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American Staffordshire Terrier

The breeds · terrier

AKC Terrier · FCI standard 286

American Staffordshire Terrier.

AKC standard: no stated use; the breed is described as strength for its size, muscular but agile and graceful, with courage that is proverbial. FCI 286: Group 3, Section 3 Bull type Terriers, without working trial. History (Wikipedia): descended from the bull-and-terrier dogs of the British Isles, which reached America from about 1850; the United Kennel Club recognised the breed as the American Pit Bull Terrier in 1898; the AKC recognised it in 1936 as the Staffordshire Terrier and renamed it American Staffordshire Terrier on Jan 1 1969. Wikipedia (Staffordshire Bull Terrier article): the bull-and-terrier crosses were bred for dog fighting once baiting was outlawed in Britain, and the AKC at first refused to recognise breeds associated with dog fighting. Temperament: AKC breed page scores openness to strangers 4, good with young children 3, good with other dogs 3, watchdog/protective nature 5, affectionate with family 5. FCI 286 disqualifies aggressive or overly shy dogs. Wikipedia, quoting the Staffordshire Terrier Club of America: dog aggression can develop even in well-socialised dogs, so an AmStaff should not be left alone with other dogs..

Breed sets the odds. The parents set the dog. Every number here shows its source, its spread and how sure we are. Nothing on this page is a prediction about one dog.

12.5YRMedian lifespan11.4 to 13.1, measured on real dogs.
0INHeightdogs null, bitches null. An ideal from the standard, not a range.
40–80LBWeight, all linesbreed dogs 40 to 80 lb; breed bitches 40 to 80 lb.

The body

What the breed is built like. Registry standards give an ideal, not a range.

Height at the shoulder

dogs 18 to 19 in · bitches 17 to 18 in

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 1936

Center left blank: the standard prints a range.

Weight

dogs 40 to 80 lb · bitches 40 to 80 lb

Breed clubAKC

Neither standard prints a weight. Low and high span the AKC breed-page band and both Wikipedia figures, which are breed-wide and count in both sex rows (show every source).

Coat

AKC standard: short, close, stiff to the touch, and glossy. FCI 286: short, close, stiff to the touch, glossy. Colour: any colour, solid, parti or patched; all white, more than 80 percent white, black and tan, and liver not to be encouraged.

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 1936

Shedding

Shedding 2 of 5 (AKC breed page trait score)

Breed clubAKC

AKC breed page trait score, 1 to 5: a breed-club tendency, never a measurement.

Heat tolerance

4 of 5 · AKC standard: short, close, stiff, glossy coat. FCI 286: short, close, stiff, glossy hair.

DerivedAKC breed standard, 1936

Derived from the coat description (short dense smooth = 4 on the ruled scale). No measured data.

How long they live, and what they cost

Measured on real dogs, with the sample and the spread. Never a guess.

Median lifespan

12.5 years (11.4 to 13.1)

MeasuredMcMillan KM, 2024

McMillan et al. 2024 / Dogs Trust table. UK population; median across dogs that had died plus censored dogs per the paper's method.

The dog at home

What the breed asks of a day. The first thing most homes get wrong.

Energy

AKC breed page scores: energy level 3 of 5, mental stimulation needs 3 of 5, playfulness 3 of 5, adaptability 3 of 5, trainability 3 of 5. AKC standard: keenly alive to his surroundings; agile and graceful.

Breed clubAKC

AKC scores are the AKC's own 1-5 bands, not a measurement.

Grooming load

1 of 5

Breed clubAKC

AKC breed page trait score, 1 to 5: a breed-club tendency, never a measurement.

Grooming

AKC breed page scores: coat grooming frequency 1 of 5, shedding level 2 of 5, drooling level 1 of 5 (AKC bands). Standard coat: short, close, stiff, glossy.

Breed clubAKC

AKC bands, not a measurement. The Kennel Club (UK) does not recognise the breed, so there is no Royal Kennel Club grooming band and no grooming_load number.

The work

What it was built to do in the field, and what a test or trial asks of it.

Role

AKC standard: no stated use; the breed is described as strength for its size, muscular but agile and graceful, with courage that is proverbial. FCI 286: Group 3, Section 3 Bull type Terriers, without working trial. History (Wikipedia): descended from the bull-and-terrier dogs of the British Isles, which reached America from about 1850; the United Kennel Club recognised the breed as the American Pit Bull Terrier in 1898; the AKC recognised it in 1936 as the Staffordshire Terrier and renamed it American Staffordshire Terrier on Jan 1 1969. Wikipedia (Staffordshire Bull Terrier article): the bull-and-terrier crosses were bred for dog fighting once baiting was outlawed in Britain, and the AKC at first refused to recognise breeds associated with dog fighting. Temperament: AKC breed page scores openness to strangers 4, good with young children 3, good with other dogs 3, watchdog/protective nature 5, affectionate with family 5. FCI 286 disqualifies aggressive or overly shy dogs. Wikipedia, quoting the Staffordshire Terrier Club of America: dog aggression can develop even in well-socialised dogs, so an AmStaff should not be left alone with other dogs.

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 1936

Role is a companion and show dog in the registry texts; no source reached describes a field use. The fighting history is stated as Wikipedia states it. The club statement on other dogs is second-hand through Wikipedia (amstaff.org was unreachable here).

How common the problems are

Evaluated dogs skew toward breeding stock; the numbers are still the best there are.

Hip dysplasia

25.7% · OFA current all-data (accessed Oct 8 2026): 25.7% dysplastic of 4,304 evaluations (normal 72.2%; mild 18.6, moderate 6.5, severe 0.6)

MeasuredOrthopedic Foundation for Animals

OFA submissions skew to breeding stock; true population rate is likely higher. OFA all-data is undated.

Elbow dysplasia

18.3% · OFA current all-data (accessed Oct 8 2026): 18.3% abnormal of 1,615 evaluations (normal 81.2%; grade 1 16.0, grade 2 1.9, grade 3 0.4)

MeasuredOrthopedic Foundation for Animals

OFA submissions skew to breeding stock; true population rate is likely higher. OFA all-data is undated.

More

akc bands

AKC breed page trait scores (1-5): Energy Level 3; Mental Stimulation Needs 3; Trainability Level 3; Barking Level 3; Watchdog/Protective Nature 5; Good With Young Children 3; Openness To Strangers 4; Good With Other Dogs 3; Shedding Level 2; Coat Grooming Frequency 1; Drooling Level 1; Affectionate With Family 5; Playfulness Level 3; Adaptability Level 3.

Breed clubAKC

Fourteen AKC bands in one row; the selector reads each by name. Breed-club ratings: a tendency, never a measurement.

What to ask a breeder for

The health clearances the breed’s own club and registry name. Reference only: what to ask for, never a statement about any dog’s health.

How to read this page

Every value carries a label. Measured means peer-reviewed data on many dogs. Studied means peer-reviewed, smaller or indirect. Breed club means a club or registry states it. Editorial means expert opinion with no measurement behind it. Where two good sources disagree, both are shown and neither is averaged.

Published when the entry rests on the best information available from no fewer than three independent sources, checked by a second pass that did not write it. 5 sources on this page. Found something wrong? Tell us and the correction is logged with its date.

Also called
AmStaff, Am Staff, American Staffordshire Bull Terrier

Every breed, read the same way.

The breed index grows as entries clear the standard. Gun dogs first.

All published breeds

Your american staffordshire terrier, on the record.

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