The Staffordshire Bull Terrier first came into existence in or around the seventeenth century. As bull baiting declined in popularity and dog fighting enjoyed a surge of interest, it became necessary to develop a dog which possessed a longer and more punishing head than the Bulldog and also to combine strength and agility.

It is therefore believed that the Staffordshire Bull Terrier was derived from the fighting Bulldog of the day with some terrier blood introduced. This cross produced what was known as the Bull and Terrier or Pit Dog.

These dogs were renowned for their courage and tenacity and despite their ferocity in the pit were excellent companions and good with children. In fact it was not unknown for an injured dog to be transported home in a pram with the baby! Although dog fighting and other barbaric pastimes of the day were patronised by the aristocracy - Lord Camelford reportedly owned a famous dog called 'Belcher'- fighting dogs were also owned by the poorest of families. The pit dog was a favourite with miners and steelworkers and was prevalent amongst the chainmakers of the " Black Country " where the dogs were not only fought for entertainment but provided a working man with valuable extra income when worked against badgers or as ratters. With the introduction of the Humane Act in 1835, baiting sports and dog fighting became unlawful and a group of men in the Staffordshire area endeavoured to preserve their breed by introducing them to the show world.

After much discussion the Standard was written describing the dog's physical attributes and this dog was named the Staffordshire Bull Terrier to differentiate him from the English Bull Terrier. The Staffordshire Bull Terrier was officially registered by the Kennel Club in 1935 and the first club show for the breed took place in August 1935 at Cradley Heath in the West Midlands where 60 dogs and bitches were entered . The founder club was named The Staffordshire Bull Terrier Club and is affectionately known as 'The Parent Club'. There are now a total of 18 clubs in Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranging from the North of Scotland to the West of England. The breed received championship status in 1938 when CC's were awarded for the first time at the Birmingham National. The first two Champions of the breed were Ch. Gentleman Jim and Ch. Lady Eve. The popularity of the breed has now spread abroad with well established clubs in many countries including Australia, Eire, France, Germany, Holland, Spain and the USA, to name but a few. Over the years the Staffordshire Bull Terrier has become a successful show dog and a serious contender in the Terrier Group, where they frequently have the highest number of entries of all dogs in the Terrier Group and are occasional winners of Best in Show. More importantly the Stafford has become a popular pet retaining the attributes gained from generations of fighting dogs bred for courage, tenacity and most important: total reliability and affinity with people and in particular children.

 The Staffordshire Bull Terrier  is first, foremost and essentially a terrier. He will willingly become part of your family and can become a loyal and loving friend, he does have some habits, or traits, which are part of his breed characteristics, which may not always endear him to your house visitors.
They love people and as such can become boisterous around others.

They are often misinterpreted as being good guard dogs but it must be remembered that Staffies love people and as such do not always endear themselves to this quality.
There is always a possibility that they may challenge an approaching dog so this must be remembered and we should always advocate responsible ownership with the use of the appropriate collar and lead when in public places.

If chosen as your ideal dog then you must remember that he will need plenty of exercise and stimulation to prevent boredom

Please do not buy a Staffordshire Bull Terrier, unless you have the time and space to devote to it and can give it a permanent loving home, with sufficient food, warmth and exercise. 

Every member of the family should want the dog; if any of your family has reservations about having a dog in the household, this will impact on the dogs happiness in the future.

Life expectancy of a SBT is around the 10-12 year mark

STANDARD OF THE STAFFORDSHIRE BULL TERRIER

 General Appearance
Smooth-coated, well balanced, of great strength for his size. Muscular, active and agile.

Characteristics
Traditionally of indomitable courage and tenacity. Highly intelligent and affectionate especially with children.

Temperament
Bold, fearless and totally reliable.

Head and Skull
Short, deep though with broad skull. Very pronounced cheek muscles, distinct stop, short foreface, nose black.

Eyes
Dark preferred but may bear some relation to coat colour. Round, of medium size, and set to look straight ahead. Eye rims dark.

Ears
Rose or half pricked, not large or heavy. Full, drop or pricked ears highly undesirable.

Mouth
Lips tight and clean. Jaws strong, teeth large, with a perfect, regular and complete scissor bite, i.e. upper teeth closely overlapping lower teeth and set square to the jaws.

Neck
Muscular, rather short, clean in outline gradually widening towards shoulders.

Forequarters
Legs straight and well boned, set rather wide apart, showing no weakness at the pasterns, from which point feet turn out a little. Shoulders well laid back with no looseness at elbow.

Body
Close-coupled, with level topline, wide front, deep brisket, well sprung ribs; muscular and well defined.

Hindquarters
Well muscled, hocks well let down with stifles well bent. Legs parallel when viewed from behind.

Feet
Well padded, strong and of medium size. Nails black in solid coloured dogs.

Tail
Medium length, low-set, tapering to a point and carried rather low. Should not curl much and may be likened to an old-fashioned pump handle.

Gait/Movement
Free, powerful and agile with economy of effort. Legs moving parallel when viewed from front or rear. Discernible drive from hindlegs.

Coat
Smooth, short and close.
Colour
Red, fawn, white, black or blue, or any one of these colours with white. Any shade of brindle or any shade of brindle with white. Black and tan or liver colour highly undesirable.

Size
Desirable height at withers 36-41 cms (14 to 16 ins), these heights being related to the weights.

Weight

dogs:13-17 kgs (28-38 lbs); bitches 11-15.4 kgs.