History

The Staffordshire bull terrier first emerged in the United Kingdom in the 17th century, a cross between bulldogs and working terriers to produce a tough, rugged and reliable new breed for dog fighting. These dogs were nicknamed "Pit Dogs" and were also used for hunting and ratting.

They quickly became an extremely popular terrier breed, from the poor and working class all the way up to the extremely wealthy, the working class loved them because they helped earn extra money fighting, hunting and ratting, there love of people, loyalty and great affection also made them popular with the wealthy. Today they are in the top 5 most popular breeds in the U.K and it is easy to see why, Staffie's are known to have a great love for children making them great family pets.

When the Humane act of 1835 came in, dog fighting was then looked upon as unlawful, this prompted a group of men from the Staffordshire area of England to preserve their breed of "Pit Dog", they set out a strict standard and decided to introduce their terrier to the show world and named the breed Staffordshire bull terrier to differentiate them from the English bull terrier. In 1935 the Staffordshire bull terrier was finally registered by the Kennel Club making them a recognised breed.

Personality and character

The Staffie is the only terrier breed to have the words "totally reliable" in its breed standard, reinforcing the point that this terrier is truly dependable and trustworthy, one of only two breeds to be "suitable around children" out of 190 registered dog breeds.

Staffie's are known to be boisterous and energetic, very playful and affectionate, they have a natural love for people and children and are best suited to young, enthusiastic families with time and love to dedicate to their terrier. As they prefer human company to other dogs it is a good idea to socialise them from a young age so they get used to other dogs and animals so they do not become anti-social dogs.

Staffordshire terriers can be known to be "forever young" as some staff's do not lose the enthusiasm and playful nature they have as pups, It is maybe this love for humans that makes this breed seem quite emotional at times," vocal" and sometimes "clingy", because they love being part of the family you may find they do not like being left out of family activities or left on their own and can sometimes "sulk" or even suffer from depression if this occurs regularly.

Staffie's can be quite stubborn and head strong so firm, consistent, positive terrier training is required. Like other terriers you will get out what you put in, a very loving and loyal pet and family member.

Profile

The Staffordshire bull terrier has incredible stamina and requires between 90 and 120 minutes of exercise every day, it's important to get rid of their excess boisterous energy or this can turn to destructive behaviour in the house. Staff's usually live for between 12 and 15 years and have litters of between 4 and 6 pups. The average height of both males and females is 38.5 cm or 15 inches and usually weight around 17kg. Because of their short hair they do not shed much fur and do not require much grooming, however staff's love affection and brushing helps to build the relationship between dog and owner.

Terrier training

Having a Staffordshire terrier may be much like having a child, the Staffordshire terrier is naturally boisterous and playful so you will need to be very firm with your terrier training, but making sure you are not aggressive towards you terrier, positive reinforcement is what works best.

Staff's can be stubborn so again a firm, dominate "pack leader" is required, this breed is recommended for experienced dog owners due to their high energy and personality, if you are thinking about getting a Staffordshire make sure you do your homework and make sure you really can dedicate enough time and energy to this terrier.

As pups staff's will try and chew anything they can find so a suitable toy or a bone is a good idea, but do make sure it is tough because staff's have tremendously strong jaws, mine managed destroyed just about every toy I got her.

Socialising from a young age is also a very good idea so they get used to, and enjoy the company of other dogs, staff's are not usually aggressive towards other dogs but will defend themselves if they need to, so being able to control such a strong animal is very important. Staffordshire terriers are very intelligent and will pick up the terrier training quite quickly just remember to be firm, consistent and positive, lots of praise and challenging games.