How to Care for an American Staffordshire Terrier

Taking Care Of An American Staffordshire Terrier

1. Vaccinate your American Staffordshire Terrier when you first get her, and make sure she gets yearly booster vaccinations to maintain her immunity to disease. Also, worm your adult dog every three months and consult with your veterinarian about flea control products. 
2. Train and socialize your American Staffordshire terrier when she's young. This breed has dominant and aggressive tendencies and needs to be around people and animals to avoid negative behavior formation. Remember to use positive reinforcement when training. Exercise or run your American Staffordshire terrier daily. Be sure to keep her on leash to prevent fighting with other dogs. 
3. Feed your American Staffordshire terrier high-grade dog food. The first ingredient should be meat if you want a quality product. Crude protein should be no less than 30 percent and crude fat no less than 20 percent. The fiber content needs to be 4 percent or less. 
4. Brush your dog's coat daily with a firm-bristle brush, and buff her coat with a damp cloth to bring out the sheen. Shampoo as needed and trim nails every two to three weeks. 
5. Realize that this breed can be difficult to house-train and will require much time and patience in this area. Puppies will probably need to relieve themselves up to six times a day. Begin by urging them to go after meals. 
6. The major health concerns of this breed are CHD and PRA. Minor health problems include allergies, cruciate ligament rupture, and hypothyroidism. Vets recommend that you have your American Staffordshire Terrier checked for potential cardiac, elbow, eye, hip, and thyroid problems. Her average life span is between 12 to 14 years. 
7. Note that male American Staffordshire terriers will grow to 17 to 19 inches and weigh between 57 and 67 lbs. Females will grow to 16 to 18 inches and also weigh between 57 and 67 lbs. 
8. Expect an American Staffordshire terrier to live 12 to 14 years.