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Staffordshire Bull Terrier breeders

The Staffordshire Bull Terrier belongs to The Royal Kennel Club’s Terrier group and shares its roots with the Bull Terrier.

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Advertise your Staffordshire Bull Terrier puppies, litters and stud dogs

Breed Staffordshire Bull Terriers? Put your kennel on caninebreeder.co.uk so buyers looking for a well-bred Stafford can find you. Advertise Staffordshire Bull Terrier puppies for sale when you have a litter, and list your Staffordshire Bull Terrier stud dog for other breeders to see. Showing your dogs' HC and L-2-HGA results, eye certificates and elbow grades alongside your licence details, where they apply, gives buyers what they need to get in touch with confidence.

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Is it free to advertise here?

Yes. A breeder profile and your litter and stud dog adverts are free. Premium profiles, featured placement and sponsored articles are optional paid extras; see pricing.

Do I need a licence to advertise puppies?

In England you need a dog breeding licence from your council if you breed three or more litters in 12 months or breed and sell dogs as a business, and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own schemes. Licensed breeders show their licence number and issuing council on every advert. Puppies must be at least eight weeks old before they go to new homes.

Is my listing already here?

We add licensed breeders from councils' public registers. Search for your kennel name; if it is listed you can claim it and edit everything.

About the Staffordshire Bull Terrier

The Staffordshire Bull Terrier belongs to The Royal Kennel Club's Terrier group and shares its roots with the Bull Terrier. The RKC explains that in the 1860s James Hinks bred Bulldogs to terriers and other breeds to produce a dog for controlling vermin and for blood sports, then brought in further breeds that altered the head shape. Enthusiasts who preferred the original bull-and-terrier cross kept breeding that type, and today's Stafford comes from it. The Kennel Club recognised the breed in the 1930s, and it takes its name from the Black Country of Staffordshire and the northern parts of Birmingham, where it was developed. In the show ring it is traditionally presented in a broad leather collar decorated with brass emblems bearing the Staffordshire Knot. The Staffordshire Bull Terrier Club says it was founded in 1935 and is still regarded by the Kennel Club as the breed's parent club.

The RKC classes the breed as small, but the breed standard calls for a very strong dog for its size, well muscled, active and agile. The desired height at the withers is 36 to 41 cm (14 to 16 in), with dogs weighing 13 to 17 kg (28 to 38 lb) and bitches 11 to 15.4 kg (about 24 to 34 lb). The coat is short, smooth and close-lying, a weekly groom is usually enough, and the breed does shed. The standard accepts white, red, fawn, black or blue, any of these with white, and any shade of brindle with or without white. It treats black and tan, liver and any other colour as unacceptable, and the RKC will not register merle puppies in this breed.

The RKC suggests up to an hour of exercise a day and lists the Stafford as suited to a small house with a small to medium garden, in town or country. The standard describes a bold, fearless dog of traditional courage and tenacity, and it notes both the breed's intelligence and its affection for children. The RKC adds that, despite its origins, the Stafford has a reputation as a family pet, and it gives a typical lifespan of over 12 years. Like any dog, a Stafford benefits from early socialisation and steady, consistent training.

Staffordshire Bull Terrier health tests

The RKC lists the Staffordshire Bull Terrier in Breed Watch Category 2, for breeds where exaggerated conformation causes visible health concerns that need closer monitoring. Show judges are asked to watch for signs of breathing difficulty, such as laboured, rapid or noisy breathing, and for misplaced canine teeth.

Under the RKC Health Standard, the Good Practice minimum for the breed is prioritising genetic diversity. Best Practice adds two DNA tests, elbow X-rays and eye examinations that include screening the litter. Hereditary cataract clouds the lens and can cause blindness, and in this breed it may be diagnosed as early as 8 to 12 weeks. L-2-HGA is a neurometabolic disorder whose signs, usually seen between six months and a year of age, can include seizures, an unsteady gait, tremors and muscle stiffness. Both are autosomal recessive, so a puppy is only affected if it inherits a copy of the mutation from each parent.

The RKC breed page also points to a breed club health scheme on the East Anglian SBT Club site, which asks for litter eye screening for PHPV from six weeks, before puppies leave. In February 2026 the RKC opened its Respiratory Function Grading scheme to the breed; at the time of writing it is not on the breed's Health Standard list.

Tests and schemes the RKC lists for the Staffordshire Bull Terrier:

  • Good Practice: prioritising genetic diversity
  • Best Practice: DNA test for Hereditary cataracts (HC-HSF4-2)
  • Best Practice: DNA test for L-2-hydroxyglutarate dehydrogenase (L-2-HGA)
  • Best Practice: elbow testing under the BVA/KC Elbow Dysplasia Scheme
  • Best Practice: eye testing under the BVA/KC/ISDS Eye Scheme, including litter screening
  • Breed Watch: Category 2

Choosing a Staffordshire Bull Terrier breeder

A responsible Stafford breeder will have DNA results for hereditary cataract (HC) and L-2-HGA on both parents and will plan matings so that no puppy can inherit two copies of either mutation. Current eye certificates, elbow grades and litter eye screening show they are following the RKC's Best Practice list, and you can confirm the results of registered dogs on the RKC Health Test Results Finder. Expect to see the puppies with their mother, to be asked about your home, other pets and routine, and to be given advice on socialisation, feeding and training. A breeder who knows the breed should also be able to tell you how the parents cope with exercise, given the Breed Watch point on breathing. Be wary of merle puppies sold as Staffords, as the RKC will not register merles in this breed because of links to sight and hearing problems. Puppies must be microchipped and registered on a database by eight weeks old, and in England anyone breeding three or more litters in any 12-month period and selling puppies, or running a business breeding and advertising dogs, needs a council licence.

  • Are both parents DNA tested for HC and L-2-HGA, and what were the results?
  • Do the parents have current eye certificates and elbow grades, and was the litter eye screened?
  • How do the parents breathe during and after exercise?
  • What is the coefficient of inbreeding for this litter compared with the breed average?
  • Can I meet the mother with her puppies?

Staffordshire Bull Terrier questions

Is the Staffordshire Bull Terrier a banned breed in the UK?

No. The banned types listed on GOV.UK are the Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino, Fila Brasileiro and XL Bully, and the Staffordshire Bull Terrier is not one of them. GOV.UK explains that a dog's appearance, not its breed or name, decides whether it counts as a banned type.

Are Staffordshire Bull Terriers good with children?

The RKC breed standard notes the Stafford's intelligence and its affection for children, and the RKC says the breed has a reputation as a family pet. Every dog is an individual, so meet the parents and ask the breeder about temperament in their lines.

What health tests should a Stafford puppy's parents have?

The RKC's Best Practice list for the breed is a DNA test for hereditary cataract (HC-HSF4-2), a DNA test for L-2-HGA, elbow testing under the BVA/KC Elbow Dysplasia Scheme and eye testing under the BVA/KC/ISDS Eye Scheme, including litter screening. Its Good Practice minimum is prioritising genetic diversity.

How big is a Staffordshire Bull Terrier?

The breed standard gives a desirable height of 36 to 41 cm (14 to 16 in), with dogs weighing 13 to 17 kg and bitches 11 to 15.4 kg. The RKC classes it as a small breed, though the standard calls for a very strong dog for its size.

More for Staffordshire Bull Terrier owners and breeders

Official sources