Humanity has enjoyed the dog’s faithfulness for centuries. Few races want to please their human owners more like Staffordshire Bull Terrier. Dogs, in general, have adapted to man and all his whims for many generations. The Staffordshire Bull Terrier today also holds that feeling in body and mind with strength and determination.

A specialist in body and mind

Before the canine exhibitions and the breeding of purebred dogs arrived, people recognized the merit of those dogs that could specialize in the performance of a specific job or task. We raised dogs that could hunt, graze, transport objects, save, run, track, and that could perform many other tasks to make our life much more comfortable, that we could enjoy it more and that it was more pleasant. The anatomy of each dog reflected the tasks that man had put him to perform.

The hunting dog had an insulating coat, a very sensitive truffle, a compact body, a deep thorax, and straight and sturdy limbs. The racing dog had longer legs, a collected abdomen (to achieve higher speed), a deep chest (for better lung capacity), a sharp view, and a narrow, long snout.

The original purposes of the high molasses

Historians describe to us the impressive tasks carried out by these original molasses. The dogs used for war (with armor, spikes, and necklace) became valuable weapons for those who fought their enemies. These dogs were not only brave but also aggressive and resourceful. As old as in 2100 BC, dogs were already employed for the war. Many famous kings and numerous tribes used dogs to get their victories. The dogs were trained for combat and were covered with thick metal plates and with necklaces with spikes to defend them from their enemies, who carried spears and other primitive weapons. With the passage of the millennia Hammurabi, Cambyses, Darius, and Henry VII of England were among those monarchs who valued the dogs in their armies. These dogs were necessarily mean and trusted no one but their only master. All property, these war dogs were labeled Canes bellicose.

The high molasses also helped the man in the hunt for mammoth and ferocious pieces. These dogs used to hunt in packs were kept by royalty and were used to chase bison and go through the woods. The dogs were also used to follow the trail of the deer, which was considered a great hunting piece, as was the wild boar, which was the most dangerous of wild animals, feared for its ruthless and perilous temperament. These dogs were working next to the dogs fast and less weight that make enough to the prey before the mighty Molossian dogs were released to kill him. Many men, dogs, and horses died harassing the Wild Boars fighting to save their lives. There are anecdotes of dogs used in wild boar hunting that had been bred in kennels where there were up to 6,000 dogs. Today molasses are rarely used for these purposes, but there are still wild boar hunts in the US, Germany, and Spain.

Bear hunting, which was more popular than wild boar hunting, was also a proper exercise of ancient dogs. They were required to follow the bear’s trail, harass him and keep him occupied until the hunters arrived with their guns. The bear is a brilliant animal that can weigh 350 kg and can easily outrun a dog. The molasses of India have given rise to the most picturesque hunting stories, including buffalo hunting, Leopards, Panthers, and elephants. Regardless of the truth of these anecdotes, the stories highlight the courageous tenacity of these dog’s type mastiffs that was the ancestors of our Staffordshire Bull Terrier of today.

Bull and Terrier Crossing

The term “bull and terrier” refers to a typical cross between Bulldog-type dogs and smaller Terriers. The Bulldogs of the mid-19th century did not resemble the cheerful English Bulldog we know and love today. They looked more like the tallest dogs with the most extended head we know as American Staffordshire Terrier or Pit Bull. Experts point out that the Terriers used were probably the Black and Tan Terriers, who were the progenitors of Manchester Terrier, or perhaps the White English Terrier, a race extinguished in its original form, but which is an ancestor of the current Bull Terrier. These first bull and Terrier crosses were desirable to give rise to smaller, agile, and courageous dogs that were needed for the” sport ” of dog fights. The larger-sized Molos, who were brave and heroic in battle and hunting for larger game pieces, were less successful in fighting rings. Unless a dog was suitably small, fast, and agile enough, it could not maneuver to charge against a bull or a canine opponent. This is a Staffordshire Bull Terrier lesson that tends to lose interest to many Bulldog lovers, especially Americans, who always insist that the big is better. Even today, in the U.S., there are lines of American Pit Bull Terrier so large and unappealing that they can exceed 54.5 kg of weight. The appearance and size of the Staffordshire Bull Terrier would continue to be the subject of debate for many years.

The ancestors of Staffordshire Terrier were the Companions of the workers in the “Black region” (industrial region of the Birmingham area), in Stafford. In this part of England, Bull and Terrier were raised with high intensity, and the owners continued to face their dogs in the fighting rings for a long time after dog fights were banned. Stafford’s residents believed that the fighting ring was the only and definitive proof of the value of their dogs and considered these fights as “work exercises” to determine which dogs were worth raising. This mentality is similar to that of canine exhibitions around the world, where the ring is used for exposure to determine which dogs they should breed. The preparation of Champions is quite a challenge, and only those dogs that show their merit in the exhibition ring deserve to breed. In the same way, although it is evident that it is a game more lethal, the inhabitants of Stafford were using the fights to determine who were the “champions,” so that only the dogs are braver to give rise to the next generation of fighting dogs.

The Staffordshire Terrier

The pioneers of the race, who lived in the” Black region,” were not happy with the entry of Staffordshire into the world of canine exhibitions. They feared that the temperament of the race would be in danger and that the true spirit would be lost. Many of these pioneers continued to make their brave Staffordshire fight to keep that “spirit” in their blood. Another controversy arose about the desirable size of dogs. In the original standard, it was similar to that of the most popular Bull Terrier, 37.5-45 cm. The Breeders were breeding Staffordshire that weighed too much and was not so agile, so by 1948; the height decreased to 35-40 CM. This change was not well received by many breeders, and the current dogs continue to exceed the standard height. In recent times, breeders have been concerned about the achievement of the perfect head in their specimens. It is fair to say that the administrator has received too much emphasis and that the posterior extremities and shoulders have suffered with it, resulting in a movement that is far from ideal in most dogs.