The Staffordshire Bull Terrier (informally: Staffie, Stafford, Staffross, Staffy or Staff) is a medium-sized, short-coated, old-time breed of dog, originally bred for bull baiting. In the early part of the twentieth century, the breed gained respectability, and it was accepted by the The Kennel Club of the United Kingdom as the Staffordshire bull terrier. It is an English breed of dog related to the bull terrier and its larger cousins the American Staffordshire terrier and the American pit bull terrier.

Appearance

The Staffordshire Bull Terrier is a medium-sized, stocky, muscular dog with athletic ability. They have a broad head, defined occipital muscles, a relatively short foreface, dark round eyes and a wide mouth with a clean scissor-like bite (the top incisors slightly overlap the bottom incisors). The ears are small. The cheek muscles are very pronounced. Their lips show no looseness, and they rarely drool. From above, the head loosely resembles a triangle. The head tapers down to a strong well-muscled neck and shoulders placed on squarely spaced forelimbs. They are tucked up in their loins and the last 1-2 ribs of their ribcage are usually visible. Their tail resembles an old fashioned pump handle. Their hind quarters are well-muscled and are what give the Staffy drive when baiting.

They are coloured brindle, black, red, fawn, blue, white, or any blending of these colours with white. White with any colour over an eye is known as piebald or pied. Skewbald is white with red patches. Liver-coloured and black and tan dogs sometimes occur. The coat is smooth and clings tightly to the body giving the dog a streamlined appearance.

The dogs stand 14 to 16 in (36 to 41 cm) at the withers and weigh 24 to 32 lb (11 to 15 kg) (male dogs are normally up to 6lb heavier).

The ‘Staffordshire Bull Terrier’ can suffer from health problems common to other dog breeds such as cataracts, hip dysplasia and breathing problems but are overall a very healthy breed.

Temperament

Although individual differences in personality exist, common traits exist throughout the Staffords. Due to its breeding, the modern dog is known for its character of indomitable courage, high intelligence, and tenacity. This, coupled with its affection for its friends (and children in particular), its off-duty quietness and trustworthy stability, make it a foremost all-purpose dog. It has been said that “No breed is more loving with its family” Because of their affinity for children, Staffordshire Bull Terriers are sometimes known as “Nanny Dogs” in England.

The breed is naturally muscular and may appear intimidating; however, because of their natural fondness for people, most Staffords are temperamentally ill-suited for guard or attack-dog training.

Staffordshire Bull Terrier puppies are very easy to house train.

Courage

The most important characteristic of all the ancestors of the Stafford was their great courage. Aggression was necessary in a fighting dog – but, whereas a dog can be trained and conditioned to be aggressive, nothing can teach him courage. This is bred in him at birth. Breeders today value the courage of their dogs. Nobody is proud to own a timid Stafford, but no sensible breeder encourages aggression towards other animals. Responsible owners and breeders deliberately avoid confrontational experiences.

Courage is important in a pet dog because more dogs bite out of fear than for any other reason. A dog who is not alarmed can cope much better with the rough and tumble of a busy family home, one of the reasons the Stafford is such a success as a dog for children. He is as hardy and fun-loving, and fearless, as they are.

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The Spinone Italiano (plural Spinoni Italiani) is an Italian dog breed. However, it should be recognised that the Spinone is a unique, indivisible breed and the correct reference is Spinone (Spinoni plural). Its original purpose was as a versatile gun dog, which the breed is still a master of today. The Spinone is a loyal, friendly and alert dog with a close lying, wiry coat. It is an ancient breed that can be traced back to approximately 500 BC.

It is often used for hunting, pointing, and retrieving game (HPR), but the intelligent and strong Spinone can be used for practically anything ranging from companions to assistance dogs. The name of the breed is pronounced spee-no-neh (singular) and spee-no-nee for plural.

Appearance

The Spinone has a square build (the length of the body is approximately equal to the height at the withers). It is a strong-boned, solidly built dog with a well-muscled body and limbs that are suited to almost any kind of terrain. Brown and white Spinone can sometimes be confused with a German Wirehaired Pointer by someone not familiar with the breeds. However, the long head and pronounced occipital are unique to the breed. He has an expression that shows intelligence and understanding and is often described as having human-like eyes. The tail of the Spinone is customarily docked at half its length (approx 5.5 to 8 inches or 140 to 200 mm from the base of the tail), and it sports dewclaws on all four feet, giving its hind legs a substantial appearance. Even as adults, Spinoni retain disproportionate, puppy-like, webbed paws which make them powerful swimmers.

Coat

The coat is tough, slightly wiry, and close fitting. The preferred length is 1½–2½ inches (4–6 cm) on the body; however, the ears, muzzle, head, and parts of the legs and feet are covered with shorter hair. Eyebrows have longer and stiffer hair; longer but softer hair covers cheeks and muzzle, creating a profuse moustache and beard.

The Spinone should not have an undercoat. A long, soft or silky coat is undesired and is a sign of excessive grooming.

Temperament

The Spinone is easy going, docile, and affectionate towards both people and dogs. It is well known for being loving and gentle with children. Its extremely patient nature also helps with this, but children should be taught not to take advantage of this trait. It is loyal to those it knows and still friendly to those it doesn’t. The breed is not known for any aggression and is therefore not a wise choice for somebody looking for an aggressive guard dog.

Centuries of working with man as a hunting companion has created a loyal, intelligent dog that is easily trained, although some can be stubborn about performing a learned task if they see no point in it. Because they are sensitive, motivational training works best for this breed, as this gentle creature’s feelings can easily be hurt when handled incorrectly.

The Spinone can be a very active breed, but it is not a racy dog like most other hunting breeds. The Spinone typically moves at the relaxed trot that is characteristic of the breed. It has often been called the perfect dog to run or jog with, because it will not run off in front and leave its human companion struggling to keep up as it prefers the slower pace itself. It can be more than happy in a small yard and does not necessarily need acres of land. The small garden combined with regular walks would suit a Spinone well.

In part due to its long beard, the Spinone can have a tendency to slobber.

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The Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier is a breed of dog originating in Ireland. There are four coat varieties: Traditional Irish, Heavy Irish, English, and American. They are considered to be hypoallergenic, a trait popular with allergic or asthmatic dog owners. These dogs have a single coat which sheds very little hair.

Appearance

Puppies have a dark coat of either red, brown, mahogany or white. The muzzle and ears of Wheaten puppies may be black or dark brown. The dark puppy coat gradually grows out to nearly white before maturing into a wheaten-coloured coat as they get older. The colour can range from wheat to white, but white coats are not considered desirable by breeders and show enthusiasts. The adult coat may contain black, white, or darker brown “guard” hairs in addition to the lighter wheaten-coloured hair. If adults ever have skin injuries the resulting hair growth will be the dark colour of their puppy coat before it eventually grows out to the wheat colour.

The Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier is a medium-sized dog, which ranges on average anywhere from 17 to 19 inches and weighs about 30 to 45 pounds. The breed has a square structure and is well built. Its hair does not shed like most dogs; like human hair and Poodle hair, it keeps growing, needs regular trimming, and drops just a few hairs daily.

The Irish coat tends to be thinner and silkier than the American variety.

Health

Soft Coated Wheaten Terriers are generally a long-life breed. They are susceptible to protein-losing nephropathy (PLN) where the dog loses protein from the kidneys. There is also protein-losing enteropathy where the dog loses protein from the intestines (PLE) Both PLN and PLE are fatal.

These conditions have an unknown mode of inheritance but there are research programs, mainly in the United States and the United Kingdom.

Other wheaten health issues are renal dysplasia, inflammatory bowel disease, Addison’s disease and cancer. Some Wheatens can also suffer from food and environmental allergies.

Temperament

The Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier is an energetic and playful dog. They require patience and consistent positive training. Harsh methods will often result in fear aggression. A positive, even-handed approach works best with these intelligent yet headstrong terriers. They are enthusiastic greeters and will often jump up in order to lick a person’s face, commonly referred to as the “Wheaten greetin'” These dogs do best when they are exercised regularly. They are cool weather dogs and can become easily overheated in hot weather. They are very good with children. If socialised with cats as puppies they will get along fine with them; if not, care should be taken in introducing them to cats. Wheatens get along well with other dogs if properly socialised. They are extremely friendly and loving pets. Wheatens are very protective of their families, and although they may bark an alert at strangers, they rarely get aggressive. Many Wheaten owners thus say that Wheatens make great watch dogs but poor guard dogs.

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The Smooth Fox Terrier is one of many terrier breeds. It was the first breed in the fox terrier family to be given official recognition by The Kennel Club (circa 1875; breed standard 1876). It is well known, and although not a widely popular breed today outside of hunting and show circles, it is extremely significant due to the large number of terriers believed descended from it.

Appearance

The Smooth Fox Terrier is a balanced, well-proportioned terrier with a distinctive head that has a tapering muzzle, fiery dark eyes, and folded v-shaped ears set well up on the head, but not prick. It is a sturdy dog in that it is well-muscled and exhibits endurance, but should not appear in any way coarse or cloddy.

The male Fox terrier is tame but it will also respond to your commands. Shoulder height of a male Smooth Fox Terrier should be no taller than 15.5″ with females proportionally less, and a male in show condition should weigh approximately 18 lbs.

The tail should be set well up on the back and be straight or slightly curved, but not carried over the back or curled like an Akita’s.

Its coat is hard, flat, and abundant. This breed does shed somewhat. In colour they should be predominantly white—some are even all white—but typically have markings of black and tan. Red, liver, or brindle are objectionable and disqualifying faults in the show ring. Heads are usually solid coloured, but a variety of white markings are permissible, including half or split faces, blazes, or colour only over the eyes and/or ears. It is commonly tri-coloured.

Temperament

Smooth Fox Terriers make excellent family pets. Because this is an intelligent and active breed, they must be kept exercised, and interested, and a part of the family. They are affectionate and playful. They have well-developed hunting instincts. Left to their own devices and deprived of human companionship, undesirable behaviour may be exhibited, including chasing of small animals, or escaping if ignored.

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The Skye Terrier is a breed of dog that is a long, low terrier and hardy.

Coat

The Skye is double coated, with a short, soft undercoat and a hard, straight topcoat, which must be flat against the body and free of curl. The ideal coat length is 5 1/2 inches (14 cm), with no extra credit for a longer coat. The shorter hair of the head veils the forehead and eyes, forming a moderate beard. The ears should be well feathered and, in prick-eared examples, the hair should fall like a fringe, accenting the form, and blending with the side locks.

Colour

Fawn, blue, dark or light grey, blonde, and black with black points (ears and muzzle) all occur. They may have any self colour, allowing for some shading of same colour on the body and a lighter undercoat, so long as the nose and ears are black. There should be no further patterning on the body, but a small white spot on the chest is permissible.

Under threat

There are concerns that the breed is under threat of extinction with only 30 born in the UK in one year recently. It is today the most endangered of the Vulnerable Native Breeds of this country, and within 40 years the breed may disappear completely.

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