GENERAL APPEARANCE
Shoulder height: 35.5-41cm (14”-16”).
Colour: Red, white, blue, black, brindle and fawn with or without white markings.
Coat: Smooth, short and close.
Gait: Legs moving parallel when viewed from the front and the rear.
These extremely muscular dogs have bodies which slightly resemble Bull Terriers. The heads must be broad with unusually prominent cheek muscles, with a well defined stop and a muzzle that is short and powerful. The ears may be either half pricked, or rose shaped folding back. The muscular neck is rather short and widens into extremely powerful shoulders and a broad chest. This results in widely set forelegs which finish with well padded feet either pointing forward or turning out a little. The loins are more lightly built than the shoulders, and the lowset and low carried tail tapers to a point. The hindlegs must be muscular and the stifles well bent.
CHARACTERISTICS AND CARE
Being bold, fearless and reliable, these dogs respond well to the attention and training that would be dispensed to a child. They are ‘people’ orientated and are happiest in a domestic environment rather than out in a yard on their own. In order to maintain the correct muscle tone, this breed needs plenty of good exercise. Due to the indomitable courage expected of them, when they were forced to perform in the now banned dog fights, care must be taken to see that their training emphasizes peaceful relationships with other dogs.
HISTORY
Early in the 19th century, when mining folk in Staffordshire wanted a suitable dog for pit fighting, they crossed the Bulldog with the old English terrier aiming for strength, spirit, tenacity and agility. In those early days, this breed was known as the Bull and Terrier, or, the Half and Half. While not being savage by nature, through training to fight and battle from puppy hood onwards, they soon learnt to fulfill the expectations of their master.