlled environment. Puppy classes enables pet parents to not only identify and correct bad habits but also have access to training information and assistance. Staffies respond well to positive reinforcements methods such as the use of treats, toys, playtime, verbal praise, and petting. Avoid use of harsh correction methods such as yelling, use of choke or prong collars, or even beating the pet. This affects the dogs negatively since they develop fear aggression.
Keep the training sessions short, challenging, and fun to avoid boredom. Teach your Staffy for a period of 5 to 10 minutes distributed throughout the day. It is important to teach basic commands word that are potentially lifesaving immediately the pup comes home. Some of the basic command words that Staffies are taught include come, sit, down, stay, heel, leave it, recall, etc. Teach one command word at a time to avoid confusion. Never issue a command to a Staffy while too excited or frustrated. It doesn’t sound the same for your pet.
Effectively house break a Staffy by creating a feeding schedule, potty training, and crate training. A crate is an indispensable device when potty training. It helps to reduce the accidents. This device enables the owner to monitor a Staffy pup for signs that it wants to eliminate such as sniffing, shining, squatting, restlessness, circling, and trying to lift a leg against the crate door. To get positive outcomes when potty training, take the pup to the designated toilet area immediately it wakes up, 20 minutes after meals and drinks, before bedtime, every 2 to 3 hours, following an exciting activity such as a car ride, and after naptime. The bladder and bowel muscles of a pup strengthens as the puppy matures. Therefore, after the age of 8 months, take the pet to the elimination spot every 6 to 8 hours.
Staffordshire Bull Terrier Temperament
- Loving.
- Intelligent.
- Playful.
- Sweet-natured.
- Affectionate.
- Tenacity.
- Energetic.
- Bold.
- Curious.
- Docile.
- Gentle.
- Loyal.
- Calmly protective.
Staffordshire Bull Terrier Exercise
A Staffy requires daily exercise to stay physically and mentally fit. The exercise can be running alongside a jogging or biking owner, chasing a ball tossed across the backyard, or even a long hike through the woods. A well-fit Staffy that is in a good condition can keep up with an athletic owner. After a good exercise session, Staffies usually settle right in when they come back in the house. A Staffy can be heat intolerant and should not be exercised in a humid or warm environment.
Staffordshire Bull Terrier Barking
A Staffy is definitely vocal but generally it is not a barker. It is known for entertaining people with groans, grunts, snorts, snores, and even yodeling.
Staffordshire Bull Terrier Height
An adult Staffy has a height of 14 to 16 inches ( approx. 46 to 41 cm ).
Staffordshire Bull Terrier Weight
A female Staffy has a weight of 24 to 34 pounds ( approx. 11 to 15 kg) while its male counterpart has a weight of 28 to 38 pounds ( approx. 13 to 17 kg ).
Staffordshire Bull Terrier Size
Staffies are small to medium sized dogs that have a height of 14 to 16 inches. However, Male Staffies are slightly heavier as compared to their female counterparts in terms of weight. A Male staffy has a weight of 28 to 38 pounds ( approx. 13 to 17 kg ) while the female Staffy has a height of 24 to 34 pounds ( approx. 11 to 15 kg).
Staffordshire Bull Terrier Aggressive
Responsible breeders have worked to develop a Staffy that is sweet-natured, family oriented, and patient with kids. However, poorly socialized Staffies may manifest dog aggression since their old fighting instinct lurks. A Staff that is also corrected using harsh methods also exhibits fear aggression.
Staffordshire Bull Terrier Bite Force
Reportedly, a Staffordshire has a Bite force similar to the Rottweiler of 328 PSI .
Staffordshire Bull Terrier Hair Loss
A Staffy experiences normal hair loss throughout the year at moderate levels and heavily once a year in process known as shedding. However, loss of hair in patches may be due to seasonal alopecia, allergies, mange, Cushing’s disease, and changes in hormones.
Apart from Staffies, other dog breeds include:
Pug.
Staffordshire Bull Terrier Health Issues
This is a robust and health breed. However, Staffies are affected by certain health issues including cataracts, cerebellar abiotrophy, L-2-hydroxyglutaric aciduria, myotonia congenita, Chiari-like malformation, persistent hyperplastic primary vitreous, posterior polar subcapsular, cataracts, skin allergies, patellar luxation, elbow dysplasia, and hip dysplasia.
Staffordshire Bull Terrier Old Age Problems
- Cushing’s Disease,
- Weight loss due to the normal aspect of aging or illness.
- Fatigue and Lethargy.
- Relapse in potty training.
- Poor response to treatments.
- Poor coordination.
- Canine Cognitive Dysfunction is similar to dementia with signs including pacing at night, irritability, and fussiness.
Staffordshire Bull Terrier Names
A Staffy owner may decide to find a name for the pet before it leaves the shelter or a few days after the pup joins them home to understand better the personality of the dog. Pet parents may get name inspirations from the origin of the breed, coat color, personality, celebrity staffies, songs, book, food, nature, and historical figures.
Regardless of where you find your inspiration, ensure the name chosen freely rolls off your tongue without making you embarrassed when uttered out loud in the public places such as parks and malls. A Staffy and other dog breeds understand better names that have vowels. Avoid giving your pup a name that rhymes with the command words to prevent confusion.
If a parent settles with a long name, he or she should find a cute nickname for the dog. If a Staffy shares a name with any family member or guest who visit the home regularly, it will create a recipe for confusion. Some of the names that Staffy owners give to their pets include Bear, Gus, Beau, Rufus, Zach, Ivory, Chica, Siren, Honey, Matilda, Ruby, Lady, Simba, etc.
Staffordshire Bull Terrier Litter Size
After conception, a Staffy dam has a gestation period of 63 days before whelping a litter size of 5 to 7 puppies.
Staffordshire Bull Terrier Feeding Guide
The amount of food that a Staffy feeds on depends on its age, size, body build, metabolism, and activity level. Staffy puppies have a high metabolism rate as compared to adult and senior dogs. Therefore, a pup should feed on 3 or 4 times a day from when it starts weaning until the age of 6 months. From the age of 6 months, Staffies should feed twice a day for the rest of their lives.
Depending on the budget and time preparation needed, Staffy parents may feed their dogs with dry, wet, raw diet, or home-made food. When feeding your dog with commercial food ensure that the first three listed ingredients are proteins from a known source. The commercial dog food should neither have additives, chemicals, fillers, preservatives, nor meat by-products. Dry or wet food should be formulated for small to medium sized puppies, adults, and seniors. Check the physique of a Staffy to know whether it is overweight or underweight.
If you can see the ribs, chances are the dog is underweight. However, if the ribs are not visible but can be felt without pressing hard, a Staffy has an ideal weight. If the ribs can’t be felt, the dog is overweight and should be exercised. After getting a puppy from a breeder, the owner is likely to switch to another quality food. They should gradually do this over a period of four weeks by mixing both new food and old food. As the weeks progresses, the amount of old food reduces as the new food increases until a Staffy is only feeding on new food during the fourth week.
Staffordshire Bull Terrier Colors
A Staffy may either have a white, red, fawn, black, or blue coat colors or any of these colors with white. Any shade of brindle is permitted.
Staffordshire Bull Terrier Allergies
A Staffy is predisposed to various forms of allergies as discussed below:
Environmental allergies – Some of the environmental allergies that affect Staffies include fleas, grass, mites, ragweed, dust and dust mites, house molds, trees, and pollen. The saliva of the flea cause flea allergy dermatitis that normally affects the back legs and underneath the tail. This allergy causes excessive scratching and biting until the skin around the bite area is raw. Some of the symptoms of environmental allergies include sneezing, nasal discharge, congestion, and itchiness on various body parts including feet, paws, underarms, groin, belly sides, ears, around the face, and between the toes.
Food allergies – Although rare, a Staffy may suffer from a true food allergy that results in an immune response that is normally accompanied with skin issues symptoms and gastrointestinal stress. Some of the skin issues symptoms include hives, crusting lesions, sores, dermatitis, and pruritus while gastrointestinal stress include acute vomiting and diarrhea, weight loss, and bloating. Apart from food allergies, Staffies are also affected by food intolerance or sensitivity.
Skin allergies – Staffies are prone to skin allergies due to environmental, contact, and food allergies that manifest on the skin.
Contact allergies – This allergy affects a Staffy once the allergen comes in contact with the skin. Some of the contact allergens that affect Staffies include plastic bowels, grooming products, lawn chemicals, carpet cleaning detergents, bed linens, medications, and latex. Commonly affected body parts include the feet, around the muzzle, and paws.
Staffordshire Terrier Ears
A Staffy has rose or half-pricked ears.
Staffordshire Terrier Tail
Staffies have a natural tail of medium length that is set low. The tail tapers to a fine point and it is carried rather low.
Are Staffordshire Bull Terrier Dangerous
No. Responsible breeders have ensured the modern Staffies are sweet-natured, patient with kids, and family-oriented.
Are Staffordshire Bull Terriers Aggressive
No. A Staffy is loyal, affectionate, loving, calmly protective, and docile. However, it may display dog aggression if socialized poorly.
Are Staffordshire Bull Terriers Good Family Dogs
Yes. Staffies are patient with kids, docile, gentle, sweet-natured, family oriented, loyal, loving, and affectionate dogs.
Staffordshire Bull Terriers Quick Facts
- They are popular as nanny dogs due to their tendency to be patient with kids.
- Staffies share the same ancestry with Bull Terriers although they don’t resemble each other.
- A Staffy has a reputation of being pugnacious. Therefore, it will not back away if challenged by another dog.
