American Pit Bull Terrier is a descendant of bulldog and terrier crosses used in fights. Bloodsports (pitting a dog against bulls or bears) were very popular in ancient Britain. These sports provided entertainment for both the working class and royalty, and dogs who fought well were treasured. Bloodsports were outlawed in England in 1835, but illegal dogfighting continued in backyards, cellars, and pubs’ back rooms. Today’s American Pit Bull Terrier, or APBT, is probably descended from the bulldog and terrier crosses used in these fights.
The American Pit Bull Terrier dog that developed in America in the 17th and 18th centuries was bigger; settlers needed a larger, more powerful dog to protect their homesteads. Although illegal dogfighting has continued, with the American Pit Bull Terrier and American Pit Bull Terrier crosses in the midst of it, American Pit Bull Terriers have also found a home in many owners’ hearts as courageous yet gentle companions.
An American Pit Bull Terrier is a medium-sized dog whose muscular build makes him appear larger than he actually is. Males are normally between 18 and 22 inches tall at the shoulder and between 40 and 60 pounds, with females slightly smaller. The head is blocky with strong, muscular jaws, round eyes, and either cropped ears or natural half-pricked ears. The body is strongly muscled, giving the appearance of great strength. The coat is short and is stiff to the touch but shiny and glossy.
American Pit Bull Terriers can be any color. Grooming an American Pit Bull Terrier is easy; the short coat can be brushed once or twice a week with a bristle brush or curry comb. Pit Bulls require daily exercise. A long, brisk walk is good, as is a session of weight pulling, a game of retrieve, or a session on the agility course. Although Pit Bulls can run and can run quite quickly, they do not have the body build of a long-distance runner, so their exercise should not be centered around that type of activity. To prevent the dog from running off and to make sure problems with other dogs do not occur, all exercise should be within a fenced-in yard, or the dog should be on a leash.
American Pit Bull Terriers’ ancestry includes dogs who were bred to fight, often with other dogs. Therefore, not all Pit Bulls can be social with dogs outside of their own family. However, if Pit Bulls puppies are socialized well to puppies of other breeds, sizes, and colors, they can often learn to enjoy other dogs’ company and learn to play nicely.
All Pit Bulls must be supervised when interacting with other dogs, though, and those that show aggression should no longer be allowed to socialize. Training should be a part of every Pit Bull’s upbringing, not just because a powerful breed such as this needs to learn manners, but because it is bright and enjoys learning.
The Pit Bulls training should be firm yet fair and lots of fun. Pit Bulls are excellent watchdogs. With the bulk to stand behind their bark, they can be quite imposing.
However, to their family, American Pit Bull Terriers are gentle, affectionate, and silly clowns. They love to be the center of attention. They are also very tolerant of kids and take roughhousing well. When raised with other pets, they can be very gentle and patient, although interaction with other animals should always be supervised.
Pit Bulls can suffer from allergies, and hip dysplasia can be a problem. Incorrect, overly aggressive, or overly fearful temperaments are the biggest problem within the breed today.
APBT at K9 Research Lab
17 replies on “American Pit Bull Terrier”
The bull terrier and one of the most misunderstood and poorly recognized breeds having lived several years with black nose and red nose they have taught me if our species bites the majority man and our selection
I own a 7 month old bluenose pitbull and she is a super super smart clever girl where if your pulling the wheats out your yard she will come and starts digging up the yard.I have 2 cats in my home and 1 of them dont get in contact with my dog since she is not a dog friendly cat and my other cat is a stray tabby and my little baby when we first introduce her to the cat she would mount the tabby and the cat didnt fight or hurt her…to her she thinks the cat is playing with her but she dont do any harm to others animals or of the cat.When she knows my other not dog friendly cat dont like her and she hisses my baby would just back away and walks away.Every time now whenever a bigger dog approch her and they roll around with other dog playing oh dear she copies exactly what my stray tabby does lay on her back and paw the other dog. she is one sweet baby i ever had. She is super fast in speed of running and pulls alot she only 32lbs and i weight 90lbs 4’11.
Leche is my first pit bull terrier. I had many reservations about the breed in general. My role in Leche’s life was to socialize her with the existing dogs in her world and to be sure she was safe with the children.
She has been gentle and very loving from the start. She is very powerful and it has been a challenge to teach her to be easy with her bite. All puppies chew, but her jaws are massive… so I taught her to release on command. Her release word is ouch.
I am careful with the ‘possibilities’ of this breed and I did my research. She has been well socialized with animals and people.
It often surprises people to learn that this extremely muscular dog with the impressive, confident presence is so easygoing.
A well-bred American Pit Bull Terrier is a dependable, good-natured, loyal companion.
Athletic and agile, with finely tuned reflexes, he must have moderate daily exercise to maintain his splendid muscle tone.
Companionship is even more important, and extensive ongoing socialization is paramount. His attitude toward strangers varies from exuberant face kissing to polite reserve, and guarding instincts vary from high to nil, with some lines being much stronger tempered than others.
His attitude toward other canines, however, is another story. His dog fighting ancestry dictates a strong-willed, no-nonsense kind of dog who does not take kindly to being challenged by other assertive dogs. If confronted, he will readily engage. Though some individuals live peacefully in a house full of pets, there is always the risk that dormant animal prey instincts may suddenly flare into deadly combat.
Pit Bulls can be stubborn, yet they respond well to confident owners who know how to establish and enforce rules of expected behavior.
Because of public/media prejudice, every American Pit Bull Terrier should be trained through at least basic obedience and always leashed outside of his yard. Every well-behaved Pit Bull seen on the street can help counteract anti-breed sentiment.
Breed specific laws have been reversed in communities across the nation because they are simply too costly to enforce, and because the true budgetary impacts were not considered in the decision process. Once the legislators and the voting public of Maryland fully understand and appreciate the financial impacts, they will look for a way to overturn the decision.
As long as the ruling stands, veterinarians and emergency hospitals will have to pay exorbitant insurance rates in case a dog that resembles a pit bull comes to them for treatment. Anyone in canine businesses – groomers, day care and boarding facilities, pet sitters – will have to do the same. Pet friendly businesses of all types will be similarly impacted. People will be put in a position of determining which dogs are pit bulls and cross bred pit bulls – a verdict seasoned professionals decline to give – and then sued for getting it wrong!
Pitbulls can learn to climb trees, and once your puppy realises this it will try anything to get out and wander, and pitbulls are excellent fence jumpers so watch out. Due to the escape-artist qualities and value of the pitbull, microchipping is perhaps more important with pitbulls than any other breeds. While you should always be aware that you own a people-friendly dog rather than a dog-friendly one, don’t treat your puppy differently, especially not if you have other dogs, as this will create hostility between them. Do not beat the pitbull if it fails to do as you ask. Use positive reinforcement to train it effectively.
oh my god such a cutie pie
Pitbull puppies are highly intelligent and can become destructive if left with nothing to do. Don’t leave the puppy alone for long, and if you must go, leave it in an enclosed area (not free run of the house, especially not the stairs) without wires or expensive furniture, with a durable chew toy it can play with.
It is a common view that pitbulls are violent, aggressive animals, but this view is highly inaccurate. In fact, pitbulls adore people. It is not difficult to raise a pit bull pup to be a loving member of the family.
Pitbull is the best ! Best companion, best guard, true friend.
I am a long time pitbull owner & have have raised pits, englishbullies, Rottweilers, & labs. I’m a hunter and our doors man. My son it now 8 years old & it’s time for me to get back into hog hunting. No doubt with my experience American Pitts are the ultimate catch dog out there. I’m looking for one phenomenal catch dog. He can be 8 weeks or 8 months. The younger the better for me so u can train her with my commands & call her off when I need too. Then he or she can do well with my other bay dogs as wells I love the buckskin pup you have with white markings. I want a tan red nose or a chocolate red nose. I want an athletic dog & not a short fat dog that’s not athletic or out of breathe in a 25 yard sprint. If you have any available let me know. Thanks. Jason McGraw. Jason.mcgraw@sbcglobal,net. Thanks for your time & I thimk your dog is phenomenal!! Thx Jay.
This breed is extremely loyal, deeply devoted, affectionate, intelligent, and good-natured. The American Pit Bull Terrier does best in a home with older considerate children. They will get along with other dogs they have been raised with but may exhibit aggression toward strange dogs and other small household pets. They are exceedingly protective of their family, home, and territory. American Pit Bull Terriers are not generally used for guarding due to their friendly nature. Aggressive behaviour toward humans is an uncharacteristic trait in this breed. They are not recommended for the novice, apathetic, or sedentary owner. They do like to bark, so make a good “WATCH DOG”
For protection . . . I know some may disagree but, it is my opinion, that the only time is it a good idea to get a dog for the purpose of protection is in professional or agricultural situations and only when the owner/trainer is humane and knowledgeable of dog behavior and dominant dog training/handling. In all other situations – probably 99.9% – an alarm system, security fence, or other measures are much more appropriate and effective.
Watchdogs simply watches the home & alerts other to intruder by barking.
A guard dog not only watches & alerts, but also threatens intruder to the point of retreat.
People are confusing watch dogs, with guard dogs. Completely different. The other are describing watch dogs!
Watch dog just bark & may raise the hairs on the backs-you looking for a dog that won’t attack, but just some noise to put any intruder off!
Pit Bulls by nature are one of the most aggressive dogs. So how do you harness such aggressiveness and channel it positively towards your own security? How do you train a pit bull to become a guard dog? How do you train a pit bull to attack on command? You are going to find all the answers you seek in this article.
There has been an age long controversy over whether pit bulls can make good guard dogs. But the truth is that they can really make good guard dogs; if given proper training. And many dog training experts have confirmed this. Those who claim that pit bulls are bad guard dogs are either expecting some sentry work from an untrained dog or getting things wrong in some other way.
Of course, no pit bull is born a natural guard dog. However, with extensive grooming, you can turn yours into a loyal sentinel that watches your back, senses danger, alerts you of threats, and protects you by attacking intruders. The process of training a pit bull to become a guard dog involves some steps. And we’ll be looking at these steps in this article. So, if you’d always felt that your dog is more of an amusement toy, and you want more from it in terms of protection; then follow these steps:
How to Train Pitbulls to Become Guard Dogs
1. Socialization
This process involves familiarizing your pit bull with strange people and animals. Of course, you don’t want to your dog to attack your friends when they come visiting you or your cat if you have got one. So, it’s necessary to socialize it as a way of making it tolerant to a select few people. As part of the socialization process, take your pit bull out on long walks into the neighborhood and to other places. This will familiarize it with strange noises such as traffic noise and other noises in the neighborhood. Socialization with pit bulls should start between 7 – 12 weeks of age. They learn faster at this age and they have the best retention for whatever they are taught.
2. Obedience training
Your pit bull may be familiar with you, your family, and your friends. In fact, it may be familiar with your other pets. But this alone won’t make it a good guard. You will need to teach your dog some basic obedience. Pit bulls, when properly trained are very obedient. So, you won’t have to repeat the this training over again.
The obedience training involves teaching your dog what to do whenever you give a command, either verbally or by gesture. It involves interpreting what each command means and how your dog should respond to it. To make your dog learn faster and boost its confidence and loyalty to you, reward it with treats during the obedience training session. Each time it responds well to your command, show it that you are pleased by giving it cookies, toys, or some other reward. This has two benefits:
Your dog will learn to accept commands from you alone and ignore commands from anyone other than you. (This is important because a guard dog will be literally useless if it obeys commands by an intruder.)
Your dog will learn not to accept treats from anyone other than you. So, intruders won’t have their way by simply throwing some cookies at your pit bull, as a distraction tactic.
Through proper obedience training, your pit bull will learn to attack on your command and ignore commands and distractive treats from intruders.
3. Setting the limits
Pit bulls can be really pushy and dominant, and if you are too meek, your dog can become overly willful. So, it is important that you train your dog not to become an alpha dog. You must train your dog with a firm hand in order to keep it absolutely under your control.
When the dog recognises you as its owner and commander, it learns whatever you teach it more quickly and obeys your commands selflessly. Now, we have covered the basic steps in training a dog. But frankly, the whole task can be very tedious, especially if your pit bull has outgrown the recommended age for training dogs. So, a smart move to make is to find a reputable training facility, as this usually works better than trying to train your dog by yourself. A dog-training expert can help train your dog and teach it how to respond to your commands, within a very short period.
Even if you are considering training your pit bull yourself, it is still very important that you contact a reputable dog-training expert. This is because pit bulls are potentially dangerous and may need some evaluation before you start training them. On a final note, you must bear in mind once again that the best age to train a pit bull is 7 – 12 weeks. If yours has outgrown this age, you may find it a bit tougher to train. But you can train it successfully, after all.
These are our babies. They are so loving and just love to be loved. This picture was taken when we went camping. They love being outside, and just love the water, well Caine does, Georgia just acts like she wants to get wet. They are both very good with kids, and they love little dogs too. We got Caine when he was 9 months, he is 5 years old in this picture, and we got Georgia when she was about 8 weeks old and she’s 3 in this picture. We couldn’t wait for her to get here. Caine didn’t know it yet but his baby girl was on her way. We also have another Pit and he is their son. He’s about 1 year old and he’s a big ol’ baby. His name is Duke. We even had a little Chihuahua named Toby and he thinks he’s a big dog, too. We love all of our babies.
Oh my goodness my 7month old bluenose pitbull she looks just like your two babies but she is short for a 7 month old dog that i have.
Pretty Boy Swag aka RedBoy is a prime example of the American Pit Bull Terrier breed. He is 14 months old in this picture and is owned by us here at Five Star Bullies in central Florida. RedBoy has a perfect even temperament. He is a fun-loving dog that loves attention and long walks. He requires about 3 hours of exercise each day to maintain his muscle tone and to keep him happy
There is no such breed as the pit bull. Instead, the term pit bull refers to a group of similar dogs that descend from the bull and terrier dogs. These are dogs whose ancestors were Bulldogs and terriers crossed together. Some of the so-called pit bull–type dogs are the Staffordshire Bull Terrier, the American Staffordshire Terrier, the Bull Terrier, and the American Pit Bull Terrier. Other similar dogs are the American Bulldog, the Dogo Argentino, and the Boxer. In addition, there are many mixes, which may or may not have one or more of these breeds in their background, who may have similar looks. All of these dogs are frequently lumped into the pit bull category.