TEMPERMENT: The APBT is a strong-willed, sturdy companion. It is a breed that is loyal to friends and family, and friendly to strangers. Under a firm hand, APBT's are obedient and show a high desire to please. However, when left without direction they can be become stubborn and they're a breed well-known for dog aggression. This fact, combined with the APBT's remarkable strength and ability, means that they are not the best choice of dog for someone who is not well informed about the breed and committed to dealing with a dog of this nature. While human aggression and animal aggression are not the same thing, dog aggression should never be encouraged.

A well bred APBT should have a stable and dependable temperament. The American Temperament Testing Society shows a pass percentage of 84.1% for American Pit Bull Terrier. However, a firm, even hand and early obedience training are strongly recommended for this breed. They generally have a lot of energy and high predator drive; they need exercise and stimulation in order to channel their energy properly and not become frustrated, bored, and destructive.

APBT's often display dog aggression, especially towards unfamiliar dogs of the same sex or level of assertiveness. Early socialization and good training can mean that many individuals of the breed never display this trait however there is no guarantee and extra precautions should be taken with this type of dog to prevent any incidents. While and APBT may not start a fight, even the best socialized APBT's don't generally tolerate as much from other dogs as other breeds might. As dogs bred never to back down from a fight, it is sometimes more responsible to avoid certain situations of interaction if the owner feels that he or she cannot handle the dog. A responsible owner should not let their dog interact with strange dogs unsupervised and should know how to avoid a dog fight.

When selecting an APBT puppy, it is paramount to find a breeder who selective breeds for sound temperament and good health. A quality breeder will know the breed standard as set by a reputable breed registry such as the UKC or the ADBA (the AKC does not recognize the American Pit Bull Terrier) and should both health and temperament test their breeding stock. A breeder who boasts about their dogs' "guard dog" skills or "protective" behavior is an indicator that their dogs may be inappropriately bred for human aggression. It is a good idea for prospective APBT owners to research the breeder, ask for references and ask to see their facilities and the parents of the prospective puppy.

Adult pit bulls are frequently also available from animal shelters. Reputable shelters will temperament test their dogs before adoption, so that only dogs with stable temperaments are available for adoption.The advantage of obtaining an adult dog from a shelter is that the dog's temperament is already known, and a dog with low dog aggression or low prey drive can be selected if desired.

HISTORY: Although the exact history of the breed of dog known as the American Pit Bull Terrier is unknown it is generally agreed that they are descended from bull-and-terrier crosses brought to America from England and Ireland in the 1800s. The Bull and Terrier type dogs were created by crossing the English working Bulldog with English hunting Terriers. The Bulldog that is the ancestor of the APBT was used for many types of work including baiting, fighting, stock work, hunting, and as a farm dog. When bull-baiting was outlawed in England in by the Cruelty to Animals act in 1835 along with dog fighting, illegal dog fighting gained popularity since it is much easier to organize and conceal than a bull-baiting contest.

Fighting dogs were bred for strength, speed and gameness, or the willingness to see a task through to it's conclusion regardless of serious threat of injury or death. While fighting dogs in England were not necessarily a singular breed of dog but rather a type of dog bred for gameness from different stock, in the USA the breed solidified and was named the American Pit Bull Terrier. Breeders knew that a dog like this could be dangerous to people and difficult to control if it were aggressive toward people, so breeders would look for the crucial trait of nonaggression towards humans. Fighting dogs that showed aggression towards it's owner or handler were routinely killed and thus removed from the gene pool. This resulted a line of strong dogs that, while aggressive towards dogs and other animals, would be much more gentle with people.

In the late 1800s to early 1900s, two clubs were formed for the specific purpose of registering APBT's: the United Kennel Club and the American Dog Breeder's Association. The United Kennel Club was founded with the registration of an American Pit Bull Terrier and was the first registry to recognize the breed.

As dog fighting declined in popularity in the United States in the early 20th century, many dog owners wanted to legitimize the breed and distance it from it's fighting roots. The name "Staffordshire Terrier" was adopted by some owners and was recognized by the American Kennel Club in 1936. Later, the word "American" was added to reduce confusion with it's smaller British cousin, the Staffordshire Bull Terrier. Not all breeders, however, agreed with the standard adopted by the AKC, and continued to use the name American Pit Bull Terrier for their lines. Much confusion still remains in regards to the APBT, the AST, and the SBT. Once an extremely popular family dog in the United States (in fact, the dog in the Our Gang movies was an APBT), the American Pit Bull Terrier's popularity began to decline in the United States following World War II in favor of other breeds.

ACTIVITIES: Being intelligent, athletic dogs, American Pit Bull Terriers excel in many dog sports, including weight pulling, dog agility, flyball, lure coursing and advanced obedience competition. Some pit bulls have been known to do well in schutzhund as well. Out of the 25 dogs who have earned UKC "superdog" status (by gaining championship titles in conformation, obedience, agility, and weightpull), fourteen have been pit bulls. The American Pit Bull Terrier is a working dog and is suitable for a wide range of working disciplines due to their intelligence, high energy and endurance. In the United States they have been used as police dogs performing narcotics and explosives detection, Border Patrol dogs, hearing dogs to provide services to the deaf as well as general service dogs.

AMERICAN PIT BULL TERRIERS AND THE LAW: American Pit Bull Terriers have historically are still commonly used for dog fighting. Although dog fighting is illegal in the United States and many other countries, it is still practiced, and is usually accompanied by gambling. In the United States participating in dog fighting is a felony in 49 states, and United States federal law prohibits interstate transport of dogs for fighting purposes.
Due to the nature of dog fighting and the image of the Pit Bull as a "tough" dog American Pit Bull Terriers can be subjected to severe abuse and often end up in the custody animal control services, where they are routinely euthanized. A large percentage of dogs euthanized in New York city, Chicago, and Los Angeles are pit bull type breeds.

In the United Kingdom, the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 prohibits the sale or breeding of "any dog of the type known as pit bull terrier." Some jurisdictions in the Australian states of Queensland, New South Wales, and the United States have similar breed-specific legislation, varying from a total ban on ownership to muzzling in public. Similarly, in Ontario, Canada, the ownership of APBT's has been banned in the Dog Owners' Liability Act.

As of August 29, 2005, the "owning, breeding, transferring, importing or abandoning" of APBT's is illegal in Ontario, Canada, given that it was found that the APBT breed "poses a danger to the public". [back to top]