Staffordshire Bull Terrier

[missmacie]

HOW MUCH SHOULD YOUR STAFFY WEIGH AND HOW TALL SHOULD IT BE?????

The breed standard is in the first post of this thread.

Sizes: Weight: Dogs 13-17 kg (28-38 lbs)

Bitches 11-15.4 kg (24-34 lbs)

Desirable Height: 36-41 cms (14-16 ins)

(these heights being related to the weights)

However, just like people they can be bigger or smaller than "normal". Height is measured to the top of the shoulder (withers)

Also, the weights in the standard are really intended for dogs in show condition, not pet condition.

Honestly, as long as you can easily feel their ribs they are a perfectly good healthy weight.

Some people deliberately breed for bigger dogs and this is wrong. If you have a look at the puppy pages here you come across adverts boasting that the sire weighs 25 kg and the dam is 23 kg. Either these dogs are seriously obese or just plain too big.

Do you have ANKC registration papers for them?

thank you Sandra......

that actually sounds like our dogs are in the perfect weight and height :)

and yes both of them have their ANKC registration papers. :D

[asdf]

Anyone else have any experiences with pups with hernias?

Recently bought my staffordshire pup and thought how great the breeder was to fix him up. He said normally alot of breeders just cbf with fixing em and just let them die.

[Staffyluv]

I imagine your average back yard breeder wouldn't be bothered as they are only interested in getting the money for the pups (probably why most get sold off at about 6 weeks old)...

Any good breeder that has spent time and energy in the bitch and her litter, will bother with these problems, because they want the best for their puppies..

[Sandra777]

A puppy with a hernia bad enough to be fatal would be pretty rare!

Small umbilical hernias aren't uncommon and hardly ever need repairing as they sort themselves out as the pup grows.

I have heard of a few with hernias in the groin but I believe these would be pretty unusual

[Diane J]

Love this thread as I am new to staffys and my family and I will be getting one when we move back to Europe next year. After owning rottweilers and dogo argentinos for more than 25 years, I think it is going to be a relatively easy transition to owning the stafford.

[flogg]

gday all

after going back and reading all 266 posts in this site... I was wondering if the views on blue coloured staffs has changed over the years. I noticed there was a reasonably negative opinion of them expressed on here, but these posts were made several years ago.

Just wondering if time has proved these theories as being true and correct, or was it just a bit of hype at the time?

Have blue staffies proved to be 'less' healthy/staffy like/market dominant etc or has the 'craze' disappeared??

...I dont' want to upset anyone by this question :) It was just very interesting reading lots of different views, but then realising that the comments were made several years ago.

[Sandra777]

Have blue staffies proved to be 'less' healthy/staffy like/market dominant etc or has the 'craze' disappeared??

Less healthy - One of the Scandinavian KC's (Finland? Sweden?) has banned the registration of pups from mating of blue to blue. 'nuff said

"Staffy like" - I assume you mean correct conformation? Nothing changed there except for the worse in almost all cases.

Market Dominant - got worse. Closing in on 65% of pups registered in the UK last year were blue and in the last three months of registrations notified in the Queensland Dog World (which is the one I get so the only one I can go by) there were over 60 litters registered and all but 10 were blue.

[Staffyluv]

^^ What Sandra777 said..

The rare blue staffy is most definitely not rare any more..

I knew they were prolific but had no idea that there were so many 'blue' litters registered compared to other colours.

We have a gorgeous little blue boy at our obedience club and he has something wrong with his eyes - they look like the corner of his eye has overgrown half his eye and is all red. I think they call it 'cherry eye'???

He has to have surgery but for some reason the owners are waiting - no idea why and I didn't ask..

He really is a lovely little guy (not one of those grossly over sized staffords, that seems to be the go for a lot of blue breeders).

Edited January 15, 2014 by Staffyluv

[WreckitWhippet]

Nup nothing has changed regarding my opinion of them and their general lack of breed type. Thankfully it appears the arse has fallen out of the market and there's less of them being produced,but not before the damage had been done. I see some have moved on and are already producing litters from their next cash cow breed.

[Blort]

Read up what happened to the Shar Pei breed after it was introduced to the west in the 1970's. I think it's in Wikipedia, otherwise google Shar Pei. That's a warning along lines that support your breeder concern over consumer 'craze' driven selection. With the recessive gene traits that a blue coat endows what dreams may come, or is the coat color a single gene trait (not a whole raft of 'em)? Personally, I also think it's a mistake to restrict limited vca registration dogs/bitches from Obedience/Agility events and any titles thereat - the same argument about trait selection above is inverted and you effectively now filter 'discernment' of temperament and intelligence performance from the useful genetic record.

Personally I'm not a big fan of Fawn + white but Red + white looks great, especially with an athletic physique (gotta take it easy on the white though)

I think dark brindle against a black mask looks especially 'villainous'. A white chest blaze looks great on black coat too. But if I was walking a blue dog on lead and somebody came and asked 'what sort of dog is it?' of course I'd instantly fire back he's a Weimeraner rescue..I think some distance ought to be maintained between the 'American Stafford Terrier' and the Stafford Bull Terrier breeds but already a lot of confusion is created between the two when one is wrongly dubbed the other. One guess which way 'round the mulberry bush that goes..

[Staff'n'Toller]

Read up what happened to the Shar Pei breed after it was introduced to the west in the 1970's. I think it's in Wikipedia, otherwise google Shar Pei. That's a warning along lines that support your breeder concern over consumer 'craze' driven selection. With the recessive gene traits that a blue coat endows what dreams may come, or is the coat color a single gene trait (not a whole raft of 'em)? Personally, I also think it's a mistake to restrict limited vca registration dogs/bitches from Obedience/Agility events and any titles thereat - the same argument about trait selection above is inverted and you effectively now filter 'discernment' of temperament and intelligence performance from the useful genetic record.

Personally I'm not a big fan of Fawn + white but Red + white looks great, especially with an athletic physique (gotta take it easy on the white though)

I think dark brindle against a black mask looks especially 'villainous'. A white chest blaze looks great on black coat too. But if I was walking a blue dog on lead and somebody came and asked 'what sort of dog is it?' of course I'd instantly fire back he's a Weimeraner rescue..I think some distance ought to be maintained between the 'American Stafford Terrier' and the Stafford Bull Terrier breeds but already a lot of confusion is created between the two when one is wrongly dubbed the other. One guess which way 'round the mulberry bush that goes..

ANKC Limit Register dogs can compete in any performance sport and earn the same titles.

They can't compete in conformation showing or be bred from.

[Blort]

ANKC Limit Register dogs can compete in any performance sport and earn the same titles.

They can't compete in conformation showing or be bred from.

Good to know, I'm not sure but I think ppl have been suggesting the original breeder can re-open the books and fully register as well. So Limit Register pups that are campaigned by good owners, and earn Obedience Titles, paying kudos to their breeders at the same time, can still rise to serve... so to speak.

[Bullmastiff Addict]

:wave: :wave:

[Staff'n'Toller]

ANKC Limit Register dogs can compete in any performance sport and earn the same titles.

They can't compete in conformation showing or be bred from.

Good to know, I'm not sure but I think ppl have been suggesting the original breeder can re-open the books and fully register as well. So Limit Register pups that are campaigned by good owners, and earn Obedience Titles, paying kudos to their breeders at the same time, can still rise to serve... so to speak.

Yes, I think dogs can be changed over to mains with blessing of the breeder, I'm not sure but there may be a time limit on that though??

[Troy]

These are questions you should be asking the breeder (actually you these are questions you should have asked the breeder before you parted with your money, but too late now!)

L2-HGA & HC are the two genetic conditions in Staffords with DNA tests. You should have got at the very least the certificates for both parents - if not, ask for them.

Distichiasis & PHPV are two eye conditions with no DNA test available. Both parents should have certificates showing they are clinically clear (have been examined and don't have these problems). If you didn't get copies of these, ask for them.

Dilute alopecia is the biggy with blues, just because they're blue (a dilute colour)

The first thing you need to consider is her pedigree. Is she from generations of blue-to-blue breeding? If so then you certainly increased your chances of her having issues for two reasons -

1) absolutely no one with any knowledge of Staffords or concern for the breed will breed blue to blue to blue, so what ELSE have they failed to consider before doing the mating and

2) because dilute alopecia obviously only affects dilutes (blues, blue fawns) if you pile dilute upon dilute in a pedigree you are increasing your chances of also getting the genes which ALSO cause dilute alopecia.

There's nothing you can do about dilute alopecia.

Generalised allergies are the next biggy with any Stafford and if you are dealing with a badly bred one (as in (1) above) (although it doesn't matter what colour you have) you are increasing the chances that the breeder hasn't bothered to exclude dogs with allergies from their breeding programme. Sadly some breeders who some may be considered "good" also don't exclude these dogs, but poor breeders are far more likely not to if you understand what I mean :)

There are a few things you can do about this, see below

The third biggy with any badly bred dog of any breed is the physical structure of the dog, just because it's a pure bred dog doesn't mean it is correctly constructed. The breed standard isn't just for show dogs!

With Staffords many badly bred ones are bred from parents with huge heads, straight shoulders, dippy toplines and straight stifles - all things which prevent the dog living a normal Stafford life and can lead to lameness, serious patella and hip issues and just a general lack of the ability to run and leap and do Stafford stuff.

There's not much you can do about this either.

Allergies can probably not be avoided completely IF your dog has a tendency to them.

A large part of allergies is related to the immune system, and a large part of the immune systems function is genetic.

But there are a few things you can do to reduce your odds of having major issues.

Minimal immunisation - this involves researching the local conditions and not just immunising for everything because the vet says so. Ensuring the dog is absolutely in the peak of condition when immunising can help.

Avoid unnecessary chemicals - don't use heartworm injections, use monthly chews if essential but research the actual risk in your area.

Don't use flea or worming preparations if you don't have actual proof they're needed - fecal floats, actual flea sitings for example.

Feed a variety of foods right from the start, there is a body of evidence to suggest that dogs (and people) can actually develop sensitivies to foods if that's all they get. Personally I would suggest a raw diet.

If the dog gets a rash or itch, don't rush off for the big guns from the vet (steroids, chemical washes, antibiotics are the favourites). If it's a small reaction, using the least amount of medication to make the dog comfortable and do all you can to get the dog's own system to react and overcome the problem. Barrier cream for a contact allergy, zinc based nappy cream works well, gentle calendula wash in place of chemical washes, things like this.

Of course you have to be sure to be monitoring the situation and making sure the dog is comfortable - I'm not suggesting ignoring a major infected outbreak!

Keep the dog lean and fit and mentally active (obedience, agility, fly ball, all good Stafford activities) will help.

I would suggest going back to the breeder and asking questions about the health of the parents, the parents' siblings, the grand parents and their siblings.

Make yourself a "map" of issues and if they don't have many in common you'll probably be fine, if one thing keeps cropping up then you'll have an idea of what you might be in for.

Above all - enjoy!

ETA: I would also avoid desexing your bitch until she is fully mature (1 year old at least), not only to avoid the stress of the operation but also to allow her body to develop and grow naturally. Yes some bitches do have skin issues when coming in heat, but who's to say this is less or more than she would have had if subjected to a major operation. Obviously you have to be able to keep her safe while in season :)

Above copied from another topic entitled 'Info Needed - Blue Stafford Health

[VizslaMomma]

Above copied from another topic entitled 'Info Needed - Blue Stafford Health

Yay!!!! Thank you so much Troy. This is very much appreciated.

[nitro-indi]

just wanting to say hi and want to introduce my two terrors

Indi-lee 9weeks

Nitro 6 mnths

[BigDaz]

just wanting to say hi and want to introduce my two terrors

They both look very cute, are you planning on getting them de-sexed or breeding from them?

Having two young ones is a challenge, but is doable if you commit the time.