The Staffordshire Bull Terrier

The Staffordshire Bull Terrier was a breed which was developed in the early days by crossing the bulldog with the terriers of the day. This produced a dog with a tenacious bite and seemingly limitless endurance for punishment. As early as the 1500s bull baiting and bear baiting was a "sport" in the British Isles. In modern times this has been abolished, but unscrupulous persons still participate in "pit fights" where dogs are pitted against each other and bets are placed. This is still going on in many parts of the world, even though the participants in most places are subject to heavy fines and jail terms.

Unfortunately because of the reputation of the pitbull types of dogs, the Staffordshire Bull Terrier has joined the ranks of those dogs which are outlawed in many communities. The truly bred Staffordshire Bull Terrier is less common, however, than the Pitbull Terrier and is bred by responsible breeders as a show dog. This has protected its existence somewhat, as many breeders will sell only to other breeders or on contracts that the dogs be spayed or neutered.

The Staffordshire Bull Terrier is one of the breeds which was originally bred to be a fighting dog. It has become more refined from the earlier specimens which were generally a mixed lot in appearance. The appearance of the Staffordshire Bull Terrier is blocky. The dog has the easy care short smooth coat common to these breeds and minimal care is needed to keep him clean. Colors can be red, fawn, white, black or blue, or any of these colors with white, or any shade of brindle or any shade of brindle with white. The skull is short and deep with pronounced cheek muscles making the head appear quite chunky. Ears are rose ears or half prick and small. The tail is not docked and of medium length. The front is broad with a deep chest and legs should be straight and not bowed as those of the Bulldog . The dog should be of medium size, standing 14-16 inches at the shoulder and weighing 28-30 pounds. If kept in good condition, this s a dog that can run for hours and makes a perfect joggers companion.

There are few genetic conditions. One of the benefits of the dogs' genetic inheritance is that its skin is tough and the dog is tough. Any wounds heal quickly and there are usually very few reasons for a Staffordshire Bull Terrier to visit the vet. Today the Staffordshire Bull has a uniform appearance and is being bred by true fanciers of the breed as a show dog and household companion. This particular breed generally has none of the qualities of aggression towards people that is sometimes exhibited by many of the other breeds of the "pitbull" origin. If brought up responsibly and socialized with people at a young age this breed is considered a wonderful companion for children. With its tail always wagging and its face always "smiling" the Staffordshire Bull will allow any amount of mauling from the children in the household and is an easygoing and friendly pet. He is generous in nature and forgiving, easy to train and willing to please.

Michael Russell Your Independent guide to Dogs Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Russell

Understanding Pit bulls

Pit bull is nothing but the name of breed of dog that is loved by all creeds of people especially Americans. The Americans do fear these dogs as much as they love. Dog bite incidences are more in the houses that has pit bull when compared with the houses that have other breeds. Of late, pit bulls have created paranoia among the dog lovers.

The pit bull indicates three breeds of dogs. They are Staffordshire bull terrier, American [Staffordshire] terrier, and pit bull terrier of America. This dog’s origin is United Kingdom.

During the 19^th century pit bull terrier of America was imported to America from England. American Staffordshire terrier is also called as Amstaff. This Amstaff is the variant of English bulldog. These Amstaff were known for their fighting qualities.

All these pit bulls dogs will be having short and stout body. The mouth will be wide and the tongues will be long and hanging from the mouth.

Pit bulls are one of the most energized and athletic dogs in the world. These dogs have evolved from bears. These dogs were in olden days, used by the cowboys for bull fighting.

One would have come across term “taking the bull by its nose". This term originated from the fact that these pit bulls can hold a bull by biting it in its nose. These dogs love to play with children brushing aside all their ferocious nature.

Many families who had pit bulls in their house vouch for the fact that these dogs like the children very much.

Pit bulls are very aggressive dog temperamentally; there is no doubt about that. Because of this reason some kennels breed these dogs for dog fighting show.

However, as a matter of fact such dog fights are illegal. These dogs don’t attack the other dogs instantly. Only when provoked these dogs will pounce on them and fight them terribly.

As these dogs are highly ferocious in some places these are banned from rearing. For example, these dogs are banned in Ontario of Canada. In those places the dogs that are found already are either neutered or spayed.

In some places these dogs were subjected to euthanasia also. This of course gave rise to vociferous agitation from the dog lovers all over the world. The dog lovers condemned these activities as barbarian act.

The dog lovers all over the world argued that the pit bulls are as aggressive as any other dogs. Hence killing these dogs cannot be pardoned. Besides that only the aggressive dogs can be reared in houses for protection against the predators and thief’s.

As these dogs are best suited to that instead of rewarding then killing is absolutely absurd, they argued. The intensity of the ferociousness and the aggression of these dogs can be reduced greatly by proper training.

Only the dog that bred poorly and not cared properly becomes vicious. Hence the dog lovers resort to even signature campaign to save these pit bulls from extinction. Their famous slogans is “don’t punish the breed, punish the deed.”

The pit bulls are the reason for the tug –of –war between the dog lovers and the law enforcing authorities. As the result many people are turning away to other breeds for rearing. Many people look at these pit bull breeds as monsters, but in reality they are not. The ferociousness of these dogs has put a big question mark on their future.