American Pit Bull Terrier

Other Names: American Pi tBul, APBTl Dog Group Kennel Club: Terrier (UKC) The APBT is not recognized by the American Kennel Club, unlike the closely related breeds the American Staffordshire Terrier and Staffordshire Bull Terrier. It is, however, recognized by the United Kennel Club (UKC) Appearance The American Pit Bull is a solidly built,deep chested, medium-sized dog, both powerful and athletic.

Coat
They have a short, glossy coat which can be of any color. Important: be aware of breeders stating they have the "rare" blue pit bull. Blue pitbulls although not as common as other colours are certainly not rare. The breeders promoting "rare or unusual colours" are irresponsible breeders only interested in making cash and have no respect for the health of the breed. There are of course responsible loving breeders who will have blue pitbulls for sale but they wont be promoting them as rare or unusual.

Weight: 35 - 55lbs.

Average life span: 12 years -14 yrs

Temperament
The American Pit Bull Terrier is confident, courageous, eager to please and makes an excellent fun loving family companion. They crave human attention and love to be apart of family life. This breed tends to love all people, especially children. However they are energetic dogs and can sometimes overwhelm very young children and accidentally bump them or knock them over, particularly when they are pups.

Training and The Importance of being a Responsible Pit bull Owner
Pitbulls are not suited for families with other pets. Pitbull owners must be prepared for dog aggression. (This should not be confused with human aggression as pitbulls are people loving dogs.) Orginally developed for the purpose of fighting other dogs, most pit bulls are dog aggressive, at least to some degree. Pit bulls will commonly start developing signs of dog aggression between the ages of 8 months and 2 years, although it can develop at any age and can come on either gradually or quite suddenly. It is important to note that many pit bulls do not display the "typical" signs of dog aggression before a fight. They may not growl, bark, or posture at all, but simply alert and raise up on their toes. Owners of dog aggressive pit bulls learn to "read" their dogs and recognize the subtle signs indicating impending dog aggression. Due to their fighting heritage, many pit bulls do not recognize signs of submission given by a dog they are fighting and, if they are unsupervised, the results can be disastrous. Pitbulls should never be off leash in a public place or around strange dogs

Training will not eliminate dog aggression in the pit bull but, when combined with responsibility and vigilance, training can bring these natural tendencies under control in on-leash situations.

Pit bulls, as with all breeds should be socialised with humans from early puppy hood. A pit bull that shows unprovoked human aggression, especially with children, is NOT typical of the breed and is showing very poor temperament. Such a dog should be thoroughly evaluated by a trainer or behaviorist experienced in the breed for a final determination of their temperament and recommendation on how to proceed.

Unfortunately in today's society many people are ignorant about the American Pit Bull Terrier With media hysteria and BSL (Breed specific legislature) looming closer every day, good responsible pitbull owners, find themselves endlessly having to defend thier beloved breed. The unneccessary stigma has hurt the Pit Bull dog more than any other breed of dog and has caused unrealistic fear within much of the general community.

The Untrue Myth
"All Pit Bulls are vicious". NOT TRUE. No one breed as a whole is vivious. Much has to do with the individual, it's gene pool, upbringing, and training. In the case of Pit Bulls, a breed that was created to be especially gentle with people, all of the human aggressive dogs are victims of one or more of the following: poor breeding, bad training, or irresponsible upbringing. There are thousands upon thousands of Pit Bulls that are loving, loyal, safe pets, who will live and die without ever having bitten a human.

As with all dominant breeds, american pitbulls require responsible and dedicated owners. With responsible ownership training and socialisation well raised american pitbulls make loyal loving pets.It is down to irresponible owners that this breed has such bad press.

The ideal owner of a pit bull is an extremely responsible person committed to the care, training and exercise of their dog. Such an owner should be knowledgeable about the breed (or at least willing to learn), very aware of the dog aggressive but people loving nature of the breed, and dedicated to protecting not only their dog, but also the breed as a whole from the continuing media hysteria generated by bad press and bad owners.

Training should begin early, and be postively rewarding and consistent.

Grooming
Pi tBulls require weekly brishing to keep their coats healthy.

Exercise
PitBulls have lots of energy and stamina and need daily walks to keep them fit and healthy. They must always remain on a leash.

Help the American Pit Bull Reputation: Be a Responsible Owner

American Pit Bulll Health Issues

Hip dysplasia, a malformation of the hip joint resulting in a poor fit between the head of the femur bone and the hip socket. This condition can be alleviated by surgery, at some cost to dog and owner. Because dysplastic dogs often produce dysplastic puppies, buyers should ask if both the sire and the dam of the puppy in which they are interested have been rated clear of hip dysplasia. Do not take yes for an answer without seeing a certificate, and ask for a copy to take to your veterinarian.

Demodectic Mange. A common skin disease of dogs, demodectic mange (canine demodecosis) is caused by the mite Demodex canis. This mite is found as a normal resident in the hair follicles of all dogs. Mites are naturally transmitted from nursing mothers to their puppies within the first few days of life. Signs of disease appear only when mites reproduce unchecked and occur in unnaturally high numbers . In mild cases, signs of demodectic mange include itching and scratching, reddened or scaly skin, blackheads, and patchy hair loss. More severe cases are accompanied by widespread hair loss, pustules (pimples), and a crusty appearance of affected areas. The head and feet are most commonly involved. Mange is diagnosed based on signs and history combined with deep skin scrapings. When viewed under a microscope, these scrapings reveal mites recovered from the hair follicles. Treatment consists of insecticidal dips and antibiotics.

Cataracts: cause a loss of the normal transparency of the lens of the eye. The problem can occur in one or both eyes and can lead to blindness.

American Pit Bull History

Originally bred from English Bulldogs and other breeds brought to America from England and Ireland in the 1700s they were used as working dogs on farms, but also for bullbaiting and dog fighting. When bred for fighting, the breeder would look for strength, gameness, and lack of aggression towards people. Any fighting dog that showed aggression towards its owner or handler would be culled on the spot. This created a line of strong dogs that, while being dog aggressive, would not turn on their owners. In the late 1800s to early 1900s, two clubs were formed for the specific purpose of registering APBTs: the United Kennel Club and the American Dog Breeder's Association. After dog fighting was made illegal in the United States, many dog owners wanted to legitimize the breed and distance it from its fighting roots. The name “Staffordshire Terrier” was adopted by some owners and was recognized by the American Kennel Club in 1936. Later, the word “American” was added to reduce confusion with its smaller cousin, the Staffordshire Bull Terrier. Not all breeders, however, agreed with the standard adopted by the AKC, and continued to use the name APBT for their lines. Much confusion still remains in regards to the APBT, the AST, and the SBT.

Once an extremely popular family dog in the United States, the American Pit Bull Terrier's popularity began to decline in the United States following World War II in favor of other breeds. It has come under fire in the past thirty years for its association with inner city crime and drugs; many people of ill repute mistakenly breed this dog for its fighting heritage and exploit its incredible willingness to please its master (when not refusing to give up its spot on a soft bed.) However, it is of note that this breed is also often the most common target of abuse in urban areas.

In jurisdictions where breed-specific legislation threatens ownership of Pit Bulls, owners are often advised by their peers to refer to their Pit Bulls and Pit bull crosses as 'Staffys' or 'Amstaffs', which are generally exempt from such regulations. Purists among American Staffordshire owners find this unethical, and resent it, perhaps fearing that the ultimate result of the subterfuge will be restrictions on their breed as well.

In the United Kingdom, the Dangerous Dogs Act of 1991 prohibits the sale or breeding of "any dog of the type known as pit bull terrier". Some jurisdictions in Queensland Australia and the United States have similar breed-specific legislation.