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AKC Standards:

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 through with broad skull. Very pronounced cheek muscles, distinct stop, short fore face, 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 hind legs.

Coat: Smooth, short and close.

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

Size: Desirable height at withers 35.5 - 40.5 cms (14 - 16 ins.), these heights being related to the weights.

Weight: dogs: 12.7 - 17 kgs (28 - 38 lbs); bitches 11- 15.4 kgs (24 - 34 lbs)

Faults: Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree and its effect upon the health and welfare of the dog.

HISTORY
The Staffordshire Bull Terrier is a descendant of the Bull and Terrier crosses made in Great Britain in the late 1700's. It was given the name "Staffordshire" in reference to an area where it was very popular, to differentiate it from the other Bull and Terrier breeds.

The Staffordshire Bull Terrier was recognized by the United Kennel Club in 1975.

GENERAL APPEARANCE
The Staffordshire Bull Terrier is a smooth coated dog that possesses great strength for its size. Although muscular, it is active and agile.

CHARACTERISTICS
This breed has indomitable courage, high intelligence and tenacity. Coupled with its affection for its friends, and children in particular, its quietness and trustworthy stability make it an all-purpose dog.

HEAD
The head is short and deep throughout with a distinct stop.

SKULL - The skull is broad and the cheek muscles are very pronounced.

MUZZLE - the foreface is short, with strong jaws and clean, tight lips.

TEETH - A full complement of strong, white teeth meet in a scissors bite; the outer side of the lower incisors touching the inner side of the upper incisors.

Serious Faults: Badly overshot or undershot bites.

EYES - Dark eyes are preferred, but may bear some relation to coat color. The round, medium size eyes are set on to look straight ahead. Dark eye rims are preferred.

NOSE - The nose is black.

EARS - The rose or half-pricked ears are not large.

Serious Faults: Full drop ear. Full prick ear.

NECK
The muscular, rather short neck is clean in outline and widens gradually toward the shoulders.

FOREQUARTERS
The shoulders are well laid back.

FORELEGS
The straight, well-boned forelegs are set rather far apart at the shoulders, but show no looseness at the elbow. The pasterns are strong, and the feet turn out slightly.

BODY
The body is close-coupled with a broad, deep chest and well-sprung ribs. The loins are fairly light and the topline is level.

HINDQUARTERS
The hindquarters are well-muscled.

Hindlegs - The stifles are well-bent. The hocks are well let down. The legs are parallel when viewed from behind. Dewclaws are generally removed from the hind legs.

Feet - The strong, medium-sized feet are well padded.

Tail - The medium-length tail is not docked. It is low-set, carried rather low and tapers to a point. It does not curl much, and may be likened to an old-fashioned pump handle.

Faults: Too long or badly curled tail.

Coat - The short, smooth coat is close to the skin. Neither the coat nor the whiskers are to be trimmed.

Color - Acceptable colors include red, fawn, white, black, any shade of brindle, and blue, with or without white.

Serious Faults: Black and tan or liver.

Height & Weight - Height, measured at the shoulders, ranges from 14 to 16 inches. Weight ranges are as follows: dogs, 28 to 38 pounds; bitches, 24 to 34 pounds. Weight depends on the height of the individual dog.

Gait - The free, powerful, agile movement is accomplished with an economy of effort. When viewed from the front or the rear, the legs move parallel. There is a noticeable drive from the hind legs.

Disqualifications - Unilateral or bilateral cryptorchid. Viciousness or extreme shyness. Albinism.

Sarah Adams' Staffordshire Bull Terriers, Elmo & Tully

Please click on the following links for each specific breed standards:

UKC Standard for the American Pit Bull Terrier
AKC Standard for the American Staffordshire Terrier
UKC Standard for the Staffordshire Bull Terrier