Staffordshire Bull Terrier
Bulldog Breeds
Staffordshire Bull Terrier
The Staffordshire Bull Terrier is a medium sized, short coated, old time breed of dog, originally bred for bull and bear fighting. Dogs proven in the pit were bred with others of like skill and ability and over time the Staffie was produced. In the early part of the twentieth century they gained respectablity and were accepted into the Kennel Club of England as the Staffordshire Bull Terrier - not to be confused with the Bull Terrier. The Staffordshire Bull Terrier is an English breed of dog and should not be confused with their larger cousin the American Staffordshire Terrier or the American Pit Bull Terrier.
The Staffie is a breed that has many supporters and perhaps just as many detractors. Over the generations the Staffie has put his fighting history behind him and his other famous trait, as a loving family member, has earned him a place in the hearts of many. Staffie owners recommend their dogs as confident, people-loving dogs. A typical staffie is energetic, devoted to his families, and normally loves meeting strangers. Famed animal conservationist Steve Irwin incorporated Sui, his Staffordshire Bull Terrier cross, into many episodes of his documentary television show, The Crocodile Hunter.
Often held responsible for many of the unpleasant attacks reported on humans and other animals, the Staffie can polarise public opinion. When spoken of, people will generally fall into one of two camps, those strongly for the breed and those strongly against.
In cases of reported attacks, there is often little distinction made between the bull terrier breeds, such as the American Staffordshire Terrier, the Pit-Bull Terrier, the Bull Terrier and the Staffie. Perhaps because of its comparative high numbers and poor recognition by the public, the Staffie wears much of the blame for reported attacks that may have been perpetrated by any member of the bull terrier breeds.
Staffies are regularly the fourth most popular breed in Australia, behind German Shepherds, Labrador Retrievers and Golden Retrievers, according to the numbers of puppies bred each year.
Staffordshire Bull Terrier
The first impression of a Staffordshire Bull Terrier is that of strength, intelligence and tenacity. The alert stance, big smile and wagging tail with which he welcomes all human visitors confirm the breed standard's call to show its "...affection for its friends and children in particular, its off-duty quietness and trustworthy stability." Although originally bred for the pit many years ago, the Staffordshire is best known today as a foremost all-purpose family dog with a steady and dependable nature, outstanding athletic ability in the performance sports of agility and flyball, and the intelligence to be successful in the obedience ring.
Is your bitch Kennel Club registered, if not it is not really advisable to breed from her, having registration at least ensures that you have a recorded history of her parentage. Without any papers it is not possible to ensure that her ancestors were pure bred Staffords. Any KC registered dog should not be mated to an unregistered bitch. Is your bitch healthy enough to be bred from. How old is she, is she clear from hereditary defects? Please read the (Health Issues Page) Have you had her checked by the vet to see if she is suitable to breed from, or will she need a Caesarian? The Staffordshire Bull Terrier Breed Council is totally in support of the guidelines as laid down by the Kennels club on age and frequency criteria for registering litter from a bitch. In addition the Staffordshire Bull Terrier Breed Council do not recommend breeding from any bitch before she is 18 months old or on her 3rd season. You are advised to have any your bitch eye tested to see she is free from PHPV/HC/PPSC. All bitches should have an up to date eye test. DNA testing to identify carriers of the HC gene is now available and is strongly recommended if you are going to breed from your bitch Please read the (Health Issues Page). Do you understand the risks involved. If everything goes well then no problems. However, you could loose some if not all of the puppies, although thankfully this does not happen very often, or you could loose your bitch. If you do loose your bitch and the puppies survive, they will need to be hand reared, this involves feeding every three hours, DAY AND NIGHT. Can you afford a litter. Lots of people think of breeding as a way of making money, this is not usually the case, and if things do go wrong you could incur a lot of expenses along the way. The stud fee for the dog, extra food for the bitch during pregnancy and lactation, weaning the puppies, their food this is all normal. What if your bitch needs a call out from the vet at 2am, or a Caesarian in the middle of the night, this can be very costly. Are you aware of the work involved, lots of lovely puppies making lots of mess as they get older, all very time consuming to keep them clean and preparing 4 to 5 meals a day, watching over them when they are fed, is every puppy getting enough to eat. Weaning them from Mum at the right time. Finding suitable homes can be a nightmare, all calls needs to be carefully vetted as they are people out there to whom you wouldn’t want to sell your puppies too. This can be very time consuming. Every one needs to be carefully vetted, is someone at home most if not all of the day, do the children seem frightened of the dogs, is this a commitment the whole family want to make. If you have any doubts about your prospective homes them don’t sell to these people, it is worth hanging one to a puppy until the right family come along. Are you prepared to take any puppies back that you have bred and re home them if necessary.
