What to Expect from an American Staffordshire Terrier and Chocolate Lab Cross

Getting to Know the AmStaff and Chocolate Lab Cross

If you are considering an American Staffordshire Terrier (AmStaff) mix, an AmStaff crossed with a Chocolate Labrador Retriever could be a strong candidate. Still, there are several things about this mix that you should learn before bringing one home. Without proper research, you might find that the dog does not fit your lifestyle.

What follows is a full account of our AmStaff/Chocolate Lab mix, Dakota, who has been part of our household for many years.

Read about one family’s experience with an American Staffordshire Terrier/Chocolate Labrador Retriever mix, and decide if this great dog is a good fit for you.

dogrando, CC BY-SA 2.0, from flickr

How Dakota Joined Our Family

Roughly two years ago, on a warm and sunny spring Saturday, my wife and I went to a nearby pet shop. We were only thinking about getting a fish or a bird. When we got there, a local breeder happened to have several puppies available. My wife and I had talked about getting a dog before, but we always reached the same conclusion: we did not want the hassle of caring for one at that time.

Even so, my wife walked over to the puppies and soon stepped inside the small wire-fenced area to play with them. She called me over to join her.

Our New Puppy

When I came closer, I saw five small puppies running around, biting one another, urinating on the floor, and enjoying themselves. At first, I did not think much of it, but as we stayed and played with the puppies, we started asking the breeder about care, the purchase price, the breed, and other details.

Initially, I did not take our questions seriously because they came mostly from curiosity. Yet as we kept playing with the puppies and asking questions, our curiosity turned into a commitment.

Two hours later, we left the pet shop with a new puppy, a crate, dog food, a collar, a leash, a few squeaky toys, and $500 less in our bank account. There we were with our first real dog as a married couple. We had been married for only about two years at that point.

We learned that our puppy, Dakota, was a mix of a Chocolate Labrador Retriever and an American Staffordshire Terrier, and we had no idea what we were in for!

Dakota at around 12 weeks old

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More About This Mixed Breed

Appearance

Dakota has the body of a Chocolate Labrador and a head like an AmStaff. He weighs about 80 pounds and has a muscular build. From a distance, he might look like a fierce guard dog, but in reality, he is scared of his own shadow.

Class, Characteristics, and Temperament

As we learned how to care for this little guy, I found out that his breed falls into the class of bully breeds, which are associated with Boxers, Pit Bulls, and Bulldogs. These breeds traditionally have a bad reputation; however, they are very loyal and loving dogs. I also learned that, since he is half-Labrador, he has high energy and needs exercise.

This mixed breed has given us an energetic, loyal, loving dog. Dakota was a shy puppy for about the first day, and then all hell broke loose, and his little personality started to show.

The AmStaff side of him comes out when I wrestle with him, as he is solid muscle and loves to play rough. We taught him a command of “enough” for when he becomes too rough.
The Lab side of him comes out every day when he wants to spend all day outside running around. I take him on long runs with me; otherwise, he can become bored and destructive.
He’s not a very good watchdog because he rarely barks; this is a trait of the AmStaff. He also would probably invite a burglar inside and give them a full tour of our home.

A Great Family Dog

AmStaff/Labs are great family dogs; Dakota loves other dogs and people. When our son was 10 months old, he would crawl on Dakota, pull his ears, poke his head, and pull his tail, and all Dakota would do was either get up and move or look at me as if pleading with me to step in and save him.

At night when Dakota is tired, he’ll curl up right on top of my feet and fall asleep until I go to bed. We taught him to stay off the furniture and our bed after he had slept with us for a while; having an 80-pound, solid-muscle dog on your bed does tend to make sleeping at night challenging.

Here is an example of a typical AmStaff (left) and a typical Chocolate Lab (right). Dakota is a cross between these two breeds.

Mark Hillary, CC-BY 2.0 from flickr; Ben Collins, CC-BY 2.0 from flickr

Energetic and Loving

This mixed breed has given us an energetic, loyal, loving dog.

Featured Gallery

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_Dakota decides to hang out on the toilet.

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_Dakota waiting for a bath.

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_Dakota caught red-handed eating a tape measure!

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Training and Discipline

This type of mixed breed needs lots of instruction as a puppy; without training, the AmStaff side will attempt to take control as the pack leader, which is bad. We signed Dakota up for some puppy classes for him to learn basic commands and proper training techniques.

Early Training Is Essential

Teaching Dakota commands from an early age has saved us headaches, and it makes others feel at ease around him because we have control. Plus, the Lab side of him loves mental exertion; it really stimulates him and wears him down much quicker than regular exercise.

In fact, I can spend 15 minutes a day stimulating his mind with commands and training, and it will equate to almost an hour of physical exercise before he starts to get tired!

Swift, Non-Threatening Discipline

Discipline with AmStaff/Labs must be carried out swiftly and in a non-threatening manner. Dakota has growled at me twice, and both times were because he had another dog’s toy in his mouth and wanted to play. He was disciplined right away, so there was no question in his mind about what he did wrong.

This is done by placing him in his crate for a few minutes and telling him a stern “uh-uh” instead of “no,” since that word becomes like white noise to dogs.

Training Is Important

Without training, the AmStaff side will attempt to take control as the pack leader, which is bad.

Typical terrier—he refuses to look at the camera.

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Is This Dog Right for You?

I strongly believe that the American Staffordshire Terrier mixed with the Chocolate Labrador Retriever provides a well-rounded type of dog. However, they are not for everyone, and if you’re not active outdoors, then I would suggest another breed. The Lab side loves being outdoors, and the AmStaff side loves a good roughhousing every now and then.

If that sounds like a good match for you and your family, then the next time you are looking for a great, energetic, loving, loyal, and intelligent dog, make sure you check out the AmStaff/Chocolate Lab mix.