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History of the Staffordshire
The English Staffordshire bull terrier was originally bred in England and commonly used by the lower classes for blood sports. After the United Kingdom banged dogfighting here in 1835, the breed started to find new life as canine companions.
The breed was then taken to America, where their lines split, and that’s where the new breed was developed. The American Staffordshire bull terrier is the descendant of that original English staffie but is typically four to five inches taller and around 20 or so pounds heavier than their English counterparts.
The American staffie has a longer face and muzzle than the English staffy, which has that shorter, flatter face that they’re known for.
Differences between Staffordshire and Pitbull
The American Staffordshire bull terrier is extremely similar to the American Pitbull terrier. Other than their very high competition areas, many consider them essentially the same breed even though they are registered as two distinct breeds by the continental kennel club.
The United kennel and American kennel clubs don’t recognize the American Pitbull terrier as a registered breed. Still, they include the American Staffordshire bull terrier, so it is quite easy to understand why people can get so confused.
We’re going to focus on these two: the English Staffordshire bull terrier and the American Staffordshire bull terrier, but not the American Pitbull terrier. Unfortunately, the English Staffordshire bull terrier has a reputation in the UK similar to the Pitbull in America. Still, the American staffie has mostly escaped those negative connotations in some areas of the US.
It’s completely acceptable to have a staffie where Pitbull are banned.
The most important thing I want you to take away from this video is that aggressive and badly behaved dogs aren’t born that way. It’s through training and leadership or, more importantly, a lack of proper training that causes a dog to behave badly.
Differences between English and American Staffordshire
Let’s move on and look at the differences finally between the English and American Staffordshire bull terrier.
American Staffordshire Terrier
The English staffie and the amstaff are compact, agile dogs with high energy levels and a very tenacious spirit. They excel at canine athletic sports and easily keep up with your active lifestyle when conditioned properly because of their size and agility. They are easy to travel with and don’t take up much room since the English staffie is smaller.
They take up less space and are better suited to. Therefore, smaller living situations provide they still get enough time to exercise outdoors. Both breeds are considered to be very intelligent and easily trained by experienced handlers. They form very strong bonds with their canine leaders and are very eager to please them.
English staffie
They like to be socialized
They love having a job to do and thrive on consistent boundaries.
They need to be socialized early and often throughout their lives with other people and animals, or they can, like all other breeds, become aggressive when meeting them. Due to that tenacious nature, they aren’t always the best breed for first-time dog owners who haven’t learned how to be calm, consistent canine leaders.
Yet now, they do make wonderful family dogs despite their ancestors’ bloody histories. In the past, they have been known as nanny dogs because of their patients, in particular with very small children.
They are very devoted and gentle canine companions that do well with children of all ages.
They’re very close with their children and very protective of them without being overly aggressive or possessive. More importantly, when socialized correctly.
They have short sleek coats that should shed minimally, but they do shed seasonally slightly more like all other breeds. You may need to trim their nails regularly to keep the sharp points nice, but their nails tend to file themselves fairly with an active lifestyle.
Amstaff
One noticeable trait
One of the most notable traits you’ll see in the staffies is that they’re extremely loving and affectionate natures. They bond very closely with their family, and they are fiercely loyal.
They have a lot of patience for young children like we’ve just mentioned and are happiest when they can be with their families. Both breeds will spend hours cuddling with you and your children and prefer to be close to you at all times.
Conclusion
Both breeds are wonderful canine companions when socialized well. They don’t deserve that negative reputation that they have in either country. If you want the bigger one, consider the amstaff or rather the smaller one, then go with the English Staffordshire bull terrier. The differences are so slim that it doesn’t matter which way you go as long as you know that a staffie is for you.
