The American Pit Bull Terrier is a thickly muscled dog with a well-defined neck and a bricklike head, known for its strength, loyalty, and "gameness," or tenacity. One of several breeds informally referred to as "pit bulls", it is also, in our opinion, erronuously classified in the terrier group by most kennel clubs.

Actually, the American Pit Bull Terrier, together with the American Staffordshire Terrier and similar breeds form a category of their own, the bull-and-terrier breeds, in temperament, type and working ability situated somewhere between the terriers and bulldog breeds, but definitely closer to the latter than to the first ones.

Unfortunately, in recent years, the breed has received a lot of bad press and the dogs have become the victim of a real witchhunt. On the one hand, part of the media is responsible for escalating isolated incidents in its usual unrelenting and attention-getting way, and, on the other, there are those unscrupulous breeders who have produced dogs with highly aggressive tendencies. Some owners have also used the dogs to boost their macho images, exacerbating the dogs temperament either by ill-breeding or harsh training.

Even, good intentioned owners, sometimes unknowingly harm the breed, when, convinced that a dog's temperament is ultimately influenced only by "how you raise them", they expect their American Pit Bull Terrier to live in conditions and behave in a way that is not compatible with the temperament of a true working breed. Even when they are being raised as pets, workings dogs like the American Pit Bull Terrier must be given some activity to do, like obedience training or any kind of dog sports or activities. In all cases they are best suited to active persons and families.

Please note that it is not uncommon for an adult pit bull to be very quarrelsome towards other dogs while being very friendly to humans. This doesn't mean that pit bulls can't be around other dogs or that they are unpredictably aggressive. It simple means that pit bulls can easily be encouraged to be aggressive towards other dogs or, in other words, it

Famous blood lines are Old Family Red Nose (famous for their determination and agility), Caver (powerful), Colby (velocity and swiftness), Corvino, Hammonds and many others who show the coherence and success typical of the true Pit Bull breeders' philosophy. To avoid any of the potential problems described above, please buy your pit bull puppy from a reliable and responsible breeder !

takes less to arouse a pit bull than it does for many other breeds to be aggressive towards other dogs. However, even though pit bulls were once bred to fight each other, breeders took great care in producing dogs who were trustworthy and friendly to people. That was a necessary trait in these dogs, because handlers had to be in the pits while their dogs were fighting, ready to pull them apart to end a fight. Any dog who redirected their aggression to a person was culled. Also, these "early" pit bulls usually lived in their owner's homes with the whole family. That's how the dogs actually earned the nickname of "nursemaid's dog" because they were so reliable with young children. 

Moreover, inter-species aggression is common in many dog breeds like the Akita, Rottweiler, Doberman, the terriers, Malamutes, Malinois, etc. and, as a consequence, is not something that should stop owners from enjoying many activities and sports with their dog. It just means that these dogs do require responsible owners who are willing to put the necessary time, money, thought and effort into managing their dog. If they plan or believe otherwise, they are just not being fair to the dog and to the community they live in.    Of course, many pit bulls CAN and DO behave like golden retrievers, beagles and other breeds bred specifically for "pet-only" temperament traits, however, it is unfair to expect EVERY pit bull - or any other member of a true working dog breed - to do so, no matter what.

Bulldog breeds
English bulldog
Dogo argentino
Japanese dog breeds
Northern dog breeds

External links and Bibliography:

Colby's American Pit Bull Terriers

The Real Pitbull - Promoting A Positive Image

Jessup's Informational Pages about the Pitbull

Colby's Book of the American PIt Bull Terrier by Louis Colby

Los Perros de Pelea by Umberto Cuomo (Spanish translation from the original Italian)

Pit Bull Information from the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals

No Bull: The Resource for Bull Breed Positive PR

Dogs by Desmond Morris

Canine Lexicon by A. De Prisco

Today, the American Pit Bull Terrier continues to demonstrate its versatility, competing successfully in Obedience, Tracking, Agility, Protection, and Weight Pulls, as well as Conformation.

Related pages:

American Pit Bull History
Bull-and-Terrier Breeds
American Staffordshire Terrier

Decades ago, the Pit Bull was known as a much loved, much trusted, worthy companion. Many considered it one of the safest of all breeds to be around children, and even in England (where it is now banned) it was referred to as the "nanny dog". Hollywood's  "Little Rascals" movies illustrate this aspect of the breed as well.