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Staffordshire Bull Terrier

The Staffordshire bull terrier or staffie for short, was originally bred from bulldogs and terriers.  The temperament comes from both breeds and they are supposed to be bold and fearless.   In view of this they may need firm handling but of course this depends on the individual dog. 

The height of the staffie should be 14 to 16ins (35.5 to 40.5cm) and the weight can be anything from 24 to 38lb (11 to 17kg).  This puts them in the medium class for agility but as with all breeds there are variations in the height and weight so you may get a little chunky bitch in the small classes or a taller dog in the large class. 

Staffies are usually very muscular and active dogs so if you're thinking of taking up agility with your staffie you'll find this an ideal way to keep your dog active and occupied without getting into mischief.

photo by courtesy of copyright free pictures

 For some reason we seem to have a lot of these dogs living locally to us and they vary from being sweet and easy to handle to downright naughty and difficult.  The variation is almost certainly more to do with the owners than the dogs.   If you are thinking of getting a staffie I would talk to some of the breeders first to find out if the breed is suitable for you and if you think you can take on the training required. 

The respondents to our survey varied in their answers to the question on ease of training from "easy" to "a bit difficult."  Most people said they would choose this type of dog for agility again and only one person said they wouldn't.  Bear in mind though that some people who want to compete on a regular basis may want to continue their agility career in standard classes and therefore wouldn't choose a smaller chunkier dog for agility anyway.   Read the comments and then take a look at the video clip below.

Blue Boy Babe:
Staffs have been given a bad name because of bad owners. I think this is unfair because no dog is bad, you only get bad owners, who make the dog bad! Of all the 4 staffs my family have had we have never had a bad one, they have all been the friendliest and kindest dogs ever. Staffs are friendly, intelligent, loving and protective, they are great with children and love their owners dearly, so I think people should change their attitude towards them and see the true side of staffs!!

Sharon:
Can be hard work as you have to be fairly strong minded.

Lindsay Dobson (Staffie cross):
She can be a little clumsy, but she loves the agility 'things' in particular the ramp and the tunnel. When first introduced to these things as a puppy, she had no fear whatsoever and if off lead and left alone would go over the the things on her own and then stop and look as if she wanted some applause.

Staffie Handler:
Although we have yet to compete, my dog is brilliant at jumping, extremely quick, intelligent and easy to train. Although sometimes too intelligent for her own good!!

Staffie/Jack Russell cross handler:
She's got the speed of the JRT; the sweetness of the SBT; the stubbornness and independence of all terriers; Agility is her favourite game (equal to chasing and retrieving a tennis ball)

Staffie handler:
My Staffie loves agility, she measures 18" so is in large but she copes ok. Sometimes her concentration lacks, but I'm very proud of her as she was a rescue that didn't even know what a lead was when we got her.

Sue Kemp:
Sue says she finds her staffie falls into the large category for agility and is fairly easy to train.

Ann-Marie (Staffie/Boxer)
 Very active keen learner! Loves agility and obedience training sessions. Diverts his energy into something more positive, keeping him out of trouble!

Becky Leighton (Staffie/labrador cross)
Typical staffie temperaments - stubborn!  but loves agility.  Due to being just a centimetre too big, he is large, and can't really do speed and height, so clear rounds galore!

Becky:
 I have to agree with the weaves comment - it was a good two years of training before Max would reliably do a full 12.  He loves agility although the cross bit of him means he is a Large, all this means is that the speed is lacking, but the clear round rosettes are not!  I would get another staffie for agility without a moments hesitation.

Staffie Handler:
"It's undoubtedly the BC genes in my dog that makes her a good agility dog. Had the Staff genes been dominant then perhaps she wouldn't have been quite as good."

Gemma:
"Staffies are really easy to train  and very obedient and if brought up around animals will not be vicious, they are also easy to build a great bond with."

Jacki Ciereszko (Competitor in large classes):
"Staffy's are supposed to be small to medium, mine just got bigger and bigger.  He can manage the large jumps, but his weight is against him, but he loves agility. The only thing that they find a bit difficult is the weaves, being a square shaped dog does have its disadvantages."

Staffie Handler (medium category):
"They find it great fun, and it's a great way of socialising them with other dogs while keeping their minds occupied on the fun part!  They pick it up so quickly, as they would do anything for a treat and lots of praise!"

Sonia (Experienced obedience trainer and competitor):
"If you can train a staffie you can train anything."

My Husband (The main victim of a staffie puppy's attention.)
"I've never seen anything like it before or since.  It was completely mad and appeared to be on springs."
Pat comments:  We are going back some thirty odd years here so this pup made quite an impression.
 

Video Clips

Just in case you're sceptical about the staffies ability to compete at agility just take a look at Loki's journey to winning an all breed cup in 2006.  The whole of the winning round is shown in the last clip.(courtesy of You Tube).