American Pit Bull Terrier vs American Staffordshire Terrier

An American Pit Bull Terrier
Photo: geoggirl
An American Staffordshire Terrier
Photo: Oldwald4tler

Side by side

American Pit Bull Terrier
American Staffordshire Terrier
Adult weight
Males 16–27 kg (35–60 lb); females 14–23 kg (30–50 lb) (registry figure)1
Males 25–32 kg (55–70 lb); females 18–25 kg (40–55 lb) (breed club figure)2
Height
Males 45–53 cm; females 43–50 cm (registry figure)1
No sourced figure
Lifespan
12–13 years3
Median 12.5 years4
Fully grown
11 months, both sexes5
Group
Terrier (AKC)
Terriers6
Coat
No sourced figure
Short coat6
Shedding
No sourced figure
Sheds through the year
Grooming
No sourced figure
A brush once a week
Exercise
No sourced figure
A moderate amount
Class
Companion
Companion

Which suits you

Size
The American Staffordshire Terrier is a little larger on average: about 25 kg (55 lb) as an adult, against 20 kg (44 lb) for the American Pit Bull Terrier.
Temperament
They differ most on activity (American Pit Bull Terrier: needs lots of exercise; American Staffordshire Terrier: a good daily walk and play).
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 Pit Bull Terrier
Terrier · Medium

Breed standards describe a confident, eager and people-focused dog that is usually friendly with strangers, which makes it a poor guard dog.

American Staffordshire Terrier
Terriers · Medium

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

The American Pit Bull Terrier page →The American Staffordshire Terrier page →

Breed traits

Day to day
American Pit Bull Terrier
American Staffordshire Terrier
Activity
Differs
Needs lots of exercise
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 Pit Bull Terrier
American Staffordshire Terrier
Affection
A lap or leaning dog
A lap or leaning dog
Loyalty
Bonded to its family
Bonded to its family
Independence
Cooperative, with its own ideas
Cooperative, with its own ideas
Around the home
American Pit Bull Terrier
American Staffordshire Terrier
Sensitivity
Average
Average
Voice
Barks to alert, then settles
Barks to alert, then settles
Prey drive
Likely to chase small pets
Likely to chase small pets
Breed explains only about 9% of how individual dogs differ in behaviour7. Meet the dog. A good breeder breeds for temperament as well as health, and matches each puppy's personality to the right home8,9.

Puppy growth

Reference curves · both sexes
The American Staffordshire Terrier grows to the heavier adult, about 25 kg against the American Pit Bull Terrier's 20 kg.
American Pit Bull Terrier
American Staffordshire Terrier
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More comparisons

Compare the American Pit Bull Terrier with
American Staffordshire Terrier vs Staffordshire Bull TerrierAmerican Pit Bull Terrier vs Staffordshire Bull TerrierAmerican Bully vs American Pit Bull TerrierAmerican Pit Bull Terrier vs Bull TerrierAmerican Pit Bull Terrier vs German ShepherdAmerican Pit Bull Terrier vs BulldogAll breed comparisons →

Sources

Parts of this page were written by AI ·