How to Groom an American Staffordshire Terrier

American Staffordshire Terriers are fairly small (standing only around 16 to 19 inches tall), sturdy and muscular dogs. They are surprisingly deft of movement for dogs of their stature, and seem to think they're bigger than they are. Their coats are dense, short and glossy and require a full grooming every 10 to 12 weeks. They need a more general grooming once per month.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Scissors
• Natural bristle brush
• Chamois cloth

1. Remove stains around the dog's eyes with a moist cotton ball saturated with eye drop solution. American Staffordshire Terriers tend to tear up, which leaves stain marks around their eyes.

2. Use scissors to remove the whiskers if you desire. This choice is purely cosmetic if the dog is just a pet.

3. Brush out the coat frequently with a natural bristle brush to keep the coat looking healthy and to remove excess dirt and grime. This breed has very short hair that doesn't produce a lot of matting, so you won't have to worry about that. The brush out is mainly for cleaning and aesthetic purposes. American Staffordshire Terriers shed an average amount of hair for their coat type.

4. Bathe and/or dry shampoo when necessary. Rubbing a chamois cloth over the coat gives it an extra bit of shine.

Tips & Warnings

• The life expectancy of the American Staffordshire Terrier is about 9 to 15 years.
• Staffordshire Terriers came to be in 20th-century England, when breeders crossing different Terrier breeds and Bulldogs created a breed similar to the modern American Staffordshire Terrier. It wasn't until people brought the animal to the the U.S. and breeders there gave it more weight and a larger head that the American Staffordshire Terriers was born.
• Some American Staffordshires are susceptible to hip dysplasia, hereditary cataracts and congenital heart disease. In general, they are a very healthy breed.