What are Staffordshire Bull Terrier dogs like?

Question

I may have the opportunity to get a puppy,male 9 wks old.I have a little boy 9yrs and a cat.What is the dogs nature and do they chew furniture and need a lot of exercise. Been thinking about a puppy for ages so not going to rush into anything.any suggestions on another breed also welcome.thanks.

Answer 1

General Appearance
The Staffordshire Bull Terrier is a smooth-coated dog. It should be of great strength for its size and, although muscular, should be active and agile.

Size, Proportion, Substance
Height at shoulder: 14 to 16 inches. Weight: Dogs, 28 to 38 pounds; bitches, 24 to 34 pounds, these heights being related to weights. Non-conformity with these limits is a fault. In proportion, the length of back, from withers to tail set, is equal to the distance from withers to ground.

Head


Short, deep through, broad skull, very pronounced cheek muscles, distinct stop, short foreface, black nose. Pink (Dudley) nose to be considered a serious fault. Eyes--Dark preferable, but may bear some relation to coat color. Round, of medium size, and set to look straight ahead. Light eyes or pink eye rims to be considered a fault, except that where the coat surrounding the eye is white the eye rim may be pink. Ears--Rose or half-pricked and not large. Full drop or full prick to be considered a serious fault. Mouth--A bite in which the outer side of the lower incisors touches the inner side of the upper incisors. The lips should be tight and clean. The badly undershot or overshot bite is a serious fault.

Neck, Topline, Body
The neck is muscular, rather short, clean in outline and gradually widening toward the shoulders. The body is close coupled, with a level topline, wide front, deep brisket and well sprung ribs being rather light in the loins. The tail is undocked, of medium length, low set, tapering to a point and carried rather low. It should not curl much and may be likened to an old-fashioned pump handle. A tail that is too long or badly curled is a fault.

Forequarters
Legs straight and well boned, set rather far apart, without looseness at the shoulders and showing no weakness at the pasterns, from which point the feet turn out a little. Dewclaws on the forelegs may be removed. The feet should be well padded, strong and of medium size.

Hindquarters
The hindquarters should be well muscled, hocks let down with stifles well bent. Legs should be parallel when viewed from behind. Dewclaws, if any, on the hind legs are generally removed. Feet as in front.

Coat
Smooth, short and close to the skin, not to be trimmed or de-whiskered.

Color
Red, fawn, white, black or blue, or any of these colors with white. Any shade of brindle or any shade of brindle with white. Black-and-tan or liver color to be disqualified.

Gait
Free, powerful and agile with economy of effort. Legs moving parallel when viewed from front or rear. Discernible drive from hind legs.

Temperament
From the past history of the Staffordshire Bull Terrier, the modern dog draws its character of indomitable courage, high intelligence, and tenacity. This, coupled with its affection for its friends, and children in particular, its off-duty quietness and trustworthy stability, makes it a foremost all-purpose dog.


They are great with kids, but you still need to take it with ease. There was just a big story in england about a staffie that ripped a cookie out of a kids mouth and it tore the kids lip off. Do lots of research if you wish to acquire this breed. If it grows up with the cat it will be OK.

Good luck,
Charlotte

Answer 2

They are great dogs and superb family pets as they love kids.A 9 week old will adjust to a cat easily too.

They do need a lot of exercise though-2 half hr walks a day- and yes when teething it will try and chew everything so make sure you buy it lots of chewing toys.Like all dogs it will need to be well trained of course.

Remember that no dog should be left alone with a child though until your sure your child is old enough to know how to treat a dog.Their past as fighting dogs means they have an immense pain threshold and so if you son accidentally stands on it the dog will not be bothered too much and bite or anything as some dogs might.

Answer 3

Staffs are great little dogs who are very good with children.They do need quite a bit of exercise,2 30 minute walks a day should be ok.They are known to be a bit of a chewer in youth but depending on training this can be got over quite quickly.They are strong dogs and need a fair firm hand in training to get the best out of them.Other breeds to consider would be the cavilier king charles spaniel that is ideal for a first time dog owner,they have excellent personalitys and are a nice size,just slightly smaller then the sbt.

Answer 4

Staffies are probably the best breed to get if you have kids. They love kids and normally behave very well around them. They have a high pain tolorence, so if someone was to accidentally step on the dogs foot, you wouldn't have to worry about the dog freaking out and snapping. They do tend to have a high prey drive, but many do well with other animals such as other dogs and cats, and these dogs are often reffered to as "nanny dogs" for their nurturing attitude and ability to take on animals of different species as their own. Get the dog as a puppy and it should be fine with your cat, otherwise get a dog that you already know is good with cats. They do tend to chew a lot, but as long as you train it to chew on its toys, then your furniture should be fine. Staffies usually have lots of energy, so make sure you will be able to provide it with adequate exercise.

Answer 5

That is a good age to get a Staffie. I hope the cat will accept the dog, and if it does, the dog will grow up around the cat and also around your child and be gentle and protective of your family. Yes, they can chew as all dogs do in their teething phases. I have a Pit Bull mix and used a kennel cab for her when I couldn't supervise her while she was in training. She did get ahold of my wall a few times, but was corrected and didn't continue. Now she is perfect. She won't chew anything but her Nylabones, Kongs and Toys or Denta Stix.
She's a real sweet dog. Pit Bulls used to be called "Nanny Dogs" and in the 1920's they were popularly bought as that. "Petey" from "The Little Rascals" was a Pit Bull.
Also, Steve Irwin "The Crocodile Hunter" and family had a Pit Bull named Sue who was their family dog.

Answer 6

A well bred Staffy is a wonderful dog. If you are getting one, make sure it is KC Reg'd - that way you will know you are not getting a dubious crossbreed & make sure you buy from a reputable breeder who has done all the necessary health checks on the parents before breeding - like most breeds Staffies do have hereditary conditions. Do your research, go to some of the breed clubs listed at the bottom of the link.
http://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/item/87

Answer 7

ive got 2 kids and 3 cats got my staffy as a pup he's perfect had to take a bit of time with training as he got overexcited with everything! Big thing is training your kids - don't let them pull ears and tails and stuff and teach them to be nice to him. I think people make them what they are. I work at a dog's home with 30 staffies out of 100 dogs cos poeple cant be bothered or want to look hard then give up when it's too late for the dog.

Answer 8

Fantastic family dogs, they can be stubborn but are easily trained. I had two male and female and the female lived until she was 13, the dog died a lot earlier.
I would advise getting a cage ( indoor kennel) as they can be destructive but no more than other puppies. This also gives them somewhere to go when they are fed up with the children.
Mine was happy with a ten mile walk but equally happy tucked up in her bed.
I always say they are a poodle in wolfs clothes.
They love a cuddle and would spend hours sitting on a lap if allowed to.

Answer 9

Since its a pup, you can pretty much train it how you want, providing you take him to training classes - this way i would not really matter what breed you got.

In general, staffies are crazy, mad, loveable and loyal dogs. They have received bad press, but as long as you train the dog and you kid, then they should get along fine together, same goes with your cat. Staffies need a fair amount of exercise, 2 walks a day at leadt about 20-30mins each.

Good luck, hope it goes ok

Answer 10

They are one of the best dogs to have, there very easy to train, loyal and loving, my brother had a girl, when my daughter was 6 months old she could put her hands in dogs mouth and dog didnt do a thing she loved her
sadly when dog was 10 someone stole her thinking she was still a pup and could breed her