American Staffordshire Terrier - Facts You Must Know Before Adopting American Staffordshire Terrier

By Author: Ricardo Limbardo
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The American Staffordshire Terrier is a mid-sized, short-coated breed whose ancestors originated in England. Their size gives the impression of great strength, with muscular and stocky appearance. The average weight for this breed is 57-67 pounds, with the height of 17-19 inches.

Coat

The Staffordshire Terrier's coat is short, dense, glossy, lying close to the skin, and stiff to touch. Their coat has the same length all over their body. Black, white, red, fawn, or blue with white or shade of brindle coats are all acceptable.

Activity

Without daily exercise, the American Staffordshire Terrier will become restless, and hard to handle. They require long walks daily, jogs, or runs. The dogs should be made to heel behind, or beside the person holding the leash, as instinct tells them the leader shows the way, and that the leader has to be human.

Temperament

Known to be well-tempered, the American Staffordshire Terrier makes a reliable companion. This breed is excellent around small children, although supervision is still needed, since this is a very strong dog.

They are a loyal, ...
... intelligent, devoted, and tough breed. Although they make a great household pet when properly socialized, they oftentimes do not get along with other pets.

Overview

Most often, the Staffordshire Terrier and the American Pit Bull Terrier are believed to be of the same breed, the American Staffordshire Terrier being recognized as with the show strain, while the regarded as the fighting dog is the American Pit Bull Terrier. These two breeds are considered as different breeds by several registries, although some consider them the same, and are bred to be of the same build, and same qualities.

Care

Grooming is easy for American Staffordshire Terrier. Brushing with a firm bristle brush regularly and bathing or dry shampooing as necessary is required. Rubbing with a piece of towel or chamois will make their coats shine. They are susceptible to hives caused by insect bites or stress, and hip dysplasia.

Training

The American Staffordshire Terrier is generally tenacious, friendly, courageous, determined, and extremely attentive. They are naturally intelligent, confident, and bold, and are known to be great with children if properly reared. As a Terrier, they have a tendency of considering smaller animals as prey. They are known to be hostile towards other dogs of the same sex.

The American Staffordshire Terrier is very energetic and vivacious, thus may be difficult to train. Intelligent yet stubborn and willful, this type of breed needs firm and consistent training from a dominant trainer to avoid authority issues that could surface. Obedience classes at the earliest are highly recommended for this breed.

Character

American Staffordshire Terriers have maintained an intimidating reputation for a long time, being that they are mostly used for the "sport" of dog fighting. Contrary to that, this breed is very gentle, devoted, and loving. The Staffordshire Terrier makes an excellent companion dog for an experienced and dominant owner, and they make wonderful guard dogs as they are naturally protective of their family, home, and territory.

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