The American Pitbull Terrier is one of several pitbull breeds.
To refer to the pitbull as a species is biologically inaccurate. The species name for pitbulls and all dogs belong to is Canis lupus familiaris, which includes all domestic dogs and grey wolves. There are hundreds of breeds of domestic dog, of which the pitbull is one. There are a few types of pitbull, the most common of which are the American Pit Bull Terrier, the American Staffordshire Terrier and Staffordshire Bull Terrier. There are significant differences between these breeds of pitbull, so it is a mistake to lump them all into one category. The only one recognised by the United Kennel Club is the American Pitbull Terrier according to the Bulldog Information Library.
History
Historically speaking, all bull and terrier breeds descend from the crossing of different types of British terriers with bulldogs. In the late 1800's and early 1900's, Scottish and English immigrants to the United States imported dogs which they cross bred with taller breeds. The American Pitbull Terrier descends from these dogs. Later on, other breeds were named after their place origin, like the Staffordshire Bull Terrier. Names like Yankee Bull Terrier, American Pitbull and Yankee Terrier were used later on. They were originally bred to fight, so dogs were selected for their high pain threshold, strength and agility specifically for this purpose.
American Pitbull Terrier
The American Pitbull Terrier is known to be a loyal and obedient breed in terms of temperament. The head is proportional to the rest of the body and their weight is between 35 and 65 pounds. There is a wider variation in size of this breed compared to some other breeds of pit bull according to Pitbull-info-and-training.com. The American Pitbull Terrier is usually exhibited with cropped ears and most of its power or driving force comes from it's hind legs. Their coat can be a variety of colors including solid white, fawn, red, black and brindle.
American Staffordshire Terrier
This breed of pit bull typically has a friendly and loyal temperament. Physically, the body of this breed is very muscular and is described by Pitbull-info-and-training.com as having a "square build." The weight varies between 65 and 90 pounds. The coat is short and thick and in a variety of colors.
Staffordshire Bull Terrier
This breed is good with children according to Pitbull-info-and-training.com. Physically speaking, it is known for it's broad head and a short, thick and smooth coat. The coat colors of this breed vary between fawn, white black, blue and brindle and they typically weigh between 28 and 38 pounds.
Pitbull Temperament
Because pitbulls were originally bred to fight, these dogs have a tendency to want to fight other dogs. Historically, their trainers and owners were required to be in the ring with them when they were fighting to separate them if it got too rough and treated injuries at ring side. Any dog that attacked a human handler at the time would have been instantly killed, so the dogs with a tendency towards human agression were never bred according to Susan Thompson of Pitbullsontheweb.com. Their friendliness towards humans and apparent aggression towards other dogs can be, at least in part, explained by the history of the breed. For this reason, owners need to have strong leadership and be adept at reading canine body language. Susan Thompson said of the breed, "a well-raised pit bull of proper temperament is the most loyal and loving dog in the world."
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