American Pit Bull Terrier Dogs for sale. Information, photos & breeder listings.

Home » Dogs » American Pit Bull Terrier Dogs

Jump to American Pit Bull Terrier Advertisements

The American Pit Bull Terrier (APBT) aka “Pit Bull,” is a working class dog, and member of the modern Pit Bull family. Unfortunately, the APBT is most recognized today by reputation rather than the general public understanding facts concerning their true nature. This is due in part by the media hyping unscrupulous dog owners who train and use the APBT for archaic blood sport entertainment. The myths surrounding this breed are further sensationalized for political reasons, by labeling the “Pit Bull” as aggressive and dangerous towards humans. However, it is widely agreed upon by professionals and caring owners that a dog’s breed is far less a factor in dictating aggressive behavior, than owners teaching aggressive behavior. APBT is not a fighting dog and no assumptions should be made that state otherwise without understanding the facts.  It is quite necessary to accentuate this point so that with the help of the Pit Bull community, these highly misunderstood dogs can reclaim their reputation as intelligent, loyal, hardworking and fun loving animals. To understand more about this unique breed of dog we must go back a number of years to analyze the different dog types and the places from which they originated. Hopefully this article will dispel myths about the American Pit Bull Terrier and provide a clear and concise analysis of this particular pedigree.

It is important to initially lay out a few facts about the American Pit Bull Terrier. First off, the APBT is a purebred dog that is recognized by the American Dog Breeders Association (ADBA) and the United Kennel Club (UKC). Purebred is not applied to any other dog of this breed in the UKC registry such as Staffordshire Bull Terriers, American Staffordshire Terriers or Bull Terriers. No other breed of animal has the terminology pit and bull in their name except for the APBT. The Staffordshire Terrier is in essence an APBT; however, the American Kennel Club (AKC), refused to acknowledge their classification until 1936, but registered them as American Staffordshire Terrier’s in 1972. Therefore, the Pit Bull received an alias due to their English history as fighting dogs. Presently the UKC allows The American Staffordshire Terrier which received its name from miners who worked in Staffordshire, England, and oddly enough helped create the breed for fighting. Since the AKC would not recognize the APBT, or other breeds of dogs, the UKC was formed and low and behold in 1898 an APBT named Bennett’s Ring was the first breed registered.

Ancestry plays an important role with purebred dogs and the American Pit Bull Terrier is certainly no exception. With the APBT, there is no concrete evidence to support its true, undisputed lineage. So, what must be done is provide some possible scenario’s based on experts who have conducted research in the field, and readers can discern the plausibility of each example. For the first scenario, it has been said that the modern APBT is actually an original pure Bulldog due to their striking resemblance to each other. Some evidence to support this theory can be seen in paintings, sketches, and woodcarvings done in England during the nineteenth century. For example, the English bulldog painting Crib and Rosa, by Abraham Cooper, in 1811 bares a strong likeness to the APBT of today. The idea that the Bulldog is in fact the APBT based on paintings and sketches carries validity among some experts, but it is not the prominent belief. Perhaps a more sound theory is that the APBT was comprised of the English bulldog and bred with a certain type of terrier. We will examine this idea further to ascertain some possible breeds that the Pit Bull is thought to come from.

In order to trace the APBT lineage it is useful to begin as far back as ancient Greece and the molossus, the first type of fighting dog known. From the Molossians, came a type of Mastiff that were known as pugnaces in Briton and used as guard dogs and alongside soldiers in battle. In 50 AD after the Romans, under Claudius, defeated the Brits they thought very highly of the Massifs they fought against in battle and brought them to Rome to breed with a variety of dogs thought to precede the APBT. A millennium later, the Norman’s attacked England and brought with them a sport called baiting: chaining an animal (bear, bull, horse) to a post and sicing dogs on them. Baiting was started by English butchers who had dogs, now extinct, named Bullenbeissers, or bull biter, first used for herding bulls, hence the name Bulldog. This is the dog that looks much like the current APBT.

After centuries of using bulldogs to fight various animals for sport, the English government finally outlawed this brutal activity in1835. Although not stamped out completely, the English found a new way to use the Bulldog in other kill sport activities. A sport called ratting was created where a dog or dogs were put into a pit with rats that could not escape. The dogs were forced to kill as many rats as possible in the quickest amount of time. Here is where the name pit became attached to a Bulldog, which consequently became the Pit Bull. To elevate this pit fighting spectacle it was inevitable that dogs would be fighting dogs for sport. However, the type of Bulldog used in this event was the precursor to the boxer called the Alaunt which was introduced by the Duke of York in 1585. Not a great deal about this animal is known today other than the fact that they were categorized into different areas for the tasks they performed and their physical appearance. The Alaunt Gentil was much like a greyhound and can be correlated with hunting breeds along with the Alaunt Veantre. However, the larger mastiff type of dog, known as Alaunt de Boucherie, is where we come into a dog being developed for fighting in France. The Alaunts played a major role as a fighting dog along with the practice of baiting. The introduction of this type of dog is the hardest evidence we can gather that the dog was specifically created to provide blood-sport entertainment to the masses. In addition, it is important to state that Bulldogs of this era were a type of dog rather than a breed of dog and Bulldogs that shared pit bull characteristics went on to be the Pit Bull of today. What we have is a separation between Mastiff and Bulldog which shows they had become individual types.

Now that the history of the Bulldog in England has been discussed we can investigate some theories as to what type of dog was bred with the Bulldog to become an APBT. As a result of dogfights, handlers started to create animals that were quicker and feistier as opposed to the large Mastiff that were their predecessors. This is when Bulldog and terrier became the perfect storm for this type of activity and it was possibly the first Pit Bull Terrier. However, the task of finding the specific breed of terrier that was crossed with a Bulldog, again, is ambiguous and open to debate. With this in mind, we can reasonably state that APBT came from English and Irish stock brought by immigrants who came to America with their bull terrier mix. However, while this breed was being created, the question of which dog is the true culprit is still a great mystery. The first theory suggests that the Bulldog was crossed with a White Terrier, which no longer exists today, in what we now know as the APBT. As we discussed earlier there is a great dispute over the name the AKC registry has with this particular breed. So, being that the American Staffordshire Terrier is theoretically an APBT it is justified to discuss their idea of its lineage. With this in mind the AKC has a different idea of what dogs came together to create their breed.

For the Staffordshire Terrier, it is reported that the Black-and-Tan Terrier or the White English Terrier were bred with the Bulldog to create this breed. However, another theory is that the Fox Terrier of the early 1800’s was responsible due to their gameness, agility, and spirit mixed with the bravery and sheer tenacity that the Bulldog imbued. As a result, around 1870, when they came to America they were called Pit Dog, Pit Bull Terrier, later American Bull Terrier, and still later as Yankee Terrier. Here lies much of the reason why it is so difficult to truly find an accurate account of exactly what animals were used to create the modern APBT. Moreover, registering the APBT animal became an issue that when on for many years. The AKC stud book accepted the name Staffordshire Terrier in 1936. However, in 1972 the name was changed to the American Staffordshire Terrier to distinguish between the Staffordshire Bull and the Terrier of England.

When the UKC was created in 1898, by Chauncy Bennet, the main purpose was to register Pit Bulls. The APBT, was registered as an American Bull Terrier at first, but Pit Bull enthusiast became outraged and the name was subsequently put back in place. Presently, the American Staffordshire Terrier has developed into a breed that is quite different from the APBT which only adds to the confusion of how these dogs really originated. Although we have covered a lot of information about the possibilities of this breed, and tried to provide some of the best examples taken from research, there are facts about today’s APBT that are quite reliable.

The pit bull has a history of fighting, but nowhere is it mentioned that these dogs were trained to be aggressive towards humans. Quite the contrary, this breed of animal works well as guard dogs, hunters, herders, and is a great friend to many dog lovers. The American Temperament Testing Society has given a pass percentage of 84.3% for American Pit Bull Terriers. Characteristics of the APBT include confidence, strength, enthusiasm, and kindness to children. In the same token, an owner must fully realize the amount of training that a breed of this caliber needs. The result of not training an APBT can lead to aggression and it must be remembered that this is a working class dog which means it needs an activity such a sport or obedience training. They do have a high prey drive and some aggressive qualities that are inherent in their nature, which is why there is a stress on responsible dog ownership. The owner that leaves this animal sedentary, without proper attention, is asking for big problems regardless of how friendly the animal may have been as a puppy. Moreover, APBT can show aggression towards other dogs, but that does not mean they should have no contact with other animals, it simply means they need to be taught how to interact with other animals just as you would teach a child how to behave properly at school. The APBT is a very smart dog that will respond extremely well to the owner who properly cares for it.

If we take a look at the features an APBT is imbued with, we will notice how the breed has evolved into a very fine dog. There are a number of sizes and colors in which these dogs can come in. Some have more terrier in them, which makes them racy and thin, with narrow heads. They can weigh as little as 25lbs, yet there are other APBT that are more muscular like Staffordshire Bull Terriers. In addition, there are other APBT that have more bullmastiff and make them a quite larger animal. It is possible for these animals to reach up to as much as 90lbs. The English type is 14 -16 inches tall and has a weight of up to 45lbs. The APBT is 18 -19 inches tall and weighs up to 80lbs. UKC's American Pit Bull Terrier weighs from 30 to 60lbs. They have a bottom jaw that is quite developed with a large nose of various colors. Eye size can be medium and set low, and be many colors except blue. The ears are usually cropped, rise naturally or are semi-erect. They have a deep chest and muscular hindquarters with a medium size tail. The APBT is longer than it is tall and has a very powerful head shaped like a brick. For more detailed specifications on body, head, teeth, height and weight please refer to the UKC website and search APBT. The major health concerns with these dogs are dysplasia, hereditary cataracts, allergies to grass, and congenital heart disease. Most APBT are expected to live about 12 years.

As in any dog, grooming is a concern and should be adhered to although the APBT has very short coat. They shed very little, but that does not mean you cannot keep your dog clean and free of debris that may get into its coat. Proper healthcare is also mandatory and checkups help ensure the maximum health of your dog. Another point that cannot be stressed enough is making sure that these animals have a lot of activity and are able to exercise to the point where they do not become aggressive because they are bored and restless. This is absolutely not the kind of dog you want to take home, ignore, and think that you’re not going to have problems.

There are lines that bare specific breeder’s influence who are noted to have affected the current APBT. J.P. Colby's Pit Bull line is known to be of an Irish Pit Bull breed around the turn of the century. Colby was known to pay buyers, who were immigrating to America, to bring Bulldogs with them. Colby gave his son a written account of his dog Blind Jack born in 1932. This line of Pit Bull was said to go back more than 50 years, whereby he stated that these are "the best fighting dogs in England and America in the past fifty years."

The American Pit Bull Terrier is a well loved dog that has had some famous owners. The list of people who have owned Pit Bulls include President Teddy Roosevelt, boxers Jack Johnson and Jack Dempsey, Helen Keller, and the APBT is the mascot for the Buster Brown shoe company. In addition, these animals played a big role during World War I and II, as pictures on propaganda posters and a Pit Bull name Stubby was decorated for being wounded in the First World War. In 1903, A Pit Bull named Bud was along for the ride as the first travels crossed United States in a car and became famous for a picture put a newspaper of him wearing goggles. Perhaps the most famous Pit Bull was named Petie, starring in the classic television show Our Gang.

Tell the Breeders you found them on the Pets4You® Website!

Save Time & Money! We help find any puppy you want. View Dog Breeders Near You!