A typical Staffordshire Bull Terrier weighs about 11 to 17 kg and eats 2 to 3% of that in raw food a day, so roughly 300 to 450 g for a 15 kg Staffy. Staffies are strong, keen eaters, so watch their waistline and supervise every bone.
Raw food for Staffies comes down to two things: the amount, and keeping them lean. Staffies are a popular breed in New Zealand, and they tend to approach a bowl of raw food with real enthusiasm. This guide covers what to feed, how to pick bones for a dog with strong jaws, and how to slow down a dog that inhales dinner.
How much to feed a Staffy
A Staffordshire Bull Terrier usually weighs somewhere around 11 to 17 kg, with males at the heavier end. Plenty of New Zealand “Staffies” are crosses or American Staffordshire types, which can be quite a bit heavier, so weigh your own dog.
| Weight | Quieter (2%) | Moderate (2.5%) | Very active (3%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 kg | 220 g | 275 g | 330 g |
| 13 kg | 260 g | 325 g | 390 g |
| 15 kg | 300 g | 375 g | 450 g |
| 17 kg | 340 g | 425 g | 510 g |
| 25 kg | 500 g | 625 g | 750 g |
The feed calculator does this for your dog’s exact weight and activity.
For a 15 kg Staffy on the moderate amount, that’s about 340 g of mince or blend a day and about 40 g of bone, averaged over the week. Split over two meals, that’s about 170 g of mince each, which is roughly a third of a block of about 500 g.
Keeping a Staffy lean
Staffies are muscly and food-motivated, and the weight can creep on before you notice. Check their shape every couple of weeks: you should be able to feel the ribs easily without seeing them, and there should be a waist when you look down from above. If they’re getting round, cut the daily amount by about 10% and count treats as part of the day.
A Staffy’s muscle can hide a bit of extra weight, so feel along the ribs rather than going by looks. Our guide to the dog body condition score shows how to check, step by step.
Bones for a strong chewer
Staffies have powerful jaws and like to get stuck in. Match the bone to the rest of the diet, then choose a piece big enough that your dog has to chew it rather than swallow it. Supervise, and take the bone away once it’s small enough to gulp. Skip the heavy weight-bearing leg bones from large animals, which are very dense. Our guide to which raw bones dogs can eat has the pairings.
| Bone | What it’s like | Goes with |
|---|---|---|
| Beef Brisket Bones | Meaty breastbone and rib end, with cartilage | Beef Mince, Active Dog Mix, Breeders Mix |
| Beef Neck Bones | Dense, meaty vertebrae; a long chew | Beef Mince and the beef-based mixes |
| Veal Brisket and Neck Bones | The veal versions of the same cuts | Veal Mince, Fussy Mix |
| Goat Bones | Meaty goat pieces, no beef | Goat Mince, Wild Mix |
A few habits suit a keen chewer: feed the bone somewhere easy to clean, like a mat or the lawn, keep fresh water nearby, and give it when your dog isn’t starving, after part of their meal, so they chew rather than gulp.
Slowing down a fast eater
Plenty of Staffies treat dinner as a race. Raw mince is soft, so it goes down fast, and slowing the meal makes it more satisfying without adding food:
- Lick mat. Press the meal into the grooves. It turns a quick gulp into a proper job.
- Frozen feeding toy. Pack part of the meal into a rubber feeding toy the night before and freeze it. It’s a long job for a strong jaw.
- Slow-feeder bowl. The ridges make them work around the food.
- Bone after part of the meal. A bone given to a dog that’s already eaten a little gets chewed rather than gulped.
- Own space. With more than one dog, feed them apart so nobody feels they need to hurry.
An example day for a 15 kg Staffy
For a moderately active 15 kg Staffy at about 375 g a day:
- Morning: about 170 g of mince or blend on a lick mat.
- Evening: about 170 g in a slow-feeder bowl, or part of it with a raw brisket bone on some evenings.
- Thawing: a block of about 500 g covers roughly a day and a half, so move two blocks to the fridge every couple of days, or one each evening if that’s easier to remember.
- Treats: small cubes of the day’s food, taken out of the total.
Foods that suit a Staffy
- Beef Mince: a single protein, 100% NZ beef, for building the bowl yourself.
- Active Dog Mix: beef, horse, offal and green tripe, for a busy dog.
- Beef Brisket Bones: a raw bone that matches a beef-based diet.
If your Staffy can’t have a particular meat, our guide to raw food for dogs with allergies sorts the range by protein.
Switching a Staffy to raw
Go slowly even if your dog would happily eat it all on day one. Swap a little of the old food for raw and build up over one to two weeks, starting with one protein. Our guide to switching to raw has the plan.
American Staffies and Staffy crosses
Plenty of dogs called Staffies in New Zealand are American Staffordshire Terriers or crosses, and they’re bigger, usually around 18 to 32 kg. The amounts work the same way: a 28 kg dog at a moderate 2.5% eats about 700 g a day. For a dog that size, a blend like Breeders Mix is an easy everyday base, and ordering a few cartons at a time keeps the freezer stocked.
| Dog | Weight | A day (2.5%) | A 10 kg box of mince or mix lasts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Staffy | 13 kg | about 325 g | about 5 weeks |
| Staffy | 15 kg | about 375 g | about 4 weeks |
| Staffy | 17 kg | about 425 g | about 3.5 weeks |
| American Staffy or cross | 28 kg | about 700 g | about 2 weeks |
Common questions
How long does a carton last a Staffy?
A 15 kg Staffy eating 375 g a day gets through about 340 g of mince or blend a day, so one 10 kg carton lasts roughly four weeks.
One meal or two?
Two meals suit most Staffies, and it helps a keen eater feel less like they’re starving between meals. Pick a routine and keep to it.
My Staffy inhales their food. What helps?
Slow the meal down. Spread the food over a lick mat, use a slow-feeder bowl, or serve it while it’s still slightly firm from the fridge so it takes longer to get through. Feeding each dog in its own spot also stops a fast eater racing the others.
What’s a good raw diet for a Staffy?
A mince or mix as the base, a raw bone matched to it a few times a week, and some organ, for example Beef Mince with Balance Mix, or Active Dog Mix, which has offal through it.
How much does it cost to raw feed a Staffy?
For a 15 kg dog, feeding from our boxes comes to about $2.50 to $3.10 a day. Delivery is $5 an order, whatever the weight.
Can a Staffy puppy eat raw?
Yes. Puppies eat more for their size and need more meals. Our guide to how much raw food to feed a puppy has amounts by age.
More guides
Dog body condition score: is my dog the right weight?
Check your dog's ribs, waist and tummy tuck on the 9-point scale, then adjust raw amounts, with a worked example for a 20 kg dog.
What raw bones can dogs eat?
Raw meaty bones, the ones to skip, and how to pick a bone that matches what your dog already eats.
Raw food for dogs with allergies and sensitive stomachs
Choosing raw food by protein, every meat in our range, and a gentle switch for a sensitive dog.