American Staffordshire Terrier
The American Staffordshire Terrier is keenly aware of his surroundings at all times. He is stocky, incredibly strong for his size, yet agile and graceful; happy, outgoing, stable and confident; gentle towards people; good-natured, amusing and extremely loyal.
Almost always obedient, the American Staffordshire Terrier wants nothing more than to please its master. They are extremely courageous and intelligent, making the breed an excellent watch and guard dog. They are highly protective of their owners and their property, and they will fight an intruder to the death if trapped in a corner, or if it’s loved ones are threatened.
Some un-socialized American Staffordshire Terriers may be aggressive towards other dogs. Socialization with other dogs and excellent obedience training at a young age are critical to preventing aggressive behaviors later in life. Given the opportunity, this dog will assume the Alpha position in your family (his pack), and if he does, you’ll have a problem on your hands. This dog is also notoriously difficult to house train. If you are unable to spend long hours training this dog, this breed is not for you.
The American Staffordshire Terrier can live happily in an apartment if you’ll make the time to exercise him properly. This breed needs LOTS of exercise, and should be kept on a leash in public. They are fairly active indoors and can survive without a yard; but you’ll be much happier owner if you have one. This breed appreciates warmer climates.
American Staffordshire Terriers have smooth, shorthaired coats that are easy to groom. Brush on a regular basis with a firm, bristle brush, and bathe as necessary. Towel drying after baths will really make the coat shine. This breed is an average shedder.
The American Staffordshire Terrier is a medium sized dog that will grow to height of 17-19 inches, and weigh between 57 & 67 pounds (remember, they are very stocky).
The American Staffordshire Terrier is a member of the American Pit Bull family of dogs. The media has been relentless about characterizing the Pit Bull as an aggressive dog that should be feared, and that simply is not the case; at least, not exactly.
The Pit Bull does have naturally aggressive tendencies towards other animals, but not people. Like any dog, the Pit Bull can be trained to be aggressive towards just about anyone. And the breed seems to be a favorite of those that like to train their dogs to be aggressive. That gives the breed a bad name, and it’s simply not the breeds’ fault. It’s the people that own them that should be held accountable.
Legislation has been repeatedly introduced, in at least two states, which would either outlaw the Pit Bull entirely, calling for euthanasia of the entire breed in the state of California, or make it incredibly more difficult than it should be to own a Pit Bull in the state of New Jersey. And that isn’t fair to anyone, especially the Pit Bull. The answer is to hold the owners responsible whenever a problem occurs, as we already do with all other breeds of dogs. Punish the deed, not the breed.
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Posted by Michael Worth at 01:03 PM on May 01, 2006 | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
