Interesting article

If there must be a trichotomy in Staffords, let it not be “Bulldog”, “Terrier”, and “Balanced”, but proportion, balance and breed type. In the ideal Stafford proportion will be found only within balance, and balance will be found only within breed type. Beyond a well-proportioned dog of proper balance between bull and terrier that will naturally fall within the height/weight guidelines of the standard, breed type includes those subtle nuances that make a Stafford look and act like a Stafford. This is where the (eye of the) beholder card is most often the trump.

In my eye some of the subtle nuances that constitute type on a well-proportioned, properly-balanced Stafford include the furrow/crease on top of the head that is created by the temporal muscles, the distinct stop, 2 parts skull 1 part muzzle, rose ears, the confident, yet steady expression, a style of muscle that is both strong, yet enduring, a fit hardness that makes itself apparent to the eye as well as the hand, an hourglass figure when viewed from above, a short well-muscled flexible torso creating a level topline but not a flat back, a powerful underjaw firmly attached with punishing musculature, and an overall picture of efficiency, agility, and a nobility that is earned, not inherited. More often than not, breed type is realized as an image within the individual’s mind often associated with the characteristics of a particular dog, living or dead. Of course that image may vary from judge to judge, and the ones who agree with you, who are the ones who are correct, eah?

The other sub-set characteristics that make up breed type is the personality and temperament. It is impossible for any judge (even the best) to fully discern these in the 2 minutes allotted for each dog in the ring, but a few trademark antics of the Stafford are never far from the ring. Included in them are that enthusiastic love for life and the people who share it, the bold attitude in consideration and dealing with other dogs who “misbehave”, the clownish skuttle-butt (40 m.p.h. run through the house with the ears back and the hindquarters held low), the ornery intelligence, the Stafford vocal and body languages, and a personality like a coconut; hard on the outside, soft on the inside. These trademarks and the many other subtleties of character possessed by the Staffordshire Bull Terrier are what make so many people appropriately assert, “This is truly my TYPE of dog.”