FCI-Standard N° 286
AMERICAN STAFFORDSHIRE TERRIER
ORIGIN : U.S.A.
DATE OF PUBLICATION OF THE OFFICIAL VALID STANDARD : 03.09.1996.
FCI-CLASSIFICATION : Group 3 Terriers.
Section 3 Bull type Terriers.
Without working trial.
GENERAL APPEARANCE : The 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.
HEAD : Medium length, deep through.
CRANIAL REGION :
Skull : broad.
Stop : Distinct.
FACIAL REGION :
Nose : Definitely black.
Muzzle : Medium length, rounded on upper side to fall away abruptly below the eyes.
Lips : Close and even ; no looseness.
Jaws/Teeth : Well defined. Under jaw strong and to have biting power. Upper teeth to meet tightly outside lower teeth in front.
Cheeks : Very pronounced cheek muscles.
Eyes : Dark, round, low down in skull, set far apart. No pink eyelids.
Ears : Set high. Cropped or uncropped, the latter preferred. Uncropped ears should be short and held rose or half prick. Full drop to be penalized.
NECK : Heavy, slightly arched, tapering from shoulders to back of skull. No looseness of skin. Medium length.
BODY :
Topline : Back fairly short. Slight sloping from withers to rump with gentle short slope at rump to base of tail.
Loins : Slightly tucked.
Chest : Deep and broad. Well sprung ribs; close together, deep in rear.
TAIL : Short in comparison to size, low set, tapering to fine point; not curled or carried over back. Not docked.
LIMBS :
FOREQUARTERS : Front legs straight, with large bones. Set rather wide apart to permit chest development.
Shoulders : Strong and muscular, with blades wide and sloping.
Pastern : Upright.
HINDQUARTERS : Well muscled.
Hocks : Let down, turning neither in nor out.
FEET : Of moderate size, well arched and compact.
GAIT / MOVEMENT : Springy but without roll or pace.
COAT
HAIR : Short, close, stiff to the touch, glossy.
COLOUR : Any colour, solid, particolour, or patched is permissible; but more than 80% white, black and tan, and liver not to be encouraged.
SIZE : Height and weight should be in proportion. A height of about eighteen to nineteen inches (46 – 48 cm) at the shoulder for the male and seventeen to eighteen inches (43 – 46 cm) for the female to be considered preferable.
FAULTS : Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree and its effect upon the health and welfare of the dog.
• Dudley nose.
• Undershot or overshot mouth.
• Light eyes.
• Pink eyelids.
• Tail too long or badly carried.
DISQUALIFYING FAULTS
• Aggressive or overly shy dogs.
• Any dog clearly showing physical or behavioural abnormalities shall be disqualified.
N.B:
• Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.
• Only functionally and clinically healthy dogs, with breed typical conformation, should be used for breeding.
Source: www.fci.be/en/
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