Home / Breeds / Compare / American Pit Bull Terrier vs Staffordshire Bull Terrier
Terriers suit people who laugh first and manage second, with consistent rules underneath. Terriers are big dogs in small coats: funny, stubborn and brave. The pages that follow set the two against each other on the measures where they genuinely part company: size, exercise, grooming and monthly keeping costs.
The biggest gap is size: a typical American Pit Bull Terrier weighs about 45 lb at the middle of its range, against 31 lb for a typical Staffordshire Bull Terrier.
Second comes the monthly bill: the model puts the American Pit Bull Terrier at about $77 a month and the Staffordshire Bull Terrier at $70.
| American Pit Bull Terrier | Staffordshire Bull Terrier | |
|---|---|---|
| Group | Terrier | Terrier |
| Origin | United States | United Kingdom |
| Height | 17 to 21 in | 14 to 16 in |
| Weight | 30 to 60 lb | 24 to 38 lb |
| Lifespan | 12 to 14 years | 12 to 14 years |
| Coat | Smooth thin single. | Smooth, short and close. |
| Temperament | Bold, scrappy, cheerful and full of self belief | Bold, scrappy, cheerful and full of self belief |
| Energy | 4 of 5 | 4 of 5 |
| Trainability | 3 of 5 | 3 of 5 |
| Grooming needs | 2 of 5 | 2 of 5 |
| Shedding | 3 of 5 | 3 of 5 |
| Barking | 4 of 5 | 4 of 5 |
| With children | Better with older children | Better with older children |
| With other dogs | With early socialization | With early socialization |
| With strangers | Friendly with strangers | Friendly with strangers |
| Apartment fit | With enough exercise | With enough exercise |
| Daily exercise | 45 to 90 min | 45 to 90 min |
| Food per month (model) | $30 (2.8 cups a day) | $23 (2.1 cups a day) |
| Insurance per month (model) | $34 to $60 | $34 to $60 |
| Monthly total (model) | $64 to $90 | $57 to $83 |
| Yearly total (model) | $771 to $1,083 | $683 to $995 |
| Lifetime total (model) | $9,257 to $15,168 | $8,194 to $13,928 |
| Breeder health tests | Panel not published yet | 5 recommended tests |
| Health watch | Patellar luxation and eye conditions are the usual terrier flags, and many terrier breeds now have DNA tests for their specific hereditary conditions. The breed club's health page is the place to check what applies. | Hereditary cataracts and L-2-hydroxyglutaric aciduria both have DNA tests in this breed, alongside hip screening. A tough breed whose health testing is well organized. Ask to see health test results for both parents before you commit to a puppy; a good breeder will offer them before you ask. |
Dead level on the first-time-owner reckoning; the sections below and each dog's temperament decide it.
Staffordshire Bull Terrier: shares the "With enough exercise" apartment rating with the American Pit Bull Terrier and comes out ahead once barking, daily exercise and size are used to split them.
Neither listing nor tie-break separates them for children, so supervision carries this one, as it should.
The shedding ratings land level, and shedding only ever measures loose hair in the home loosely. No breed is allergen-free, so judge this one by time with the breed, not by the row.
Staffordshire Bull Terrier: runs about $7 a month less than the American Pit Bull Terrier on modeled food plus insurance ($70 against $77 at the midpoints).
The five verdicts on this American Pit Bull Terrier and Staffordshire Bull Terrier page follow published rules: first-time owner = 2 x trainability + (6 - energy) + (6 - grooming) + (6 - barking); apartment = the apartment rating, then barking, exercise and weight; children = the children rating, then trainability and stranger friendliness; allergy = lowest shedding, then grooming; budget = the lowest monthly modeled total. Level scores are declared ties.
Over a year at the midpoints, keeping the Staffordshire Bull Terrier instead of the American Pit Bull Terrier saves about $84. The two together would cost $121 to $173 monthly on the modeled totals. On monthly keeping cost at the midpoint, the American Pit Bull Terrier sits 169th of the 469 breeds in our records and the Staffordshire Bull Terrier sits 95th. At the middle of their weight ranges the American Pit Bull Terrier is about 1.5 times the weight of the Staffordshire Bull Terrier. Together, their daily exercise plans total about 135 minutes a day at mid-range.
Month to month, the modeled figures put the American Pit Bull Terrier ahead on cost, at about $77 against $70 for the Staffordshire Bull Terrier; both figures are food plus insurance taken at the midpoint. Stretch the same figures over the lifespan ranges and the American Pit Bull Terrier totals $9,257 to $15,168 against $8,194 to $13,928 for the Staffordshire Bull Terrier. These are planning estimates, not quotes.
Neither asks for more: both plan on 45 to 90 minutes a day. On energy the American Pit Bull Terrier rates 4 out of five, the Staffordshire Bull Terrier 4.
On our ratings, yes: both are rated 3 of 5 for shedding. The coats still feel different in the house. American Pit Bull Terrier: Smooth thin single. Staffordshire Bull Terrier: Smooth, short and close.
Not equally: the Staffordshire Bull Terrier takes it on the tie-breaks. The apartment rating matches the American Pit Bull Terrier's ("With enough exercise"), and barking, then daily exercise, then size put the Staffordshire Bull Terrier ahead.
Choosing between more than two? Open the comparison tool and put up to four breeds side by side, or read all written breed comparisons.
The breed facts rest on the breed standards and the club guidance summarized across the profiles. The cost figures are modeled planning estimates, labeled with their basis; they are not quotes, and they are not veterinary advice.