The SBT Body by John F Gordon

The body should be close coupled, with a level topline, wide front, deep brisket and well sprung ribs, being rather light in the loins

the body of the staffordshire must show to even the casual observer, great strength for its size and considerable springiness in body structure. A deep brisket, neck to chest region, should have no evidence of pinching and the chest itself should be profound. Viewed in profile, the line of the chest in an animal in good contour would run through the point of the elbow. Massive shoulders without loaded muscle are essential to his powerful make up and the same applies to a big rib cage, protective framework for a great heart and adequate respiratory machinery. The ribs should shorten as they approach the loin, producing a moderate tuck. the sides and loins need to be well filled out with muscle not fat. Fatness is anathema in a staffordshire bull terrier and should be consdiered seriously against the dog by any judge who admires the breed.
Look for: a good level topline and compact couplings, that part of the body between the last ribs and hip joints, connected to the backbone. Try and imagine the dog fitted into a square. If he fits nicely, he is sure to be compact and well balanced which is in his favour. Keep an open eye for the bad sway back. This is evidenced by a dip behind the shoulders, due to poor rib development. The roach back is shown by a convex backline, commencing from a dip at the withers to another at the tail set on. This is an objectionable fault in the breed and is due to abnormal arching of the spine, often accompanied by proppy shoulders.

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