Staffordshire Bull Terrier
Breed at a glance
- Origin
- United Kingdom
- Weight
- Males
- Height
- 36–41 cm (14–16 in)
- Coat
- smooth, short and close
- Colour
- white; black, blue, fawn or red, all with or without white; any variety of brindle, with or without white
- Litter size
- 5-7
intro
The Staffordshire Bull Terrier , also called the Staffy or Stafford , is a purebred dog of small to medium size in the terrier group that originated in the northern parts of Birmingham and in Staffordshire , for which it is named. They descended from 19th-century bull terriers that were developed by crossing bulldogs with various terriers to create a generic type of dog generally known as bull and terriers . Staffords share the same ancestry with the modern Bull Terrier , although the two breeds developed along independent lines, and do not resemble each other. Modern Staffords more closely resemble the old type of bull terrier and were first recognised as a purebred dog breed by The Kennel Club of Great Britain in 1935. Within the broad sweep of dog history, the story behind the modern Stafford is rather brief and somewhat confusing because of the multiple aliases attached to these dogs in centuries past, such as the "Patched Fighting Terrier", "Staffordshire Pit-dog", "Brindle Bull" and "Bull-and-Terrier". [ 2 ] Similar crosses also had aliases such as half-and-halves and half-breds. Blood sports such as bull-baiting and bear-baiting were outlawed with the passing of the Cruelty to Animals Act 1835 by Parliament, making it illegal to bait animals but promoting the matching of dogs against each other . Dog breeders migrated away from the heavier bulldogs, and introduced terrier blood into their crosses for gameness and agility. These bull and terrier crosses produced the ancestral breeding stock that, over the course of decades, evolved into the modern conformation show dogs we know today as the Staffordshire Bull Terrier and the Bull Terrier. It was shortly before the American Civil War that immigrants from Great Britain brought their bull and terrier crossbreeds into the U.S. They became the ancestral progenitors of the American Staffordshire Terrier (AmStaff), Miniature Bull Terrier , Boston Terrier and American Pit Bull Terrier .
Health
A 2022 UK study of veterinary records found the breed to have a life expectancy of 11.33 years, slightly below the life expectancy of crossbreeds : 11.82 but just above the overall average of 11.23 years. [ 40 ] A 2024 UK study found a life expectancy of 12 years for the breed compared to an average of 12.7 for purebreeds and 12 for crossbreeds . [ 41 ] A UK study found a predisposition to juvenile onset demodicosis in the Staffordshire Bull Terrier: In dogs under the age of two years 2.14% of Staffords had demodicosis compared to 0.48% overall. [ 42 ] An American study found the same predisposition with 10% of Staffords having the condition compared to 0.58% overall. [ 43 ] Neurological disorders identified in the breed include cerebellar abiotrophy , Chiari-like malformation , myotonia congenita and L-2-hydroxyglutaric aciduria . [ 44 ] : 6 The Staffordshire Bull Terrier is one of the most commonly affected breeds for hereditary cataracts . [ 45 ]
History
The unregulated breeding history and inconsistent genetic makeup of the Stafford's early ancestry have led to misconceptions about its origins. [ 3 ] : 8–11 Individual types and styles of crossbred dogs varied by geographic region. [ 4 ] For example, the progeny from one area may have a higher percentage of terrier than bulldog, whereas other reports claim that bulldog to terrier was preferred over bull and terrier to bull terrier. [ 4 ] Dog breeders made careful selections to reinforce inheritable traits from specific dog types . Many of the mixed breed types, or mongrels that were used to create the early fighting dogs have long since evolved and stabilised into the modern purebred dogs we know today. Many of the desirable phylogenetic traits of the breed's ancestry have been preserved and further refined by selective breeding to better suit the Stafford's modern purpose as a conformation show dog, while the unwanted traits have been bred out. [ 5 ]
Appearance
The Stafford is short-haired, and of roughly equal length from the withers to the tail and from the withers to the ground. The coat is short, stiff and close. It may be white; black, blue, fawn or red, all with or without white; or any variety of brindle, with or without white. [ 1 ] [ 38 ] It has a broad head; the ears fold at the tip. It is muscular and well-boned, with strong shoulders, a wide chest and wide-set legs. It is agile and quite active. It is a terrier, and is so classified by the Kennel Club and the Fédération Cynologique Internationale . [ 33 ] [ 1 ] The dog usually stands 36–41 cm (14–16 in) at the withers . Dogs weigh about 13–17 kg (29–37 lb) ; bitches approximately 2 kg (4.4 lb) less. [ 1 ] [ 7 ] [ 1 ]
Temperament
The Stafford has a reputation for pugnacity ; when challenged by another dog it is known to not back away. They have a mixed reputation in the UK, with some people associating the breed with chavs . [ 38 ] [ 26 ] The Kennel Club notes that the breed is “bold, fearless and totally reliable” and well suited to families, with the breed standard noting its particular affinity with children. [ 39 ]
DNA analysis
In 2017, a genome -wide study suggested that all of the bull and terrier–type dogs, including the Staffordshire Bull Terrier and five other distinct breeds, map back to the terriers of Ireland and to origins which date to the period 1860–1870. The timing corresponds with historical descriptions of dog fighting competitions in Ireland, a lack of accurate stud book documentation, and, as a result, undocumented dog crosses at the time when these breeds were first created. [ 24 ] [ 25 ] [ 26 ] DNA studies have brought some clarity to the hybridisation mystery of bull and terrier crossbreeding, suggestive of a New World dog within some modern breeds, but they do not positively identify all the breeds that were involved. [ 24 ] As supported by the DNA study, as well as the AKC and KC, references to the historic bull and terrier were not as a bona fide breed; [ 6 ] [ 4 ] rather, the term was used to describe a heterogeneous group of dogs that may include purebreds of different breeds, or crosses of those breeds. Bull and terrier hybrids, or pit bull types are considered the forerunner of several modern standardised breeds. [ 27 ]
Shared ancestry
Of the six distinct breeds that descended from the bull and terrier breeds, five are recognised by the AKC in the following order: Bull Terrier, Boston Terrier , American Staffordshire Terrier (AmStaff), Staffordshire Bull Terrier, and Miniature Bull Terrier . [ 4 ] : 39 [ 16 ] [ 17 ] The same five breeds are also recognised by the Canadian Kennel Club (CKC). The KC recognises only four of the breeds and does not accept the AmStaff or American Pit Bull Terrier (APBT). [ 4 ] : 39 The APBT is recognised by the United Kennel Club (UKC). The KC, which was the first breed registry to accept the newly developed Staffordshire Bull Terrier into its Stud Book , stated that the breed "shares the same ancestry as the Bull Terrier, i.e. Bulldog crossed with the Black and Tan terrier, and was developed as a fighting dog." They further acknowledged that because of the dog's "early association with fighting it was, for some time, difficult to get recognition for the breed and it was not until the 1930s that The Kennel Club recognised the breed." [ 14 ] [ 18 ] The Canadian Kennel Club (CKC) did not recognise the Stafford until 1952, and afforded more credence to the breed's bull and terrier heritage: "The Bull and Terrier might have disappeared if not for a group of fanciers led by Joseph Dunn, who appreciated the dogs for their own sakes and persuaded The Kennel Club (England) to recognise the breed as the Staffordshire Bull Terrier, the name of the English county where the breed was most popular." [ 19 ]
The Kennel Club
"The early proto-staffords provided the ancestral foundation stock for the Staffordshire Bull Terrier, the American Pit Bull Terrier and the American Staffordshire Terrier." [ 29 ] [ 30 ] In 1930, the name "Staffordshire Bull Terrier" first appeared in advertisements for dogs of the type. [ 21 ] Throughout 1932 and 1933, attempts to achieve Kennel Club (KC) recognition for the breed were made by dog-show judge and breeder, Joseph Dunn, but the Stafford's early origins as a fighting dog made it difficult to gain acceptance. [ 7 ] [ 31 ] [ 30 ] In early 1935, Dunn obtained permission from the KC to hold a variety dog show to see if it would attract Stafford owners to show their dogs; he offered cash as a special attraction. The show was held in April 1935 and was a success. In May 1935, the KC approved the name "Staffordshire Bull Terrier"; the first name requested, "Original Bull Terrier", had been rejected. [ 7 ] [ 21 ] Dunn decided to form a club and invited other dog breeders to participate. [ 31 ] In June 1935, the Staffordshire Bull Terrier Club was formed during a meeting at the Old Cross Guns pub in Cradley Heath ; a breed standard was approved the same day, and further shows were held that year. [ 21 ] Other pivotal breeders involved in acquiring breed recognition were Joe Mallen and actor Tom Walls . [ 21 ] The first champions recognised in England were the bitch Lady Eve and the stud Gentleman Jim in 1939. [ 2 ] [ 18 ] Phil Drabble reported that among the various types of bull and terrier, the type from Cradley Heath was recognised as a separate breed to be named the Staffordshire Bull Terrier. [ 32 ] It was subsequently accepted by The Kennel Club in July 1935, marking an official milestone for the Staffordshire Bull Terrier's acceptance into the KC's breed registry. [ 31 ]