El american staffordshire terrier, is a breed of dog from the English regions, born from the result of crossing the white English Terrier, Fox Terrier, English Bulldog and the black and tan Terrier. Over the years this English breed arrives in the United States of America, changing its characteristics to more stocky and vigorous, continue reading this article to learn more about it.
Origin of the American Staffordshire Terrier
The birth of this breed linked to the life of the American Pitbull Terrier. The American Staffordshire Terrier or Amstaff breed of dog, are dogs that were used by the bloodthirsty British to subdue and kill the most reckless bulls.
This usefulness gives as a consequence that later this great specimen continues to be used in various violent jobs, including confrontation between dogs causing the death of some of them. It is important to point out that nowadays this practice with dogs is penalized in several countries of the world.
Over the years, the American Staffordshire Terrier arrived in the territory of the United States of America approximately in the nineteenth century and was saved from these bloody activities and in 1898 they were registered with the American Kennel Club (AKC) Dog Association, receiving the american name Pitbull Stanford Terrier, for later in the XNUMXth century it is formally divided from the Pit Bull.
While the United Kennel Club association continues to qualify it as an American Pit Bull. It should be noted that the Pit Bull is currently not a breed accepted by the AKC associations or by the FCI, while the Amstaff is accepted and qualified for its characteristics.
General characteristics
The American Staffordshire Terrier, or better known as the Amstaff dog breed, has a unique characteristic such as its short, corpulent body, which is not an impediment when it comes to being very fast and fast in walking. With a longevity of Ten (10) to twelve (12) years.
It must transmit the signal of great strength, appropriate to its size and to the developed fibrous body, the skull must be wide in the forehead and have an inclination up to two thirds ending in the trunk with a "spoon" shape and a bite of "scissors".
The legs must have a certain distance between them and at no time must they be together when the animal walks, but always in relation to the width of the shoulders, which must correspond to the same length as that measured at the eighth rib.
Has a great like to the American Pit Bull Terrier, however, they should not be confused. They are close relatives but at present it has been finalized by qualify the main differences that determines that the Amstaff should not own eyes clear, nor the pink or clear truffle, characteristics that the Pit Bull does present.
Physical characteristics
- His skull is wide and strong, his mouth is round at the top with a not so big trunk, the bite of the american stanford American Terrier is very energetic and scissor-shaped, thanks to its wide cheeks which is a unique quality in this breed.
- The eyes are distant and located in the lower part of the head, they are dark circular. Their ears are semi-vertical, beginning at the top of the skull. Many owners of these dogs operate on their ears by placing the pointed ones, but this should not be practiced.
- The neck of the American Staffordshire Terrier is plump, of medium width, slightly curved and without jowls. The body of these dogs must be vigorous and corpulent, as well as stocky and thick. The American Staffordshire Terrier's back is small and falls off quickly starting from the front of the neck to the tail. The torso is deep and broad.
- The tail, set low, is wide at the beginning and progressively thins until the end. It is not as long in symmetry to the size of the body, in this breed it is not seen that the tail is on the back of the animal nor is it coiled. The American Staffordshire Terrier has tiny, hard-to-touch, shiny hair. They come in different colors, such as white, black, tan, and brown.
- Its front legs must be separated, be rigid and its bone structure must be strong, firm, by having the breadth of the chest they give the separation of each limb, as for its hind legs they also have very well defined muscle mass, they do not have the distance that present the front legs between them, in terms of their shoulders they are broad, muscular and curved.
- The height size is from the withers for males is between forty-six and forty-eight centimeters. And in females they have a size of forty-three or forty-six centimeters. The standard of the American Staffordshire Terrier specimen associations do not rate weight, but most American Staffordshire terriers can weigh between twenty-five and thirty kilograms.
Character of the American Staffordshire Terrier
The American Staffordshire Terrier is a playful, smug, investigative, and people-friendly dog. Contrary to the bad reputation that characterizes all the “Bull” breeds, the Amstaff is a very pleasant and characteristically extroverted dog. As happens in all dog breeds, its temperament will be strictly associated with the training that is taught, so it will be essential to have knowledge about this breed.
Friendly character does not mean that he will bow down in the presence of another dog if he feels challenged by the other animal he would respond to the threat. That is why it is important for the animal to learn to obey the owner's orders in order to avoid all kinds of aggressive behavior.
In general, it is a dog that is very serene inside the house, affectionate and very loyal to all members of the family. He tolerates the presence of children very well if he gets used to it from the beginning and in the same way the child is taught to relate properly with him.
In the park, field or other large spaces the American Staffordshire Terrier is much more energetic, more dynamic and willing, always looking for various impulses that stimulate sports and recreation. In the field they can work very well with cattle for herding and control.
He is a friendly and expressive dog, very sentimental, who transmits everything he feels with his expressive gaze. Anyone who has this particular breed of dog in their care is aware that all these qualities are a reality.
Amstaff breed care
Taking care of an American Staffordshire terrier is very easy. To begin, we will learn a little about the care of the coat: as they have short hair, the Amstaff will require brushing once or twice a week with a soft-tipped brush since a metal comb with its short hair can produce scratches on the skin. Every thirty days you can have a bath, it can even be done after two months or when you need it.
If you follow these recommendations, its coat will be shiny and healthy and it is a neat dog by nature. Another point is that the American Staffordshire Terrier is a dog that gets bored easily if it is alone, to the point of being anxious and agitated if it spends a long time without company.
For this reason, we recommend that you leave various toys and dolls at hand, as well as comprehension toys, since you will encourage their recreation and stimulate their instinct. The most advisable is the Kong (dark in color) a doll that will help him relax and is unlikely to harm him, so don't hesitate to use it if you see the dog is anxious.
The American Staffordshire Terrier is a breed of dog that needs moderate and energetic physical activity, taking into account a series of practices to be able to stimulate the dog in every way. It is necessary to keep him physically active, however he can also stay in small spaces such as apartments or small houses, as long as his daily routines of walking from 2 to 3 times a day with a duration of half an hour each are fulfilled.
On the walk we will let the dog use his sense of smell, run to stretch his muscles, play, chase so that he can enjoy all that moment that is offered to him and he needs it.
Education of the American Staffordshire Terrier
As we have mentioned before, this breed of dog has a characteristic in terms of its temperament that is very sociable and the education or training of the breed can be done simply. The pleasant essence of the Amstaff allows the first phase of teaching him to be carried out very easily.
We talk about the relationship of the dog, necessary progress so that our puppy learns to bond properly with other dogs, pets and people. In addition, it will be very significant for his development and thus not have any kind of behavioral problems which can cause fear.
For the American Staffordshire Terrier to be friendly, it must start from the phase where it is just a puppy and relate it to every living being, whether it is an animal or a person. It is essential that all his surroundings develop positively and in comfort so that he grows up with a correct mentality, mistreatment and social distancing would lead him to totally negative impulses.
It must also be taught where to relieve itself and the best stage is that of a puppy. He must be trained in the bite so that he does not use all his strength with his jaws.
The training must contemplate the basics of how obedience is to give commands such as sit, stay, come, these words of command will have the most positive results and at the same time a bond between the dog and the master is created.
Training by imparting rules to the dog will prevent him from having aggressive behaviors, we must always reward him at all times for his good behavior, we will always use an appropriate tone of voice, we must not mistreat him at any time so that he does not feel rejected since, as we have explained, he is very sensitive and abuse can trigger depression, sadness, and disinterest.
After the dog has grasped all the training, the same training must always be practiced frequently, at least every two days in between, games can be taught some exercise to help make a happy dog.
American Staffordshire Terrier Health
The Amstaff dog breed is in very good health, there is very little chance of it getting sick, as long as the owner is responsible for controlling their vaccinations and visiting the doctor monthly.
To have an adequate control, the veterinarian will tell you how often you will have your healthy dog consultation. However, there are situations that arise where the dog suffers from hip dysplasia, heart problems, cataracts, Dermatitis in Dogs, disorders of sexual development and progressive retinal atrophy.
In the disease of sexual development disorder, it is advisable to castrate or sterilize the dog, this greatly helps this condition when it occurs and in turn prevents the dog from bringing litters without control. In the same way, the veterinarian can help you solve any type of problem that the dog may have and will indicate what is the best treatment to follow.
It is important to brush their teeth, clean their ears and remove the anal glands, clean their eyes from fleas to prevent any eye infection, deworm them from time to time internally and externally to prevent these parasites from affecting their health.
Curiosities
Stubby was the exclusive non-commissioned officer dog chosen by the US military committed to his mission keeping a German agent subdued until the presence of US troops. Also, it was Stubby who triggered the signal for a gas match.
The American staffordshire terrier in Spain is considered one of the Potentially Dangerous Dogs For this reason, the use of the muzzle and the leash are mandatory in the street, parks, among others, as well as a proper license and civil liability insurance, all these regulations must be met in this country in order to have an American Staffordshire Terrier.