American Staffordshire terrier

The American Staffordshire Terrier is a medium-sized, short-coated American dog breed also known as the Amstaff Or Staffy/Staffie. They are smart, confident, good-natured companions. The American Staffordshire Terrier is closely related to the American Pit Bull Terrier (APBT), but over the years the two breeds have gone their separate ways.

American Staffordshire terrier content overview

• History
• Different names
• Appearance and Characteristics
• Personality and Temperament
• Health & problems
• How to take care
• Puppy Information
• Puppy price
• Things to consider adopting a puppy
• Advantages & Disadvantages
• Photo gallery

History of American Staffordshire terrier

The American Staffordshire Terrier originated from a cross between bulldogs and terriers and was initially bred for bull baiting and dog fighting.  After dog fighting was banned in the United States in 1900, two strains of these dogs were developed, a show strain and a non-show strain. The American Staffordshire Terriers ancestor, the bull and terrier were first bred in the 19 century in Birmingham.

Origin:  The United States of America

These dogs began to find their way into America as early as 1850. It became a new breed and was recognized by the United Kennel Club on 10 February 1898, with the name American Pit Bull Terrier. The American Staffordshire Terrier was recognized by the AKC in 1936. Some of the American Staffordshire Terriers talents are a watchdog, guarding, police work, weight pulling and agility. The name of the breed was revised January 1, 1969, to American Staffordshire Terrier; breeders in the United States of America had developed a variety which was heavier in weight than the Staffordshire Bull Terrier of England.

Different names or Types

Other names

• Am Staff
• Amstaff
• American Staffy
• Staffy
• Staffie
• Stafford
• Staff
• American Terriers
• Yankee Terriers
• Rebel Terriers
• Pits
• APBT’s
• American Dogs

Recognition

• American Canine Association Inc – ACA
• American Canine Registry – ACR
• Australian National Kennel Club – ANKC
• American Kennel Club – AKC
• The American Pit Bull Registry – APBR
• American Pet Registry, Inc – APRI
• Canadian Kennel Club – CKC
• Continental Kennel Club – CKC
• Dog Registry of America, Inc – DRA
• Federation Cynologique Internationale – FCI
• North American Purebred Registry, Inc – NAPR
• National Kennel Club – NKC
• New Zealand Kennel Club – NZKC

Appearance & Characteristics

This dog also probably has the most standardized appearance of the three breeds, as well as being the most intermediate in appearance between a Bulldog and a Terrier.

Breed basic characteristics

Origin	United States
Size:	Large
Lifespan	12-16 years
Trainability:	Responds Well
Exercise Needs:	Fairly active
Grooming:	Occasional
Barking:	Barks When Necessary
Shedding:	Seasonal
Protective Ability:	Good Watchdog
Brushing:	Brushing Once a Week or Less
Hypoallergenic Breed:	No
Space Requirements:	House with Yard
Compatibility With Other Pets:	Good
Average Puppy Price:	Average $800 – $1000 USD
Height	18-19 inches (male), 17-18 inches (female)
Weight	55-70 pounds (male), 40-55 pounds (female)

Sound

Behavior

The American Staffordshire Terrier will be committed to protecting them. If it feels threatened or thinks its family is being threatened, this dog will become aggressive.

Size, Proportion, Substance

Size:  Height and weight should be in proportion. A height of about eighteen to nineteen inches (46 – 48 cm) at the shoulder for the male and seventeen to eighteen inches (43 – 46 cm) for the female to be considered preferable.

Proportion:

Substance:

Head

Medium length, deep through, broad skull, very pronounced cheek muscles, distinct stop; and ears are set high.

Skull: The shape of the top skull should show the underlying bone structure. not be so overly padded with flesh or muscle as to totally mask it, and appear lumpy.
Muzzle: Medium length, rounded on upper side to fall away abruptly below eyes. Jaws well defined. Underjaw to be strong and have biting power.
Eyes: Dark and round, low down in skull and set far apart. No pink eyelids.
Ears: Cropped or uncropped, the latter preferred. Uncropped ears should be short and held rose or half prick. Full drop to be penalized.
Teeth:
Serious Faults:

Neck, Topline, Body

Neck: Heavy, slightly arched, tapering from shoulders to back of a skull. No looseness of skin
Topline: Back fairly short. Slightly sloping from winters to rump with the gentle short slope at rump to base of the tail.
Body: Well-sprung ribs, deep in rear. All ribs close together. Forelegs set rather wide apart to permit chest development. Chest deep and broad.
Serious Faults:

Forequarters

Shoulders: Shoulders strong and muscular with blades wide and sloping.
Forelegs: Forelegs set rather wide apart to permit chest development.
Front legs: The front legs should be straight, large or round bones, pastern upright. No semblance of bend in front.

Hindquarters

Hindquarters well-muscled, let down at hocks, turning neither in nor out. Feet of moderate size, well-arched and compact.

Rear Legs:
Hind Feet:
Tail: Short in comparison to size, low set, tapering to a fine point; not curled or held over back. Not docked.

Coat

Staffordshire Bull Terriers have short, smooth coats that lie flat and close to the skin. They come in a variety of colors including red, fawn, white, black, or blue, or any of these colors with white, as well as brindle or brindle with white.

Gait: Must be springy but without roll or pace.

Personality and Temperament

Personality

American Staffordshire Terrier is generally playful and docile Staff shows affection to strangers in the presence of its owners. American Staffordshire Terriers are smart and good-natured dogs who want to be your best buddy. This breed is nobody’s lap dog, but they can be playful and adventurous companions. Staffys are strong-willed so whoever is in charge of training will need to be calm and patient with this breed.

Temperament

The American Staffordshire Terrier is a strong dog whose intelligence and athletic build make him suitable for numerous dog sports including agility, confirmation and tracking. The Am Staff is a courageous, loyal, and intelligent watchdog that thrives on human interaction. The Am Staff has a bit of a stubborn streak and is also a clown at heart, so early and consistent obedience and socialization training with a firm, but gentle hand is key. The Amstaff is an extremely courageous and intelligent guard dog that is very full of life and character. Over the past 50 years, careful breeding has produced this friendly, trustworthy dog who is an especially good dog for children.

Activity Requirements

American Staffordshire Terriers require daily exercise to maintain their muscle tone. They enjoy long walks and playing in the yard.  If raised alongside other animals, a well-bred American Staffordshire Terrier will do fine, but if adopting an older dog, it’s best the family not have other pets.

Behavioral Traits

This breed should be treated as a family member and never left tied up alone, outside. Serious behavioral problems and aggression can develop if an Amstaff is neglected and left without the company of loving humans. A bored American Staffordshire Terrier is a destructive American Staffordshire Terrier. Plenty of exercise and stimulation is key to maintaining the integrity of a home’s furnishings.

Trainability

Amstaffs are strong-willed dogs, so training requires a lot of confidence and patience. They should be trained and socialized as early as possible every well behaved American Staffordshire Terrier is a goodwill ambassador for the breed.

Health & problems

Health & Problems

This breed is prone to minor health problems such as elbow dysplasia, hypothyroidism, and heart disease, and major ailments like progressive retinal atrophy, canine hip dysplasia, and cerebellar ataxia. The American Staffordshire Terrier may also suffer from cruciate ligament rupture and allergies.

General Health Information

Infections

American Staffordshire Terriers are susceptible to bacterial and viral infections the same ones that all dogs can get such as parvo, rabies, and distemper. Many of these infections are preventable through vaccination.

Parasites

All kinds of worms and bugs can invade your AmStaff’s body, inside and out. Everything from fleas and ticks to ear mites can infest her skin and ears. Hookworms, roundworms, heartworms, and whipworms can get into her system in a number of ways: drinking unclean water, walking on contaminated soil, or being bitten by an infected mosquito.

Feeding Plan

You will need to feed your American Staffordshire Terrier high-quality dog food. Check to make sure that the first ingredient of the food you will be feeding your dog is meat. In terms of nutrients, crude protein should be no less than 30 percent, crude fat should be no less than 20 percent and fiber content needs to be 4 percent or less.

Feed your American Staffordshire terrier two or more small meals during the day to prevent gastric torsion, commonly known as bloat. This illness results from an accumulation of air in the dog’s stomach, sometimes resulting from rapid eating.

Living conditions

Staffordshire Terriers will do okay in an apartment if they are sufficiently exercised. They are very active indoors and will do alright without a yard. This breed prefers warm climates.

How to take care?

Exercise

The American Staffordshire Terrier does require regular exercise in order to be healthy and happy. Exercise your American Staffordshire terrier daily with interactive games in your yard or a park, a brisk run or a scenic hike. Rollerblade with your dog or cycle alongside him to tire him out and prevent unwanted behaviors.

Grooming & Bruising

Am Staffs shed a moderate amount of their short coat so you should brush them regularly to get rid of excess hair. Keep them clean and fresh by giving them a bath once every couple of weeks in warmer weather and monthly in cooler seasons.

Dental Health check up

Proper dental health care is as important for every dog similarly it is very important for the American Staffy dog. Brush your dog’s teeth at least 2 or 3 times a week. You get special toothpaste and toothbrush for dogs and your vet can guide you on how to use them. If you don’t attend to your pet’s teeth, he can experience tartar build up. This can lead to gum disease and tooth loss. Not only that, bad teeth can affect other parts of the body too.

Dental disease is the most common chronic problem in pets, affecting 80% of all dogs by age two. And unfortunately, your American Staffordshire Terrier is more likely than other dogs to have problems with her teeth. It starts with tartar build-up on the teeth and progresses to infection of the gums and roots of the teeth.

Love & affection

Love and affection are useful for every dog. If you give a love and affection to your Staffy dog than the dog will love you back. Your American Staffy puppy will be a member of your family, So Give lots of love and affection for your cute puppy. Most importantly, spend time with your dog because that your dog needs love and affection.

Feed Healthy food

Feeding a healthy food in the dog’s life is the most important. In this day there are many healthy foods are available on the market so that you can choose any healthy food for your dog. Because healthy food is the most important for dog health care.  The young Staffie dog is not a hearty eater as most breeds his size. He must often encourage with meat juices or bacon grease mix in the food to entice him to eat.

The AmStaff should do well on a high-quality dog food, whether commercially manufactured or home-prepared with your veterinarian’s supervision and approval. In general, American Staffordshire Terriers need a high protein, low grain diet, which helps prevent diarrhea and bloat. always make sure that they have clean, fresh water for drinking. However, their diet needs, including the amount and frequency you feed them, will change over time as they age.

Feed your puppy several times a day so they can grow up to be big and strong. Don’t forget to provide your American Staffordshire Terrier with plenty of exercises to keep them from becoming overweight or obese.

The following items should never be feed to American Staffordshire Terrier

• Alcohol, beer, wine or liquor
• Chocolate, coffee, or tea
• Grapes or raisins
• Moldy or spoiled food of any kind
• Onions, chives, and garlic
• Poultry bones
• Salt & salty foods
• Tomato leaves stem or unripe fruit
• Yeast dough

Puppy information

Puppy Training

This dog is very clever and isn’t hard to train. However, they can be strong-willed and bossy. They need a confident and experienced owner, or they will take over the household.

Crate training

The crate is an important training tool for almost every dog, but especially for families with young children. Crate training is important for any owner for trips to the vet, traveling, boarding, etc. Crate training your dog can be a painless process if you follow the steps in this guide and will provide lifelong benefits to your dog.

Most owners wonder how long should a puppy be in a crate. See the table below to help you determine how long you can Crate your dog, based on their age.

Dog’s age	Maximum time in a crate
8-10 weeks	30-60 minutes
11-14 weeks	1-3 hours
15-16 weeks	3-4 hours
17+ weeks	4-5 hours
Adult healthy dogs	8 hours

Socialization

Socialize your American Staffordshire terrier puppy from a young age of 7 weeks. Expose your new dog of any age to as many other dogs and people as possible, making all of these experiences positive ones involving play and dog treats.

Behavioral training

Before teaching it the basic commands it is important to establish a close emotional relationship between the dog and the owner. Behavioral training is very important for any dog. At some point in time all of us dog owners need to administer some dog behavior training. Behavioral training is very helpful for taking care of the dog. First of all, if you want to train your puppy to behavioral training so find out some common behavioral issues like breaking, aggression, food guarding, howling, mouthing and chewing, separation anxiety, etc and stop this behavioral issues and train your dog easily.

Obedience training

Take your American Staffordshire terrier to puppy and adult obedience classes. While basic training is required for this breed. Train your AmStaff using only positive, reward-based techniques; punishment-based training can encourage and foster aggression in this breed. Enroll your AmStaff in the AKC’s Good Citizen Program to ensure your dog is polite and well-behaved at all times; this also impresses potential landlords and insurance companies. This makes your dog a breed ambassador, showing others in your community that the pit bull can be well-behaved and well-mannered.

Puppy price

The cost to buy an American Staffordshire Terrier varies greatly and depends on many factors such as the breeders’ location, reputation, litter size, the lineage of the puppy, breed popularity, training, socialization efforts, breed lines and much more. Review how much American Staffordshire Terrier puppies for sale for below.
The current median price for all American Staffordshire Terriers sold is $1,025.00. The average cost for all American Staffordshire Terriers sold is $900.

American Staffordshire Terrier breeder list

Here is the list of some American Staffordshire Terrier breeder name, phone number and email ID you can contact easily.

Peggy Doster
716-646-1694
xpertiseast2@verizon.net

Betty Michl
805-485-6908
bettymichl@yahoo.com

Tim and Robin Dobbs
615-500-3350
tim@amstrongkennels.com

Holly Sheltry & Alan Johnson
978-356-1644
hollysheltry@hickoryhillkennel.com

LInda Lavendar
770-337-0957
irresistibullstaffords@gmail.com

Things to consider adopting an American Staffordshire terrier

If you are a confident dog owner and are looking for an active, intelligent and protective dog to keep you company, then the American Staffordshire Terrier temperament may suit you perfectly.

If you’re seriously considering adopting an American Staffordshire terrier, you should know.

• Before you adopt an American Staffie, consider how much time your new family member will spend alone. Remember, a puppy requires constant attention.
• Before you adopt a puppy, ask yourself if you are available to walk your dog several times throughout the day.
• You also have the advantage of knowing that your dog is physically able to “hold it” for several hours at a stretch.
• Ask anybody who has adopted an adult dog then after adopts an adult dog.
• If you’re unsure of whether the new dog you’ve chosen is right for your family and lifestyle, consider fostering before making a commitment.

Advantages of American Staffordshire terrier

• Loyal and eager to please
• Suited to apartment life
• Makes a good running companion
• Protective of the family: good watchdog
• Intelligent, friendly, and easily won over

Disadvantages of American Staffordshire terrier

• Can be aggressive toward other dogs
• Is prone to certain health problems
• Aggressive toward other animals
• May need supervision around children

Photo gallery

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