Quick Links: Table of Contents
- American Staffordshire Terrier Breed Overview
- History of the American Staffordshire Terrier Breed. Where American Staffordshire Terriers came from
- What the American Staffordshire Terrier Looks Like
- How Much is the American Staffordshire Terrier Puppy?
- Best American Staffordshire Terrier Breeders
- American Staffordshire Terrier Growth
- What Colors do American Staffordshire Terriers Have?
- The Temperament of the American Staffordshire Terrier
- How Long American Staffordshire Terriers Live
- How Fast American Staffordshire Terriers Can Run
- Good Names for American Staffordshire Terriers
- How Intelligent are American Staffordshire Terriers?
- How Popular are American Staffordshire Terriers with New Dog Owners?
- Health Problems in American Staffordshire Terriers and How to Prevent Them
- How to Take Care of American Staffordshire Terrier
- Dog Breeds That Are Similar to American Staffordshire Terriers
- Other Things to Know About American Staffordshire Terriers
American Staffordshire Terrier Breed Overview
The American Staffordshire Terrier is a medium-sized dog.
The adult American Staffordshire Terrier stands 16 to 19 inches.
The American Staffordshire Terrier belongs to the Terrier Dogs group.
Dogs in the Terrier Dogs group, like the American Staffordshire Terrier, were originally bred to go underground to hunt rodents and other small wild animals (vermin).
Terriers come in a wide range of sizes and shapes, but all terriers are energetic, highly intelligent, and territorial. Terries also have the tendency to escape. They require a securely fenced yard.
The fact that the American Staffordshire Terrier belongs to the Terrier Dogs group is one of the reasons why American Staffordshire Terriers have the personality and temperament that they have.
The temperament of the American Staffordshire Terrier is generally described as:
- Attentive
- Courageous
- Devoted
- Friendly
- Loyal
- Tenacious
History of the American Staffordshire Terrier Breed. Where American Staffordshire Terriers came from
The American Staffordshire Terrier was brought to America in the 1800s and was bred primarily for the purpose of being on a farm.
AmStaff’s became companion animals in American families later in the 1930s and was registered as the Staffordshire Terrier in 1936.
In 1972 the AKC changed the name to American Staffordshire Terrier.
This breed is well-known as a great guard and watchdog.
They are very hard-working dogs and can do just about any dog-related work that any other canine can do.
Early training and socialization will benefit the AmStaff to prevent aggressive or other unwanted behaviors.
American Staffordshire Terriers are intelligent and like to think for themselves so it is also best to establish obedience and crate training early to establish dominance and trust with your animal.
If you forget to keep an AmStaff busy they will let you know by mouthing and then destructive chewing.
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What the American Staffordshire Terrier Looks Like
The American Staffordshire Terrier (AmStaff for short) is a medium-sized dog that is very stocky.
This breed is well-known for being a well-muscled and agile dog that was initially bred for farming.
The AmStaff has a very short and sleek coat that is easy to groom.
This breed only needs a light brushing every week and a thorough wash once every few weeks.
American Staffordshire Terriers can come in black, white, brindle, fawn, sable, brown, and blue, or a mixture of colors in variations of patterns.
American Staffordshire Terriers are intelligent and hard-working dogs that need stimulation to prevent boredom.
Exercise is a must for this breed in order to keep troublesome chewing behaviors at bay.
This breed sports a broad head with large jaws and may look intimidating, making them great guard dogs although this breed is not more friendly by nature than it is aggressive.
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How Much is the American Staffordshire Terrier Puppy?
The average price of a American Staffordshire Terrier puppy is $1340. The price of a American Staffordshire Terrier puppy ranges from $575 to $2000.
A lot of factors determine the price of the American Staffordshire Terrier. These factors include what health records the American Staffordshire Terrier puppy has, the lineage of the American Staffordshire Terrier puppy, the US state the breeder is located in, etc.
To estimate how much you can expect to pay for a puppy American Staffordshire Terrier based on the many factors that determine the price of the American Staffordshire Terrier puppy, check out our calculator that lets you estimate how much you should expect to pay for the American Staffordshire Terrier puppy based on what you want in the puppy.
When looking to buy a puppy, look at buying a puppy only from well-established breeders that breed puppies primarily for the love of the American Staffordshire Terrier breed, and secondarily for profit. Do not buy a puppy from a puppy mill. Puppy mills mass-produce puppies in bad living conditions for maximum profit.
You may also consider adopting instead of buying a puppy. Adoption costs are very low compared to the price of a puppy.
Best American Staffordshire Terrier Breeders
We have researched reputable American Staffordshire Terrier breeders that you can buy a puppy.
Go to this page for our complete list of reputable American Staffordshire Terrier breeders in various states in the United States.
On this page, you will see how much these breeders sell their puppies for, and how many puppies they have available.
A few of these breeders are listed below.
Carly Kramer
Puppy Price: Check with breeder
Titletown Amstaffs
Puppy Price: $2,500
Christine Morrison
Puppy Price: $1500.00
Georgia Amstaffs
Puppy Price: Check with breeder
DaLeesa Wyatt
Puppy Price: $1000
American Staffordshire Terrier Growth
New American Staffordshire Terrier owners need to know about the growth of their American Staffordshire Terriers. This will help them plan their living spaces accordingly.
Also, knowing the typical growth pattern of the American Staffordshire Terrier will help new owners catch the abnormal growth of their American Staffordshire Terrier early.
See our calculator for predicting how big your American Staffordshire Terrier puppy will get. You will also learn about the typical weight of the American Staffordshire Terrier at different ages and how to catch abnormal growth in your American Staffordshire Terrier
What Colors do American Staffordshire Terriers Have?
American Staffordshire Terriers come in the following beautiful primary colors:
- Apricot / Beige
- Red / Chestnut / Orange
- Gray / Blue / Silver
- Black
- White / Cream
- Yellow / Tan / Blond / Fawn
- Brown / Chocolate
- Brindle
- Sable
- Bicolor
- Merle (Blue)
- Golden
- Tricolor (Brown, Black, & White)
American Staffordshire Terriers come in the following lovely secondary colors in addition to their primary colors:
- White / Cream
- Red / Chestnut / Orange
- Black
- Yellow / Tan / Blond / Fawn
- Apricot / Beige
- Brown / Chocolate
- Gray / Blue / Silver
- Bicolor
- Brindle
The Temperament of the American Staffordshire Terrier
The temperament of the American Staffordshire Terrier based can be summarized as in the table below.
The table shows the scores of the American Staffordshire Terrier for 13 important dog behavioral factors.
We obtained these scores by analyzing raw data from the C-BARQ dog personality survey tool. The higher the score of a dog for a factor, the worse the temperament of the dog regarding that factor.
The C-BARQ tool was developed by researchers from the University of Pennsylvania, and it is a scientific tool that is used worldwide for reliably measuring the temperament of dog breeds.
See our complete analysis of the temperament of the American Staffordshire Terrier here.
| Factor | Score |
|---|---|
| Owner Directed Aggression | 8.3 percent |
| Dog Directed Aggression | 55.3 percent |
| Excitability | 53.7 percent |
| Energy Level | 53.4 percent |
| Attachment Attention Seeking | 52.7 percent |
| Prey Drive | 51.3 percent |
| Separation Related Behavior | 43.3 percent |
| Dog Rivalry | 39.1 percent |
| Stubbornness | 34.7 percent |
| Stranger Directed Aggression | 32.3 percent |
| Nonsocial Fear | 31.7 percent |
| Dog Directed Fear | 27.3 percent |
| Touch Sensitivity | 24.0 percent |
| Stranger Directed Fear | 17.0 percent |
How Long American Staffordshire Terriers Live
The lifespan of the American Staffordshire Terrier is typically from 10 to 15 years.
American Staffordshire Terriers live long if they eat well, drink well, exercise well, and visit the veterinarian regularly.
How Fast American Staffordshire Terriers Can Run
How fast a dog breed can run is a good measure of how athletic the dog breed is.
The American Kennel Club (AKC) regularly conducts dog running competitions. The AKC records the running speed of competing dogs in these competitions. These competitions are open to all dog breeds.
Based on our analysis of the speeds of 152 different American Staffordshire Terriers, the average speed of the American Staffordshire Terrier is 24.1 mph (38.8 kmph).
The fastest speed on AKC record that the American Staffordshire Terrier ran in a race is 29.55 mph (47.6 kmph) and the minimum speed on record in a race for a American Staffordshire Terrier is 3.48 mph (5.6 kmph).
Click here to see how the speed of the American Staffordshire Terrier compares to the speed of other dogs and other mammals such as cats, horses, humans, etc.
Good Names for American Staffordshire Terriers
Here are some really good names that are typical for the American Staffordshire Terrier ranked by popularity:
- Hercules
- Loki
- Rocky
- Blue
- Buddy
- Prince
- Bubba
- Rocky
- Thor
- Leo
How Intelligent are American Staffordshire Terriers?
| American Staffordshire Terrier | |
|---|---|
| Intelligence Rank | 34 out of 130 dog breeds |
| Trainability | Tend To Learn New Commands After 15 To 25 Repetitions |
According to Prof. Stanley Coren, a Canadian psychology professor/dog trainer, the total intelligence that a dog demonstrates is the addition of three types of intelligence. These intelligence types are:
- Instinctive Intelligence: This is the natural intelligence that comes from instinct. For example, dog breeds that have been historically bred to be guard dogs will have a high `guarding` intelligence compared to dogs that were not bred for guarding.
- Adaptive Intelligence (learning and problem-solving ability): This indicates what a dog can learn to do for himself or herself. Adaptive intelligence is specific to each dog, and not breed specific. You can improve your dog`s adaptive intelligence by investing time to train your dog.
- Working/Obedience Intelligence: This type of intelligence is breed-specific. Certain dog breeds tend to have higher working/obedience intelligence than some other breeds. This intelligence is the closest to what we might call school-learning ability and it is based upon what the dog can learn to do when instructed by humans. This type of intelligence can be measured for each dog breed and compared to that of other dog breeds.
Professor Stanley Coren measured and ranked the working intelligence of about 130 different dog breeds.
Prof. Coren found that the American Staffordshire Terrier has an obedience intelligence rank of 34 out of 130 dog breeds. Thus, Prof. Coren put American Staffordshire Terriers in the `Above Average Working Dogs` category.
This means that American Staffordshire Terriers tend to learn new commands after 15 to 25 repetitions.
However, we should mention that a dog should not be judged based on its intelligence alone. There are other important factors you need to consider when deciding on which dog breed to get. These other factors include sociability, adorability, and compatibility of the dog breed with your lifestyle.
See the intelligence ranking of some other dog breeds below:
| Breed | Intelligence Rank |
|---|---|
| Doberman Pinscher | 5 |
| Shetland Sheepdog | 6 |
| Cocker Spaniel | 20 |
| Chesapeake Bay Retriever | 27 |
| Giant Schnauzer | 28 |
| Airedale Terrier | 29 |
| Samoyed | 33 |
| Cairn Terrier | 35 |
| Affenpinscher | 37 |
| American Foxhound | 46 |
| Dachshund | 49 |
| Alaskan Malamute | 50 |
| Chinese Shar-Pei | 51 |
| Akita | 54 |
| Skye Terrier | 55 |
| Norfolk Terrier | 56 |
| French Bulldog | 58 |
| Lhasa Apso | 68 |
| Beagle | 72 |
| American Bulldog | 77 |
How Popular are American Staffordshire Terriers with New Dog Owners?
Every year, the American Kennel Club (AKC) publishes information on how popular a dog breed is in that particular year. The AKC gets the popularity information of a breed from how many dogs of that breed the owners register with the AKC every year. The AKC collects this data for about 200 dog breeds.
The graph below shows the popularity trend of the American Staffordshire Terrier.
The popularity of the American Staffordshire Terrier averaged over the years is Number 81 out of about 200 dog breeds.
Do not get a dog breed just because it is a popular dog breed. And do not reject a dog breed just because it is an unpopular breed.
Health Problems in American Staffordshire Terriers and How to Prevent Them
Every dog breed has its own set of health problems that it tends to develop. There is nothing like a perfect dog breed.
The American Staffordshire Terrier is prone to certain genetic health conditions. The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) is an organization that keeps track of genetic health problems in dog breeds.
From the extensive records that the OFA keeps, the OFA knows what health problems each dog breed is naturally prone to develop.
Hence, the OFA recommends which health screening breeders should perform on a dog breed to make sure that the breeders won`t breed `defective` dog parents that can pass down defective genes to their puppy offspring.
If you want a American Staffordshire Terrier puppy that will grow up to be healthy, make sure that your American Staffordshire Terrier breeder screens your puppy or your puppy`s parents for the health problems that the OFA recommends for your puppy`s breed. This will increase the chances that your puppy is free from genetic defects.
The following are the health tests that Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) recommends that breeders should screen American Staffordshire Terriers for:
- Autoimmune thyroiditis
- Cardiac Evaluation
- Clear By Parentage
- Elbow Dysplasia
- Eye Examination
- Hip Dysplasia
- NCL-A (Cerebellar Ataxia)
You can find out more about OFA`s recommended tests for American Staffordshire Terriers here.
How to Take Care of American Staffordshire Terrier
To take good care of your American Staffordshire Terrier, you need to make sure that you groom your American Staffordshire Terrier regularly.
Secondly, you need to find a veterinarian in your area that will routinely check the health status of your American Staffordshire Terrier regularly, and give you appropriate recommendations on your American Staffordshire Terrier`s preventative care.
Thirdly, you need to commit some time to exercise your American Staffordshire Terrier daily. Regular exercise helps improve the health and quality of life of your American Staffordshire Terrier.
Also, you need to feed your American Staffordshire Terrier high-quality dog food, and the food should be of the right amount to prevent your American Staffordshire Terrier from getting overweight or underweight.
See our recommendations on what to feed the American Staffordshire Terrier and how much food to feed the American Staffordshire Terrier at different life stages.
Finally, you need to make sure that your American Staffordshire Terrier has access to clean water all the time. See our recommendations on how much water your American Staffordshire Terrier needs to drink at different ages.
Dog Breeds That Are Similar to American Staffordshire Terriers
If you have not made up your mind on which dog breed to get, you may also want to consider some other dogs similar to the American Staffordshire Terrier.
We crunched the numbers and found that the following dog breeds that have similar behavior and temperament as the American Staffordshire Terrier:
- American Pit Bull Terrier (76 percent match with American Staffordshire Terrier). Learn more about the American Pit Bull Terrier here.
- Portuguese Pointer (77 percent match with American Staffordshire Terrier). Learn more about the Portuguese Pointer here.
Other Things to Know About American Staffordshire Terriers
Here are some of the very important characteristics of the American Staffordshire Terrier that you need to know about the American Staffordshire Terrier breed: