- red, fawn, white, black or blue, or any one of these colours with white.
- Any shade of brindle or any shade of brindle with white.
- Undesirable: Black and tan or liver colour highly
About the Staffordshire Bull Terrier
Origin: Great Britain
- Typical life span
- 12-14 years
- Size
- Medium — from its typical weight
- Weight
- Male
- 13-17 kg
- Female
- 11-15 kg
- Height
- 36-41 cm
- FCI status
- Recognised by FCI
- FCI group
- Terriers
- Origin
- Great Britain
- Known hereditary risks
- Not researched yet
About
What is a Staffordshire Bull Terrier?
Compact, muscular, and stocky terrier with broad head and strong build, known for great strength, agility, courage, and affectionate nature with family
Staffordshire Bull Terrier history and origins
Developed in 19th-century Staffordshire, England by crossing bulldogs with local terriers for bull-baiting and dog fighting. After these sports were banned, breeders refined the breed into the affectionate and reliable family companion known today
Staffordshire Bull Terrier appearance and size
Males typically weigh 13-17 kg and females 11-15 kg.
What the breed standard says
- Bred for
- Terrier
- Behaviour and temperament
“Traditionally of indomitable courage and tenacity. Highly intelligent and affectionate especially with children. Bold, fearless and totally reliable”
Quoted from FCI standard n°76. It describes the breed the registry recognises, not any individual animal.
Breed reference from The Dog API.
Characteristics
- Size
- Medium
- Exercise needsRead from what the breed was bred to do, in the registry’s own words: “Terrier” That is a working purpose, not a measured exercise requirement — an individual dog’s needs depend on its age, health and household.
- 4 of 5
- Easy to train
- —
- Amount of shedding
- —
- Grooming needs
- 2 of 5
- Good with children
- —
- Cost to keep
- —
- Tolerates being alone
- —
- Intelligence
- —
- Health of breed
- Not researched yet
Pros & cons
Pros & cons for the Staffordshire Bull Terrier
What you get with the Staffordshire Bull Terrier
- Purpose stated in the standard: “Terrier”
- The standard describes the breed as: “Traditionally of indomitable courage and tenacity”
- Low grooming needs, fitting for a busy owner — the coat is “Smooth, short and close”
What you are taking on
Nobody has written this side yet. It is a judgement rather than data, so it waits for a person — not for a missing source.
Drawn from sources rather than written as an opinion — cited health research, the registry’s own standard, and peer-reviewed longevity. FCI breed standard. One breeder’s animals can differ from any of it, and an empty column means we hold nothing for that side rather than that there is nothing to say.
Characteristics
FCI standard · Staffordshire Bull Terrier
Coat and colour
As the FCI standard sets it out. Every line below is the standard’s own wording, tagged undesirable.
Coat
Smooth, short and close
Colour
- Preferred
- Permissible
- Undesirable
- Disqualifying
Preferred, permissible, undesirable and disqualifying are FCI’s own words about the breed. They describe what the standard asks for — not an assessment of any individual dog, and not ours.
Shortened from FCI standard n°76 — each label is the standard’s own wording with the verdict lifted into the tag beside it. Read the full clause at source.
What the breed standard says
- Size
- “Desirable height at withers: 14-16 ins. (35,5 to 40,5 cm), these heights being related to the weights. Weight: Dogs Bitches : 28-38 lbs (12,7-17 kg). : 24-34 lbs (11-15,4 kg)”
- FCI distinguishes an ideal from what is permitted.
Quoted from FCI standard n°76. It describes the breed the registry recognises, not any individual animal.
Breed-level information from The Dog API. It describes the Staffordshire Bull Terrier in general; any individual animal can differ.
Health guide
What to ask for in a Staffordshire Bull Terrier
No breed-specific health panel has been written up for the Staffordshire Bull Terrier on this platform yet. That is a gap in our records, not a clean bill of health — ask the breeder which hereditary conditions their lines are tested for, and ask to see the results for both parents, dated and from a named laboratory.
Gallery
No photographs yet
This is where Staffordshire Bull Terrier owners’ own photographs will go, from the pet profiles they keep here. Nobody has added one to a public page yet.
A photograph in a pet profile stays private to its owner. We will not put one here unless they ask us to.
Puppies
No puppies listed right now
No Staffordshire Bull Terrier breeder has a record on this platform yet, so there is nothing to list. That is a gap in our coverage, not a fact about the breed.