Staffordshire Bull Terrier

[poochmad]

Besides the 'screaming' (never heard of that before), what other 'odd' things are there are about the Staffy that the general public (us) don't know?

What would you say would be a common quirk of the breed?

[nickojoy]

Might be a dumb question, but why are there certain colours that are highly undersirable? Is this just for showing, or does it possibly indicate something else about the dog that pet owners should know?

It is purely just for showing and does not affected the dogs health in any way.

The standard states that a Stafford must have a black nose and a liver colour will only have dudly nose (light nose), same with blues (will only have grey nose). It was believed in the early years that if black and tan was allowed that it would end up overpowering over all other colours and you would only have black and tans.

All colours should be the same price but you will find some breeders like to profit on certain colours stating that they are rare.

Leanne

As Leanne was saying with the rare colours, some breeders say rare colours, they are talking about Blue, Blue brindle (actual colour is Brindle), blue and white Pied, and blue fawn. The prices usually start at $2000 and now are fetching up to $3000 a pup from a registered breeder. The colour isn't rare as there is usually around 20 litters listed in the puppy listings at a time.

[VintageDiva]

A great topic - I'm really enjoying reading each reply.

My own thoughts on some of the issues brought up (I have a 3yo male Stafford).

Separation Anxiety

Bean is home alone in a secure outside pen for approximately 9 hours each week day while I'm at work. He has been doing this since he was 13 months old and he came to live with me. Apart from the first few weeks when he did some barking, I have had no problems. We follow a routine each work day, which he knows he can rely on. He knows that I'll come back at a certain time, he knows he'll get a walk when I come back. Thanks to the routine, the training sessions, the bond between us and the boredom busters I utilise (frozen Kongs, meaty bones), I have a content dog who rarely barks (I have a lovely next door neighbour who checks on him over the fence one or more times a day) and who is happy to sleep and lie around until I come home. I also go inside the house to change from my work clothes each afternoon before going to greet him, which he sees but he just sits or lies somewhere in his pen and is happy to wait. He never complains, never whines. From my own experience, separation anxiety is not a problem!

Allergies

Beef is one I've noticed - too much and Bean has tummy troubles, so we steer clear of it. Also some grasses and weeds can give him itchy rashes during certain times of the year, thanks to that super short coat and sensitive skin. This is eased by keeping the lawns mown. I also use a cream if things get too sore looking.

Dog Aggression

Bean is a typical Stafford - full on and overly friendly - and he does seem to ignore or not notice most other dog's signals to 'keep away' etc, and will charge right in to say hello. He requires proper, supervised introduction to most dogs, as he likes to be the dominant one and will do his best to make sure the other dog knows that.

He has been rushed at in an aggressive way by off lead ( ) dogs on our walks a number of times now, and all times he has fought back (thankfully nothing has ever escalated to a dog fight extent). I cannot imagine him backing down from anything. That said, he has never exhibited aggression to any dog he has been properly introduced to. If a dog snaps etc at him during a meeting on a dog walk, he has never reacted (he just looks surprised).

Lead Pulling

Unfortunately Bean arrived in my life at the age of 13 months, with lead pulling already part of his bag of tricks. While he does still pull on the lead if given the opportunity, general obedience training and leadership have helped enormously, as has the use of a chest harness and a number of tricks picked up from my sister, a dog trainer. Basically, I follow the rule that you never walk in the direction a dog is pulling. Staffords are very headstrong, but with consistency, it will work.

Fence Height etc

I have never had a problem with my Stafford attempting to jump the fence. My fences are under 2m high, with the gates being a fair bit lower. He is kept in a secure pen when I'm at work etc, which has wire that hangs over inwards at the top, meaning he cannot gain purchase if he tries to jump. When I'm home, it's just a matter of supervising him when in the yard. He generally prefers to be with me (another nice Stafford trait), so keeping him close to me and aware of me is no problem.

The Staffordshire Voice

Bean's bark is always a shock to hear, because he does it so rarely. It's kind of like a cough, which deepens and becomes more 'normal' the longer he's barking. He also does some grumbling and deep throat noises when trying to sleep or during a cuddle session .

[ellz]

Besides the 'screaming' (never heard of that before), what other 'odd' things are there are about the Staffy that the general public (us) don't know?

What would you say would be a common quirk of the breed?

Farting, burping and snoring!

I have said frequently here (and other places) that Staffords fart SOOOOO well it should actually be included in the breed standard as a breed requirement.

If a Stafford doesn't do it, they're broken and should be returned immediately to place of purchase for a refund!

[Rainy]

Besides the 'screaming' (never heard of that before), what other 'odd' things are there are about the Staffy that the general public (us) don't know?

What would you say would be a common quirk of the breed?

I think the only sound that has really made me stop is the yip noise/bark i actually went out the back to try and find a toy dog but it was diesel

[poochmad]

Besides the 'screaming' (never heard of that before), what other 'odd' things are there are about the Staffy that the general public (us) don't know?

What would you say would be a common quirk of the breed?

Farting, burping and snoring!

I have said frequently here (and other places) that Staffords fart SOOOOO well it should actually be included in the breed standard as a breed requirement.

If a Stafford doesn't do it, they're broken and should be returned immediately to place of purchase for a refund!

Err thanks. Any non-smelly quirks? For instance, they seem to like lying in the frog position? Is this a common thing or just a coincidence?

[Ravyk]

Many people [myself included] would not be able to tell the difference between a purebred stafford and certain staffy crosses. Would someone be able to post some pictures of a Stafford that is close to the breed standard?

[Tarangire]

I have a 6 month old deep red Stafford puppy named Marty.

Staffords really are the most affectionate dogs ever. They absolutely love their cuddles and human contact. You could even say they are emotionally needy I guess. lol. The last dog I owned was an Australian Terrier and while he was a great dog too and loved us very much he was also much more independent. While he loved a play and a pat he would always rather be outside scratching around, exploring, hunting lizzards and chasing ducks than sitting on the couch watching tv with us.

With Marty though he always wants to be with us. When we come home or get up in the morning he will want to come straight inside and will sit at the back door and make dolphin noises (series of short clicks and longer high pitched whining noises) though I have tried to discourage this and tend to ignore him for a bit and now once he knows that I'm aware he is there he will lie at the door and wait quietly.

As for barking, well he barks so infrequently that I actually like it when he does. Usually it is just a single bark and almost everytime I have heard him bark it has been at birds, either a noisy crow or a bunch of lorikeets. Most days even when I am home all day I wouldn't hear him bark at all and there has only been 3 or 4 occasions when I have heard him let out a series of half a dozen barks but all bar one of these times I was playing with him on the lawn and trying to get him worked up. A few times I have heard him half bark while in deep sleep on the couch and he definitely snores and farts. Sometimes he also makes another funny little noise with his mouth while he sleeps. He will also moan softly when I give him a gentle rub behind the ears.

Though he does love to spend as much time as possible with us I don't think he suffers from seperation anxiety at all when he is left alone all day and he seems to entertain himself just fine. I have come home several times and snuck in without him realising and been able to watch him playing out the back, throwing an empty plastic pot plant holder up in the air and jumping around or throwing about or just chewing on an empty coke bottle (which are his favorite chew toys). Even when we are home sometimes he likes to go outside to sunbake and he will be happy outside for over an hour on his own while we are home if you give him a big lamb shank. The only destructive thing he has really done is uprooting a couple of little shallow rooted trees and tearing a couple of frongs off a stout palm tree.

One interesting fact is that the Staffordshire Bull Terrier is one of only 2 breeds that the UK Kennel club strongly recommend for children. They say a small child can pull a SBT's tail, ears and poke him in the eyes and the only thing he is likely to do is pick himself up and move away. Well my sisters baby has done all of the aforementioned to Marty and that is exactly what he did. He really really loves it though when he has older kids (7- 10) to play with.

A lot of people do perceive Staffords as being agressive but that couldn't be further from the truth. They might look tough but they are just big babies. Chiwawas, daschunds and the majority of smaller breeds really have a far higher tendency to be agressive than Staffords but because they don't have the same capacity to do damage no one gives them a hard time. I mean that arrogant snarly Daschund can snap at the Staffy 30 times and no one thinks its a drama but the one time the Staffy decides its time to teach the Daschund a lesson then the Staffy is a vicous dog. Just like the runt who picks on the fat kid and then the one day when the fat kid lashes out and the runt loses a few buttons off his shirt the teacher sides with the runt because he's 10cm shorter and 30kg lighter. lol.

Some Staffords I have known in the past have just been too full-on but I couldn't be happier with Marty. When you want to play he has boundless energy and when he hasn't seen you for a little while he will be excited to see you but he is generally very cool calm and collected when compaired to a few other Staffords that I have known.

He is also rather obedient and I haven't really put very much time at all into training him. Once we looked after someone else's Stafford and as soon as you opened the sliding security door one inch he would barge through knocking the door off its track. So we made sure that Marty would wait to be invited in and he does this all the time now even if I don't instruct him to wait. He will also wait for the ok to eat his meals and heels nicely on the leed.

Sorry about my rambling. It got a little lengthy. lol.

Just watching the tennis.

[Ozstar]

Many people [myself included] would not be able to tell the difference between a purebred stafford and certain staffy crosses. Would someone be able to post some pictures of a Stafford that is close to the breed standard?

As with any breed, dogs will vary in looks to a certain extent depending on the lines and what the breeder/owner likes.

He is a couple pics of 2 of my dogs, both have been very successful in the show ring.

Scarlet (female) 14 months old

Chaos (male) 2 years old

Leanne

[poochmad]

Many people [myself included] would not be able to tell the difference between a purebred stafford and certain staffy crosses. Would someone be able to post some pictures of a Stafford that is close to the breed standard?

As with any breed, dogs will vary in looks to a certain extent depending on the lines and what the breeder/owner likes.

He is a couple pics of 2 of my dogs, both have been very successful in the show ring.

Leanne

They certainly are lovely looking dogs. I especially like the female colours. What colour would you say would be most favoured in the ring? Any? Or do all the colours do well?

Edited by PF to remove doubling up on photos.

Edited June 24, 2009 by poodlefan

[Clyde]

Might be a dumb question, but why are there certain colours that are highly undersirable? Is this just for showing, or does it possibly indicate something else about the dog that pet owners should know?

I am interested in answers for this. There seems to be some controversy about certain colours in the breed and paying more for 'rare' colours. From what I have seen the blues don't seem to look as true to type as other colours. Is this the general consensus, or just my own personal taste of what a Stafford should look like?

Just bumping

[Ozstar]

They certainly are lovely looking dogs. I especially like the female colours. What colour would you say would be most favoured in the ring? Any? Or do all the colours do well?

It really depends on the judge but it is hard to beat a nice black.

Scarlet is a red and white, I would of prefered a richer red on her.

Leanne

[WreckitWhippet]

Might be a dumb question, but why are there certain colours that are highly undersirable? Is this just for showing, or does it possibly indicate something else about the dog that pet owners should know?

I am interested in answers for this. There seems to be some controversy about certain colours in the breed and paying more for 'rare' colours. From what I have seen the blues don't seem to look as true to type as other colours. Is this the general consensus, or just my own personal taste of what a Stafford should look like?

Just bumping

No it's not just your own personal preference coming into play, the blue dogs and bitches in this country are on the whole sub-standard. There have been many topics on here regarding blues, their poor quality and their hefty price tags. I am constantly astounded that " breeders" have the audacity to charge the prices they do for them, having scant regard for, and little knowledge of the breed standard. It also appears to be a continuing cycle of pet quailty being bred to pet quality, with no consideration for anything but colour.

Something for buyers to be aware of and Sandra touched on earlier was the skin conditions "With blues - skin issues such as allopecia" and allergy. Of more of a concern is their incorrect structure such as straight stifles, over loaded shoudlers and incorrect shoulder placement. Poor construction can and does lead to issues further on down the track in particular the elbows, shoulders, patellas and hips.

[Sandra777]

Might be a dumb question, but why are there certain colours that are highly undersirable? Is this just for showing, or does it possibly indicate something else about the dog that pet owners should know?

I am interested in answers for this. There seems to be some controversy about certain colours in the breed and paying more for 'rare' colours. From what I have seen the blues don't seem to look as true to type as other colours. Is this the general consensus, or just my own personal taste of what a Stafford should look like?

Just bumping

Highly undesirable colours as noted in the breed standard are black and tan and liver.

Staffords, like all dogs with the tan pattern gene as well as the brindle gene also come in "black and brindle" where the tan on the legs is turned to brindle. Technically under the standard this is NOT an undesirable colour, but in reality most breed specialists will class it as black and tan and treat is according to it's merits.

Liver is the colour described as Chocolate in Labradors - brown coat & brown pigment (lips, eye rims etc). Brindles can also be liver with brown stripes instead of black and brown pigment instead of black. The standard also requires the dog to have a black nose, so liver brindles fail on this count, but in reality unless it's in bright sunlight a lot of people won't see a liver brindle for what it is.

Blue. Tiptoes carefully. Blue is permitted in the colour clause but knocked out of the standard by the clause requiring the dog to have a black nose - which is a genetic impossibility for a blue. That said, a quality blue WILL win in the ring under a judge who understands the reality of the situation. Mostly they will be dark blues - Weimaraner grey is very common but fails on eye colour and nose colour in most cases.

Unfortunately most blues are bred for their colour and not their temperament/health/conformation and as any breeder knows this is a disaster for any breed - regardless of the breed and the trait concerned.

I have seen three blues (in real life) which were of the highest quality, all were bred by "accident" and occurred in normal

coloured litters. Apart from these I have not seen a blue in the flesh that I personally would consider to be a good example of a show Stafford, but the vast majority do appear to have good temperaments and as this is by far the most important feature of the breed all is not completely lost.

[Sandra777]

Many people [myself included] would not be able to tell the difference between a purebred stafford and certain staffy crosses.

Some of the tell-tale signs are:

Obliquely set eyes. Staffords eyes look straight ahead and when viewed from the front are parallel with the ground. Eyes that disappear around the corner of the head or are set with the inner corners closer to the ground than the outer corners are unlikely to be on a 100% Stafford.

Rangy "loose" construction in an adult. Staffords are well knit nuggity breed. Floppy adults, with excess skin, droopy eyes/flews and loose skin across the rib cage (unless emaciated!) are unlikely to be 100% Staffords.

Pointy noses with excess flews. Almost without exception pointy nosed Staffords (they do exist!) have tight lips.

A coat longer than about 3/4 of an inch which is 'soft' (stroke the next Fox Terrier you see) is unlikely to be 100% Stafford. Some Staffords do have soft coats, but they're generally very short. Staffords will develop a fluffy undercoat if kept in the cold, but it is short and dense, never longer than the outer coat.

[Sandra777]

Three youngish Staffords. The red is a 10 month old bitch, the black brindle with the white foot a 14 month old dog and the plain brindle a 10 month old dog. Shows some subtle differences which are all quite acceptable. The first two are now dead, The first and last are specialist club BiS winners, the centre one a 2 x Res CC winner at specialist club shows by 19 months.

Edited June 23, 2009 by Sandra777

[Rainy]

What is my relationship with the breed? (ie breeder, first time owner etc)

Diesel is my 3rd staffy i had 2 when i was growing up and when it came time to pick a family dog we got diesel

How common is it in Australia?

To me a "stafford" is common but there are unfortuatly plenty more crosses out there that are given the staffy lable

What is the average lifespan?

My oldest was 11 he had an adverage life span

What is the general temperament/personality?

My 3 were all have fun loving, gentel and curious personalitys

How much daily exercise is needed for the average adult?

Diesel gets walked for 1/2 hr up to our local oval for 20min of training and 1/2 hr home again, each week day, on weekends he joins in the family activitys like going to the beach, or to the bush at nans etc or even just having a quiet weekend on the lounge watching movies with the kids

Is it a breed that a first time dog owner could easily cope with?

If you have reserched the breed and spent time with a few maybe but you need to be willing train regularly

Can solo dogs of this breed easily occupy themselves for long periods?

Diesel is quite laid back so is happy to be left alone if i go out for the day but not every day

How much grooming is required?

Diesel gets a light brush every day usually to get any dust/ grass off from rolling in the yard before coming inside, he is bathed every 4 to 6 weeks

Is it too boisterous for very small children or for infirm people (unless the dog is well trained)?

I personaly chose not to get a staffy untill my kids could understand how to treat and respect a dog so my kids were 4 and 5 when diesel joined the family i also trained diesel not to react to tuged ears, tail and cuddels around the neck more for the children that came in to our home that didnt know how to act around dogs.

These are just my experiances as an owner, I highly recomend resarching the breed fully and finding a registerd breeder to purchase from.

[nickojoy]

Might be a dumb question, but why are there certain colours that are highly undersirable? Is this just for showing, or does it possibly indicate something else about the dog that pet owners should know?

I am interested in answers for this. There seems to be some controversy about certain colours in the breed and paying more for 'rare' colours. From what I have seen the blues don't seem to look as true to type as other colours. Is this the general consensus, or just my own personal taste of what a Stafford should look like?

Just bumping

Highly undesirable colours as noted in the breed standard are black and tan and liver.

Staffords, like all dogs with the tan pattern gene as well as the brindle gene also come in "black and brindle" where the tan on the legs is turned to brindle. Technically under the standard this is NOT an undesirable colour, but in reality most breed specialists will class it as black and tan and treat is according to it's merits.

Liver is the colour described as Chocolate in Labradors - brown coat & brown pigment (lips, eye rims etc). Brindles can also be liver with brown stripes instead of black and brown pigment instead of black. The standard also requires the dog to have a black nose, so liver brindles fail on this count, but in reality unless it's in bright sunlight a lot of people won't see a liver brindle for what it is.

Blue. Tiptoes carefully. Blue is permitted in the colour clause but knocked out of the standard by the clause requiring the dog to have a black nose - which is a genetic impossibility for a blue. That said, a quality blue WILL win in the ring under a judge who understands the reality of the situation. Mostly they will be dark blues - Weimaraner grey is very common but fails on eye colour and nose colour in most cases.

Unfortunately most blues are bred for their colour and not their temperament/health/conformation and as any breeder knows this is a disaster for any breed - regardless of the breed and the trait concerned.

I have seen three blues (in real life) which were of the highest quality, all were bred by "accident" and occurred in normal

coloured litters. Apart from these I have not seen a blue in the flesh that I personally would consider to be a good example of a show Stafford, but the vast majority do appear to have good temperaments and as this is by far the most important feature of the breed all is not completely lost.

Can I add to this that alot of the blue breeders are breeding for a hobby or the extra cash, its sad and they are not doing it for the right reasons.

I currently have two blue pups here, both from different breeders, the oldest one is a fantatic little guy, we are going to show training at the moment you never know, we 'may' have a chance (depends on how many SBTs turn up at shows!)I have copies of both health testing and hip scores from the parents. My bitch is still coming to terms that I wont hurt her (3 months old). With my bitch, it shows they are not breeding with love and not giving the pups the attention they deserve from the day they are born. And I will add in here that I have no record of health testing of her. She will be health tested if if she doesn't clear I really don't know what I will do.

I didn't buy two puppies to breed from, I bought my boy for show, and got my girl as a pet for my mum (cause she loved my boys colour). If by chance we go well in the show, then we may consider but at this time its not going to happen.

A buyer looking for a SBT pup needs to do research if you want a buy a blue. You need to see the lines, you need to meet the parents, you need to see proof of the health testing and get copies of both parents test papers, NOT ALL BREEDERS HEALTH TEST, and please don't assume. If it doesn't say anything about health testing in their advert or on their website, it doesn't ask to hurt. Breeders in this thread will say "Never touch a breeder that doesn't health test". I learnt the hard way and I hope no one else follows in my foot steps.

[Teebs]

What is my relationship with the breed? (ie breeder, first time owner etc)

I got my first Staffy (byb ) when I was 8, 'family dog'. I now own a papered Staffy, female (yes, a bitch she is )

How common is it in Australia?

I work in a Kennel and do Pet Sitting, it is very rare for us to have no Staffys in care. When I was in WA it seemed that every second dog was a Staffy there!

What is the average lifespan?

My old man was PTS at the age of 14.

How much daily exercise is needed for the average adult?

I am a slack owner (will be the first to admit it!) I take her for a walk every 2 or 3 days, she loves it, but she is just as happy to snuggle up with me on the lounge, as long as she is with me, she seems happy. She was even happy to sit in the car for 4 days when I moved to WA, didnt hear a word from her, she was with me, so was happy!

Is it a breed that a first time dog owner could easily cope with?

As others have said, yes, if they research and know what they are getting

Can solo dogs of this breed easily occupy themselves for long periods?

My girl hates being alone. She is ok if my other dog is there, but if i take Atlas for a walk, she freaks out. Neither of my Staffys were only dogs, so never had to sit in the yard alone!

How much grooming is required?

I give her a brush once a week, a bath when i think of it, she wears her nails down herself and i have never had to cut them.

Is it too boisterous for very small children or for infirm people (unless the dog is well trained)?

Some can be too full on, Kaos is a full on dog, but knows she has to be calm around children and older people (she adores my grandfather)

I didnt answer all the questions, as I am not a breeder, and Kaos is my first papered dog, thought better to leave them to others who know better than me

My girl is dog aggressive, something I now know i could have changed, had i known then what i do now! She is good with my Bull Terrier, she is actually scared of him! She loves people and cats, adores cats! She is very full on and can walk for hours and hours.

Kaos isnt a big talker, she does back chat and will woowoo if i am ignoring her, I have taught her to speak on command, and it has helped a lot! I have seen a few Staffys that TALK A LOT!! We have one at work who went home last week, we just spent all day laughing at him, he didnt shut up! I loved it!! She has been known to howl, but only when at the kennels or vets. Oh, she also makes the worst noises when playing, i have had neighbours run over here thinking she was badly hurt

I have found it very easy to train her, she learns things in no time at all. I taught her to fetch in one day and to play dead in half a day.

She is very protective of me, has stopped someone entering the yard, and will put herself between me and someone she thinks is dangerous (If i am joking around with friends or family and things get rough, she will step in to save me )

Staffordshire Bull Terrier - one breed I will never be without, they are my heart breed.

[badboyz]

One thing I have noticed alot with Staffords more than any other breed (probably due to their popularity) is them wandering the streets either alone or in pairs. Are they are generally considered "wanderers" and would responsible breeders only sell to those with suitable fencing? As a former Beagle breeder - I always insisted that any potential buyer was aware of the potential of wandering/escaping and had secure fencing.