Staffordshire Bull Terrier

The Staffie, as he is commonly known, is very gentle and affectionate towards his family. He is extremely devoted to his owners and enjoys spending time with children in particular (which must of course be supervised).

Lively and tenacious, the Staffordshire Bull Terrier loves to play but can sometimes have trouble reining his excitement in. Playtime must therefore be supervised and initiated by the owners only, so as not to get overwhelmed by this little fireball’s overflowing energy.

Particularly fearless and animate, tranquility is not part of the Staffie’s natural predispositions. In addition to being quite beefy, he is a real live wire that requires much attention and time to unlock his full potential.

If professionally bred, the Staffie is quite even-tempered by nature and can be rather docile despite his somewhat stubborn side- the latter actually being proof of his intelligence. It is often those dogs that can snake their way out of a command that are the smartest. 

Indeed, the intelligence of a dog should not only be gauged through his propensity to learn, but rather his capacity to reflect, adapt, react and take initiative. In these terms, this small bull-type dog certainly is remarkable.

This dog was by no means originally conceived for hunting, even if the most unscrupulous of owners used this ancient fighting dog for poaching, most notably at a time when dog fights were banned. 

Some hunters do equip themselves with a Staffordshire’s presence during hunting expeditions, but this remains a marginal occurence in the hunting milieu.

Very open towards humans, the Staffie almost never shies away from contact, even with a stranger. Playful, friendly and excitable, he loves to interact with everyone.

The Staffordshire Bull Terrier is a very gentle, even-tempered dog. He admires his master unconditionally, and would love nothing more than to spend all of his days in the latter’s arms. In this sense, he is by no means a reserved dog- sooner clingy, in fact.

This dog’s devotion to his owner makes him very sensitive to solitude. He does not like being isolated or excluded from his family and the owners’ absences are often a source of a lot of anxiety for him. 

This is why the Staffie pup must start being exposed to his owners’ departures as early as possible, and in a gradual and positive manner (by integrating occupational toys, snacks, bones to gnaw on, etc.).

This dog can prove to be obedient if he has been trained in a precocious, firm, positive and coherent manner. It goes without saying that brutality can in no shape or form be part of this process, as a show of violence on the handler’s side will only serve to stimulate this former fighting dog’s aggressivity, and could possibly traumatise him. 

He is very enthusiastic and keen on pleasing his owner, especially when the training process involves games. These sessions help consolidate the Staffie’s discipline on the one hand, while it also serves to strengthen the master-dog bond on the other.

The Staffordshire Bull Terrier can indeed be quite ‘yappy’, especially when he feels he is not getting as much attention from his owners as he deserves. You should by no means give into his whims, or he might develop an excessive habit of communicating in this way.

There is no reason why this beefy and dynamic dog would flee the family nest if all of his needs are being met, physical exercise included. Only when not walked enough outside, or not sufficiently physically stimulated, will the Staffie bring himself to running away. 

A Stafford’s escape would be symptomatic of some gross shortcoming in how he is being handled, since it is almost unimaginable for him to leave his family’s side on account of how attached he is to them.