AMERICAN STAFFORDSHIRE TERRIER

GENERAL APPEARANCE

The AST must give an impression of a lot of strength: it is a well-built and muscular dog, but agile and elegant. It must be compact, neither loose nor tucked up. He is smart and his courage is evident.

HEAD – High of medium length; wide skull; very pronounced zygomatic muscles, well-defined stop; ears of high implantation.

EARS – They can be cut or not, with cut being preferable. If not cut, they must be short, pink and raised. Completely drooping ears will be penalized.

EYES – Dark in color, round, low set and well separated. Depigmented eyelids will be penalized.

SNOUT – Of medium length, rounded at the top and falling sharply below the eyes. Jaws well defined. The jaw must be strong with powerful bites. Lips very close and uniform, without looseness. Upper incisors in contact with the anterior part of the lower incisors. Definitely black nose. (scissor bite).

NECK – Heavy, slightly arched, tuned from the shoulders to the base of the skull. Not loose skin. Average greeting.

SHOULDER – Strong and muscular. Oblique and wide scapula.

BACK – Reasonably short. Slight slope from the withers to the croup, which has a short, smooth slope to the base of the tail. Loin slightly arched.

BODY – Arched ribs, elongated backwards, tightly joined to each other. Forequarters sufficiently wide apart in the implantation to allow the development of the chest, which is deep and wide.

TAIL – Short, low set, narrowing to the end, which is thin. It does not curl, nor does it rise over the back, it does not cut.

MEMBERS – Straight forelimbs strong and round bones, upright metacarpal canes, the foreleg should not have any curvature. Muscular hind limbs, hocks low and not turned in and out. Feet of medium size, well curved and compact. Agile step, the dog must not have walked around.

COAT – Short hair, adhered, rigid to the touch, shiny.

COLOR – All colors are accepted: solid, part color or mottled. In any case, only dogs with more than 80% of their body white or liver colors will be penalized.

SIZE – The weight is in relation to the size; the ideal dimensions vary between 45 to 48 cm for males and 43 to 45 cm for females.

DEFECTS – The depigmented nose is penalized, the eyes are clear (unless the dogs with gray hair will follow the color of the coat) or depigmented eyelids, the tail is too long or badly carried.

GROUP 3 – TERRIER

SECTION C – BULL TYPE

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN – UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

NAME IN COUNTRY OF ORIGIN – AMERICAN STAFFORDSHIRE TERRIER