The American Pit Bull Terrier is a medium-sized, muscular breed of dog that is known for its strength and athleticism. Here are some of the typical characteristics of this breed:
The American Pit Bull Terrier has a short, shiny coat that comes in a variety of colours, including black, brindle, fawn, and red. They have a broad, flat head with a strong jaw.
American Pit Bull Terriers are loyal and loving dogs that can be very protective of their owners. They are known for their courage, tenacity, and high energy levels. They require regular exercise and socialization to keep them happy and healthy.
Like many breeds, American Pit Bull Terriers can be prone to certain health problems, including hip dysplasia, skin allergies, and heart disease. It’s important to work with a reputable breeder and schedule regular veterinary check-ups to ensure that your dog stays healthy.
American Pit Bull Terriers are intelligent and trainable dogs, but they can be strong-willed and require a firm and consistent hand during training. Early socialization and obedience training are important for this breed.
The American Pit Bull Terrier is an active breed that requires regular exercise to stay healthy and happy. They enjoy a variety of activities, including walking, running, playing fetch, and participating in canine sports such as agility and obedience trials.
The short coat of the American Pit Bull Terrier requires minimal grooming, but regular brushing and bathing can help keep their coat shiny and healthy. It’s also important to regularly check their ears and teeth for signs of infection or decay.
The American Pit Bull Terrier was originally developed in England in the 19th century for dogfighting and bull-baiting. It was brought to the United States by immigrants and was later used for various purposes, including hunting, farm work, and as a companion dog. In modern times, they are commonly kept as companion animals and are known for their loyalty and affection towards their owners.
It’s important to note that the American Pit Bull Terrier has a strong prey drive and may exhibit aggressive behaviour towards other animals if not properly socialized and trained. Responsible ownership, including proper socialization, training, and supervision, is crucial for this breed.
It is the goal of the PBFSA to preserve the APBT in its original form by adopting a conformation standard that is based on the breeds original development.
In keeping up with modern time and acceptable social standards, the breeding of the American Pit Bull Terrier will have to focus on looks rather than performance. In the interest of preserving the most extraordinary animal that man has ever created, let’s take a good look at what the American Pit Bull Terrier was supposed to do.
The APBTs existence today was not because he was bred only for gameness, power, for his intelligence, loyalty, boldness, round eye, rose ear, red nose or his inclination for dragging children from the paths of speeding trains. He was bred to ceremoniously stand out. That’s right folks, he was developed for sporting competition.
The professional dogfighters have made him what he is, and today we have something the amateurs have preserved that reminds us of the gladiators of old.
Preservation of this grand athlete that was bred to go to war is going to be in our hands. So, let’s look to the profession of the dog, in establishing our standard, so that future generations will at least see an authentic physical reproduction of a fighting dog.
If we start with the premise that conformation should reflect the ideal for the dog’s usage and that this particular animal was supposed to win a dogfight, we come naturally to the question, what did it take to win?
Note that only one of these qualities; wrestling ability, is directly related to conformation. One other, stamina may be partly due to conformation, but is probably as much reliant on inherited efficiency of the heart and circulatory system. Some people seem to feel that the shape of the head determines hard bite, but in practice, it seems there are a lot of other factors involved.
When we talk of conformation we really only mean one thing — wrestling ability. This is the reason the American Pit Bull Terrier varies so much in conformation. His wrestling ability by itself was not nearly as important as the sum total of gameness, aggressiveness, bite and natural stamina, none of which are directly related to conformation. Our Standard of Conformation should be based on those physical attributes displayed by winning pit dogs.
Look first at the overall profile of the dog. Ideally, he should be “Square” when viewed from the side. That is, about as long from the point of the shoulder to the point of his hip as he is tall from the top of the shoulder, to the ground. Such a dog will stand high and have maximum leverage for his weight. This means that standing normally with the hock slightly back of the hip, the dog’s base, (where his feet are) will be slightly longer than his height. Using the hip and shoulder as guides will keep the viewer from being fooled by the way the dog is standing. Height to weight ratio is critical.
Head — Of medium length, skull flat and widest at the ears, prominent cheeks and forehead free from wrinkles
Stop — Well defined, indenture not too deep.
Muzzle — Square and wide as viewed from the front, presenting a round appearance as viewed from above Under jaw strong and well defined
Lips — Meet closely and evenly all around, not running too far back with an entire absence of any limpness
Teeth — Clean, sound and strong, meeting evenly
Nose — Black, nostrils wide and open
Neck — Slightly arched, tapering from shoulders to head, and free from any looseness of skin
Shoulders — Strong, muscular, shoulder blades wide and sloping back
Back — Short, strong and muscular, higher at withers than hips, slightly arched at loins, which should be well developed and slightly tucked
Ribs — Well sprung, close together, back ribs deep
Chest — Deep from withers to brisket, wide from front to back ribs, not too broad as viewed facing the dog.
Tail — Short in comparison to size, set on low, wide where it joins the body and tapering to a fine point, not carried over the back.
Legs — To have large, round bone, and strong, straight, upright pasterns. Reasonably straight without semblance of bow.
Thighs — Long, muscle well developed. Hocks straight, well let down, turning neither in nor out as viewed from behind
Feet — Of moderate size, toes of medium length, well arched and close together. Pads strong and nails short.
Gait — Springy and active, without roll or pace.
Coat — Short, close, stiff to the touch and with fine gloss.
Color — Uniform, any color permissible, markings not objectionable.
Weight — Not important, preferably between 15 and 30 kilograms.
Eyes — Round, black color preferred. As seen from the front they should be situated low down in the skull, as far from the ears as possible, with corners in a line at right angles with stop. As wide apart as possible to be within the line of cheek as viewed from the front.
Ears — To be straight, of moderate length, and should not cause wrinkling of the skin when held erect .
Above all, the American Pit Bull Terrier is an all-round athlete. His body is called on for speed, power, agility and stamina. He must be balanced in all directions. Too much of one thing, robs him of another.
In his ideal form, he is a thing of beauty!
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