Breed info

Strong, athletic, intelligent and driven to please, the AmStaff can excel at just about anything asked of it, including, but not limited to agility, conformation showing, carting, packing, therapy work, search & rescue, and protection work. The AmStaff can be strong willed, exuberant and impulsive while remaining quite sensitive. Training is most successful when kept fun and diverse. The owner must attain pack leader status at an early age and not let this diminish as the puppy matures. Another imperative step to raising a well-adjusted AmStaff is to heavily socialize puppies and young adults with lots of other dogs. This should always be done in controlled environments with dogs of known temperaments. 

In general, an AmStaff should not be left alone with other dogs. Dog aggression is something that can develop in even well-socialized dogs. Aggression towards humans in this breed in non-threatening situations should never be seen. They are very good with children, but keep in mind children and dogs of any breed should never be left alone together.

The American Staffordshire Terrier is not a new breed. Although it gained American Kennel Club registration and recognition in 1936, it has been developed since the early 1800's as a result of crosses between the bulldogs of that time and game terriers. One of the early and very famous AKC registered Staffs was Pete the Pup, (real name Lucenay's Peter), dog star of the original Our Gang comedies of the 1930's "The Little Rascals."

The American Staffordshire Terrier is part of the "Terrier" Group in the American Kennel Club (AKC).​