American Staffordshire Terrier vs Staffordshire Bull Terrier

An American Staffordshire Terrier
Photo: Oldwald4tler
A Staffordshire Bull Terrier
Photo: W.carter

Side by side

American Staffordshire Terrier
Staffordshire Bull Terrier
Adult weight
Males 25–32 kg (55–70 lb); females 18–25 kg (40–55 lb) (breed club figure)1
Males 13–17 kg (29–37 lb); females 11–15 kg (24–34 lb) (breed club figure)2
Height
No sourced figure
Males 36–41 cm; females 36–41 cm (breed club figure)2
Lifespan
Median 12.5 years3
Median 12 years3
Fully grown
11 months, both sexes4
Group
Terriers5
Terriers6
Coat
Short coat5
Short coat6
Shedding
Sheds through the year
Grooming
A brush once a week
Exercise
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 Staffordshire Terrier is much larger: about 25 kg (55 lb) as an adult, against 14 kg (31 lb) for the Staffordshire Bull Terrier.
Temperament
They differ most on handler demand (American Staffordshire Terrier: needs an experienced owner; Staffordshire Bull Terrier: needs steady training) and on voice (American Staffordshire Terrier: barks to alert, then settles; Staffordshire Bull Terrier: quiet).
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 Staffordshire Terrier
Terriers · Medium

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

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 Staffordshire Terrier page →The Staffordshire Bull Terrier page →

Breed traits

Day to day
American Staffordshire Terrier
Staffordshire Bull 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
Differs
Needs an experienced owner
Needs steady training
With people
American Staffordshire 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 Staffordshire 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 Staffordshire Terrier grows to the heavier adult, about 25 kg against the Staffordshire Bull Terrier's 14 kg.
American Staffordshire Terrier
Staffordshire Bull Terrier
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More comparisons

Compare the American Staffordshire Terrier with
American Pit Bull Terrier vs Staffordshire Bull TerrierAmerican Pit Bull Terrier vs American Staffordshire TerrierAmerican Bully vs Staffordshire Bull TerrierAmerican Bully vs American Staffordshire TerrierBull Terrier vs Staffordshire Bull TerrierAmerican Bulldog vs American Staffordshire TerrierAll breed comparisons →

Sources

Parts of this page were written by AI ·