American Staffordshire Terrier vs Australian Cattle Dog — Side by Side

	American Staffordshire Terrier	Australian Cattle Dog
Lifespan	10-15 years	12-15 years
Size	Medium	Medium
Weight	40-70 lb	30-50 lb
Energy	High	Very high
Grooming	Low	Low
Shedding	Moderate	High
With kids	With supervision	With supervision

What actually separates them

Less hair on the sofa with the American Staffordshire Terrier. More with the Australian Cattle Dog.
Calmer of the two is the American Staffordshire Terrier. The one that needs more exercise is the Australian Cattle Dog.

The honest downside of each

American Staffordshire Terrier

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.

Australian Cattle Dog

This dog was bred to nip the heels of running cattle all day, and a bored, under-exercised Cattle Dog will redirect that instinct onto joggers, bicycles, other pets, and children's ankles — it is not a mellow companion breed no matter how it looks in photos.

Read the full pages

American Staffordshire Terrier · Australian Cattle Dog
Health problems, origin and what living with each is actually like.