This breed carries some of the most restrictive breed-specific legislation of any dog worldwide — outright bans or ownership conditions exist in multiple countries and in various US cities and counties — and many landlords and home-insurance policies exclude the breed by name regardless of an individual dog's temperament or training.
12.5years, median
About the same as the all-dog median of 12.5 years.
Measured, not estimated: the middle age at death across 584,734 UK dogs, 284,734 of them deceased. Based on 236 dogs of this breed. 95% confidence interval 11.4 to 13.1 years. Half lived longer than this, half did not. UK dogs, so treat it as the best available figure rather than a promise about yours.
In the same study, medium breeds as a group had a median of 12.5 years and medium-muzzled breeds 12.8. This breed is medium and medium-muzzled.
McMillan et al. 2024, Scientific Reports 14:531 — open access · CC BY 4.0Health tests to ask the breeder for
Staffordshire Terrier Club of America sets the tests a American Staffordshire Terrier needs for a CHIC number in the OFA's open database. A CHIC number means the tests were done and the results are public. It does not mean the dog passed them: ask for the results for both parents, or look them up yourself on ofa.org.
- Hip Dysplasia (OFA Evaluation or PennHIP Evaluation)
- Congenital Cardiac Database (OFA evaluation, examination performed by a Cardiologist)
- Autoimmune Thyroiditis (OFA evaluation)
- NCL-A / Cerebellar Ataxia (Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinosis 4A) DNA test
- ALPP (AmStaff juvenile Laryngeal Paralysis and Polyneuropathy) DNA test
When to spay or neuter: the guidelines split at 45 pounds grown, five to six months under it and after growth is complete over it, and the UC Davis study gives a guideline by breed for 35 breeds. The spay and neuter page has both, and the two weeks after.
- Eye Examination by a boarded ACVO Ophthalmologist
- Elbow Dysplasia (OFA Evaluation)
Test names as the club lists them; checked September 2026. OFA CHIC breed page. How to use this at the breeder: check a breeder.
Adopt a American Staffordshire Terrier near you
Shelters and rescues list American Staffordshire Terriers and American Staffordshire Terrier mixes on Petfinder. Enter a ZIP code to see who is waiting within 100 miles.
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Living with a American Staffordshire Terrier
AmStaffs are strong, athletic, food- and people-motivated dogs that do best with an owner who provides real daily exercise, structured training, and firm boundaries — an under-stimulated AmStaff can become destructive, not because the breed is inherently unmanageable but because it's a working-bred terrier with real drive. Beyond training, prospective owners should check local breed-specific laws, home-insurance policy language, and landlord rules before committing, since restrictions can apply to this breed by name in ways they don't for many other dogs of similar size.
Health you should know about
- Hip and elbow dysplasia — published prevalence varies widely by study population, from roughly 2% up to the mid-20s percent in North American surveys, so a hip certification (OFA/PennHIP) on the parents matters more than the breed name alone.
- Juvenile demodectic mange — one report found about 20% of American Staffordshire Terriers under two years old affected, versus well under 1% in dogs generally.
- Allergic skin disease — a frequently reported presenting complaint in the breed.
- Thyroid and cardiac disease — both reported in breed health surveys; screening is recommended by breed clubs for dogs used for breeding.
Read the full Dog Care Guide first — costs, daily time, and everything a dog needs before you choose a breed.
Sources — 3 references
Last reviewed October 2026. 3 sources listed below. Written and maintained by Petdeals.io. General care information, not veterinary advice — for a sick animal, call a vet.