Learn All About the Staffordshire Bull Terrier

A fierce-looking dog with a kind and loving heart. All who encounter a Staffordshire Bull Terrier fall in love with it. This breed has had some bad press, but it’s great temperament and incredible physique manages to win over its owners, who always brag about them. Today, you’ll learn more about and be able to admire this unique dog breed.

The history and origin of the Staffordshire Bull Terrier

The origins of the Staffordshire Bull Terrier are similar to those of other bull-type terrier breeds. These dogs were created and bred to hunt and fight bulls.

Bull-type breeds descended from the great molossers who were trained to fight. This breed is a direct descendant of the now-extinct British and Terrier cross.

This breed originated from crossing bull-type genes with the also extinct Old English Terrier. People crossed these dogs to get the strength and endurance of the former with the cheerful and restless temperament of the latter.

Originally, it was sought after for clandestine dog fights, since its physique and temperament made it a winning dog. When these fights were banned around 1930, race lovers decided to create a standard and officially present it as a registered breed.

Characteristics

The Staffordshire Bull Terrier is a medium-sized dog. The desirable height is 14 to 16 inches (35 to 40 centimeters) at the shoulder, and the desired weight is approximately 29 to 37 pounds (12 to 17 kilos) for males and 24 to 34 pounds (11 to 15 kilos) for females.

As you can see, it’s a medium-sized heavy dog. This is because Staffordshire Bull Terriers are wide and very muscular dogs. The head is short and wide, such as all bull-type dogs. The neck is wide, short, and muscular. They have a wide and deep chest and well-sprung ribs. The Staffordshire Bull Terrier has well-boned wide-set legs. They also have square, heavy bodies.

Thanks to these physical characteristics, these dogs move swiftly and vigorously.

The Staffordshire has smooth and short hair. They can have red, fawn, white, black, or blue coats and any of these colors with white. There are also Staffordshires of any shade of brindle.

Temperament

Staffordshire Bull Terriers combine the characteristics of bull-type dogs with terriers. They’re brave, intelligent, tenacious, stubborn, and patient. In addition, they have a balanced and predictable temperament.

They’re very active dogs that require physical and mental exercise. These dogs are athletic and loyal, and also fun and very friendly. Therefore, they’re extremely loyal to their owners and are devoted to their human families. Despite their fierce appearance, they’re sweet and have a strong desire to please their owners; they’ll stop at nothing until they do it.

However, you can’t forget that they share genes with bull-type dogs. Due to its relationship with other breeds, they can be a little rough, especially when they play, and other furry friends may misinterpret their roughness.

Sometimes, they can get into fights with other dogs due to their tendency to play by giving small bites. However, this is their way of playing, which is why those play fights usually amount to nothing.

The origin of this breed defines its temperament. Humans bred the Staffordshire Bull Terrier because they wanted strong and courageous dogs that were also loving, loyal, and predictable with humans. Despite the bad start of this dog breed, they’re family dogs that get along great with humans and other dogs.

Care

The Staffordshire Bull Terrier is on the list of potentially dangerous dogs in Spain, among other countries, despite its good temperament. Therefore, to have one in that country, you must have a liability insurance. In addition, it must always be kept on a leash and muzzled.

The temperament of Staffordshire Bull Terriers is balanced and predictable. However, if you detect any behavioral problems, you must resort to respectful, friendly, and positive methods, since their stubbornness and bravery doesn’t allow them to learn through pain (punishment or training collars) or punishment (dominance training methods).

This is an active and intelligent dog that needs both physical and mental exercise. This dog likes to run and play with other dogs, but also enjoys mountain hikes or physical games with its owner, as they’re more challenging than simply chasing a ball.

As it’s smart and always wants to please its owner, it’ll enjoy learning any skill, both with basic obedience games and interactive toys.

This breed is very easy to take care of because its short hair only needs occasional brushing to remove dead hair.

You mustn’t forget to take it for regular veterinary checkups, keep their vaccination cards up-to-date, and make sure that the most common diseases that affect this breed (cataracts and joint problems) don’t harm their health.

Those who coexist with Staffordshire Bull Terriers can’t help but fall in love with these small but sturdy dogs. Beyond their imposing appearance, they’re kind and loving at heart.