The Standard

General impression of the Am staff

The American Staffordshire Terrier should give the impression of great strength for his size, a well put-together dog, muscular, but agile and graceful, keenly alive to his surroundings, he should be stocky, not long-legged or racy in outline. His courage is proverbial.

Coat

Short, close, stiff to the touch and glossy.

Color

Any color, solid or patched, is permissible. More than 80% white not to be encouraged, nor all-white, liver, black and tan.

Faults

Faults to be penalized are: Dudley nose, light or pink eyes, tail too long or badly carried, undershot or overshot mouths.

Head

Medium length, deep through, broad skull, very pronounced cheek muscles, distinct stop; ears are set high.

Eyes

Dark and round, low down in skull and set far apart. No pink eyelids.

Muzzle

Medium length, rounded on upper side to fall away abruptly below eyes. Jaws well defined. Under-jaw has to be strong and have great biting power. Lips close and even, no looseness.
Upper teeth to meet tightly outside lower teeth in front. Nose definitely black.

Neck

Heavy, slightly arched, tapering from shoulders to back of the skull. No looseness of skin. Medium length.

Teeth

Jaws well defined. Under-jaw has to be strong and have great biting power. Lips close and even, no looseness. Upper teeth have to meet tightly outside lower teeth in front.

Ears

Cropped or uncropped, the latter preferred. Uncropped ears should be short and held half rose or prick. Full drop to be penalized.

Gait, shoulders and back

Size

Height and weight should be proportional. A height of about 18 to 19 inches at shoulders for the male and 17 to 18 inches for the female is to be considered preferable.

Gait

Gait must be springy but without roll or pace.

Shoulders

Strong and muscular with blades wide and sloping.

Back

Fairly short. Slight sloping from withers to rump with gentle short slope at rump to base of tail. Loins slightly tucked.

Body

Well-sprung ribs, deep in rear. All ribs close together. Forelegs set rather wide apart to permit chest development. Chest deep and broad.

Legs

The front legs should be straight, large of round bones, pastern upright. No resemblance of blend in front. Hindquarters well-muscled, let down at hocks, turning neither in nor out. Feet of moderate size, well-arched and compact. Gait must be springy but without roll or place.

Tail

Short in comparison to size, low set, tampering to a fine point; not curled of held over back. Not docked.