12.1. American Staffordshire Terriers (“AmStaffs”)
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An American Staffordshire Terrier is a dog that was developed in the United States after the Staffordshire Bull Terrier was brought to this country in the 1870s. It is a descendant of the Staffordshire Bull Terrier, but it was never developed or used for bull-baiting, and therefore, it is not a “bull dog”.
When the Staffordshire Bull Terrier came to the U.S., they were used as general purpose farmer’s dogs, and still worked stock, penning and guarding and helping, just as they had done in their earlier days in England.
However, some people thought they would make good show dogs because of their muscular physiques, but they were small, and frankly, quite boring in appearance, i.e., mostly black/grey with a white blaze on their chest. Consequently, they were bred with Mastiffs to create a larger dog, and with Dalmatians to add variety to their colors and markings.
Note that neither of these ancestral breeds, i.e., Mastiffs and Dalmatians, were known to possess any special fighting abilities that would be sought in the breeding of fighting dogs.
The development of this breed did not start until after dogfighting was banned in England in the 1870s and after their ancestors arrived in the United States. Consequently, the allegations that these dogs were bred for dogfighting is difficult, if not impossible, to believe, and research has not found any reliable, objective evidence to support the position that American Staffordshire Terriers were “bred to be “fighting dogs”. However, there is a substantial amount of evidence that the American Staffordshire Terriers are show dogs with more than an average amount of success in those endeavors both domestically and internationally.
Videos:
Maddy at the 2010 Westminster Dog Show
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXAubb6V9sQ
2011 World Dog Show – AmStaffs
Some of the various patterns and color combinations
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3O-aNdoENY
2012 Paris Dog Show – AmStaffs
Some of the various patterns and color combinations
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MtlCgW0jx0
2013 Internazionale di AVELLINO e SALERNO (Italy)
Some of the various patterns and color combinations
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XhabISovUg
World Dog Show 2013, American Staffordshire Terrier
Some of the various patterns and color combinations
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHBaD6QA4So
The American Staffordshire Terrier male is typically 70 to 90 pounds, but some examples can be as much as 120 pounds. They are NOT small dogs. The largest AmStaffs are frequently and incorrectly referred to as “American Bull Dogs”. In the following chart, note the weights of the American Staffordshire Terrier and the so-called “American Bull Dog”: they are the same.
This breed is recognized by the American Kennel Club and all universally recognized and accepted international Kennel Clubs, except The Kennel Club of England who still calls them Staffordshire Bull Terriers.
It is generally conceded that unsterilized dogs tend to be more aggressive. At https://www.aspca.org/fight-cruelty/dog-fighting/breed-specific-legislation, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals states that “more than 70 percent of all dog bite cases involve unneutered male dogs”, and “an unneutered male dog is 2.6 times more likely to bite than is a neutered dog”. However, most show dogs have not been spayed or neutered since their major monetary value is in the puppies they produce. Consequently, the American Staffordshire Terrier was bred to be very non-aggressive since an aggressive dog would not be welcomed at a dog show where other dogs valued in the tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of dollars would be in attendance.
At http://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/american-staffordshire-terrier/detail/#training, the American Kennel Club describes their temperament and training as follows.
“The Am Staff is a people-oriented dog that thrives when he is made part of the family and given a job to do. Regular exercise and training are necessary. They are natural clowns, so they tend to make training comical at times; they like to put a little twist on your training program. It’s vital to keep it fun and interesting. A stubborn-streak can make them difficult to train at times and will require patience and a firm, but kind, hand.”
The American Staffordshire Terrier was officially recognized as a breed by the American Kennel Club in 1936, approximately fifty (50) years after the development of the breed started in the 1870s.
We rescued, sheltered, owned, etc. 16 AmStaffs, Staffies or so-called “Pit Bulls” in the last approximately 30 years. These are not dogs for “beginners”. In our opinion, the AmStaffs and Staffies are the best breeds of dogs we have dealt with, but they do need someone who will take the time and exert the effort to train and socialize them. They can be difficult to train at times when they choose to play or be stubborn. At those times, a strong will and patience is needed. It is not necessary or productive to try to “force” them to do anything, but “waiting them out”, i.e., standing in front of them and waiting for them to calm down and do what they are supposed to do, works every time. They need a lot of exercise or activity, and having at least two dogs and a yard is best so that they can tire each other out. They are very “territorial” and make excellent “guard dogs”. Once they bond with a person, they are very “protective”, and can frequently sense danger before their owners. When danger is sensed, they will start with a very low pitch growl that will get louder as the danger intensifies or gets closer. If attacked, they will defend themselves, but in all the years we have had them, they have never attacked any person or animal. The AmStaffs are much more “hyper”, i.e., active, than the Staffies who for the most part prefer to be “couch potatoes”.
