American Pit Bull Terrier / APBT, Pit Bull

Breed history:

It is a breed with English ancestors, but which was developed independently on the American continent. It comes from the crossbreeding of Bulldogs with Terriers, which the English practiced in the 19-th century, in order to get a dog with superior characteristics for bull-fighting (bull-baiting), bear hunting and dog fights (pit fighting - from where it gets its name); and because the Bulldog was too slow, he was bred with different terriers, from which it took the agility and aggressiveness. After these fights were banned, it was developed in the USA as a watchdog, for herding the cattle and catching them and as a companion dog. It is closely related to the Amstaff, but it differs from it both in character and in physical characteristics.

Description:

It is a medium-sized, strong and muscular dog. It has a wide and short body, bigger in length than in height. The head is strong, broad, trapezoidal, with a long and wide muzzle but shorter than the skull (unlike the Amstaff). The cheeks, unlike those of the Amstaff, are flat. The nose is large and can have any color. The eyes are round and almond-shaped and can have any color except blue. The ears are small to medium and can be erect or semi-erect and can also be cropped. The chest is deep and less wide compared to the Amstaff. The rear legs are strong and muscular. The tail is medium-sized, thick and with a pointed tip. The coat is short, smooth, shiny and can have any color.

Personality:

Is a confident dog with a tremendous taste for life. The Pitbull is very friendly with people, especially with children. It is so happy when given attention that it is willing to endure the toughest games of the children. It is unfriendly and aggressive with other dogs, especially to those of the same gender. It is the most controversial race of all, because friendly as it can be with people, it can become equally aggressive towards other dogs or other people it considers dangerous.

Grooming:

This dog doesn't require special care. The dead hair will be removed with a rubber brush or glove, from time to time. The master should take care of how much the dog eats during the growing period, because it is prone to obesity. The meals should be served at fixed hours. 

Living conditions:

It is a dog with a high level of activity and feels best in a fenced yard, with an active family, with experience in raising dogs. It likes to run by a bike, to play with the ball, to play fetch, to swim and to dig. It can adapt to apartment life, if it gets the daily exercise that it needs (2-3 hours daily). It needs socializing and training (mandatory), because it has a dominant character and is harder to controle.

Training:

It needs mandatory training , starting from an early age. It must be taught not to pull when leashed when it is a pup, to avoid having problems when it grows up and has great strengh and is hard to control. It is an intelligent, nimble dog, which understands very fast what is required. The training should start at an early age because it can assimilate much more information and great results can be obtained. It shouldn't be trained to attack, because it has an innate aggressive character.

Usefulness:

It was used during the World Wars as a messenger on the battlefield. Nowadays it is more used as a watchdog and as a pet.