In the1800s, dog fighting against bulls, bears and cocks were common. Both royalty and common people enjoyed watching this activity and it was viewed as a way to tenderize the meat.
Therefore, the Staffordshire Bull Terrier was bread for its gameness. The dog originated in Staffordshire, England, by people who wanted a small, fast dog and they combined the bull terrier with the Manchester Terrier.
The United Kingdom Kennel Club recognized this as a breed on May 25, 1935. The Staffordshire Bull Terrier Club was formed in June 1935 and the standards were drawn up that same year at the Cradley Health country pub in the West Midlands.
The first champions in the breed were Ch Gentleman Jim and Ch Lady Eve, both owned by Joseph Dunn.
It was not until 1975 that the breed was recognized by the American Kennel Club.
The Staffordshire Bull Terrier is a smooth-coated dog known for its incredible strength. The dog comes in six colors. They are solid red, fawn, white, black, blue and brindle.
The dog is approximately 15 inches at its withers and should and weighs approximately 32 pounds. The dog's head has very strong cheek muscles with little ears. The tail should look like an old-fashioned pump handle without too much curl.
The neck of the dog should be short and clean with a wide front tapering to smaller loins. The feet should be set further apart than in many dog breeds.
The Staffordshire Bull Terrier is one of only three breeds of dogs that the American Kennel Association says is great with children right in the breed standard. This love of children has given the dog one of his nicknames, the nanny dog.
The dog is very strong and active and craves attention. If you don't give him the attention that he wants then he can be very destructive.
He is the love bug that wants to be a lap dog, ride in your lap and sleep in your bed. This dog will think that he owns you rather than you owning it.
This dog is a very protective dog, but only as far as people. It could care less about property, but try to hurt one of its loved ones and the dog will fight until its very dying breath. He also looks very intimidating so this will make intruders scared of him.
This dog usually only barks for an important reason so if you hear one barking you need to pay attention.
One of the flaws of this dog is that it overheats very easily. So if you live in a warmer climate you will want to keep this in mind.
While the dog really desires to stay in your house with your company, when put outside they need a fenced in yard. They are not very smart when it comes to keeping themselves safe.
This dog needs regular exercise to keep his body healthy.
He needs this exercise also to keep his mind active, because he loves to get himself into trouble. He needs to be entertained and loves to play. He can jump over a six foot fence and dig under it if the desire hits him.
The dog also sheds a lot of hair so he will require great grooming. It's a good thing he loves to be groomed then!