The Stafford – General Appearance
Great Strength For Size
Great strength for its size, Muscular, Active & Agile
The Stafford is a medium sized dog. Its appearance should be that of an athlete or a gladiator. They should be quite active indeed – sometimes too active for many people.
A Stafford should be very agile. He will exhibit “economy of effort” in every move and is in general nimble – both physically AND mentally.
They are amazing athletes when kept in good condition. Staffords excel in many sports such as agility, flyball, coursing, weight pull, disk sports, dock jumping and more. Mentally they are agile thinkers whether it be for obedience, rally, tracking, search and rescue, nose-work, barn-hunt or as a service or therapy dog. As the breed standard points out, the Stafford is “a foremost all-purpose dog”.
Staffords should be shown in fit, athletic condition. This doesn’t mean completely “stripped down” as if they are getting ready to go into the pit, but it certainly does not mean the dog should be carrying excess fat. Excess weight is unhealthy and interferes with the dog’s function. Always look for a well defined waistline and “tuck”. The Stafford is “rather light in the loin”.
Expect great strength for his size comprised of long lean hard resilient muscle; not bulky, rounded muscle that has power yet lacks stamina. The Stafford is not a bulky dog. Excess bulk would hinder his job and movement, which should be effortless.
“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.
