Spanaffy S.B.T And S.W.D

One of the most popular terrier breeds, the Stafford was developed in the sixteenth century from crossing small bulldog size mastiffs or ‘bandogges’ with small game terriers to produce a dog for use in bull and badger baiting. This is where the Stafford’s enormous jaw power and tolerance to pain was developed. Especially in bull baiting, grip was needed, as the dog was required to ‘pin’ the bull by its nose and hang on until the bull was exhausted while avoiding being gored or tossed into the air by its horns. Sadistic owners bragged about their dogs ‘gameness’ and ‘tenacity, sometimes even amputating an ear to prove their cruel claims about their dog’s pain tolerance and determination. When in 1802 baiting was banned, ‘enthusiasts’ turned to dog fighting and ratting contests to satisfy their bloodlust. Athletic ability and speed were then bred into them and a lighter dog became popular. Indeed if you compare old pictures of ‘bulldogs’ from the turn of the century then it seems to resemble more a Stafford than a modern bulldog.

Thankfully the Stafford of today is a much less aggressive dog and strangely it is an aspect of its past which made it so valuable as a baiting dog that makes it excel as a family pet. The breed’s extremely high tolerance to pain makes it an ideal dog for households with children. All children at some point will hurt the family dog, be it accidentally standing on a paw to deliberately twisting an ear or grabbing a tail and if the dog feels the pain there is a high chance it will snap or turn on the child. A true Stafford simply does not feel this pain and more importantly views children as the packs puppies to be nurtured and defended with their life if necessary. They are not a guarding breed though and should never be bought or trained as such, their loyalty to their masters knows no bounds but if you want a guard dog get a Rottweiler or a Shepherd. Unfortunately, current trends in the show ring are turning an athletic muscular dog into a lumbering lump of heavy muscle. The kennel club standard for the Stafford requires a well-balanced dog, muscular and strong in relation to its compact size. It should stand between 14 and 16 inches to the shoulder with a related weight of 12.7 to 17kg or 28 to 38 lb for dogs and 11 to 15.4 kg or 24 to 34 lb for bitches. A Stafford should be as fast as a whippet over 100 yards, be able to jump, twist, run and be able to stop and turn on a penny in play. A good friend of mine had my first Stafford’s father, whose favourite pastime was leaping at a branch 5` off the ground, grab it and swing from it for hours. He could also pull a garden roller on grass by grabbing its handle with his teeth. The same dog would happily lay together with his owners young baby letting her poke and prod him all night with never a murmur and she learned to walk holding his collar. This is the true nature of this remarkable breed.

The Stafford is now becoming a victim of its own success; they can be relatively easy to breed although caesarean sections are becoming common. A large number of people churn out endless amounts of puppies with scant regard to health tests and the temperament or type of dog they produce. Hence, there are now a growing number of thin, leggy, unhealthy, temperamentally unsound and usually unregistered dogs for sale at any time in the free papers, from £80 to £300 and it is these dogs that are damaging the reputation of the breed as a family dog, while at the other end of the scale the big show breeders charge anything from £750 to £950 for the heavy show dogs, people tout blues as rare and ask ridiculous sums of money. I believe that with careful breeding you can produce a non-aggressive beautifully balanced dog that is a pleasure to own while still retaining the courage and spirit the makes the breed what it is. They should be bold and honest, never shy or nervous and any dog displaying such characteristics should not be bred from.They should all be tested and any affected dogs removed from breeding. I dont believe carriers of L2 or H.C should be automatically excluded but should be bred with care and consideration for the future of the breed. My Stafford’s are a constant source of joy to me, they love life with a passion, are 100% with children happily play for hours with their multitude of human and canine friends and will even tolerate strange dogs to a certain extent. At the end of the day they are my best friends and Staffordshire bull terriers in all their glory.