The Stafford – General Appearance
Great Strength for Size – What does this mean?
STAFFORDSHIRE BULL TERRIER
“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.”
• The first impression of a Stafford should be that of a strong, powerful dog with the athleticism to balance it. The Stafford should have strength that can be turned into instant action, and agility which is NOT at the expense of substance. Neat, clean, impressive and beautiful in its strength of body, agility and ease of movement.
“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 . . . “
• This is NOT a bulky looking dog, NOR is it wispy or racy. The Stafford is a medium sized balanced dog that shows great strength for its size. Its size is described clearly in the written Breed Standard. It is imperative to remember that the Staffordshire Bull Terrier is a blended breed with clear characteristics of its ancestry (Smooth coated Terriers and early Bull Dog lines), keeping in mind they are both strong and agile.
This balance of strength with agility is one of the key elements of breed type.
“Great strength for his size” again alludes to efficiency. The Stafford standard is not describing a large heavy dog, but rather a balanced athletic dog with great strength. A Stafford’s strength is sometimes surprising since the package should be much more compact than other dogs of similar strength. His size is well defined within the written breed standard. Become familiar with what 14” to 16” measures to and keep in mind it must be balanced with the described weights.
“Heights in relation to weights” and anything falling out of this range is to be considered a fault. Remember the job this breed was designed to perform.
This and other descriptive excerpts can also found inside SBTCA mentor packets and seminar materials as well as all the other materials available for free and often updated download on the JEC page on our website.
