American Bulldog vs American Staffordshire Terrier

An American Bulldog
Photo: Frikkii
An American Staffordshire Terrier
Photo: Oldwald4tler

Side by side

American Bulldog
American Staffordshire Terrier
Adult weight
Males 34–45 kg (75–100 lb); females 27–36 kg (60–80 lb) (breed club figure)1
Males 25–32 kg (55–70 lb); females 18–25 kg (40–55 lb) (breed club figure)2
Height
Males 55.9–68.6 cm; females 50.8–63.5 cm (registry figure)3
No sourced figure
Lifespan
10–15 years4
Median 12.5 years5
Fully grown
12 months, both sexes6
11 months, both sexes6
Group
Working (AKC)
Terriers7
Coat
No sourced figure
Short coat7
Shedding
No sourced figure
Sheds through the year
Grooming
No sourced figure
A brush once a week
Exercise
No sourced figure
A moderate amount
Health
Dry eye (much more likely); Blood blister in the ear flap (more likely)8,9
No sourced figure
Class
Watchdog
Companion

Which suits you

Size
The American Bulldog is larger on average: about 36 kg (79 lb) as an adult, against 25 kg (55 lb) for the American Staffordshire Terrier.
Temperament
They differ most on loyalty (American Bulldog: sticks close to its people; American Staffordshire Terrier: bonded to its family) and on sensitivity (American Bulldog: hardy, takes a busy home in its stride; American Staffordshire Terrier: average).
Alike
Both are rated the same on affection: a lap or leaning dog.
Neither is the better dog in general. Which suits you depends on your home, your days and the care you can give.
Take the breed matcher

What they're like

American Bulldog
Working · Large

In temperament it is confident and loyal, friendly with its own people and naturally watchful, and often reserved with strangers.

American Staffordshire Terrier
Terriers · Medium

The breed is confident, alert and tenacious, and is usually affectionate and good-natured with people.

The American Bulldog page →The American Staffordshire Terrier page →

Breed traits

Day to day
American Bulldog
American Staffordshire Terrier
Activity
A good daily walk and play
A good daily walk and play
Intelligence
Learns readily, likes games
Learns readily, likes games
Handler demand
Needs an experienced owner
Needs an experienced owner
With people
American Bulldog
American Staffordshire Terrier
Affection
A lap or leaning dog
A lap or leaning dog
Loyalty
Differs
Sticks close to its people
Bonded to its family
Independence
Cooperative, with its own ideas
Cooperative, with its own ideas
Around the home
American Bulldog
American Staffordshire Terrier
Sensitivity
Differs
Hardy, takes a busy home in its stride
Average
Voice
Barks to alert, then settles
Barks to alert, then settles
Prey drive
Differs
Chases; needs managing
Likely to chase small pets
Breed explains only about 9% of how individual dogs differ in behaviour10. Meet the dog. A good breeder breeds for temperament as well as health, and matches each puppy's personality to the right home11,12.

Puppy growth

Reference curves · both sexes
The American Bulldog grows to the heavier adult, about 36 kg against the American Staffordshire Terrier's 25 kg.
American Bulldog
American Staffordshire Terrier
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More comparisons

Compare the American Bulldog with
American Staffordshire Terrier vs Staffordshire Bull TerrierAmerican Pit Bull Terrier vs American Staffordshire TerrierAmerican Bulldog vs BulldogAmerican Bulldog vs American Pit Bull TerrierAmerican Bully vs American Staffordshire TerrierAmerican Bulldog vs American BullyAll breed comparisons →

Sources

Parts of this page were written by AI ·