Pampered Dog Blog

An incredibly powerful and muscular dog, the American Staffordshire Terrier, descends from the Staffordshire Bull Terrier, although it is taller, and more heavily built.

At 17 to 19 inches tall the American Staffordshire is taller than its close relative, the American Pit Bull Terrier. It gives the impression of immense power, with a huge head and incredibly powerful jaws. Cropping the ears make the dog look even more intimidating, although uncropped ears are more common. The coat is short and can be a variety of colors, either sold or cropped.

The Am Staff traces its history back to Staffordshire, England, and the Staffordshire Bull Terrier. These dogs had been created by crossing the Bulldog with various terrier breeds, but when they arrived in America, local breeders decided they wanted a larger dog, suitable for dog fighting.

When this cruel ‘sport’ was banned in the early 1900s, two variants of the breed emerged. The American Staffordshire Terrier was used for show purposes, while the American Pit Bull Terrier, continued to be used in illegal dog fighting contests.

Despite its imitating looks, the American Stafford Shire is actually an affectionate, happy and balanced dog. They are extremely loyal and bond strongly with family. They have a particular love of children, but are too strong and active to be handled by small kids.

The Am Staff is very protective of those it loves. Not that these dogs usually need to resort to aggression. Few would be stupid enough to challenge them.

Training, socialization and consistent pack leadership are essential with this breed. Not so much because of their, largely undeserved, reputation for aggression, but because an untrained dog this powerful in virtually impossible to control.

Finding good puppy names for your Am Staff is easy when you know where to look. Try Puppy Names HQ and pick from 1000s of categorized dogs names including a huge database of male dog names.

The American Staffordshire Terrier is generally a sound breed, but like all purebred dogs, suffers from a number of inherited diseases. These include hip dysplasia, congenital heart disease, tumors, cataracts, skin allergies, and thyroid problems. Average lifespan for the breed is 12 to 16 years.

Grooming an Am Staff is a simple matter of a weekly brush down, while you can also bathe the dog once a month or so.

The Am Staff requires a lot of exercise, but it will adapt quite well to apartment living provided these exercise needs are met. A house with a large garden would still be preferable, but whatever the living arrangement, a long walk on the leash is required every day.

These are indoor dogs. They dislike cold weather and anyway prefer to be close to their family.