Staffy character and family life

The Staffordshire Bull Terrier has a physical need for human contact and, at the same time, an extremely strong personality: determined, stubborn and full of energy. That is the view of Paolo Boldrini, who has been in the breed since 2005, has bred Staffies since 2013 as the Del Piccolo Diavolo kennel in Ostellato, near Ferrara, Italy. With children the breed shows real patience, the source of its nickname, the nanny dog, but no dog should be left alone with a small child. With other dogs reactivity exists, especially between adults of the same sex, and socialisation reduces it without removing it. It lives well in a flat if its owner is present and takes it out every day; left alone ten hours a day, it does not. It is not a dog for anyone who wants an easy one.

The Staffordshire Bull Terrier character, without embellishment

I met my first Staffordshire Bull Terrier in 2005 at Crufts. I have stayed with the breed ever since, and I have bred it since 2013.

The Staffy is the most affectionate dog I have ever known, and anyone who has lived with a Staffordshire Bull Terrier knows it. This dog has a physical need for human contact: it wants to stay close to you, sleep with you, follow you into every room.

But there's a second side: the Staffy is also a dog with a very strong personality. It's determined, stubborn, full of energy. It's not a passive dog that's content to exist in a corner. It wants to participate, wants to play, wants to be involved in everything you do.

The combination of extreme affection and strong character is what makes the Staffy unique. And also what makes it unsuitable for those looking for an "easy" dog in the wrong sense of the word.

The FCI breed standard puts both halves in the same few lines: indomitable courage and tenacity on one side, high intelligence and affection, especially with children, on the other.

With children: the "nanny dog" is not a myth

They call it the "nanny dog". Nobody knows for sure where the nickname comes from, but it is not marketing: it describes a real characteristic, genetically selected. The well-bred Staffordshire Bull Terrier has a patience with children that few other breeds can match.

I have seen my Staffies tolerate small children pulling ears, jumping on them, disturbing them during sleep. Not because they were passive: because they were balanced. There is an enormous difference.

That said: no dog is infallible. Supervision is always necessary, especially with very young children. The Staffy is not an aggressive dog with people, but it can cause unintentional harm due to its exuberance and physical strength.

With other dogs: socialisation is everything

This is the point where I need to be honest. The Staffordshire Bull Terrier has a historical background as a fighting dog, and that cannot be ignored. In some individuals, especially unneutered males, intolerance towards other dogs of the same sex may emerge.

Early and continuous socialisation reduces the problem a lot, and most Staffies live well with other dogs, but it is a tendency, not a rule, and it is judged dog by dog. All of mine live in a group without problems. But it requires consistent work, especially in the first months of life. What "socialised puppy" really means, and how to check it when you visit a breeder, is explained in socialised puppies: what it means.

When asked "can I keep it with another dog?" my answer is always the same: it depends on the individual dog, the character selection and how much you invest in socialisation. It's not a simple answer because the reality isn't simple.

Energy and exercise: how much is really needed

The Staffy is an athletic dog with considerable energy, but it's not a Border Collie. It doesn't need to run for hours a day to be balanced. It needs regular physical activity, mental stimulation and above all human interaction.

What wears out a Staffy most is not lack of physical exercise: it's boredom. A dog left alone in the house all day without stimulation becomes destructive not out of malice but out of frustration.

In an apartment: does it work?

Yes, it works, with the right conditions. The Staffy is not a garden dog: it's a sofa dog. It prefers to be inside with the family rather than outside alone. An apartment works perfectly if the owner is present and active. For an older person what changes most is the age of the dog to choose, as explained in the guide on Staffies and older owners.

What doesn't work is leaving a Staffy alone in an apartment for 10 hours a day. This applies to almost all breeds, but for the Staffy, which has a particularly strong human attachment, it's even more problematic.

Pros and cons: the honest list

This page is about everyday life with a Staffy. If you are still deciding whether to have one, the strengths and weaknesses, who the breed suits and who it does not, are set out in is the Staffordshire Bull Terrier right for you?

Character selection: why it matters more than the breed

Two Staffies with the same pedigree can have different characters: genetics lays the foundation, the first weeks do the rest, and that is why the breeder weighs as much as the breed. How a temperament is selected, what we look for in breeding dogs and how to assess a puppy is explained on the page about the Staffordshire Bull Terrier temperament.

Does the Staffy get along with cats?

It depends on the individual dog and on how it was raised, and it must be said that this is a terrier: the predatory instinct towards small moving animals exists and education does not erase it. A puppy raised in the house with cats often lives with them perfectly well, because the cat becomes part of its normal world during the right weeks. An adult that has never seen one is a completely different situation and needs a gradual introduction, with scent swapping, distance meetings and escape routes up high always available to the cat. Until the arrangement is settled they are not left alone together.