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The American Staffordshire Terrier originated in the city of Staffordshire, England. This breed was brought over to the USA and american breeders bred the dog to become physically bigger and more powerful. The American Staffordshire Terrier is very closesly related to the Staffordshire Terrier-which is of the English blood line. The American Staffordshire was to be the show quality type and the American Pit Bull terrier was to be the fighting type as these are 2 separate breeds.
The American Staffordshire terrier is a powerful, solid and muscular dog. Their size should not be underestimated as they are short stocky powerhouses. This breed is very good with children if it is raised with the respect it needs for its breed. If raised with other animals such as cats they can be good, but sinse they are terriers they do have a prey drive for smaller animals. Some people have the idea that these dogs are fighting dogs through and through but it is not the case. They were bred to BE family dogs.
They are happy, loving and affectionate dogs that are extremely obedient. The dog needs to be trained firmly yet kindly as they want to do whatever is necessary to please their owners. They need to have a lot of exercise so daily long walks would be ideal for this breed. Owners of this dog need to socialize it as much as possible especially when they are young so they grow up to be the secure loving animals that they are. This dog is not recommened for new owners as the training and socializing of this dog is important at the early stages of their life and new owners need to have the experience in order to handle that.
Weighing in at 57-67 lbs (26-30 kgs) and averaging around 16-19 inches high, the American Staffordshire Terrier is a short muscle machine. Their size is very deceiving to them as they are strong and powerful dogs that are known for their muscular jaws. Their coat is very short and smooth, therefore very easy to keep. Any colour is accepted by the AKC Standards for this breed as long as the majority (80%) of the body is not white, tan or black. The eyes are dark and round and the ears are small, triangular and pricked up, but have the option to be cropped. They have a long tail that tapers at the end.
This breed is in general, a very healthy dog. They are prone to hip dysplasia as many dogs are. They are also prone to cataracts and congenital heart disease. Also as some terriers do, American Staffordshire Terriers have some skin problems such as dermatitis.
The American Staffordshire Terrier is an intelligent dog that is very responsive to their owners. They are not recommended for first time owners or owners that don’t have much experience in training or raising a dog that must know it’s the lower member of the family. American Staffordshire Terriers can be quite dominant so they need an owner who can diffuse that and work with the animal in a positive manner as these dogs only want to please. They can also be quite difficult to housetrain. American Staffordshire Terriers would excel in obedience, agility and strength pulling competitions which would be fun for both the owner and the dog!
For this dog, grooming maintenance is very low. Brush once a week or once every two weeks just to take out the old fur and bathe whenever is necessary. Sinse they have such a short coat, it wont matt or tangle but they enjoy the warmer weather opposed to the cold as they have much less of a coat to wear outside! They are average fur shedders and on the whole are quite easy to maintain!
This breed is categorized in the Terrier Group. They can be great family dogs and are good apartment dogs if they get the exercise that they need. They arent to active outdoors so a backyard isn’t needed. The American Staffordshire Terriers average lifespan is 9-15 years. They have about 5-10 pups per litter. When obtaining a baby Amstaff, , keep in mind that every puppy is different and to research your breed before bringing the baby home!
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