Staffordshire Bull Terrier Small Muscular Dog Heaalth and Food

The Staffordshire Bull Terrier developed in England. It was named for the area were it was most popular. It is the oldest of all the Bull and Terrier breeds, including the American Staffordshire or Pit Bull and the English Bull Terrier. Yet ironically, this breed was the last of the Bull and Terrier breeds to be registered by either the Kennel Club of England or the American Kennel Club.

This dog developed from cross breeding dogs used in the blood sports of bull baiting and bear baiting. Today it retains the physical traits required to excel in the ring. However, the psychological mind set for being a champion in the blood sport ring was never a "trait of the breed" and each dog had to be trained in this skill. Without cruel blood sport training, this breed demonstrates a quiet trustworthy stable personality. Their gentleness with children, the elderly, and friends is legendary.

Staffordshire Bull Terrier brought to market were set upon by dogs as a way of tenderizing the meat and providing entertainment for the spectators; and dog fights with bears, bulls and other animals were often organized as entertainment for both royalty and commoners. Early Bull and Terriers were not bred for the handsome visual specimen of today, rather they were bred for the characteristic known as gameness. The pitting of dogs against bear or bull tested the gameness, strength and skill of the dog.

These early "proto-staffords" provided the ancestral foundation stock for the Staffordshire Bull Terrier, the Bull Terrier, the American Pit Bull Terrier and American Staffordshire Terrier. This common ancestor was known as the "Bull and Terrier".

These bloodsports were officially eliminated in 1835 as Britain began to introduce animal welfare laws. Since dogfights were cheaper to organize and far easier to conceal from the law than bull or bear baits, bloodsport proponents turned to pitting their dogs against each other instead. Native food supplies for this breed would have been those of the English country and consisted of beef, wheat, corn, potatoes, carrots, and cabbage.

The Staffordshire Bull Terrier is a medium-sized, stocky, and very muscular dog with athletic ability. They have a broad head, defined occipital muscles, a relatively short foreface, dark round eyes and a wide mouth with a clean scissor-like bite (the top incisors slightly overlap the bottom incisors). The ears are small. The cheek muscles are very pronounced. Their lips show no looseness, and they rarely drool. From above, the head loosely resembles a triangle. The head tapers down to a strong well-muscled neck and shoulders placed on squarely spaced forelimbs.

They are tucked up in their loins and the last 1-2 ribs of their ribcage are usually visible. Their tail resembles an old fashioned pump handle. Their hind quarters are well-muscled and are what give the Staffy drive when baiting. For the Staffordshire Bull Terrier I recommend foods that are a blend of beef, wheat, corn, potatoes, carrots, and cabbage. However, I also feel you should avoid feeding this breed any rice (white or brown), soy, or avocado.