The article covers facts and information about the American Staffordshire terrier puppy. Learn about the pros and cons of this wonderful breed. Also includes details about Training, Lifespan, Temperament and Exercise requirements.

American Staffordshire Terrier Puppy Information

  • Temperament: Confident, Smart, Good-Natured
  • AKC Breed Popularity: Ranks 85 of 197
  • Height: 18-19 inches (male), 17-18 inches (female)
  • Weight: 55-70 pounds (male), 40-55 pounds (female)
  • Life Expectancy: 12-16 years

American Staffordshire Terrier

Pros

  • Affectionate with family
  • Kid-friendly
  • Friendly towards strangers
  • Less shedding
  • Easy to groom
  • Low potential for weight gain
  • Intelligent

Cons

  • Not for first-time owners
  • High potential for mouthiness (chewing, nipping, etc)
  • High prey drive
  • Does not tolerates being alone
  • High sensitivity level

American Staffordshire Terrier Breed Characteristics

Origin Story

The American Staffordshire Terrier has its lineage guess where; in Staffordshire. It’s kind of in their name.

  • The American Staffordshire Terrier came from a line of dogs called bull and Terriers.

Back in the days, blood sports like bull baiting and things like that were completely legal. And dogs like Old English Bulldogs were often used as part of that.

Now eventually when those horrible blood sports became illegal, people still wanted to see that kind of sports. But they had to move them underground and make them much less of a huge town-wide spectacle.

The sports then kind of became things like dogfighting or ratting in a pit that could be hidden away from the authorities. Now because these sports were buried underground and they became a different type of bloodsport.

Different bull and terrier-type dogs

Breeders of the dogs at the time wanted to create a better dog for those sports. So what they did was, they mixed those old Bulldogs with terrier dogs at the time. It was to create a range of different bull and terrier-type dogs.

These bull and terrier type dogs became the stock for things like

The dogs of that time were quickly made their way over to the US.  After these things, all started to divide. These dogs started to take on their own journey to becoming on their own variation of the bullet area and that includes the American Staffordshire Terrier. 

As beautiful as the Ameristar Terrier is today. They are their own breed and registered as such.

What Is Their Temperament Like?

Now in terms of the temperament of the American Staffordshire Terrier.

It is very similar to the Staffordshire Bull Terrier. It’s only really the difference in their size. That is the clear difference in the breed. As a whole in terms of temperament like I say they are very similar.

  • They are energetic dogs.
  • They’re also very playful but loyal and loving.
  • Confident and eager to please.
  • Really wanting to just be with their families.
  • Help their families where possible and work alongside them. They’re an excellent all-round dog in that perspective.
  • They do have a very high prey drive due to the terrier that’s in their lineage. But that doesn’t necessarily spill over to any kind of aggression.
  • They’re actually much more known to be very relaxed, gentle, loving dogs.
  • They are just a little bit more energetic and playful

Is American Staffordshire Terrier Easy to Train?

In terms of training your American Staffordshire Terrier.

  • They are a very trainable breed.
  • They are very eager to please.
  • But they are also very energetic and playful, especially as puppies. So that stage concentration levels tend to be a little bit lower than other breeds.

They are also eager to please like the Labrador or the golden retriever. That is why you don’t necessarily see them rank so highly in easy-to-train dogs.

You can get through that puppy stage. Breaks training down into short sharp, more enjoyable playful sessions.

You can have a dog that capable of incredible feats of obedience. Different things in the working environment or from sports like agility or obedience competitions.

High Prey Drive

Now the high prey Drive we discussed earlier from the terrier in them.

It can be a little bit of a deterrent in terms of training. And it’s something to be aware of especially with things.

What Should They Look Like?

They could grow about 48 centimeters high and weighs 36 kilos. But the females being a little bit shorter and lighter.

  • They have a very smooth coat that can be any color solid part or patchwork color.
  • They are very athletic dogs.
  • They have that lovely excellent combination of strength muscle and athleticism. Typical of the bull and terrier type breeds.
  • They’re taller and heavier than the English Staffordshire Bull Terriers.
  • But they tend to be a little bit smaller than the American Pit Bull Terriers. Obviously, there are always exceptions to this

Are They Easy to Groom?

American Staffordshire terriers are a very easy groom to breed. They have those short type flat-lying lovely coats.

To stay on top of all you really need is probably just a quick weekly brush. Then a wipe over without just remove any of the shed dead hairs that are typical in nearly every single breed.

Other than that happy days.

Very easy breed to stay on top of their grooming requirements.

Do American Staffordshire Need Alot of Exercise?

Exercise requirements aren’t so easy. They are high-energy dogs. With those Terrier mindsets that have to be drained daily.

Now if you do that well, they will settle down really nicely into loving, full lovely, relaxed, companions in the house. But to do that ideally you need to have a good two hours of exercise a day.

  • Exercise should be broken into two 1-hour walks.

And as part of that, I would also encourage making sure that they have some good time to really run and stretch their legs. Obviously in a safe environment.

Again like I mentioned to you about high prey Drive. You need to be careful around smaller or prey animals.

What You Can Do?

A brilliant way to help drain their mind is to teach a good game of fetch. You can teach a good game of fetch. It tends to be a little bit more difficult with a terrier.

They’re very happy to chase but when they get there. The objects just still and not move.

  • A good hour walks,
  • 50 minutes of hard fetch with a frisbee.
  • Maybe one of those ball launchers.

This can really blow off some steam as well as some mental stimulation.

They feel like they’re working with you.

Pros and Cons of American Staffordshire Terrier

As always we’ll summarize by breaking down the positives and negatives. So that you can decide whether they’re the right dog for you.

We’ll start with the pros

Pros

  • American Staffordshire Terriers are very energetic lively dogs that would be great for people that leave an active outdoor lifestyle.
  • They form amazingly deep bonds with all of their families. And they love children of all ages.
  • American Staffordshire Terrier does have a good life expectancy which is always nice especially when you bring in a dog into your family as you want them to be a part of your family.

Cons

However, the cons are that I can say

  • American Staffordshire Terriers do have that high prey drive. It can be a little bit difficult to work with.
  • They do need a lot of exercise to truly be happy.
  • And that Terrier mindset can be a little bit hard to manage for first-time owners.
  • They might not be the best breed if you’ve never worked or trained a dog before.