How to Care for an American Staffordshire Terrier

The American Staffordshire terrier is known for its dominant personality and will need firm training from an early age. But this shouldn't be too difficult, as this dog's first desire is to please its owner. Know that your Staffordshire terrier will have to be restrained at all times when around other dogs because of its strong fighting instinct.

Difficulty: Moderately challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Worming Medicine
• Dental Kits (for Dogs)
• Dog Beds
• Dog Bones
• Dog Brushes
• Dog Collars
• Dog Conditioner
• Dog Dishes
• Dog Food
• Dog Grooming Sprays
• Dog Leashes
• Dog Shampoo
• Dog Training Aids
• Nail Clippers For Dogs
• Dog Shampoo

1. Vaccinate your American Staffordshire terrier when you first get her, and make sure she gets yearly booster vaccinations to maintain her immunity to disease. Also, worm your adult dog every three months and consult with your veterinarian about flea control products.

2. Feed your American Staffordshire terrier high-grade dog food. The first ingredient should be meat if you want a quality product. Crude protein should be no less than 30 percent and crude fat no less than 20 percent. The fiber content needs to be 4 percent or less.

3. Train and socialize your American Staffordshire terrier when she's young. This breed has dominant and aggressive tendencies and needs to be around people and animals to avoid negative behavior formation. Remember to use positive reinforcement when training.

4. Realize that this breed can be difficult to house-train and will require much time and patience in this area. Puppies will probably need to relieve themselves up to six times a day. Begin by urging them to go after meals.

5. Exercise or run your American Staffordshire terrier daily. Be sure to keep her on leash to prevent fighting with other dogs.

6. Brush your dog's coat daily with a firm-bristle brush, and buff her coat with a damp cloth to bring out the sheen. Shampoo as needed and trim nails every two to three weeks.

7. Understand that the American Staffordshire terrier is prone to certain health conditions such as hip dysplasia (a malformed ball and socket in the hip joint) and cataracts (cloudy eye lens).

8. Note that male American Staffordshire terriers will grow to 17 to 19 inches and weigh between 57 and 67 lbs. Females will grow to 16 to 18 inches and also weigh between 57 and 67 lbs.

9. Expect an American Staffordshire terrier to live 10 to 12 years.

Tips & Warnings

• Contact the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (see Related Sites) to learn more about hip dysplasia.
• American Staffordshire terriers do not do well in cold climates.

[imdkeeper]

on 4/16/2009 Oh, and by the by... My staffie pup is 9 weeks old... already house trained, living in a house with 2 rat terriers, 1 chow-golden retriever mix amd a cat. The catis not too happy but he gets along real well with the other 3 dogs. He's my second staffe. The first just passed at 14 yo, from pancreatic cancer. I've had the new pup for less than a week... stubborn, just as my other one was, but very smart, very trainable, very very affectionate. I will have a staffie in my home as long as I live and breathe.

[imdkeeper]

on 4/16/2009 So you want me to give my Staffie Poison once every 3 months to kill worms he may or may not have?

[murphbopa]

on 12/29/2008 staffies dont need to be restrained because of aggressiveness!My wife and i adopted a beautiful female who is very loving and gentle. Although she is curious about other animals she is not th least bit aggressive.She has taken very well to my children, and has already started to display protectiveness of our family. I would recommened ALL people in the household spend equal time with their staffs to avoid the dog from bonding closer to one indiviual person and also if you have children i recommend a female just because i find them alittle more obedient just because males like to be dominant, but either sex can be just as gentle and loving.She is the best dog i could have gotten and i wouldnt give her up for the world

[nycsker]

on 9/28/2008 Ditto on the unbelievably ignorant commentary about restraining at all times. This is typical of sites like eHow, that throw non-experts in the editorial seat to quickly jam out a bunch of copy to get hits, and therefore increase ad revenue. Maybe there should be an eHow on how to write proper columns. Get a real dog expert, people.

[deejai]

on 9/9/2008 Staffymom: Thank u for your comment. A lady in my neighborhood resuced a beautiful staffordshire female from an abusive owner. She can't take care of the dog for long and wanted to find an owner. I fell in love with her and am trying to convince my husband to get her. She is the sweetest dog! Therefore I appreciate your comments. People think because they look so tough that they are very agressive dogs. Everything I've researched has said just the opposite.