These are solid and muscular terriers, with wide chests and wide-set legs. They have a short, broad head with pronounced cheek muscles, and a short, tight-fitting coat which comes in several colours including black, blue, fawn or red and brindle. Staffies were once fierce fighting dogs with a poor reputation, however, good breeding has transformed this terrier into a sweet-natured and family-orientated dog, which is patient and gentle with children. Their strength and energy may however be better suited to families with older children. Staffies are dogs which seem to prefer the company of humans and can be wary of unfamiliar dogs, although with good early socialisation they tend to get on fine. Staffies also have a very strong prey drive so are not ideal housemates for smaller pets, although if they have grown up with them, they may adapt to them. Staffies have a lot of energy and love to play with their owners. They enjoy running around and need a minimum of one hour of exercise every day. This breed also loves to chew, so lots of tough toys should be provided to prevent them from chewing things that they are not allowed to. Staffies can be quite excitable dogs and do like to test the boundaries. Early reward-based training is highly beneficial for the Staffy.