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50 free Staffordshire Bull Terrier trivia questions with answers — nature quiz, new questions added Aug 2026.
This Staffordshire Bull Terrier trivia quiz covers the Staffy from the Black Country fighting pits to the Kennel Club's list of recommended family dogs. History questions run through the bull-and-terrier crosses of the 1800s, the Cruelty to Animals Act 1835 that ended baiting but pushed dog fighting underground, James Hinks's rival 'White Cavalier', Joseph Dunn's 1935 campaign, the founding meeting at the Old Cross Guns pub in Cradley Heath, the first champions Lady Eve and Gentleman Jim, and the long road to AKC recognition in 1974. The breed section covers the standard's colours, height and weight, temperament (bold, fearless and totally reliable, with a special affinity for children), life expectancy, demodicosis and hereditary cataract findings, and the pit-bull confusion that led PETA to lobby for a ban under the Dangerous Dogs Act. The 2017 DNA study tracing bull-and-terrier types to Ireland, the 'Irish Staffordshire' misnomer, and famous dogs Watchman, Cooper and Jock of the Bushveld round it out. Questions run from easy to expert with a difficulty score on each, so it suits a family quiz or a devoted Staffy owner. Every answer was checked against Wikipedia and breed references and each question carries its citation. Also try our Dogs and Bull Terrier quizzes.
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Q 01The Staffordshire Bull Terrier originated in Staffordshire and the northern parts of which city?
Birmingham
The type from Cradley Heath in the Black Country was the one eventually recognised as the breed.
Q 02Staffords descend from 19th-century crosses between bulldogs and what?
Various terriers
The generic result was known as the 'bull and terrier'; the two modern Bull Terrier breeds developed from it along separate lines.
Q 03In which year did the Kennel Club of Great Britain first recognise the Staffordshire Bull Terrier?
1935
Recognition was announced in the April 1935 Kennel Gazette with no explanation, no breed club and no standard yet in existence.
Q 04Which act of Parliament outlawed bull-baiting and bear-baiting in Britain?
Cruelty to Animals Act 1835
The ban pushed breeders toward matching dogs against each other, adding terrier blood for gameness and agility.
Q 05Which of these was NOT one of the historic aliases for bull-and-terrier dogs?
Cradley Gladiator
Others included 'half-and-halves' and 'half-breds'; the modern Bull Terrier alone was nicknamed the White Cavalier.
Q 06Immigrants from Britain took bull-and-terrier dogs to the United States shortly before which conflict?
The American Civil War
Those dogs became the ancestors of the AmStaff, Miniature Bull Terrier, Boston Terrier and American Pit Bull Terrier.
Q 07Which breeder developed the separate Bull Terrier using outcrosses to Dalmatians and Collies?
James Hinks
Devotees of the original strain considered his outcrosses undesirable and stayed loyal to their preferred type, which became the Stafford.
Q 08What nickname was given to the Bull Terrier that emerged as the Stafford's rival?
The White Cavalier
The Bull Terrier left its fighting heritage behind, while Stafford breeders in the UK carried on with illegal contests.
Q 09Which journalist said no registry wanted the early Stafford, 'a dog that drew the blood of its own kind for a living'?
Denise Flaim
The Kennel Club itself later admitted that the fighting association made recognition difficult until the 1930s.
Q 10The American Kennel Club accepted the Staffordshire Bull Terrier in 1974 as its what?
121st official breed
The first Stafford in the AKC Stud Book was Ch. Tinkinswood Imperial, an English import.
Q 11Which two bull-and-terrier descendants does the UK Kennel Club NOT recognise?
AmStaff and APBT
The AKC and Canadian Kennel Club recognise five of the six; the APBT is recognised only by the United Kennel Club.
Q 12According to the Kennel Club, the Stafford's ancestry is the Bulldog crossed with which terrier?
Black and Tan
The Canadian Kennel Club, which recognised the breed only in 1952, gave more credit to the broader bull-and-terrier heritage.
Q 13Which 1817 Abraham Cooper painting is cited as evidence that Stafford-like dogs existed before 1816?
Crib and Rosa
Q 21In which year did the FCI, based in Thuin, Belgium, recognise the breed?
1954
The Canadian Kennel Club had followed the KC in 1952.
Q 22Under what name did the AKC first recognise the AmStaff in 1936?
Staffordshire Terrier
The 'American' was added later to avoid confusion with the English Stafford; the AKC had accepted Hinks's Bull Terrier back in 1885.
Q 23Who organised the US Staffordshire Bull Terrier Club on 14 January 1967?
Steve Stone
Most Staffords in America then were imports from Australia, Canada and New Zealand; a summer rally produced 14 members and 8 registered dogs.
Its plaque describes 'the famous Staffordshire bitch', though writers stress that does not make her a Staffordshire Bull Terrier.
Q 14A 2017 genome-wide study traced all bull-and-terrier breeds back to the terriers of which country?
Ireland
The dating to 1860–1870 matches historical accounts of dog fighting there and a lack of stud-book records.
Q 15Which act largely ended organised dog fighting in Britain?
Protection of Animals Act 1911
Baiting needed big arenas that were easy to police; fights were hidden in private basements and lasted decades longer.
Q 16Which dog-show judge and breeder led the 1930s campaign for Kennel Club recognition of the Stafford?
Joseph Dunn
In April 1935 he held a variety show with cash prizes to prove Stafford owners would turn out, and it worked.
Q 17What name did the KC reject before approving 'Staffordshire Bull Terrier' in 1935?
Original Bull Terrier
The name 'Staffordshire Bull Terrier' had first appeared in dog advertisements in 1930.
Q 18The Staffordshire Bull Terrier Club was formed in June 1935 at a meeting in which venue?
The Old Cross Guns pub, Cradley Heath
A breed standard was approved the same day, and further shows followed that year.
Q 19Which actor was among the pivotal breeders who helped secure recognition for the Stafford?
Tom Walls
Joe Mallen was the other key breeder alongside Joseph Dunn.
Q 20What were the names of the first Stafford champions recognised in England in 1939?
Lady Eve and Gentleman Jim
One was a bitch and the other a stud dog.
Q 24Northwark Becky Sharpe, the first US champion Stafford, was imported from where?
Australia
The first dog in the AKC Stud Book, Ch. Tinkinswood Imperial, came from England.
Q 25How tall does a Stafford usually stand at the withers?
36–41 cm
Dogs weigh about 13–17 kg and bitches roughly 2 kg less.
Q 26Which of these is an accepted Stafford coat colour?
Blue
White, black, fawn, red and any brindle are also allowed, all with or without white.
Q 27How do a Stafford's ears sit, according to the breed description?
Folded at the tip
The head is broad and the body roughly as long from withers to tail as it is tall.
Q 28The Kennel Club's breed standard notes the Stafford's particular affinity with whom?
Children
The KC calls the breed 'bold, fearless and totally reliable' and lists it among those recommended for families.
Q 29A 2024 UK study gave the Staffordshire Bull Terrier what average life expectancy?
12 years
That equals the crossbreed figure and sits a little under the 12.7-year purebred average.
Q 30A UK study found what share of Staffords under two had juvenile-onset demodicosis, against 0.48% overall?
2.14%
An American study found an even bigger gap: 10% of Staffords versus 0.58% of all dogs.