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Are you interested in a Patterdale X Staffy? It’s important to understand both of these breeds vefore you make your decision. A Patterdale Terrier crossed with a Staffordshire Bull terrier can be fiesty with a lot of energy! But they can actually make excellent family and companion dogs. Let’s take a look at each of these breeds.
Staffordshire Bull terrier
Staffordshire Bull Terriers were originally bred as fighting dogs in the 19th Century when blood sports, dog fights and Bull Baiting were popular.
Staffyr weight approximately 11-17kg and are around 30-40cm in height, with the females usually on the smaller side. Their body’s are muscular and stocky. Their faces have a broad muzzle often with pronounced cheek bones.
Unlike the Patterdale terrier, the Staffordshire bull terrier is a Kennel Club registered breed. It was only pushed through in the 1930’s and was a challenge as they were originally bred as fighting dogs. Expect to pay around £1000 for a KC registered Staffordshire Bull Terrier.
It is a misconception that all Staffordshire bull terriers are aggressive – this is not the case. If socialised and trained well they make excellent family pets. In fact, they are one of the most popular breeds for pets in the UK. However, some may be aggressive or reactive towards other dogs and this is something that you need to be prepared for and time will be needed for training if that is the case.
The Patterdale Terrier
Patterdale terriers were bred in the Lake District in England, where they were used as hunting dogs. Originally Patterdales were used to hunt foxes and badgers. Now that fox hunting is illegal in England the working dogs here are usually ratters on farms.
The typical Patterdale Terrier size is around 30cm and around 6-7kg in weight. Being a small size, they also make a very cuddly lap dog.
Unlike Staffys, Patterdales are not a Kennel Club recognised breed. Many have their tails docked. However, in England they shouldn’t have docked tails unless they are working dogs and this has been done by a vet before the pup reaches 5 days old. If it is a pet Patterdale terrier he/she should have a full tail.
Patterdales are a very cute but energetic breed! They were bred and built for running through the hills of Cumbria. Therefore they need long walks – an hour or two a day, and they don’t do well being left alone. They are also very intelligent and need mental stimulation such as interactive dog puzzles to work their brains, especially if they are not being used as working dogs.
Patterdale X Staffy
So, the question is, what do you get with a Patterdale X Staffy? Well there won’t be too much difference in height as these two dogs are roughly the same heigh, But, the stocky characteristics of the Staffordshire Bull terrier mean that you will end up with a more muscular kind of Patterdale with a wider jaw.
Personality wise, both these dogs are loyal to their owners and make good pets and lapdogs if trained and exercised well. You will basically get a very active dog due to the Patterdale genes, which would mean it would need more exercise.
I met a Patterdale Terrier – Staffy Cross in the park last week and he looks like Blake, but with a wider head! He goes off lead and has good recall – this is a challenge for many purebred Patterdales. So it’s not proven, but the genes of another dog such as a Staffy may calm the dogs chase instinct a little!
The thing to remember is that both of these dogs need socialisation and training, and so if you do get a Patterdale X Staffy then make sure that you start this from a young age with a pup or as soon as possible after settling in with a rescue.
If you have a Patterdale-Staffy Cross and want to share with us what he/she is like please do comment on our blog below.
If you enjoyed this article you might also like to read about Springerdale – Patterdale Cross Springer Spaniel and Cockerdale
Hi just thinking what a fantastic x this would be,purists would probably differ as for the staffy side having a calming effect on the mix I beg to differ , having owned and been involved with bull breeds I think people rarely see a true Staffordshire bull terrier when in full mode
,unstoppable, that mixed with this fiesty terrier can only produce what could only be described as a explosion ,lol
Look forward to seeing more off this concoction .
Yup. I have a staff x patterdale. He is fearless, fast, jumps 5 foot like a spring from flat on the ground. He is game as anything and loyal as I’ve ever known. He would both kill and die for me in a heartbeat. He is very spoilt though and is annoying and wines a lot and is very demanding but I wouldn’t have him any other way. He is taller than the traditional staff with longer back legs which is strange but he is 18kg so very stocky. He’s a very active boy and very intelligent. Not for the people unfamiliar with both breeds. I’ll post a pic of him etc so people can see. He really is a gem!
As a child I had two Staffys at different times and I remember them both being very docile and lovely dogs. As an adult, we got a 5 week old staffy x patterdale, Lenny (who is now 10 weeks) and they are very different in behaviour. The patterdale makes him very hard to train in the sense he doesn’t recall, he is very barky and loves to tear everything up and doesn’t understand NO yet. Even as pups my staffys were never like this! Lenny is a loving caring dog who is very needy, he loves cuddles and loves being picked up like a baby He’s getting to over 4 kilos now so I do this less and less! Visually he is closer to staffy and I’m hoping the staffy temperament kicks in soon, however reading the before comment, it’s unlikely as he is very feisty! He’s already well socialised as we have a 9 month old kitten, my mother has his brother who he sees all the time and my partners building yard is a farm full of horses, Rottweilers and other cats. it’s a long ride obedience training him, but with consistency he has learnt paw, sit and lay down all within 2 days of me teaching each. Now to eliminate the incessant barking for no reason haha!
I have a 6 yr old patterstaff reared from 8 weeks.
Excellent temperament, great with children. She just wants fusses and to be under any kind of cover.
Socially very well behaved, off lead and recall is fantastic (we started training her off lead and recall at 12 weeks).
Predominantly Staffordshire in temperament. Very good at being a guard dog, she can hear the letterbox of our neighbour go a mile off and will enter scare off the postman mode
Hi we have a Staffy x Patterdale 6 years old and he has been spoilt and we were wondering if there is any chance we could train him or is it too late?
You will be pleased to know that you CAN teach an old dog new tricks! Avoid the feeding from the table and start with basic obedience. You can also set ground rules and as long as they are consistently enforced by all of the family he will learn quickly. There may be some things he doesn’t learn, such as walking off lead, but the good news is that you will be able to train him. Please read some of our training articles in the training section: https://patterdaleterriers.co.uk/training/
I have a Staff patterdale cross Hes now 1 I called him max he looks like a staffy teddy bear very cute also very cheeky!
I took him to a trainer at 12 weeks he was tiny and also took the jump an let him off the lead!
He’s never ran away from me I got him neutered at 11momyhs because he’ started to hump big male dogs which turned aggressive.
It was so good a good move he’s doing really well he’s a bit boyswyrous with me some times but only if he hasn’t been out he’s very obedient and clever lovely with other dogs and children.
Fantastic to hear that he is doing so well!
I have an 8 year old staff x patterdale
He is slightly smaller than average staffy size, quite a lot less stocky and has longer legs.
Brilliant with my cats, children and adults. Not so brilliant with dogs, he was attacked by a much larger dog as a pup and has been terrified of them ever since. His first instinct is to protect himself so hes muzzled and is never off lead to avoid fighting.
At home he’s very gentle and loving, he never ever barks, which I’m told is a patterdale trait. But he’s very whiny and attention seeking. He has quite bad separation anxiety and is quite clingy, very much a lap dog!
He’s very energetic and excitable. He’s getting on age wise now so he sleeps a bit more but when he’s awake he acts like a puppy!
Overall he’s a very lovely dog, and I love how affectionate he is. Very good pet!
Hi I have a 4 year old Patterdale Cross staff. Mum was staff n dad Patterdale.ive had him since a pup n he’s the best looking dog ever.people always stop to comment on his looks n coat. He is ball obsessed but loves cuddles too. Very high energy n hates being left alone. Only left him alone few times for no more than 3 hours n he howls within 5mins of leaving. He doesn’t become destructive ever n only ever barks on demand. He loves games n is very clever. Only negative is he’s not great on a lead as pills n cud never have him off a lead near roads as if he sees a dog cat or squirrel across the road he will run to get to them to say hello n play chase. He truly is the best dog I’ve ever had.
I have a 4 year old Staffy x Patterdale and she’s great! She mostly lounges around the house and likes to steal socks if they’ve been left lying around. She’s never been destructive at all not even as a puppy (where i would expect some chewing of things). She loves her walks and was very easy to train and socialise, being the only dog in the house that doesn’t annoy the cat. She wants to be friends with every person and dog she sees on her walks and is very friendly, always up for a cuddle. She’s very needy and always wants you to have one hand free to rub her belly with. Her only fault is that she barks at every noise outside (cars, gates, people) but that means she’s doing a great guard dog job! She’s very much a staffy in temperament, barely any patterdale in her that can be seen. She loves showing off her toys to people and play fighting with her grandad. She loves children and is extremely patient with them. Overall, a brilliant dog to have!