The American Staffordshire Terrier, also known as the AmStaff, is a medium-sized, short-coated American dog breed.
The height of an American Staffordshire Terrier is 17-19 inches tall and weighs 40-70 pounds. The American Kennel Club describes the breed as “confident, smart and good-natured.” American Staffordshire Terriers are similar to American Pit Bull Terriers.
The breed was accepted by the American Kennel Club in 1936. It should not be confused with the Staffordshire Bull Terrier of the United Kingdom.
History
Some varieties of bull and terrier from England and Ireland began to find their way into America as early as 1850. Some dogs became very famous for their dogfighting skills. Already developed as an American dog, such dogs became a new breed, which was recognized by the United Kennel Club (UKC) in February 1898 as the American Pit Bull Terrier. On June 10, 1936, about 50 UKC registered Pit Bull Terrier dogs were accepted for registration in the American Kennel Club (AKC) Stud Book with a new breed name and a new purpose, belonging to the AKC terrier group. The name Staffordshire Terrier was chosen, with the claim that the ancestors of the breed originally came from Staffordshire County in England. The name of the breed was revised January 1, 1969, to American Staffordshire Terrier to distinguish it from the British Staffordshire Bull Terrier, a separate breed from the Bull-type terrier group, recognized in England in 1935.
The AKC opened the AmStaff Stud Book to UKC dogs for a few more times until the 1970s. Since then, only dogs with AKC registration were to be bred together, if the offspring was to be registered. This fact, along with the breed selection based entirely on conformation through decades, has transformed the American Staffordshire Terrier into a new different breed, separated from the American Pit Bull Terrier.
The breed’s popularity began to decline in the United States following World War II.
In 2017 the American Kennel Club ranked the American Staffordshire Terrier as the 83rd most popular purebred in the United States.
Description
The “American Staffordshire Terrier should give the impression of great strength for his size, a well put-together dog, muscular, but agile and graceful, keenly alive to his surroundings. He should be stocky, not long-legged or racy in outline. His courage is proverbial.” His head should be medium in length with a broad skull, a distinct stop, and pronounced muscles in the cheek. The ears should be set high on their head and can be cropped or uncropped, but the latter is preferred. Height and weight should be in proportion. A height of about 18 to 19 inches (46 to 48 cm) at shoulders for the male and 17 to 18 inches (43 to 46 cm) for the female is to be considered preferable. The nose should always be black. Many coat colours are accepted. However, dogs with liver or black-and-tan coat, and dogs with more than the majority of white colours are discouraged.