Staffy or Amstaff, which suits you: the breeder's test

The Staffordshire Bull Terrier and the American Staffordshire Terrier are two separate breeds, with their own FCI standards and stud books: a male Staffy weighs 12.7-17 kg at 35.5-40.5 cm at the withers, an Amstaff 25-32 kg at 45.7-48.2 cm. Choosing between them is not a matter of taste in heads: it is a matter of home, of who lives in it and of how much time there is. At the Del Piccolo Diavolo kennel, in Ostellato near Ferrara, Italy, we ask anyone who writes about a puppy seven questions before we talk about litters, because the answer to each one rules out one of the two breeds more often than people expect. They are the same seven questions on this page. The answers about the Staffy come from our own dogs; those about the Amstaff from what we have seen in the ring and in the homes of people who keep one.

If you are still trying to tell them apart, the guide you want is a different one: Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Pitbull and Amstaff compared, with the measurements table and the legal position. This page starts one step later: you already know they are distinct breeds and you have to decide which one comes home with you.

The seven questions

1. Who lives in the house?

With small children, size matters every single day: 15 kg jumping up at a three-year-old is a bump, 30 kg is a fall. For both breeds the rule that never changes applies: no dog, of any breed, is left alone with a small child. The "nanny dog" nickname describes the Staffy's tolerance, not a capacity to supervise. With children at home, the answer is almost always the Staffy.

2. How many square metres, and on which floor?

Both live indoors, not in the garden: they are people dogs, and a garden is a bonus, not a requirement. The difference is in the handling: stairs, the lift, the sofa and the back seat of the car are measured in kilos. A Staffy in a flat is a habit; so is an Amstaff, but with twice the weight at every doorway.

3. Is this your first dog?

Both are terriers, with the same tenacity. Where the difference shows is on the lead: 17 kg pulling towards a cat can be held with the wrist, 30 kg needs technique and training done beforehand, not afterwards. Someone who has never handled a dog starts with an advantage with the Staffy.

4. How much time, every day?

Both need at least an hour of exercise and mental work, daily. The Staffy stays playful into adulthood; the Amstaff tends to settle after two or three years. If you want a dog that is still a clown at six, it is the Staffy; if you would rather have a calmer adult, the Amstaff.

5. Are there already other dogs?

What applies to every terrier applies to both: reactivity towards other dogs exists, above all between adults of the same sex, and socialisation reduces it without removing it. With two dogs in the house, weight decides how manageable a scuffle is: separating 15 kg and separating 30 kg is not the same manoeuvre. How the Staffy lives alongside other animals is covered in the page on other pets at home.

6. Insurance, building rules, local orders

Italy has had no list of dangerous breeds since 2009. The Amstaff, however, still turns up in municipal orders, insurance exclusions and apartment-building regulations; the Staffy, less known and smaller, almost never does. Read your building's rules and your liability policy before choosing, not after. The legal picture is in the page on the Staffy and Italian law.

7. What do you want to see when you open the door?

It is not a frivolous question. Anyone looking for an imposing presence will be disappointed by the Staffy, and a dog taken for the wrong reason is the one someone tries to rehome a year later. The Amstaff imposes; the Staffy is compact and grins. If the answer is "a dog that commands respect", it is not the Staffy.

In two lines

Choose the Staffy if: you have young children, you live in a flat, it is your first dog, you want an adult that is still playful, you would rather avoid bureaucratic complications.

Choose the Amstaff if: you prefer a larger dog, you have space and time, you want an imposing presence and a calmer adult, you already have experience with terriers.

My experience as a breeder

I have bred Staffordshire Bull Terriers since 2013, and I chose the breed precisely for its balance between character, size and manageability. Our Staffordshire Bull Terrier puppies grow up in the family, around children, and develop the steady, gentle character the breed is known for.

If you are unsure which breed to choose, get in touch: I will help you work out whether the Staffy is the right dog for you — including telling you when it is not.