How to pick a pure staffy

How can I tell that a staffy pup is not a pitbull mix?
When they grow it's easy to tell them apart on size, jaw, and build, but how do you do it as a puppy?

In principle I think dogs should be respected for how they behave, not what they look like in the show ring, so I am not afraid to buy a non-show puppy, or a non-kc puppy   .

I have done a lot of researching and decided that the staffy is the right dog for me and my fiance. The only problem is that I am danish, and if I take my british dog back with me to Denmark it can not be a Pit bull, or one of a list of 13 breeds banned in Denmark   .

All tricks and tips are welcomed!

If it's a reputable Breeder I would assume you would get some paperwork to say what it is. I don't actually know as I have a rescue.

Hopefully someone will be along soon that can give a better answer.

Yes.

My question is how to identify the puppys breed based on looks an behaviour, rather than paperwork.

Unfortunately, even paper work doesn't guarantee that you won't be stopped or the dog seized these days. I know of people that have had their pure bred staffie seized even though they have the paper work. BSL is so flawed and unfortunately there are no real guarantees.

That being said however, if the breeder is reputable and you see mum she should be within the breed standards which I think is between 14 inches and 16 inches tall along with a load of other things that i'm not sure about, sorry!

Hopefully one of the others will be along soon with more info

Pure bred staffordshire bull terrier's are much smaller than pure bred pit bulls, though size doesn't always matter. As long as you have KC paperwork then that should technically be all that you need when taking your dog out of the country. I suppose just ensure that you research the breeder, see the parents and check out the heritage of the dog (other forum members will be able to help you with that, I've only rescued, have never bought a staffie).

This is how a pure bred pit bull (should) look, though ears may or may not be cropped.




And this is how a pure bred staffordshire bull terrier (should) look.




Pit bull's in general, if pure bred, will weigh up to 10kg more than a stafford. They're entirely different in looks and size so it wouldn't be too hard to tell the difference in parents were seen. Most of the "type" dogs we see in England are cross breeds, bred to look like Pit Bulls. But they're usually a cross of the mastiff and stafford, or lab and stafford. Sometimes american bull dog cross. Some staffies are being bred bigger; the blues for example have been known to reach 25/26kg, but these breeders aren't breeding to standard. I'd stick with your little, traditional staffies if you're worried about taking them out of the country

Thanks for the inputs so far.
If anyone has more tips or tricks, please let me know.

So I suppose you are right Rachel33 that I will need a puppy from a KC breeder in order for the paperwork that I need to export/import.

Are all KC breeders breeding for the "small" type staffy or are some also breeding the estate type that I see a lot here i London?

From what I gather from other people that travel with their dogs, they have to have to KC paperwork. Unfortunately the KC doesn't stand for much in regards to regulations, i've met some very big KC reg staffordshire bull terriers! If I were to buy, i'd like a little compact staffie like the ones I grew up with

If you put a post in the breeders chat section https://staffy-bull-terrier.niceboard.com/f115-staffordshire-bull-terrier-breeders-chat i'm sure somebody would be able to point you in the right direction of a good breeder when the time is right, or for you just to browse in the mean time and perhaps put your name down for a litter?

there only one type of staffy anything other is crossbreed, also pit mix are very rare in the uk ;)you can cross bred just about any breeds to get something that look like an pitbull pointer x staffy, staffy x bull terrier, box x lab and so on ;)please dont get mix up

it's really simple to find an good staffy with an kc paper where are you from and i will find an litter near you

Are you planning to return to Denmark to live ? if so would it be easier to obtain the dog once you are back there from a reputable Staffy breeder ?

Here in the states we have pits everywhere. Staffies are very rare and pretty much unknown. I wanted a staffy for the size and more predictable temperament for the kids. The only way to be certain of what I was getting was to buy from a reputable breeder. Both of my pups parents are AKC champions and she has the proper documents.
I could afford the cost and wait for a litter so I did it.

Are you in Australia now? You really have to do be careful going back to Denmark and I would make sure that you get a stafford that is closest to the ANKC/FCI Standard and registered by an organisation affiliated with the FCI. We're in Asia and when we decided to get a stafford, we had to make sure that he did have a pedigree and be registered by the ACU (Asian Canine Union) and FCI as we are moving back to Europe and planning to travel with our boy through countries with strict BSL. You do NOT want any confusion about what your dog is and not have it confused with an AMSTAFF, pit bull or cross. The only way you can really assure that the pup is what the breeder says it is, is by seeing both parents, their pedigrees and talking to other owners of the breeders dogs. You really can't afford to not get a true Staffy going back to Denmark. As it is, the Staffordshire Bull terrier is on an Observation List link here so they will really look carefully at your dog so give them no reason to question what it is.

Hey Guys.

Thank you so much for all of your concerns.
I live in London.

The list of banned breeds in Denmark is being revised, and politicians are considering dropping it completely in favour of a ban on all dogs for people who can not handle them. The public is realising that it is not the breed that is the problem.

Thanks for volunteering to find me a good breeder. I don't think this is the right time for me to get a puppy, but it might be in 6 months time. When is a good time to start contacting breeders?

Still, any tips and tricks on identifying a pup is most welcome, though I have now realised that I need the paperwork. :/

You wouldn't be able to identify it in a pup, you'd need to see the parents. I often had 8 week old puppies come into my kennels that looked like they COULD be type, simply because of colouring, but even then the DLO officers wouldn't be able to type test them until 9 months old + as they grow and change so much.

Your flag on your profile tricked me.
I would start researching and contacting breeders now. Another option would be to see if they had older dogs too which is what we may do when we get our second staffy. Ideally we would go for a rescue but since they don't come with papers and we will be travelling a lot, this wouldn't be ideal but getting an older pup/dog would be a great idea. We got our first staffy at the beginning of the year and he was already 14 months old and it was the best thing we did after always having pups.
Hope the laws in Denmark are changed although it will have come too late for many people affected like our good friends who had some amazing Dogo Argentinos. These were breeders who bred for health, temperament and health every single dog and guaranteed their dogs. The Dogo world lost one of their best breeders when Denmark introduced this law. They ended up rehoming all their dogs throughout Europe so they weren't destroyed.

Fixed the flag
Thanks for the heads up.

There was a police officer in Denmark who chose to use his badge and uniform to go to a vet where a banned German Shepherd was kept, he told the vet that the police would move the dog because of security and he then went underground with the dog until it was smuggled out of the country.

He is quite famous in Denmark now. He obviously lost his job, but I believe he avoided prison. He did a TV documentary with a national TV Channel, about how the ban has effected dogs and owners.
http://www.dr.dk/tv/se/dr2-undersoeger/dr2-undersoeger-de-forbudte-hunde

http://www.champdogs.co.uk/litter/32398

^^ is in london

i wouldnt worry to much about inadvertantly buying a pitt type dog in the uk, the scum type breeders will usually tell you about the "pitt heritage" at any given point. buying from a kc registerd breeder, especially from one of the assured breader scheme is quite safe. staffs look nothing like pittbulls as loverly as they are so your not likely to come into grief over it. any dlo in the uk will know the difference and i assume the same goes in the netherlands

Vinc wrote:Fixed the flag
Thanks for the heads up.

There was a police officer in Denmark who chose to use his badge and uniform to go to a vet where a banned German Shepherd was kept, he told the vet that the police would move the dog because of security and he then went underground with the dog until it was smuggled out of the country.

He is quite famous in Denmark now. He obviously lost his job, but I believe he avoided prison. He did a TV documentary with a national TV Channel, about how the ban has effected dogs and owners.
http://www.dr.dk/tv/se/dr2-undersoeger/dr2-undersoeger-de-forbudte-hunde

What a great story. Hopefully this law is revoked once and for all.

I had a similar dilemma when I wanted to buy a Staff pup.
My main concern was buying a pup that would grow up to be a cross breed because as many have said as a pup they are impossible to tell one breed from another.
I went to 'Champdodgs' .....got my name on a couple of waiting lists and the benefit of that site is most owners add photos of the parents.
Coupled with KC paperwork and strict breeding rules you are almost guaranteed to get yourself a quality dog.
Thats where I got Rocky from and he is a cracker.

Please don't be under the illusion that kc dogs can't be seized as type because they can and have been

I know that if you are bringing a staffy to Denmark it must have papers! There is no two ways about it. The best thing you can do is to get a KC-registered puppy. I don´t think this is a requirement for imported staffys, but, blood tests from both parents and the puppy (That is what they do in Norway when breeding) can help you if that is possible. A readily chipped puppy from the breeder with KC papers and checked by vet. I know the danish police are a lot more strict than the norwegian police. Without the papers they can take the dog away at the airport in DK.

Read about danish laws and the Danish SBT page And Fødevarestyrelsen.

Nojoke, I know the danish laws and the ministry you are mentioning, but not the Danish SBT page?

Do you have a link?

Well, they don´t explicitly say much, but on every page they state "remember the pedigree". If you have read everything about it, then you know you might be forced to use a muzzle on your dog whenever you are outside, and that the dog may be confiscated. IF you don´t have a pedigree. And that the chances for a ban for the breed may well take place within a couple of years according to politics.

I assume you are not going to breed on your dog, but I wouldn´t take the risk.