EVOLUTION OF THE STAFFORDSHIRE BULL TERRIER BREED STANDARD
By Jason Nicolai
T
he Sta ff ordshire Bull Terrier was accepted by the AKC for registra- tion in 1974 with show status granted the fol- lowing year. However,
taken directly from the original in 1935: “…great strength for his (its) size, and although muscular should be active and agile.” Th e interpretation of “active and agile” went from a mid-standard dog who carried approximately 2 pounds of weight per inch of height to one that now carries nearly 2.4 pounds per inch—a 20% increase in overall mass. It’s impor- tant to note that this evolution is very often misquoted and misunderstood. You may hear some incorrectly state that the current heights and weights that define proper substance were derived by the fighting fancy, so allowances should be made for our modern show dogs to carry more mass or to be conditioned to a weight considerably more than the breed standard call for. As a result you may see exhibits that are shown with an overall substance or a simple lack of con- ditioning resulting a weight that is well above today’s standard for their height. In reality, the modern standard already takes into consideration the breed’s transformation from a fighting dog to a show dog. Th e argument that it’s acceptable for our modern show dogs to carry more mass than the cur- rent standard calls for is an unfounded and unfortunate misinterpretation of the breed’s history. Some tolerance for varia- tion should certainly be given. Howev- er, remember that the current standard explicitly states under “Size, Proportion, Substance” that “non-conformity with
these limits is a fault.” Be careful not to consciously select for a fault just because it looks “impressive.” From 1935 through today, the Sta ff ord is still described as active and agile dog. In the 1949 revision, a “Characteris- tics” section was added. Today it appears verbatim in the AKC standard under “Temperament” which is still the only standard to mention a breed’s a ff ection for children. In 1935, there was no description for movement in the standard. In 1949, the parent club intended on adding move- ment as a portion of the old 100-point judging system, but the Kennel Club changed its policies and would not allow this scoring system to be published—no description was added at that time. Th e original AKC standard for the breed was taken directly from the 1949 UK standard, and thus also had no mention of gait. Essentially movement slipped through the cracks for the first 50 years of breed standard history. Th e first description did not appear until 1987 (UK) and consequently 1989 (US) where it remains as such, “Free, powerful and agile with economy of e ff ort. Legs mov- ing parallel when viewed from front or rear. Discernible drive from hind legs.” Th e language for Head, Body, Fore- quarters and Hindquarters catagories has also changed a bit over time with the addition of greater details, but many of the primary descriptors have remained
the breed standard was not rooted the US disco era. In the UK, there existed 40 years of evolution to the standard prior to AKC acceptance. It is important to consider this history not only to have a better understanding of today’s stan- dard, but ultimately to provide impor- tant context that will assist in our inter- pretation of the modern breed and our evaluation thereof. Th e first standard was written in the UK in 1935. It began by describing the ideal Sta ff ord as 15" to 18" tall. Dogs were to weigh 28-38 pounds with bitches 24-34 pounds. Compare this to our cur- rent standard which brings the heights down to 14"-16", yet leaves the weights exactly the same. Th is is by far the most significant change to the breed standard throughout its evolution in terms of how it impacts our interpretation of the bal- ance between bull and terrier as well as the subjective descriptors found through- out the rest of the standard. Th ese early show dogs came directly from fighting stock, hence the wider variation in size and rather e ffi cient proportions com- pared to our modern show dogs. At the same time the language under “General Appearance” in today’s standard was
“Be careful not to consciously select for a fault JUST BECAUSE IT LOOKS IMPRESSIVE.”
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