American Pit Bull Terriers

Real American Pit Bull Terriers, Pit Bull Terriers, Pit Terriers, and Pit Bulldogs are bred to be working dogs. These dogs typically have a Bruce Lee-like, tight-skinned body structure. Some of the original bloodlines include Colby, Jeep, RedBoy, Jocko, Nigerino, TuttlerBuster, Gaines, Eli, Chinaman, Boomerang, Sorrell, Bolio, and many more. Real American Pit Bull Terriers and their variations are not for everyone.

The American Pit Bull Terrier (APBT) comprises a group of dogs often referred to as working breeds. Collectively, this group is most commonly called Pit Bulls. Although the majority of people disfavor the term, it arises from the ongoing debate surrounding the relationship between the three breeds. Some argue that they are completely separate breeds, while others claim they are merely different varieties of the same breed, similar to the Longhaired vs. Shorthaired Chihuahua.

The American Pit Bull Terrier (APBT) is a medium-sized, solidly built, short-haired dog with early ancestors from England and Ireland. It belongs to the molosser breed group. Originally standardized, breeders have created numerous distinct varieties of the American Pit Bull Terrier, making the breed highly variable in appearance. Currently, the breed is banned in twelve countries, including several in Europe, Australia, Canada, Ecuador, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, Singapore, and Venezuela. These countries have enacted some form of breed-specific legislation against pit bull-type dogs, including the American Pit Bull Terrier. The laws range from outright bans to restrictions on ownership, such as mandatory desexing or requiring dogs to be muzzled in public.

Real American Pit Bull Terriers, Pit Bull Terriers, Pit Terriers, and Pit Bulldogs are bred to be working dogs. They typically have a Bruce Lee-like, tight-skinned body structure. Original bloodlines include Colby, Jeep, RedBoy, Jocko, Nigerino, TuttlerBuster, Gaines, Eli, Chinaman, Boomerang, Sorrell, Bolio, and many others. Real American Pit Bull Terriers and their variants are not for everyone.

Grooming:
Brushing once a week or less

Protective Ability:
They aren’t good watch dogs

Hypoallergenic Breed:
No

Space Requirements:
House with yard

Compatibility With Other Pets:
The real American Pit Bull Terrier is animal-aggressive but not human-aggressive. They may be okay with other pets if raised together, but they are not recommended for homes with existing dogs or small animals.

Litter Size:
5-10 puppies

Names:
American Terriers, Yankee Terriers, Bulldogs, Pits, APBT’s, Pit Bulls.

HEIGHT/WEIGHT
Males:
35-65 lbs, 18-22 inches
Females:
30-60 lbs, 18-22 inches

HISTORY

Sometime during the nineteenth century, dog enthusiasts in England, Ireland, and Scotland began experimenting with crosses between Bulldogs and Terriers, aiming to create a dog that combined the gameness of the terrier with the strength and athleticism of the Bulldog. The result was a dog that embodied all the qualities attributed to great warriors: strength, indomitable courage, and gentleness with loved ones. Immigrants brought these bull and terrier crosses to the United States. The American Pit Bull Terrier’s many talents quickly caught the attention of farmers and ranchers, who used them for protection, as catch dogs for semi-wild cattle and hogs, for hunting, driving livestock, and as family companions. Today, the American Pit Bull Terrier continues to showcase its versatility, competing successfully in obedience, tracking, agility, protection, weight pulling, and even big game hunting.

GENERAL APPEARANCE

The American Pit Bull Terrier is a medium-sized, solidly built, short-coated dog with smooth, well-defined musculature. This breed is both powerful and athletic. The body is slightly longer than tall, although females may be somewhat longer in body than males. The length of the front leg (measured from the point of the elbow to the ground) is approximately half the dog’s height at the withers. The head is of medium length, with a broad, flat skull and a wide, deep muzzle. The ears are small to medium in size, set high, and may be natural or cropped. The relatively short tail is set low, thick at the base, and tapers to a point. The American Pit Bull Terrier comes in all colors and color patterns. This breed combines strength and athleticism with grace and agility and should never appear bulky or muscle-bound, nor fine-boned and rangy.

CHARACTERISITCS

The essential characteristics of the American Pit Bull Terrier are strength, confidence, and a zest for life. This breed is eager to please and brimming with enthusiasm. APBTs make excellent family companions and have always been known for their love of children. Because most APBTs exhibit some level of dog aggression, and due to their powerful physique, they require an owner who will carefully socialize and obedience train them. The breed’s natural agility makes it one of the most capable canine climbers, so good fencing is a must. The APBT is not the best choice for a guard dog, as they are extremely friendly, even with strangers. Aggressive behavior toward humans is uncharacteristic and highly undesirable in this breed. The APBT excels in performance events due to its high intelligence and willingness to work.

The American Pit Bull Terrier has always been capable of performing a wide variety of tasks, so any exaggerations or faults should be penalized in proportion to how much they interfere with the dog’s versatility.

HEAD – The APBT’s head is unique and a key element of the breed’s type. It is large and broad, conveying a sense of great power, yet remains proportional to the size of the body. Viewed from the front, the head has the shape of a broad, blunt wedge. From the side, the skull and muzzle are parallel to each other, joined by a well-defined, moderately deep stop. The supraorbital arches over the eyes are well-defined but not pronounced. The head is well-chiseled, blending strength, elegance, and character.

SKULL – The skull is large, flat or slightly rounded, deep, and broad between the ears. Viewed from the top, the skull tapers slightly toward the stop. A deep median furrow runs from the stop to the occiput, becoming less pronounced as it moves down. The cheek muscles are prominent but free of wrinkles. When the dog is concentrating, wrinkles form on the forehead, giving the APBT its unique expression.

MUZZLE – The muzzle is broad and deep, with a very slight taper from the stop to the nose and a gentle fall away under the eyes. The length of the muzzle is shorter than the length of the skull, with a ratio of approximately 2:3. The topline of the muzzle is straight, and the lower jaw is well-developed, wide, and deep. The lips are clean and tight.

Faults: Snipey muzzle; flews; weak lower jaw.

EYES – The eyes are medium-sized, round to almond-shaped, and set well apart and low on the skull. All eye colors are equally acceptable, except blue, which is considered a serious fault. The haw should not be visible.

Serious Faults: Bulging eyes; both eyes not matched in color; blue eyes.

TEETH – The American Pit Bull Terrier has a complete set of evenly spaced white teeth that meet in a scissors bite.

Fault: Level bite.

Serious Faults: An undershot or overshot bite, wry mouth, or missing teeth (except those lost or removed by a veterinarian) are considered faults.

NOSE – The nose is large with wide, open nostrils and may be red or black.

EARS – Ears are set high and may be natural or cropped, with no preference. If natural, semi-prick or rose ears are preferred. Prick or flat, wide ears are undesirable.

NECK – The neck is of moderate length and muscular, with a slight arch at the crest. It gradually widens from where it joins the skull to where it blends into well-laid-back shoulders. The skin on the neck is tight and free of dewlap.

Faults: A neck that is too short and thick, thin or weak, an ewe neck, or a dewlap are considered faults.

FOREQUARTERS – The shoulder blades are long, wide, muscular, and well-laid-back. The upper arm is roughly equal in length to the shoulder blade and joins it at an apparent right angle.

The forelegs are strong and muscular, with elbows set close to the body. When viewed from the front, the forelegs are set moderately wide apart and are perpendicular to the ground. The pasterns are short, powerful, straight, and flexible, and when viewed in profile, they are nearly erect.

Faults: Faults include upright or loaded shoulders, elbows turned outward or tied-in, down at the pasterns, bowed front legs, wrists knuckled over, and toeing in or out.

BODY – The chest is deep, well-filled, and moderately wide, providing ample room for the heart and lungs. However, it should never be wider than it is deep. The forechest does not extend much beyond the point of the shoulder. The ribs extend well back, are well-sprung from the spine, and flatten to form a deep body extending to the elbows. The back is strong and firm. The topline slopes very slightly downward from the withers to a broad, muscular, level back. The loin is short, muscular, and slightly arched to the top of the croup, narrower than the rib cage, with a moderate tuck-up. The croup is slightly sloping downward.

HINDQUARTERS – The hindquarters are strong, muscular, and moderately broad. The rump is well-filled on each side of the tail and deep from the pelvis to the crotch. The bone, angulation, and musculature of the hindquarters are in balance with the forequarters. The thighs are well-developed with thick, easily discernible muscles. Viewed from the side, the hock joint is well-bent, and the rear pasterns are well let down and perpendicular to the ground. Viewed from the rear, the rear pasterns are straight and parallel to one another.

Faults: Faults in the hindquarters include narrowness, shallowness from the pelvis to the crotch, lack of muscle, straight or over-angulated stifle joints, cow hocks, sickle hocks, and bowed legs.

FEET – The feet of the American Pit Bull Terrier are round, proportionate to the size of the dog, well-arched, and tight. The pads are hard, tough, and well-cushioned. Dewclaws may be removed.

Fault: Splayed feet.

TAIL –The tail of the American Pit Bull Terrier is set on as a natural extension of the topline and tapers to a point. When relaxed, the tail is carried low, extending approximately to the hock. During movement, it is carried level with the backline. When excited, the tail may rise to a raised, upright position (challenge tail), but it should never curl over the back (gay tail).

Fault: Long tail (tail tip passes beyond point of hock).

Serious faults: Gay tail (not to be confused with challenge tail); kinked tail.

Disqualification: Bobbed tail.

COAT – The coat is glossy and smooth, close, and moderately stiff to the touch.

Faults: Curly, Wavy, or sparse coat.

Disqualification: Long coat.

COLOR – Any color, color pattern, or combination of colors is acceptable, except for merle, blue or gray.

Disqualification: Merle, Blue, Gray

HEIGHT and WEIGHT –The American Pit Bull Terrier is valued more for the correct proportion of weight to height than for specific weight and height measurements. For a mature male in good condition, a desirable weight range is between 35 and 75 pounds. For a mature female, the desirable weight range is between 30 and 65 pounds. Dogs exceeding these weights should not be penalized unless they are disproportionately massive or rangy.

GAIT – The American Pit Bull Terrier moves with a jaunty, confident attitude, displaying an eager sense of anticipation. Its gait, when trotting, is effortless, smooth, and powerful, showcasing good reach in the front and strong drive from the rear. The backline remains level, with only slight flexing that indicates suppleness. Regardless of the view, the dog’s legs turn neither in nor out, and the feet do not cross or interfere with each other. As speed increases, the feet tend to converge toward the center line of balance.

Faults: Legs not moving on the same plane, overreaching, or crossing in front or rear are undesirable traits in the American Pit Bull Terrier’s gait. Additionally, rear legs moving too closely together or touching, as well as actions such as rolling, pacing, paddling, sidewinding, hackney action, or pounding, are considered faults that should be penalized. A smooth, coordinated, and balanced movement is vital to the breed’s physical integrity.

DISQUALIFICATIONS – Unilateral or bilateral cryptorchidism, viciousness or extreme shyness, unilateral or bilateral deafness, bobbed tail, albinism, blue, gray, or merle coloration, and long coat.

• Hip Dysplasia
• Elbow Dysplasia
• Demodicosis/Demodex Mange/Demodectic Mange
• Cataracts
• Cerebellar Abiotrophy
• Progressive Retinal Atrophy
• Atophy
• Cleft Lip/Palette
• Hypothyroidism
• Ichthyosis
• Luxating Patella
• Zinc Responsive Dermatosis
• Congenital Heart Failure
• Cataracts