American Pit Bull Terrier Discussions

I agree with what your saying, and I agree that it is most probably the media that determines my opinion of the APBT.

According to the United Kennel Club, the APBT is the same breed as the ASBT :?
The AKC considers the American Staffordshire Terrier as separate and distinct from the American Pit Bull Terrier, yet the UKC will register both as American Pit Bull Terriers (APBTs).

I don't get where your coming from when you say that American Bulldogs were originally bred as fighting dogs, the same as APBT. Here is a bit I have copied and pasted about each breeds description:

The American Bulldog:
Description:
True grit. True devotion. True love. These tributes are used often to describe the American Bulldog -- a hardy, athletic, all-purpose working dog. The American Bulldog is a loving family companion, good with children and other pets, yet at the same time, fearlessly determined. It has been known to display heroic acts of courage in protecting its master. The American Bulldog has also been used to hunt everything from squirrel to bear, and has been trained to drive cattle and guard stock from predators. The American Bulldog should be evaluated as a working dog, and exaggerations or faults should be penalized in proportion to how much they interfere with the dogs ability to work.

I understand that AB's have been used as fighting dogs, but if you research back to their origin, they were bred as working dogs.

The American Pitbull Terrier:
His ancestors were brought to the Unites States in the mid - 1800's by Boston-Irish immigrants. Originally bred from a variety of bulldogs and terriers, American breeders increased his weight and gave him a more powerful head. A forbearer to the Staffordshire Bull Terrier, they were originally bred to be a fighting dog. Bull baiting was banned in England in 1835 and these dogs are no longer been bred to fights. There is some complication in registries of this breed. The AKC considers the American Staffordshire Terrier as separate and distinct from the American Pit Bull Terrier, yet the UKC will register both as American Pit Bull Terriers (APBTs).

This is the reason why I say, in my opinion, the APBT could be more vicious than say an American Bulldog. COULD be more vicious, I do not mean IS more vicious. A chihauhaua could be more vicious than a SBT, at the end of the day it is down to the owner not the dog. All I am saying is the media give out, possibly an unfair, press about the pitbull. I have already said that it's possibly the media that has determined my opinion, but it could also be my knowledge on the history of Bull breeds too.

At the end of the day, if we all liked the same breeds, it would be a very boring world

I am under no illusion of what American Bulldogs were bred for, I've owned one for the past 4 years and recently welcomed another AB into our doggy family.

American Bulldog

Bred For :-
bull/bear and buffalo baiting, guard livestock, dog fighting, protect property, catchdog-catch stray bulls

American Bulldogs were bred for many purposes, sadly dog fighting is one of them.

As I said never base your opinion on books etc see the real thing then make a decision I could read a million books on why asians are bad doesnt mean its true. If somebody said all blue eyed people were bad and you read a book on this would you believe it? Dont ever believe what you read always get the facts for yourself. The American Pit Bull Terrier is a derivative of the Staffordshire Bull Terrier, the AmStaff is basically the show version of the pitbull.

Depending on what story you believe the Stafford came first then the pitbull came then the AmStaff each being another version of on an other, but in america you can still have a dual registered AmStaff/Pitbull.

The AmStaff was basically the show version of the APBT, the American Bulldog is a totally seperate breed. I think you may need to do some research on the various breeds/types of dogs around before shouting your opinions now thats not meant to be offensive just saying dont be quick to judge...he who cast the first stone & all that.

I once read a quote in a stratton book "the APBT is 1,0000 times less likely to attack you than ANY other breed however when he does he is 1,000 times more dangerous" there may be some truth in that.

All I am saying is before you decide what is true do your research, dont go by what media or people tell you listen to it and see it for yourself.

You obviously know more about APBTs he obviously does to....

Know more about APBT's than who? You?

The American Pit Bull Terrier..like the Staffy is reowned for it's affection for people, even dogs that have fought in pits have been known to STILL love people sadly most of these dogs are pts because they could be seen as dangerous but there are a few organizations in the states that rehabiltate dogs that were once used for fighting..Pit Bulls are no more dangerous than the dog you have sat at home with you, any dog can cause damage, an AB can cause damage infact they could possibly be 'as dangerous' as any pit if they were to turn on those that love them.
Some lines of AB are decended from Pits in the states - how do you know that these dogs have not made their way across they pond?

All breeds were once created from mixing breeds

As for an AB being 'as dangerous' as my dog, well yes I suppose one could be....but if you read back at the posts, what I have been saying is that I trust MY dog 100%, and a pibull owner could possibly trust THIER dog 100% too....that doesn't mean I would trust it.

I don't know why MY dog is in question here, he is a cross bred AB x SBT. I know both his parents very well, and his mother (SBT) has an extremely placid nature, his father (AB) equally has a very nice nature. I would not of taken a pup from these 2 breeds without knowing the parents.

I should imagine that a APBT bred from 2 very good natured parents, would have a good chance of becoming a very pleasant natured dog.....but I am sorry, I still don't trust the breed. They are not the only breed I give a wide birth to, I also do not trust the Airdale Terrier ( I have had a bad experience with one years ago, and friends of ours also have one - who can be a bit snap happy at times )

Just because I don't feel comfortable around the breed, does not mean I don't like them....as I say, I just give them a wide birth.

I sadly lost my British Bulldog to old age a few years back, I suppose he was just 'as dangerous' as a pitbull too ? This is the dog who used to hold his paw up so I could cut his nails....oh and curl up and sleep with my cat!

a pitbull is no more 'nasty' or bad tempered than a stafford, its all about handling, like the stafford are good tempered with humans, so are pitbulls!
i would fancy a human aggressive american bulldog, and there can be some, just like a stafford and a pit, its all about knowing how to handle and grow your dog up properly

The last dog posted is an AKC registered American Staffordshire Terrier. He is also an AKC conformation Champion. He is Ch. Pacific's Remington Steele, OFA...and also my first Am Staff.

Remi will be 13 years old this year....that is a picture of him in his younger days.

Remi is lovely looking in that picture CedarRiver Lets see some more photo's of your handsome lad.

Thanks! You can see more pictures of Remi on his page.

http://www.cedarriver.net/remi.htm

Thanks for the link,he looks mighty fine.

I have had the absolute pleasure or working with and lving with American Pitbull Terriers almost my entire life. They are fabulous dogs. I have never met an aggressive one. Our family business was a boarding kennel, and I worked my way through school as a vet tech (nurse) and we lived in Texas (lots of rednecks so pits were very popular) so when I say I've never met an aggressive pitbull, I'm talking about a rather large sampling of pits that I have worked with.

There were several pits working as therapy dogs in hospitals, nursing homes and schools alongside myself and my dogs. I have never been bitten, growled at or looked at crossways by a pitbull (and as a vet nurse, I'm not always a dogs favorite person)

I have found that pitties are very very sweet natured. They adore being a part of the family. The love kids, love to play and be big goofy dogs. They take very easily to training and are very sensitive. Not a breed to be heavy handed with (you shouldn't be heavy handed with any breed, but this one in particular) They look big and bad but they are really soft.

On an odd note, from my experience, pits are more succeptable to mange and parvo than most breeds. 90% of our parvo cases were pits or pit mixes and I'd say 90% of pit pups have mange to some degree at some point in their first year. Olivia, my foster Pitbull had severe demadectic mange it took well over six months to fully clear. Whether there is something genetically in the pitbull that gives it a weaker immune system, or these occurences were simply the result of the types of pet owners that had pitbulls in my area of Texas, I don't know.

They still allow the mutilation of dogs in the US by cropping ears. I was unfortunate to work for a clinic that cropped. The only dog I ever lost under anesthesia was a red pitbull bitch named Asia, in for an earcrop. A totally senseless loss that I will never get over.

Pitbulls are very versatile. They do well in weightpull, obedience, agility, even had a flyballing pit where Moxie and I were training.

Also, the pitbull is so popular in the United states, that you are finding more and more variation in the type of dog that you see. Small slender pits, huge bulky eighty pound pits, and everything in between. The number one mix found in shelters in the united states are pitbull mixes.

I would say with the enormous numbers and popularity of the pitbull in the United states against the extremely low number of bit inicidences involving pit bulls, it is safe to say that this is a breed that has been unfairly targeted, and is no more aggressive than the next dog.

Fighting pit bulls, this is something that I was blessed never to see in my entire life living in the United States. I know it happened, but it wasn't so common that the pit you met on the street was likely to be a killer.

Then I moved to Mexico. For some reason this country is infatuated with bloodsports. Cockfights, bullfights and dogfights, every weekend. If I see a purebred pit here, I stay away, because it is either a guarding or a fighting dog.
They train them to kill here. They chain truck tires to their necks as pups and make them drag the tire behind them all the time. Placing food and water out of reach to make them drag the tire, or later, stones, farther and farther to reach water. They beat the dogs. They starve the dogs then make them fight each other for food. They use street dogs as bait. They starve, beat and torment the pitbull into a frenzy, then let him off his chain and have at the usually tied up and defenseless street dog for "training" I'm just telling you things I have seen and heard in the past year living here. Absolutely horrifying things that are done to these dogs to turn them into killers. And it takes years of this "conditioning" to make the NORMALLY very pacid, calm, loving and tractable pit bull into a killer. Let me tell you it's awful to see an adolescent pitbull coweringa nd belly crawling, head pressed to the ground and licking the air in classic submission as his "owner" kicks the ****out of him to get him to react.

I think this "training" is what most people don't see and don't consider when they think about these "fighting dogs" They were not born, they were made. It really is not in theses dogs natures to be vicious.

I love pit bull terriers and I believe that the UK has lost out on getting to know and love a wonderful dog through this legislation. I still own a home and vote in the states, and will continue to fight similar legislation on that front.

I am not a citizen of Mexico, and thus have no power to stop what goes on here. I really wish there was something I could do.

You would be surprised at how many people ask if my dog is "banned" and confuse him with an APBT just because they don't know the difference - he's an AB and here he is Diesel:

excuse my ignorance but what are irish blues???

+ how the he11 do people mistake staffy's for pitbulls?? from the pics show on the first page - trhey look nothing alike!!! (imo)

irish blues?
Im not sure what you mean but if i think it is what you mean, its prob what some call Irish Staffords and they are blue. I personally dont like the term irish stafford, because a stafford is a stafford no matter what. You get people breeding more the new standards or breeding to the original standards.
But as this is an American Pit Bull Terrier thread i have never heard of Irish blues in the APBT, but it could be some line

I hope this helps but like im said too sure what you mean lol