American Staffordshire Terrier
| American Staffordshire Terrier | |||||||||||||||||||
 American Staffordshire Terrier with natural ears and tail. | |||||||||||||||||||
| Country of origin |  United States | ||||||||||||||||||
| Nicknames | AmStaff Pit Bull | ||||||||||||||||||
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The American Staffordshire Terrier is a breed of dog. The breed is a relative of the American Pit Bull Terrier. Early Bulldog–Terrier crosses were brought to the US with the British and Irish settlers, especially after the Civil War, where they were mainly used as fighting dogs, but also as hunting dogs and farm and guard dogs.
In the early 1830s animal fights, especially the formerly extremely popular bull-baiting and bearbaiting (the roots of which go back to the old Roman arenas) became illegal in old Britain and Ireland, because of the Human Ethics Act. From then on the people began to organize ratfights and dogfights, because they were much easier to hide from the officials than fights with big game like bulls. First the ratfights and dogfights started off with little terrier strains like the old white English terrier and its black and tan cousin, today known as the Manchester Terrier, which were known for their extreme prey drive and gameness. Some of these dogs were crossed with bulldogs, to create more powerful dogs, with the fighting abilities of the old bulldogs, for example the unwillingness to let go of the prey, their power, and the abilities of the terriers.
The American Staffordshire Terrier is of large bone structure, head size, weight, and is short and stocky. The owners and breeders provide American Staffordshire Terriers with humane, responsible ownership, often training these dogs for community service tasks such as pet therapy and search and rescue.
There are also 'Amstaff' charitable organizations that rescue and rehabilitate abused, abandoned, or stray dogs, placing them into foster or adoptive homes.
American Staffordshire Terriers were first recognized by the American Kennel Club in 1936. They are a member of the Terrier and Molosser groups.
Characteristics
Appearance
| American Staffordshire Terriers overview | ||
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| Weight: | 45–70 pounds (25–30 kg) | |
| Height: | 17–19 inches (43–48 cm) | |
| Coat: | Thick, shiny hair, short | |
| Litter size: | 5–15 puppies | |
| Life span: | 9–18 years | |
The American Staffordshire Terrier is a medium-sized dog that ranges from 40 to 50 cm (16 to 19 inches) at the withers, and weighs from 26 to 30 kg (57 to 67 pounds).
The dog is of square build, and gives the impression of great strength, agility, and grace for their size. They should be stocky, not long-legged or racy in outline. The chest is deep and broad, but should not be too wide. The neck should be strong, and well arched.
The coat is short and glossy. Any color, solid, parti, or patched is permissible, but all white, more than 80 per cent white, black and tan, and liver are not to be encouraged.
Temperament
These dogs should be courageous, tenacious, friendly, extremely attentive, and extraordinarily devoted.
Bred to be extremely friendly towards humans, American Staffordshire Terriers are natural guard dogs. An overly protective and/or aggressive behavior, accompanied by fearlessness, is generally a bad sign. This dog should be protective of its family and home, knowing when to protect and knowing when to relax. These dogs are good with children and owners, can get along with other dogs, cats and any other animal if raised properly and introduced through puppy years. They can also become very aggressive if raised improperly
These dogs learn quickly from the subtlest of our behaviors. They are thus not only highly responsive during training, but also pick up good habits for example, being house-trained. This can become a problem when an owner unknowingly allows the dog to pick up bad behaviors.
The American Staffordshire Terrier is a loyal companion dog.
Similarities to other Bull Terriers
The American Staffordshire Terrier and the American Pit Bull Terrier are closely related breeds, sharing a common ancestry as recently as the 1960s when the Staffordshire Terrier Studbook was re-opened and then closed to UKC registered American Pit Bull Terriers.
Breed-specific legislation
Areas that have passed breed specific legislation banning or restricting the ownership of Pit Bulls and "pit bull type" dogs most often also ban the Amstaff, as the Amstaff is without a doubt an offspring and sister breed of the APBT. Most often, dogs are judged solely on their looks.
Famous American Staffordshire Terriers on Film
- Pete the Pup in several Our Gang films. Also known as Petey. who was also registered as an American Pit Bull Terrier under the UKC
- Buzzin' Around (1933) Directed by Alfred J. Goulding
- Bubble Boy (2001) Directed by Blair Hayes
- 'Jake', a dog, featured in an "easter egg"; hidden in DVD format for the horror film Cabin Fever.
Books
- American Staffordshire Terrier by Joseph Janish, 2003, 155 pages; ISBN: 1593782489
- American Staffordshire Terrier Champions, 1988-1995 by Jan Linzy, 1998, 84 pages; ISBN: 155893054X
- American Staffordshire Terrier Champions, 1996-2001 by Jan Linzy, 2002, 84 pages; ISBN: 1558931023
- Staffordshire Terriers: American Staffordshire Terrier and Staffordshire Bull Terrier by Anna Katherine Nicholas, 1991, 256 pages; ISBN: 0866226370
- The American Staffordshire Terrier: Gamester and Guardian by Sarah Foster, 1998, 139 pages; ISBN: 0876050038
External links
References
http://www.akc.org/breeds/american_staffordshire_terrier/index.cfm
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Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia; from the article "American Staffordshire Terrier". Image Credit.
