American Pit Bull Terrier
The American Pit Bull Terrier, also known as APBT for short, is loosely known as the pit bull. There are generally two types of this breed that are recognized by the American Kennel Club.
These two breeds are the American Staffordshire Terrier and the Staffordshire Bull Terrier. The American Pit Bull Terrier, however, is recognized by the United Kennel Club and many of those registered under the AKC as AST can be registered by the United Kennel Club as an American Pit Bull Terrier. But the largest registry for APTBs to date is the American Dog Breeders Association.
The APTB and its Rich History
With the introduction set aside, it is time you know more about the dog you popularly call “pit bull”. The American Pit Bull Terrier existed long ago around the early 1800s. They were initially a cross breed between bulls and terriers from England and Ireland.
This cross-breed was made for the purpose of bull-baiting, a popular sport at the time. However, this sport was considered illegal later on, due to the aggressiveness it brought for both animals involved. Owners of the pit bull decided to move on the next popularized sport, dog fighting. This turned out to be illegal, too, due to animal rights issues, and was outlawed in the following years.
When talking about dog fighting or bull fighting, a good sporting dog owners specifically looked for in the past were pit bulls that looked strong and ready for a game. These characteristics are not hard to find in any pit bull, as the ancestors from which the pit bull terrier was bred was known to never give up. Hence, pit bulls are known not to give up on a fight and once they’ve bitten down, they won’t let go. These are the characteristics essential when looking for pit bulls to join in fighting sports.
But having the said characteristics can be dangerous especially when a pit bull’s aggression is turned towards humans. One other characteristic that owners looked for in fighting pit bulls is its non aggression towards humans. Owners and handlers had to be able to control their dogs. If this can’t be done, the pit bulls would be killed immediately. This is a sad fate for the breed back in the days. But on the brighter side, this method of setting a tight control on aggressive and non aggressive dogs brought the strong breed known today as one that would never turn on its owners.
After both sport has come and gone, the pit bulls finally found a place in their owners’ homes as a pet. Don’t let the appearance of a simple pet fool you, however. The American Pit Bull Terrier, though now considered a pet, still retains its working dog qualities. In tracing the history of pit bulls from the time they became pets, they started by travelling with their owners, as migration was still very much practiced back in the day. As travelers started to settle, the pit bulls settled themselves as well, finding a place as working dogs on farms.
The APBTs was used for a variety of reasons but mostly because of the dogs great sense of smell and are also good candidates for being cattle dogs. They are a strong and tough breed and can handle the mess that can be brought on by a herd of cattle compared to other dogs.
As with the APBTs sense of smell, a great and established blood line of red noses, the “Castillo Bloodline”, is held responsible. This bloodline is known for its consistency in size of the breeds which also possess immaculately correct structure. For this reason, the “Castillo Bloodline” was considered by the United Kennel Club as the second most titled red-nose bloodline.
At about the same time that the American Pit Bull Terrier became widely known, two clubs were created specifically for the purpose of registering the dogs. These two clubs are the United Kennel Club and the American Dog Breeder’s Association. The United Kennel Club recognizes APBT as a breed compared to other pit bull clubs primarily because the UKC was founded with an American Pit Bull Terrier.
After the savage sport of dog fighting and bull fighting were outlawed, owners wanted to separate the pit bull of today from the pit bull of the past. This brought on the naming of the pit bull as a Staffordshire Terrier. It was this name that was recognized by the American Kennel Club in 1936, which goes to explain the reason why they only register ASTs.
The name Staffordshire Terrier was added the word American, making it known as the American Staffordshire Terrier of today because owners as well as the AKC wanted to differentiate this breed from its smaller cousin from British roots, the Staffordshire Bull Terrier.
Many of the clubs aside from the American Kennel Club disagreed with the standards the AKCs put forth with regards to the name of the pit bull. Many of the clubs as well as owners still settle for the name, American Pit Bull Terrier. Because of this debate, there is still much confusion that exists between the APTB, AST, and SBT.
The American Pit Bull Terrier, once a popular dog in the United States, began to reach a point where they started to decline in numbers. This was especially notable after the Second World War when other breeds began to gain favor in the hearts of American citizens.
The Lowdown on the Popularized APBT
First off, is to know what a typical American Pit Bull Terrier looks like. In order to find an APBT of good breed, you have to be informed on the general appearance of this dog. Among the three, APBT, AST, and SBT, the American Pit Bull Terrier is the mid-sized breed.
Males typically weigh in at about 35 to 65 pounds or 16 to 29 kg. Females on the other hand, weigh a little lesser at about 30 to 60 pounds of 16 to 27 kg. An APBT should measure around 18 to 22 inches in height or 45 to 55 cm, measuring from the withers.
The coat of an APBT is characterized as being short and single layered. It may be stiff but the overall appearance has a glossy sheen. You can find APBTs of any color. Any type of color is acceptable, expect merle alone. The dog can either have a solid color or has patches of colors mixed together. The merle is not acceptable in any registration clubs for APBTs as this is not considered a pure breed. An APBT that is merle in color is a mixed breed with that of the Catahoula Leopard Dog.
As for the APBT’s eye color, any color is accepted, expect for blue. Their ears should be rose or semipricked. The APBTs ears can be cropped but uncropped ears are generally preferred by registration clubs.
The APBT’s tail should be short and tapering. Its body should be characterized as having a solid build and muscular. You should also look for APBTs that have a wide chest. The head of this breed is wedged in shape and may have some wrinkles on the forehead. Its muzzle is medium in size and its teeth should typically form a scissors bite.
If you are asking if there might be a particular nose color that meets APBT standards, there is none. The nose of APBTs can range from any color and still be accepted.
The next step in finding out a quality bred APBT from that of an ordinary APBT is by determining its temperament. The APBTs are generally a very sweet breed. They are curious, intelligent, and to some point can seem clownish. They are capable of being outgoing, giving affection, and are eager to please people. They have a fondness for people and they like being given the attention.
These qualities define an APBTs likeness to be severely loyal to its owners, even to a point of standing up and giving their lives for them. In general, APBTs can be great as pets but they need to be raised with a firm hand. If not, APBTs are known to be quite stubborn and can display aggression towards other dogs. If you are a first time pet owner, the American Pit Bull Terrier should not be your breed of choice.
This breed is required to be brought up with a strong and firm hand. It is also a must that they attend obedience training as early as possible. If this is done, your APBT can have a stable and dependable temperament.
There is important information owners of this breed must know is that APBTs are bouncy, full of energy, and have a high predator drive. This energy should be channeled into something stimulating such as exercise and play so that the dog will not be bored, become frustrated and eventually be destructive. Novice pet owners of APBTs have realized this first hand and have considered the breed to be quite a handful.
APBTs have been stereotyped to be a threat to both children and adult. The dog’s build, its size and its strength have been the reason for the stereotype. Contrary to what you might have heard, APBTs are generally average, sound-minded dogs and are not considered to be a threat especially where children are concerned.
APBTs are commonly the type of dog that does not recognize its own strength and are more likely to knock children down by accident than by force. This breed is one that likes to play and so it is best for adults to keep them on their leash when left alone with children.
Rather than displaying human aggression, APBTs are capable of displaying dog aggression. This aggression can be seen towards dogs that are not of their breed and dog with the same sex or level of aggressive. You can avoid this by socializing and training the dog at a young age. Do not be wary and do take precautions when your dog interacts with other breeds. There is a reason why pit bulls are named as they are and if you remember their history, they have been bred for the sole purpose of bull baiting.
Though APBTs don’t display human aggression, they were also not bred to have guarding behaviors. They will only respond when they perceive a threat for their owners. Looking back at its history, strict control has been maintained over the breeding of APBTs, breeding only those that do not display human aggression. You will do kindly and wisely as to follow the tradition because it is this control that has kept human aggression to a minimum.
Before you select an APBT for a pet, do consider if the seller has taken the dog’s temperament to consideration. Make sure that the seller is reputable for selling only those that do not have aggressive tendencies. You can detect when a seller is offering you dogs that have aggressive tendencies when they start talking about the dog’s guarding skills and protective behavior.
The United Kennel Club has set standards for breeders and the standards state that each dog should be health tested and temperament tested. You can settle buying APBTs from animal shelters. Most animal shelters do temperament test their dogs before putting them up for adoption. Make sure you approach these types of animal shelters.
APBTs and Appropriate Activities
The American Pit Bull Terrier has specific characteristics physically as well as in temperament. These characteristics can be applied to certain activities that your APBT will surely excel in. Since APBTs are energetic they have a great tendency to complete athletic tasks.
Some people allow their APBT to undergo certain training in order to join them in sports where pit bulls are known to excel in. APBTs can be trained for dog agility and strengthening. The sports pit bulls are more commonly associated are the weight pulling competitions, obedience competitions, and the schutzhund.
Statistics have shown that out of 25 dogs who have garnered the title of “superdogs” in the United Kennel Club, fourteen of those were pit bulls. This superdog status was awarded to those who have excelled in competitions like conformation, obedience, weightpulling, and agility.
Athletics is not the only field your APBT is useful for. American Pit Bull Terriers have been known to be used in the police being a narcotics detection police dog. Other roles APBTs have been linked to be that of being Border Patrol dogs, hearing dogs, and search and rescue dogs. In these fields, the APBTs heightened sense of smell, high energy drive and increased strength prove to be useful.
As pets in homes, APBTs are great for running errands with or going to the park and playing fetch. As energetic as they are, they do well in homes that have large backyards and a tall fence.
Terriers are known to be capable of vertical jumps, especially the Parsons Russell Terrier, previously named the Jack Russell Terrier, so having tall fences to prevent escapes and accidents is deemed helpful. In an urban setting, your APBTs can still survive as long as they are walked often and have exercise time and again.
Laws Surrounding the APBT Breed
Since the American Pit Bull Terrier have been used for bull fighting and dog fighting, there have been many moves taken to address this cruelty to the breed. The sport promotes aggressiveness to an otherwise stable minded dog. This can bring about more instances of accidents and attacks towards humans, not to mention the number of animal rights broken.
The law has stepped in to protect these animals from harm and from aggression development. One such movement towards the safety of these animals is the requirement of a microchip imbedded into the pit bull.
There have been many cases wherein pit bulls have been stolen and joined in dog fighting rings. This law also helps protect the breed from abuse which happens so many times to pit bulls. Other laws have been enacted to promote the safety of these dogs yet some of them have made even positive sports hard to perform.
Confusing Issues Surrounding the Breed
There has been much confusion with the American Pit Bull Terrier brought about by three pit bull breeds that have nearly the same standards as the APBT. There are also twenty breeds or more that are related to pit bulls making specifically identifying them difficult.
