American Staffordshire Terrier – Dog Breeds – Everything You Need To Know

To begin with we will give you some basic info on the breed and them move on to other areas of this excellent dog.

Breed group: Terrier

Weight: 57-67 lbs

Height: male: 18-19, female 17-18 inches

Overview

Not everyone is in agreement about the origin of the American Staffordshire terrier. Many believe the American Staffordshire terrier and the American Pit Bull Terrier to be one in the same breed. The show strain of these two is the American Staffordshire terrier and the American Pit Bull Terrier is labelled as the fighting dog strain. These two dogs are also documented by different registries as different breeds, although they are considered the same breed. These two breeds are bred to have the same virtues and also the same build.

Temperament

American Staffordshire Terriers are very even tempered. This characteristic makes very reliable companion dogs. This dog gets along very well with children of all sizes, but they should not be left alone with them as these dogs can be very dominant and rough. The American Staffordshire terrier also gets along well with other dogs, but they should not be placed in a home with another dog as they still have a violent strain. This breed is enormously brave and intelligent, and also very feisty.

Care

Seeing that the coats of these dogs are smooth and short-haired, they are fairly easy to groom. It is recommended that their coats be brushed regularly with a firm hair brush. These dogs can be bathed or dry shampooed, but only when really necessary. The American Staffordshire terrier is an average shedding dog.

Training

American Staffordshire Terriers are not well suited for people with no previous dog ownership knowledge. These dogs are very strong, and should be taught from a young age onwards to not pull on the lead. The training environment for these dogs should be a consistent and fair one. The American Staffordshire terrier also does very well in obedience training. These dogs have a lot of energy which can make training rather difficult at times. Trainers of these dogs should also be firm and dominant; otherwise these dogs will try to take control. Early socialisation is also recommended; otherwise these dogs may be aggressive later on. The American Staffordshire terrier is also difficult to housebreak. This breed does extremely well when it comes to the guarding of property, but they are also highly respected as companion dogs.

Health problems

The American Staffordshire terrier is a very tough dog that doesn’t suffer from many health problems. But there are a few issues that do arise with some of the dogs from time to time. Some of them include hip dysplasia which is a fairly common disorder in dogs. They also have problems with hereditary cataracts and inherited heart diseases.

Get more info and advice on the American Staffordshire terrier or American Staffordshire terrier training visit this dog breeds web page.