Husbands thoughts

Hi Folks
I've read a lot of concerns on Bullbreeds online about Temperament and are we forgetting true Temperament, when a discussion gets going it always turns towards the fighting and gameness which is then followed by arguments, now there are many facets that make up a Staffords character. Now personally I think the two cornerstones of a good Stafford are “Temperament & Balance” As breeders I think in general we understand balance and good breeders have an eye for a balanced dog, but do we as breeders pay enough attention to Temperament after all this is what makes a Stafford unique. So what is correct temperament, well let’s get gameness out of the way. The only way to maintain gameness is to select stock tested in the pit..
ONLY A MORON WOULD DO THIS AS IT’S CRUEL & INHUMAN As we know all cruelty springs from weakness, also the only place that true gameness is required is in the pit and who would put their best friend in such a situation, so let’s accept it can't be maintained and there is no use for it in this day and age, but as I say there are many facets to a SBT such as:-
Fearless, Brave & Tough.
This can be maintained and is an important part of a Staffords makeup. Dogs that snarl & snap with no provocation when approached are scared or timid / nervous animals and these are the dangerous dogs. On the other hand a fearless brave, tough dog is easily approached these make the best family dog & if you look into a show ring these are the quiet calm ones, you might notice their handlers keeping their distance from their neighbour because as far as other dogs are concerned they don't look for trouble but they can't be provoked with impunity!! This is the enigma with SBT’s they are great with people but they need an experienced responsible handler when out and about.
Alert, Intelligent, Inquisitive & Tenacious
This also can be maintained, the intelligent ones tend to be quite & discriminating, friendly but not effusive with strangers and when out and about they are generally more interested in doing their own thing. These dogs are a joy to own they are full of character and I'm sure they have a sense of humour.
Also I find that the structure of an animal plays a large part in this facet of temperament in that the lighter boned specimens have the quicker reflexes they are more agile and have the “guts “to keep on going they are the “do or die” tenacious chaps always on the alert. As for the heavier boned specimens they tend to be the calmer “happy go lucky “types and not so energetic. I think that newcomers to the breed tend to favour the heavy type as they look the more powerful and stronger dog but this is often more perceived than actual. In my humble opinion a dog of 16in can't have a 19in 20in head, a bully front and be well balanced agile and athletic.
I used to live on a farm and work on farms as an agricultural mechanic; a friend of my fathers was bitten by a rat and died a few weeks later from weil’s disease, so when I was working in a shed or barn and I disturbed a rat or worse a rats nest there was two things that were very reassuring. One , I had my trousers tucked into my wellies and two, I had an alert, agile, hard biting, hard charging Stafford at my side. Then I would take this same silent assassin home and he would be the best family dog you could wish for.
So when selecting breeding stock favour the Alert, Active, Fearless, Intelligent & tough fellow, lets hang onto that which makes our Staffords the best all-purpose dog on the planet.
Simon Saunt