American Pit Bull Terrier

Search Pit Bull Terrier Dog Info by Google® The American Pit Bull Terrier Handbook When properly socialized at an early age, the very energetic American Pit Bull Terrier usually matures to become a friendly animal and a good family pet. This updated title is an addition Barron’s popular Pet Handbooks series. Comprehensive pet care information on specific animals and breeds, with advice on selecting and acquiring an animal, feeding and health maintenance, and much more.

Breed History

The American pit bull is a powerful, medium-sized, short-haired dog. It is an intelligent dog whose ancestors came from England. Compared with the English Staffordshire Bull Terrier, the pit bull is larger by about 6 inches and heavier by about 30 pounds. Although all other characteristics are quite comparable.

Personality
Pit bulls have a zest for life; they are confident and immensely powerful! They are also very agile and have been known to climb trees and fences. Even though they have been used as guard dogs and attack dogs for a long time, they aren’t necessarily the best choice for these roles. Their friendly nature makes them a sucker for petting, even from a stranger. The aggressive behavior that pit bulls are sadly known for is actually very uncharacteristic of this soppy, loveable hulk!

History
The American pit bull was created by breeding Old English Bulldogs and Old English Terriers. This produced a dog that has a lot of strength and gameness. Not surprisingly, these dogs were first bread in England, but their migration to America lead them to be the direct ancestors of the American pit bull we know today.

Pit bulls were used as catch dogs in the early 20th century. They would help to hunt, drive livestock and catch semi-wild hogs and cattle. However, the name, as I’m sure you know is due to the popular, at the time, sport of dogfighting. The pit bull took its name from the pit in which dogs fought. The fights usually happened for the purposes of gambling, but they were also used as a way of testing the quality of the stock. Pit bulls have also been used as attack dogs and as guard dogs, usually for nefarious purposes since their arrival in America.

Due to this violent past and a few adoption programmes of pit bulls that ended up with dead cats, the pit bull still has a bad reputation today, even though they can be the most beautiful pets if they are trained properly.

The United Kennel Club describes the American Pit Bull Terrier
The essential characteristics of the American Pit Bull Terrier are strength, confidence, and zest for life. This breed is eager to please and brimming over with enthusiasm. APBTs make excellent family companions and have always been noted for their love of children. Because most APBTs exhibit some level of dog aggression and because of its powerful physique, the APBT requires an owner who will carefully socialize and obedience train the dog.

The breed’s natural agility makes it one of the most capable canine climbers so good fencing is a must for this breed. The APBT is not the best choice for a guard dog since they are extremely friendly, even with strangers. Aggressive behavior toward humans is uncharacteristic of the breed and highly undesirable. This breed does very well in performance events because of its high level of intelligence and its willingness to work

Pit Bull Bans : Twelve countries in Europe, as well as Australia, Canada, Ecuador, Malaysia, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, Singapore, and Venezuela have enacted some form of breed-specific legislation on pit bull-type dogs, including American Pit Bull Terriers, ranging from outright bans to restrictions and conditions on ownership. The state of New South Wales in Australia places restrictions on the breed, including mandatory sterilization. The breed is banned in the United Kingdom, in the Canadian province of Ontario, and in many locations in the United States.

Height/Weight
A male American pit bull terrier can reach heights of 18-21 inches while a female can reach heights of 17-20 inches. Males are also slightly heavier coming in at around 35-60lbs while the females weigh in between 30 and 50lbs.

Food/Diet/Health Issues
Pit bulls are one of the healthiest breeds around in Amercian. Sadly this is due to the culling of the weaker of the breed in dogfighting. As long as a pit bull gets all its vaccinations, it will be a healthy and happy friend, with only a few known illnesses that can affect it throughout its life.

The diet of a pit bull, you may not be surprised to know, is rather large. It is a large dog with a lot of muscle, and so it needs a lot of food to keep going. A diet of vegetables and meat is the best for any dog as this gives them all the vitamins they need.

Life Expectancy
The life expectancy of a healthy American pit bull terrier is between 8-15 years.

Interesting Traits: Contrary to popular belief, pit bulls are loving, family-oriented dogs. Ask the right owner, and you will see a tear come to their eye as they explain what their pit bull is like. It is just a shame that a few people have trained them to be so vicious. Their temperament is the total opposite of what you read about. They are caring, funny, clever, soppy, awesome dogs!