American Staffordshire Terrier

Any diet should suit the dog's age, whether puppy, adult, or senior, and factor in activity level, since younger dogs need more food than older, more sedentary ones. Some AmStaffs are prone to gaining weight, so watch calorie intake and check with your vet about any concerns over weight or diet. Keep clean, fresh water available at all times.

A large-breed puppy formula can keep your AmStaff pup from growing too fast. Feeding frequency by life stage:

• Puppies: at least three meals a day on a regular schedule, usually morning, afternoon, and evening.
• Adults (typically from 1 year old) and seniors: twice a day, morning and evening.

Whatever the age, always avoid exercise right after feeding, since this can lead to gastric dilatation and volvulus (GDV).

With a commercial diet, the feeding guidelines on the label are a good starting point. A home-cooked diet takes more work to match the calories in each meal to your dog's daily needs, so consider a calorie calculator or a veterinary nutritionist who can formulate a complete diet. Treats are a useful training aid but should make up no more than 10% of daily calories, since too many can cause obesity.

Joint supplements with glucosamine and chondroitin can help support the joints, since the breed can be prone to orthopedic disorders. Omega-3 fatty acids support the joints along with healthy skin and a glossy coat, and come in forms such as chews and oils. Many diets already include omega-3s, so check your dog's food before supplementing.

Caring for the AmStaff's short, stiff coat is easy. A quick once-over with a soft bristle brush every week is usually enough to remove dirt and debris, and it distributes skin oils through the coat to help keep it healthy. The coat sheds lightly and isn't prone to matting, making this a low-maintenance breed.

If your AmStaff gets into something messy, a bath is in order. Otherwise, bathing can wait until a doggy smell develops. These dogs can have sensitive skin, and frequent baths can dry out the coat, so bathe no more than every 4 to 6 weeks with a pet-friendly shampoo.

You can clean the ears during bath times, around every 4 to 6 weeks, especially if buildup is heavy. The breed isn't especially prone to ear infections, but stay alert for redness, discharge, head shaking, pawing at the ears, or pain on touch, and consult your veterinarian if you notice any of these.

There's no special eye care required, but AmStaffs can develop distichiasis, an abnormal hair that grows from the eyelid toward the eye and can irritate the cornea. Common signs include squinting, increased blinking and tearing, redness, and corneal abrasions. Watch for these and consult your veterinarian, who can advise on management.

The American Staffordshire Terrier is athletic and energetic and needs plenty of exercise. Leaving the dog in the yard all day isn't the answer, because the AmStaff is a people-oriented dog who thrives as part of the family. Daily exercise can be a leashed walk, a short run, or a backyard game of fetch, and long play sessions with their owner build both physical and psychological health.

Strong and athletic, AmStaffs enjoy dog sports such as agility, flyball, rally, obedience, and dock diving. Some are even trained in search-and-rescue and excel at it. Competitive obedience reinforces desired behaviors and gives your dog mental exercise, which the breed needs alongside physical activity.

When exercising outdoors in winter, keep sessions brief. Their short coats aren't suited to cold weather, though a sweater can help.

AmStaffs can be prone to anxiety, which can lead to separation anxiety. The building blocks of a happy dog, exercise, attention, enrichment, and mental stimulation, all help manage it, and a steady routine helps too. They can be vocal in response to strange noises but are generally quiet enough to suit apartments. The right home is an active, social one with regular interactive exercise and attention from the people they love.

Early socialization and puppy training classes are recommended for all breeds, and given the AmStaff's strong will, physical strength, and exuberance, they are a necessity. Socialization matters most in puppyhood, since the social skills a young dog learns carry into adulthood.

The breed's intelligence and desire to please make training fun, and AmStaffs are obedient and relatively easy to train. They can be stubborn and may not respond well to forceful methods, so positive, reward-based training is the way to help this smart breed learn quickly. Some behaviors, such as chewing and digging, can be hard to resolve, and firm, dedicated training helps temper their guarding tendencies. Teaching verbal commands and hand signals, and working in active challenges like agility or chasing balls and Frisbees, helps hold their attention and avoid a bored dog.

Loving and affectionate with their family, AmStaffs can be more reserved with strangers, and socialization helps balance their natural wariness. They are patient and loving with children, but interactions between kids and dogs of any breed always need supervision.

With proper socialization, AmStaffs can get along with other pets, though their strong prey drive can make living with smaller dogs or cats harder. Proper, early introductions are essential with animals of all sizes, and it's up to you to teach your AmStaff that smaller animals aren't something to chase. Dog aggression can develop even in well-socialized AmStaffs, so an AmStaff should never be left alone with other dogs. The breed can live with small animals and young children, but those situations are well-suited to more experienced owners.