Description

Originally bred for bull baiting, Staffordshire Bull Terrier is a breed that gives an impression of power and athletic abilities. This is an English breed dog, which has affinity in appearance with the American Staffordshire terrier, though the later is much larger. Staffordshire Bull Terrier has its distinctive appearance traits. It is a medium sized dog with strong muscular body where occipital muscles are rather well defined. On a broad head, resembling a triangle, there is the short forehead, round, dark eyes, wide mouth with pronounced cheek muscle. The lips are not loose and have sharp set of teeth. This sturdy dog carries its tail down, which is moderately long in comparison with the general built of the body. At least one or two ribs of the ribcage are usually visible in case of the Staffordshire Bull Terrier and its loins are tucked up. Staffordshire Bull Terrier has ears that rise straight up and a black nose. Pink nose is taken to be a sign of fault. Known as Staffie, Staff or Staffross, this dog is available in different colors.

Coat

Staffordshire Bull Terrier is not a furry one. This English bred muscular dog is well covered with dense and short coat, which lies close and embraces the body. The coat is sleek and soft. This dog is an average shedder and does not shed hair often. If you brush it once a week, that will be enough to minimize the shedding of the hair.

History

As the name itself suggests, the originating place for Staffordshire Bull Terriers was Staffordshire in England. This dog was created from cross breeding between the contemporary Bulldog and Terrier. It was during the 19th Century that Staffordshire Bull Terrier came into existence. The compelling reason behind this crossbreeding was the popular culture and mode of entertainment of that time, which included bull baiting, bear, dog and even lion fighting. Staffordshire Bull Terriers were put in a pit to compete and are also known as Pit dogs. This breed was known for its courage and ferocious nature. However, these dogs are good with human beings and children. When the blood sports as mentioned above started to be declared as unlawful, Staffordshire Bull Terriers were introduced into the show world. Though blood sports ceased to exist with the passing of laws on animal welfare, dog fighting still continues undercover. Staffordshire Bull Terrier are used in many of these games to test how fit they are for the same.

Temperament

Contrary to its aggressive, tough and fighter-type look, Staffordshire Bull Terrier shows agreeable manners, if trained properly. This breed is welcoming of adults, children and even other pets, provided they have got the proper socialization training from their puppyhood. These dogs are an affectionate breed, pretty obedient by nature, and possess a positive out-look on life apart from being very self-confident. They are a reliable companion to humans, and do not bark often. However, they will surely test their vocal chords if they sense any approaching signs of danger. These cheerful dogs are very active and need proper amount of exercise and activities everyday to stay animated. Staffies may be very tough, active and courageous but with children, they are very gentle and take care as if the child is its own puppy. This quality, along with its general amicable nature, makes the Staffordshire Bull Terrier a good family pet. However, this breed of dog can show aggressiveness with other dogs, which is why it demands good training to take this aggressiveness away. They generally don’t start off fighting. However, in case a Staffordshire Bull Terrier is challenged, it never backs off. Sometimes called as “Nanny Dogs” in England, this breed is very trustworthy for its stability, affection for owner and children, intelligence, power and tenacity. However, their adaptation quality with the change of home or owner can backfire sometimes as this quality can make it an easy catch for the ‘dognappers’.

Health

Like many other breed of dogs, Staffordshire Bull Terrier has some common health hazards. However, proper knowledge and subsequent care will be enough to ward off these diseases. Hereditary Cataract and L-2-hydroxyglutaric aciduria are two of the health hazards that Staffordshire Bull Terrier can get affected with. These diseases should be checked in the parents before the breeding. DNA tests can help to find out whether or not these problems are there with the parents. Sometimes, even irresponsible breeding can lead to these diseases.
Two other health hazards that are common in Staffordshire Bull Terrier include double eyelash problem or distachiasis and Persistent Hyperplastic Primary Vitreous. In the first one, the eyelash rubs the cornea, which can gradually lead to the damage of the eye surface. In the second case, blood supply fails to retreat from ocular lens and causes hazy vision due to the formation of fibrovascular tissues. With proper breeding and medical checkup, all these conditions can be avoided. Hip dysplasia is another condition that can surface in Staffordshire Bull Terrier. By limiting the pressure on joints, this health hazard can also be overcome.

Grooming

Coat, eyes, ear and nails are the four main categories that you should check up regularly in order to groom your Staffordshire Bull Terrier better. Since this breed has a short coat and is not a furry dog, taking care of the coat is very easy. A weekly bath and use of a soft bristle brush or a hound mitt would make the shedding minimal. You should wash this breed only when it gets dirty. Otherwise, regular bah can cause lack of shine of the coat and they will lose essential oils from the coat and skin can flake.
Since Staffordshire Bull Terrier is prone to eye diseases, you should be very careful in this department of grooming. Generally, the eye should be clear and free from discharges. But if the eye is watery all the time and full of discharge, it is time to take you Staffordshire Bull Terrier for a visit to the vet. Early treatment will take care of the problem effectively. Ears are the next part where you should give proper attention. Check the ears on a weekly basis and clear off the wax with ear cleaning solution and cotton wipes. When ear mites are there, take the dog to the vet who will do the needful to check the situation.
Nails are another important part where you should invest proper attention while grooming your Staffordshire Bull Terrier. Nails should be clipped regularly every week. Try to keep them short. Be careful not to clip off the quick, which will cause bleeding. If you accidentally cut the quick, use blood clotting solution or simply hold a towel on the affected area for some time.

Exercise

Being mainly bred for the blood-sport entertainment of the earlier days, Staffordshire Bull Terrier is very high on energy and activity. For keeping them fit, you need to exercise them regularly. Throw ball, tug of war, chase game, tracking, weight pulling and rough housing are some of the games and activities that these dogs enjoy the most. They can jump very high and enjoy tough games. Staffordshire Bull Terrier loves to win, which feeds its self-confidence. But it can bring some behavioral problem too if you let this breed win in every game as they may start on domination. This is why Staffordshire Bull Terrier should be trained properly to make them obey their owner. Since they love activities and games, Staffordshire Bull Terrier should be taken out for exercise regularly which will keep them in shape and in fine frame of mind. The more tired it is, the more obedient and quiet it would be at home.

Training

While training Staffordshire Bull Terrier, two major things should be kept in mind. The first thing is that they love activities and secondly, they can easily become aggressive. These two things are, however, inter-related. Since this breed gets bored very easily, keeping them active and agile is a must while training them. Being intelligent they can learn very quickly and adapt to changes faster than many other breeds. Remember that when they are tired, they feel relaxed and happy. So, a regular session on good activities and exercises should be planned out for your Staffordshire Bull Terrier. Even when the owner is away, there should be some arrangements for its daily dose of activities. Secondly, Staffordshire Bull Terrier can easily become aggressive and dominant. This is why extra socializing is another “must-do” for this breed.
Though the puppy can get along with almost everyone, it is the growing up stage when this extra socializing should be practiced on positive note. It should be trained properly to teach it that aggressiveness is not good and also to obey its owner properly. Otherwise, Staffordshire Bull Terrier can be very hard to tackle. However, being a type that likes to please, obey and is highly intelligent, Staffordshire Bull Terrier can be trained into a very good family pet that will become a good companion for the children and always be up there to protect its owner.