American Staffordshire Terrier: Nutrition, education, training and much more about the Amstaff

By Roland Berger

The American Staffordshire Terrier is a powerful dog that loves children more than anything and stands up for his family. American Staffordshire Terriers are dogs that have a balanced nature. The fast dog sports, such as agility or flyball, are made for them.

The American Staffordshire Terrier really belongs only in the hands of people who already have experience in dog training and keeping. These dogs need consistent but loving training so they can develop into the perfect family dog. American Staffordshire want to be challenged mentally and physically on a daily basis and his owners should schedule plenty of time for him. Extensive walks, hikes, and bike rides are exactly the types of activities that the American Staffordshire Terrier enjoys.

In this small guidebook you will learn everything worth knowing about the dog breed "American Staffordshire Terrier" and how you should deal with him.

The topics covered in this guide include:
- Character traits of the American Staffordshire Terrier
- Who is suitable as a owner?
- What should be considered when raising a puppy?
- What do you have to pay attention to when raising a puppy?
- Basic commands?
- and much more!

The more than 5 illustrations make the book even more appealing. Have you decided to get an American Staffordshire Terrier? Then this reading is the perfect first start to deepen your existing knowledge even more or to gain some new insights.

The American Staffordshire Terrier belongs in the hands of dog-experienced people who consistently but lovingly raise their American Staffordshire Terrier. Then he can be a loving bundle of energy.

• Language: English
• Publisher: XinXii
• Release date: Apr 14, 2022
• ISBN: 9783986468675

Book preview

List of Figures

Figure 1: The Amstaff

Figure 2: It is very likely that you will need a muzzle with this breed.

Figure 3: Recognizing dog language.

Figure 4: Puppy makes itself very small.

Figure 5: Sit visual signal

Figure 6: Place visual signal

Figure 7: Visual signal "Off

Figure 6: Agility is a popular outdoor sport.

Origin, physique and appearance

The Bull and Terrier is the ancestor of the American Staffordshire, which sadly was bred by the English in the Midlands at the beginning of the 19th century specifically for dog fighting. These ancestors had to fight fights in the competitions, not only against other dogs of the same species, but also against badgers and rats. These dogs needed not only the strength of a Pit Bull, but also the doggedness and courage of the Terrier.

The dog fights were already very early namely 1835 in principle again forbidden in Great Britain. Thereupon the organizers of such fights left Great Britain and emigrated to America, where they introduced the Bull and Terrier. From about 1880 dogfights were officially allowed in the USA and the organizers could revive them. Over the years, two other varieties of the Bull Terrier developed from the original breed. One of them was used by the British immigrants as a fighting dog and the other variety was used by the American inhabitants as a guard dog. Later, this line became more and more often a family dog.

In order to make a very clear separation from the fighting dog environment, the original breed was divided into the American Staffordshire Terrier and the American Pit Bull Terrier. The name Staffordshire refers to the place of origin in Great Britain. In 1936, the American Kennel Club officially recognized the breed standard of the American Staffordshire Terrier. The purpose of breeding the American Staffordshire, affectionately known as the Amstaff, was to detach this breed from brutal dog fighting and to make it more popular for dog shows. Nowadays the American Staffordshire Terrier is very rare to find in Germany, because of its reputation as a fighting dog with an aggressive nature. In the period from 2001 to 2004 even breeding was forbidden in Germany and today it is still forbidden to import an Amstaff from abroad to Germany.

Figure 1: The different types

American Staffordshire are mainly kept as family and guard dogs in Germany today and they are very much appreciated. Interestingly, they are also used as therapy and rescue dogs and can show their skills there. They approach their tasks with enthusiasm and perseverance.

Sad legacy of a dark past

A large part of the people show reactions like aversion or fear when they meet an American Staffordshire. This also includes sayings such as Hold the dog! or Stay away from it! and these are still relatively harmless. In addition, the Amstaff was used for years as a status symbol with spiked collar.

In America and Great Britain, however, the Amstaff is kept as a so-called nanny dog and this because of its positive character. That makes clear once again that the dangerousness of dogs comes from human hands.

The sad past of the American Staffordshire means that there are peculiarities in Europe when it comes to keeping or importing this breed. In most countries, the American Staffordshire is listed as a list dog or fighting dog. The keeping is either subject to a ban or certain conditions must be met. For example, the Amstaff is not allowed to enter the countries of France and Hungary. The Netherlands require the presentation of the pedigree upon entry and in Spain one is obliged to register with the local municipality. Bans and requirements in countries such as France, the Netherlands and Sweden have resulted in very few American Staffordshire Terriers remaining there. Also in most of the German states there are special requirements that the owners have to follow and the costs for keeping them are higher than for other dogs.

Figure 2: The Amstaff

Appearance of the American Staffordshire Terrier

A male Amstaff has a size of about 46 to 48 cm and bitches have a size of 43 to 46 cm. Healthy and normal weight animals weigh between 20 and 30 kilograms. Since breeding is generally not so much focused on the appearance of the animal, but more emphasis is placed on fitness and temperament, the American Staffordshire Terriers have a high life expectancy. This is namely an average of 12 years.

The head of the Amstaff is very broad and pronounced and the body is compact and muscular. Overall, the American Staffordshire is an impressive appearance. The eyes are round, located deep in the skull and set wide apart.

The eye color ranges from very dark to light brown. The prick ears are set high on the head and are erect up to halfway, then they drop slightly. Droopy or floppy ears are not allowed. In the past, the ears and tail were docked, which was considered an ideal of beauty. Fortunately, docking has been prohibited in Germany for a good 30 years and is also not permitted in the majority of European countries.

The neck of the Amstaff is slightly arched and heavy, but tapering from the shoulders to the nape. He has a short back that slopes slightly to the rump. The tail sits relatively low and is rather short compared to the body and tapers to a point. The breed has extremely strong shoulders and the forelegs are straight but stand wide apart. The hindquarters with low set hocks are very muscular.

The coat of the American Staffordshire is short, dense and shiny and the colors range from black, white, brown to gray.

FCI Standard: No. 286

      Group 3 Terrier

      Section 3 Bull Terrier

Character trait of the American Staffordshire Terrier

What are the characteristics of the American Staffordshire Terrier?

An American Staffordshire Terrier rests in itself. They are extremely attentive animals, which are intelligent to boot. Amstaffs are particularly strong, bold and one should not underestimate their fighting ability. Towards his family or his caregiver he is very affectionate, devoted and faithful. Towards strangers he behaves reserved and neutral. The Amstaff's irritation threshold is quite high, which has a positive influence on living together with children, and he usually avoids quarrels or provocation from other dogs. The American Staffordshire can be controlled well. Unfortunately, the