American Pit Bull Terrier vs Staffordshire Bull Terrier

An American Pit Bull Terrier
Photo: geoggirl
A Staffordshire Bull Terrier
Photo: W.carter

Side by side

American Pit Bull Terrier
Staffordshire Bull Terrier
Adult weight
Males 16–27 kg (35–60 lb); females 14–23 kg (30–50 lb) (registry figure)1
Males 13–17 kg (29–37 lb); females 11–15 kg (24–34 lb) (breed club figure)2
Height
Males 45–53 cm; females 43–50 cm (registry figure)1
Males 36–41 cm; females 36–41 cm (breed club figure)2
Lifespan
12–13 years3
Median 12 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
Health
No sourced figure
Mast cell tumour (much more likely); Demodectic mange starting young, dogs under 2 (much more likely)7,8
Class
Companion
Family

Which suits you

Size
The American Pit Bull Terrier is larger on average: about 20 kg (44 lb) as an adult, against 14 kg (31 lb) for the Staffordshire Bull Terrier.
Temperament
They differ most on activity (American Pit Bull Terrier: needs lots of exercise; Staffordshire Bull Terrier: a good daily walk and play) and on handler demand (American Pit Bull Terrier: needs an experienced owner; Staffordshire Bull Terrier: needs steady training).
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.

Staffordshire Bull Terrier
Terriers · Medium

Temperamentally the Staffie is bold, tenacious and very attached to people. The Kennel Club standard notes its fondness for children, though its fighting past can show as intolerance of other dogs.

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

Breed traits

Day to day
American Pit Bull Terrier
Staffordshire Bull Terrier
Activity
Differs
Needs lots of exercise
A good daily walk and play
Intelligence
Learns readily, likes games
Learns readily, likes games
Handler demand
Differs
Needs an experienced owner
Needs steady training
With people
American Pit Bull Terrier
Staffordshire Bull 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
Staffordshire Bull Terrier
Sensitivity
Average
Average
Voice
Differs
Barks to alert, then settles
Quiet
Prey drive
Likely to chase small pets
Likely to chase small pets
Breed explains only about 9% of how individual dogs differ in behaviour9. Meet the dog. A good breeder breeds for temperament as well as health, and matches each puppy's personality to the right home10,11.

Puppy growth

Reference curves · both sexes
The American Pit Bull Terrier grows to the heavier adult, about 20 kg against the Staffordshire Bull Terrier's 14 kg.
American Pit Bull Terrier
Staffordshire Bull 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 American Staffordshire TerrierAmerican Bully vs American Pit Bull TerrierAmerican Bully vs Staffordshire Bull TerrierAmerican Pit Bull Terrier vs Bull TerrierAmerican Pit Bull Terrier vs German ShepherdAll breed comparisons →

Sources

Parts of this page were written by AI ·