staffordshire bull terrier

The Staffie is a breed that has many supporters and perhaps just as many detractors. Over the generations the Staffie has put his fighting history behind him and his other famous trait, as a loving family member, has earned him a place in the hearts of many. Staffie owners recommend their dogs as confident, people-loving dogs. A typical staffie is energetic, devoted to his families, and normally loves meeting strangers. Famed animal conservationist Steve Irwin incorporated Sui, his Staffordshire Bull Terrier cross, into many episodes of his documentary television show, The Crocodile Hunter.

Often held responsible for many of the unpleasant attacks reported on humans and other animals, the Staffie 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.

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 Staffie. 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.

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.

Appearance

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, half prick ears, dark round eyes and a wide mouth with a clean scissor-like bite. The ears are small and either rose or half-prick. The cheek muscles are usually pronounced and give the impression of strength. Their lips show no looseness, and they rarely drool. The stafford is a dog with extreme strength for its size with unbeatable bravery. The head tapers down to a strong well muscled neck and shoulders placed on squarely spaced forelimbs. 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 and should be neither too long nor 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 may be coloured black, brindle, red, blue, 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 smooth and short.

The dogs stand 35-40 cm (14-16 in) at the withers and weigh 13-20 kg (24-38 lb) with female dogs on the lighter side and male dogs on the heavier side.

Temperament

Terrier breeds are generally bold, inquisitive and fearless. The Staffie is renowned for its reliability as a family dog. They are extremely loving dogs, being loyal and devoted to man, with special emphasis on their reliability with children. The breed thrives in the family environment, being a suitably compact size for close family living. They can be protective of their family, especially those with small children, and it is for this reason that they make an excellent family guardian and watch dog.

As a result of their dog fighting heritage, one of the problems noticed in this breed is a tendency of aggression towards other dogs. It must be understood that even a Staffordshire Bull Terrier with "good" temperament may fight when challenged by another dog and should therefore 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. It must also be understood, however, that dog aggression is not related to human aggression in this breed. A staffie that is aggressive to strange dogs may still be completely trustworthy to humans.

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. It is important that any breeder can satisfy you that the puppy you are interested in, and its parents, have a stable temperament. Avoiding aggression can also be aided by proper socialisation and training of the puppy. 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. If they are socialised from an early age and properly trained, owners can let their dogs roam at off-leash parks with confidence.

History

Before the 19th Century, bloodsports such as bull baiting, bear baiting and cock fighting were common. Bulls bought to market were set upon by dogs as a way of tenderising the meat and providing entertainment for the spectators; and dog fights with bears, bulls and other animals were often organised as entertainment for both Royalty and Commoners. Early Bull and Terriers were not bred for the handsome visual specimen of today, rather they were bred for the characteristic known as gameness. The pitting of dog against bear or bull tested the gameness, strength and skill of the dog. The Staffie was used mainly for lion baiting because they were known to be better than any other dog at dodging the claws and getting straight to the face, unlike the cousin the 16th century staffords that would crush a lion in seconds, the 18th century version was a lot smaller around 60 cm which gave them a disadvantage, but 60 percent of the time they beat the odds. 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 bloodsports were officially eliminated in 1835 as Britain began introduce animal welfare laws. Since dogfights were cheaper to organise and far easier to conceal from the law than bull or bear baits, bloodsport proponents turned to pitting their dogs one against another instead. Dog fighting was used as both a bloodsport (often involving gambling) and as an effort to continue to test the quality of their stock. For decades afterwards, dog fighting clandestinely took place in pockets of working class Britain and America. Dogs were released in a pit, and the last dog still fighting (or occasionally, the last dog surviving) was recognised as the winner. The quality of pluckiness or "gameness" was still highly prized, and dogs that gave up during a fight were reviled as "curs". As an important aside, fighting dogs were often handled in the pit during fights, by both their owners and the judge, so were bred to be as trustworthy with humans as they were aggressive towards other dogs.

It is this nefarious history that gives the staffie his celebrated temperament, as in the words of the American Kennel Club: "from the past history of the Staffordshire Bull Terrier, the modern dog draws its character of indomitable courage, high intelligence, and tenacity. This, coupled with its affection for its friends, and children in particular, its off-duty quietness and trustworthy stability, makes it a foremost all-purpose dog."

Kennel Club Recognition

The breed attained UK Kennel Club recognition on 25 May 1935. Staffies were mainly used for lion baiting because they are said to be better than any other dog at dodging the lions claws. 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 to produce the American Pit Bull Terrier and American Staffordshire Terrier. 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 recognised in the US in 1976. He has a loyal following.

External links

• Staffordshire Bull Terrier Club of Canada
• Staffordshire Bull Terrier Club of America
• Staffordshire Bull Terrier Breed Council of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
• Staffordshire Bull Terrier Club of Victoria Inc.

See also

• Blue Paul Terrier
• Rat-baiting