In the days when pit fighting was an accepted “sport” in the country of Great Britain and later in America, Pitbulls of various origins were the dogs of choice for this activity.
To a large extent, the original “bulldog” was one of the foundation breeds of dogs of this type. One of the functions of the of the “bulldog” was to hang onto the bull, to worry the bull and not let go once the dog bit.
Thus the jaws have great strength and power. When the Pitbull became a part of the scene of fighting dogs, the function was that of fighting other dogs rather than the bull.
From these dogs descended the American Staffordshire Terrier, bred to be a great fighting machine with punishing jaws and formidable strength but without viciousness.
The Amstaff, as it is known by the shortened version of its name and its close cousin, the Staffordshire Bull Terrier, are both of the general description of a dog that was bred to fight other dogs. Blended into this function in the case of both of these breeds was an admirable temperament that combined devotion to human family and gentleness with children.
The dog makes an outstanding guard dog. When it is a true Amstaff it will posses a stable temperament combining these qualities.
The American Staffordshire Terrier was admitted to the registry of the American Kennel Club in 1972. Since then it has become a dog that is quite popular in the show ring. It should have “punishing” jaws of great strength, a muscular appearance, with a deep rib cage and a general appearance of great power.
The temperament however if bred correctly and if trained responsibly should be that of courage and strong guarding tendencies mixed with a devotion and loyalty to its human family members.
The reputation of the breed has suffered due to the close relationship both in appearance and temperament to the “Pitbull terrier”, which has been labeled as a “vicious dog” in many municipalities and has even been banned or placed on the list of aggressive dogs by Insurance Companies, who will not even grant home ownership policies to persons with this type of dog in their household.
Unfortunately most of these problems with aggression have been brought about by humankind. Responsible owners are not as numerous as irresponsible owners. As the Pitbull variety has developed in this country it has become a breed that is much admired by teenage gang members as a “status symbol” and has been used also in illegal dog fighting.
Thus a great deal of over breeding has produced a dog that can be a formidable fighting machine with little regard being paid to stability of temperament.
The temperament of dogs is definitely an inherited condition. All breeders should be aware of this fact. Irresponsible breeding combined with irresponsible ownership have contributed to this reputation.
The American Staffordshire Terrier as seen in the show ring is a dog that for the most part has been bred responsibly and will not exhibit the unstable temperament associated with the Pitbull. The general public is not aware of the differences between the true Amstaff and the Pitbull. The fact remains that the two breeds are separate and distinct.
However, this does not make a difference when newspaper accounts of “pitbull attacks” are heavily publicized. This problem is not going to go away and unfortunately it may become a possibility that the American Staffordshire Terrier will become a breed that will be banned also.
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Who Thinks American Pit Bull Terriers Are Great Dogs!?I have three of them and they are the sweetest dogs ever!
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For more information on the American Staffordshire Terrier or a full list of dog breeds take a look at this Dog Training website.
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can’t believe it’s drawn out of nothing, could be a photography!
All APBT's are born with floppy ears. The ones with pointed ears have had surgery "cropping" to make them look that way for aesthetic purposes.
Pit bulls were originally created in the 1800's in England. The original dogs were a mix of bulldogs and terriers. However, when I say bulldog, I'm not talking about "English bulldogs." The bulldogs in England back then were much bigger than today and they're faces weren't as smooshed. Those English bulldogs looked a lot like today's American bulldogs. They also resemble a breed called an Olde English Bulldogge.
Incredible! He looks so life like. Just amazing…and what a beautiful subject
http://www.netpets.com/dogs/healthspa/case4dock.html
It is common for a lot of BYB's or others to dock, but that being said in both the American Staffordshire Terrier and the APBT breed standards, it states tail is not to be docked.
Great talent Der Mann.
no breed of dog,large or small should be allowed in public off lead.
i don't blame you for being afraid for your 3yr.old.
a staffie is a powerful dog and the injuries they inflict are horrific when they attack.
now,that being said,i have 2 staffies.there is no better breed around a child than a staffie if the dog has been properly socialized. none any worse if they have not.
mine have been.if you ever consider getting a staffie or even a mix you should get it when it is very young and be sure it is spayed/neutered.
a pack leader needs to be established right off to give the pup some sense of security because just like a child,they crave limits and boundaries.this lets them know where they stand within the family.
a "spoiled" child is not really a happy child and neither is a "spoiled" dog.if you really want to learn more about the breed you can go on line and type in American Stafforshire Terrier and it will take you to a number of sites .
also a good site for all breeds is http:/www.nextdaypets.comdirectory/breeds
please don't condemnn the breed condem irresponsible owners.
FYI,staffies used to be called "nanny dogs" because they are so good with children.
if you can stand one more piece of advice.cesar milan has some excellent books on dog psychology.if you get the chance pick one up.it will help you in future with any breed you chose to get.
long answer i know,i hope it helps you .
Brilliant Willy, Just Brilliant =D
Excellent work. Pleasure to watch. Perfect music
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You’re really good man. You’ve got excellent talent.
both dogs are very good companion dogs. How well they get along depends on you and how they are introduced and treated while together.
Nice work, you did pretty good.
whoa!!it looks like a PICTURE!
ur an amazing painter!:D
Any dog will guard but if you are going to use your dog as JUST a guard dog the possibility is he will turn aggressive in all situations.
If he is going to be a pet and you want to know if he would guard you then i would say that most dogs will protect their family if they have to.
If you are talking about the American Staffordshire Terrier and the American Pit Bull Terrier you areally wont be able to tell the differance.
there are 3 different breeds.
the APBT or American Pit Bull Terrier
AST or American Staffordshire Terrier and the
SBT or Staffordshire Bull Terrier.
now the APBT and AST Are pretty much the same breed but reg with different registries.
The AST did come from the APBT when AKC decided to register the APBT they changed the name.
now the SBT is a smaller dog but has the same body type as the APBT and the AST for the most part. The SBT should never have its ears cropped like most of the AST and APBT do.
The APBT and AST are both USA breeds but
the SBT is a breed from the UK. it is not as popular in the USA as the APBT or the AST.
Here is a little history on the APBT and AST .
the APBT was the only breed to make up the Am Staffs.
when the AKC decided to start the Am Staff breed they used only UKC registered APBT. they did change the name to get away from the fighting history of the breed though.
in 1898 the UKC was formed for the purpose of registering the APBT as a pure breed. this was the 1st breed the UKC did recognize but later they did become a multi breed registry and the 2nd largest and 2nd oldest registry in the USA.
then in 1936 the AKC did also register the APBT but did change the name to Staffordshire Terrier. then later in 1972 changed the name again to American Staffordshire Terrier so they would not get confused with their English cousins the Staffordshire Bull Terrier
from the AKC site
"These dogs began to find their way into America as early as 1870, where they became known as Pit Dog, Pit Bull Terrier, later American Bull Terrier, and still later as Yankee Terrier.
In 1936, they were accepted for registration in the AKC Stud Book as Staffordshire Terriers. The name of the breed was revised effective January 1, 1972 to American Staffordshire Terrier"
as the AKC doesn't recognize the APBT as a pure bred dog they really give little to no mention of them in the history of the breed and no mention of the UKC either.
hope this helps a little bit…
Edit to add:
althought the Am Staff and the American Pit Bull Terrier where the same breed in the beginning they are both been bred very differently. orig the Am Staff was bred primarily for show and the APBT was for fighting they have become very different.
The UKC does allow the Am Staffs to be registered as APBT so some people are crossing the 2 lines in UKC. I know of many people that call them Pitter Staffs ( an unofficial name)
The AKC will not allow the APBT to be registered with their registries at this time though.
Also People have been breeding the APBT and AST lower and thicker to make the low rider type of dogs. Many people believe others breeds may have been added tot he APBT or AST to make this new breed of dog.
They have also started their own registry and they are being called American Bullies.
here are some registry links for you
AKC AST
http://www.akc.org/index.cfm
UKC APBT
http://www.ukcdogs.com/WebSite.nsf/WebPa…
ABKC American Bully
http://www.abkcdogs.org/
AKC SBT
http://www.akc.org/breeds/staffordshire_bull_terrier/index.cfm
UKC SBT
http://www.ukcdogs.com/WebSite.nsf/e63329fac2fcceaa8525735c0061eb4d/b6077e9cd67178798525741600537076?OpenDocument
In Ontario, pit bulls are banned under existing legislation (October 2005). There are tougher restrictions on breeding, tougher rules for current owners of pit bulls and other restrictions. This legislation will also affect other "dangerous" breeds.
Since the legislation, I haven't heard of charges being brought against owners – the legislation might lack "teeth"! But another thing that is important to remember is that there needs to be enforcement officers to lay charges, etc…
One thing I don't understand from your question is the word "scoucers". What is that?