Staffordshire Bull Terrier

Stafford shire bull terrier

Learn to communicate with us and understand how we learn. We will become calm, friendly, loyal, and brave companion dogs.

Staffordshire Bull Terriers, or "staffs", are fond of people, especially children. This is one of the reasons why we are popular family dogs worldwide.

We love children but may need some training on how to behave around them. We tend to come off as a little rough. This is due to our bulky bone structure and athletic appearance. Please remember to always have a supervising adult around when children play with us.

With the right upbringing, you get a calm "staff" who loves coziness and attention.

Did you know, Staffordshire bull terrier was the most popular breed in Oslo in 2017. Or that in 2019 we were the second most popular breed in Norway?

The key to a happy Staffordshire bull terrier

The Staffordshire Bull Terrier has a moderate need for exercise. For example, we do not require as much activity as a Border Collie. But, we still need daily walks and mental stimuli. It is not enough to calmly walk around the neighborhood twice a day. Preferably we should have long walks in nature!

Sometimes playing can be as important as exercise. We are dogs that never grow up mentally. In short: we love to learn through playfulness. Many are not aware that we do well in various dog sports if we get the right training!

Barks rarely, but makes "weird" sounds

Almost all dogs have the ability to bark. But there are big differences in the extent. Staffordshire Bull Terriers are not known to be barking dogs. Some of us never bark, while others only do so sporadically. You can perfectly leave us at home without the neighbors getting annoyed at us.

Even if we do not bark, we are not completely silent. We tend to make sounds that people would like to characterize as funny, or weird. People must be prepared to hear various grunts and snoring sounds.

Will not start a fight, but will end one early.

We can work well with other animals if humans introduce us from an early stage.

However, we can easily be provoked by other male dogs.

A "staff" will not hesitate if attacked. It will respond with the same, if not larger, coin. There are risks involved in letting us unleashed into a dog park. Mostly the risk lays at the potential provoker.

As Bente Moe from the association for Staffordshire Bull Terriers stated to Aftenposten in 2017:
- "Staffs" do not start fights but end fights.

Easy maintenance

"Staffs" has a short-haired coat which makes it easy to maintain. Though, you have to expect some shedding.

Be careful when choosing a breeder

We are known as strong dogs, and we can live between 12-14 years. Although most of us are healthy, you should know that there are rogue breeders out there. They care more about profit and less about dog health. This is a result of the increasing demand for Staffordshire Bull Terriers.

So make sure you are thorough when looking for people who breed us!

Something to be aware of with the Staffordshire Bull Terrier

We are robust, strong dogs, despite our small size.

It is not at all impossible to train a "Staff" to pull hundreds of kilos.

This trait is a part of the reason we have a somewhat sad history. We were created in England, at the beginning of the 19th century. We were used as fighters against larger animals. This used to be a popular sport in England. It has given us an unfair reputation as murderous beings.

If we are provoked in encounters with other dogs today, our inner beast will come to life.

However, "staffs" are not aggressive by nature. For most people, these instincts will present a few problems. To prevent unwanted behavior adequate stimuli are important.