Staffordshire Bull Terrier
Dogs
Staffordshire Bull Terrier
Staffordshire Bull
Terrier |
Brindle Male
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Alternative names |
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Country of origin |
United Kingdom |
Common nicknames |
Stafford, Staffie, Staffy |
Classification and breed standards |
FCI: |
Group 3 Section 3 #76 |
AKC: |
Terrier |
ANKC: |
Group 2 (Terriers) |
CKC: |
Group 4 - Terriers |
KC (UK): |
Terrier |
NZKC: |
Terrier |
Not recognized by any major kennel club |
This breed of dog is
extinct |
Notes |
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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. The
Staffordshire Bull Terrier evolved out of a "Proto-Stafford" that was originally
bred for the aforementioned 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
Staffie was produced. In the early part of the 20th century they gained
respectablity and were 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 the
American Staffordshire Terrier or the American Pit Bull Terrrier.
The Staffie is a breed that has many supporters and perhaps just as many
detractors. Descendant from a line of terriers bred to tussle with bulls prior
to the beast’s slaughter (hence bull terrier) this plucky breed, though
no longer used for such tough endeavours, still displays those fearless and
determined qualities.
Often held responsible for many of the unpleasant attacks reported on humans
and other animals, the Stafford can polarise public opinion. When spoken of,
people will generally fall into one of two camps, those strongly for the breed
and those strongly against. Staffie owners will talk of how, when exercising
their dog in the park, other dog owners will scream at them to put their dog
back on the leash, or of people literally crossing the road so as to avoid
walking past their pooch.
But visit that family at home and you’re likely to be met by a boisterous
though very affectionate human-orientated dog who is happy to see you, loves
nothing more than playing with the kids and will roll over if given the
slightest opportunity for a tummy rub. Owners and visitors should be careful
when coming home to these dogs because, males esspecially, are known to urinate
in the excitment of company.
In cases of reported attacks, there is often little distinction made between
the bull terrier breeds, such as the American Staffordshire Terrier, the
Pit-Bull Terrier, the Bull Terrier and the Stafford. Perhaps because of its
comparative high numbers and poor recognition by the public, the Staffie wears
much of the blame for reported attacks that may have been perpetrated by any
member of the bull terrier breeds.
Appearance
Red Male
Lovingly referred to as a "keg on legs", 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 Staffie's 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 colours with white. White with any colour over an eye is known as
piebald or pied'. Liver-coloured and black and tan dogs sometimes occur but
these are considered an unacceptable colour for the showring or any reputable
breeding program. The coat is uniformly smooth and never trimmed.
The dogs stand 35-40cm (14-16in) at the
withers and
weigh 13-20kg (24-38lbs) with bitches on the lighter side and male dogs on the
heavier side.
Temperament
Terrier breeds are generally bold and inquisitive (to the point of often
ignoring their owner’s calls) and fearless though friendly towards humans, often
getting on better with humans than other animals. There is no doubt that
Staffies are the safest and friendliest of the bull terrier breeds. However,
there are still those individuals who can be aggressive towards other animals
and sometimes to people. It is important that any breeder can satisfy you that
the puppy you are interested in, and its parents, have a stable temperament.
Males in particular can be very dominant. Bitches are less domineering and both
desexed males and females can be more placid.
Puppies should be regularly exposed to the full gamut of situations that they
are likely to encounter as older dogs. Regular, supervised contact with other
dogs, children and any other family pet, along with early obedience training
will help ensure that the dog grows into a well socialised animal. Obedience
training is imperative to ensure that the owner feels they will have control
over their dog in any situation. A Staffie well versed in the commands ‘sit’ and
‘stay’ is an animal that knows its place and can be confidently managed.
Staffies are regularly the fourth most popular breed in Australia, behind
German Shepherds, Labrador Retrievers and Golden Retrievers, according to the
numbers of puppies bred each year. A proportion of any dog breed will show
aggression towards humans and other animals and unfortunately those more popular
breeds can attract the notice of less than scrupulous individuals who are out to
make a quick buck. They will have little regard for producing puppies with good
temperament and health and can unfortunately increase the proportion of unstable
dogs within a breed. The German Shepherd Dog League of N.S.W recognised this
very problem in its breed and has set up a tough accreditation program for its
breeders. There isn't such a program amongst Staffie owners, however there are
very good breeders who are mindful of producing dogs with stable temperaments.
Whilst its origins are "blood sport" related, the Staffie is renowned for its
reliability as a family dog. They are extremely lovable dogs, being loyal and
devoted to man, with special emphasis on their reliability with children. They
absolutely love children and are devoted to them and their owners. The breed
thrives in the family environment, being a suitably compact size for close
family living. Being short coated they require nominal grooming, and are very
low maintenance. They are protective of their family, especially those with
small children, and it is for this reason that they make and excellent family
guardian and watch dog.
Notwithstanding the above, it must be understood that the Staffordshire Bull
Terrier in most instances will "fight" when challenged by another dog and should
be adequately controlled in public places. Staffordshire Bull Terrier owners
have a certain obligation to Society, and should always ensure that their dogs
are correctly and adequately housed and not allowed to roam freely in public and
in the vicinity of unfamiliar dogs. It is always good advice to avoid allowing
your Staffie to make eye to eye contact with strange dogs, as this is normally
seen as a challenge. Having said that, if they are socialised from an early age
and properly trained, owners can let their dogs roam at off-leash dog parks with
confidence. Staffies seem to rather enjoy the company of other Staffies and
certain larger breeds such as Boxers.
History
In the mid-1800s, the
Bull and Terrier split into two branches one being the pure white
Bull
Terrier and seventy years later the coloured dogs were recognized as the
Staffordshire Bull Terrier.
Mixes of all kinds were bred to fight animals, such as bulls, bears, badgers,
lions, rats and even monkeys. These early "proto-staffords" provided the
ancestral foundation stock for the Staffordshire Bull Terrrier, the American Pit
Bull Terrier and the American Staffordshire Terrier. These blood sports were not
only for entertainment as they were an opportunity for a breeder to test his
breeding stock. These early breeders were not breeding for the visual specimen
of the breed today. They were breeding for an elusive and hard to define
characteristic known as "gameness". The pitting of dog against beast tested the
will, strength and skill of the dog. Those that excelled at these sports were
selectively bred for these characteristics. The eventual elimintion of these
bloodsports occurred in the mid 19th century as Britain began to recognize the
need for reform in animal welfare laws. These breeders turned to pitting their
dogs one against another in an effort to continue to test the gameness of their
stock. Surprisingly the dogfighting was not in the initial animal welfare reform
laws and continued. Dog fighting met its demise and only clandestinely took
place in pockets of working class Britain. Many will be surprised to realize
that it is this very nefarious history that has produced the breed temperament
of the beloved Staffie today.
Kennel Club Recognition
Joe Mallen pictured with "Stowcote Pride" and one of his Gamefowl
The breed attained UK Kennel Club recognition on
25 May 1935. Much of the
groundwork to attain this status can be attributed to
Joseph
Dunn and
Joe Mallan. Dunn and Mallan invited friends to a staffie fanciers meeting at
the Cross Guns Hotel, Cradley Heath, South Staffordshire (a hotel owned and
managed by Mallan). About fifty breeders met at the hotel and formed the
Original Staffordshire Bull Terrier Club. The name was shortly changed to
Staffordshire Bull Terrier Club due to the Bull Terrier Club objecting the
use of the word 'original'. Staffies were imported into the US during this time.
Since that time the breed has grown to be one of the most popular breeds of dogs
with a large repressentation at the Crufts Dog Show.
In the US many were imported by pit fighters and used in their breeding
programs. Many were imported by British nationals who brought their dogs with
them or US expatriates who fell in love with the breed in England and brought it
home to the US. Eventually through the campaign of many people the Staffie was
recognized in the US in 1976. He has a loyal following.
See also
Home | Up | Saarlooswolfhond | Saluki | Samoyed | Sapsali | Schipperke | Schnauzer | Scottish Terrier | Sealyham Terrier | Seppala Siberian Sleddog | Serbian Hound | Serbian Mountain Hound | Serbian Tricolour Hound | Shar Pei | Shetland Sheepdog | Shiba Inu | Shih Tzu | Shikoku | Shiloh Shepherd Dog | Siberian Husky | Skye Terrier | Sloughi | Small Munsterlander | Smooth Collie | Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier | South Russian Ovtcharka | Spanish Mastiff | Spinone Italiano | Springer Spaniel | St. Bernard | Stabyhoun | Staffordshire Bull Terrier | Standard Schnauzer | Swedish Vallhund
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