Appearance
Black and white pied Staffie
Lovingly referred to as a "keg on legs", the Staffordshire Bull Terrier is a stocky, muscular dog that exudes character, strength and athletic ability. Their expressive countenances indicate their mood and intelligence.
They have a broad head, defined occipital muscles, a relatively short foreface, half prick ears, dark round eyes and a wide mouth with a clean scissor-like bite. The ears are small and either rose or half-prick. The cheek muscles are usually pronounced and give the impression of strength. Their lips show no looseness, and they rarely drool. The Staffie is a dog with extreme strength for its size with unbeatable bravery. The head tapers down to a strong well muscled neck and shoulders placed on squarely spaced forelimbs. Their rib cage is well sprung and is topped by a level top line. They are tucked up in their loins and the last rib of their cage should be visible. Their tail is carried like an old fashioned pump handle and should be neither too long nor too short. Their hind quarters are well muscled and are the drive in the Staffie's gait, being well let down in the hock.
Black Staffie with white chest
They may be coloured black, brindle, red, blue, white, or any blending of these colours with white. White with any colour over an eye is known as piebald or pied. Liver-coloured and black and tan dogs sometimes occur but these are considered an unacceptable colour for the showring or any reputable breeding program. The coat is smooth and short. The dogs stand 35-40 cm (14-16 in) at the withers and weigh 13-22 kg (29-48 lb) with female dogs on the lighter side and male dogs on the heavier side.
As with many breeds with show determined characteristics, the 'Staffie' can suffer from several health problems including cataracts, breathing and 'gas' problems. Animal welfarists often campaign to highlight the problems with set breed characteristics on this and other dogs' health.
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