American Staffordshire Terrier (Staffie): Show Dog and Guard Dog In One
The ancestors of the American Staffordshire Terrier (Staffie) are the bull baiting dog breeds of the 18th century. In Staffordshire, England, the Bulldog and some other terriers were crossed in order to develop a fighting dog that soon to become the parent of the American Staffordshire Terrier (Staffie). This mixing resulted to the muscled, active and fearless Staffordshire Terrier.
The Staffordshire Terrier became one of the best fighter in the violent sport of bull and bear baiting in England during the middle of 18th century. But when an act was approved prohibiting this atrocious sport, many fanciers shipped their Staffordshire Terrier to United States. There, the Staffordshire Terrier was developed to become family friendly and the results were the two strains of dogs which are the American Staffordshire Terrier (Staffie) and the American Pit Bull Terrier (APBT).
This new breeding in the US produced a dog that possessed a more powerful head and heavier weight than the Staffordshire Terrier. Its offspring the American Staffordshire Terrier (Staffie) and American Pit Bull Terrier became the show dog and the fighting dog respectively. Today, these two strains are considered as two separate breeds by the American Kennel Club.
The Staffie and APBT, since both came from the same breeding, shared similar qualities. Today, both are utilized in guarding, police works, and even weight pulling. Comparing to the Staffordshire Terrier of Britain, these American breeds are heavier and larger.
As a family companion, the Staffie is a happy, easy going, stable and confident dog. Towards the family that owns it, this dog is loving and caring. To its master, this dog is extremely loyal, affectionate and gentle.
As a companion, the Staffie is biddable, eager to please and protective of the master. It is also highly intelligent and fearless that it won’t back down from any intruders who threaten the safety of the master or his property. The Staffie can come in good terms with other animals and humans so long as it is socialized at an early age.
The body of the Staffie is well-muscled, compact and very strong. Its appearance manifests strength and power through its broad and powerful head, strong jaws and short muzzle. On the average, the weight of this dog falls between 57 to 67 pounds and the height 16 to 19 inches.
The coat of this dog is short, thick and glossy. The colors are a combination of white and any other colors provided that the white color dominates the coat by 80%. Daily exercise is very essential to this dog’s physical and mental health therefore, at the daily, this dog should be taken for walks or run.
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Using only a couple of tools which were very basic, people have trained dogs for decades. In today’s modern society, we use more technical tools like remote controlled collars and other electronic gadgets. It can be very helpful to use these high-tech gadgets, though it is not necessary as you will soon see. You will see in this article several ways to use dog training tools, from basic to advanced, in order to properly train your dog today.
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You love your dog, and if you could you would take him everywhere with you? This may be so, and many dog lovers feel this way, but sometimes we simply do not get around having to leave our dog home alone.
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