American Pit Bull Terrier. F. Favorito
rel="nofollow" href="#litres_trial_promo">WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN SENIORS
WHAT TO DO WHEN THE TIME COMES
Behavior of Your American Pit Bull Terrier
Physical Characteristics of the American Pit Bull Terrier
(from the United Kennel Club breed standard)
Photographs by:
Norvia Behling, Liza Clancy,
Wil de Veer, Doskocil, Isabelle Français, Bill Jonas,
Nancy Liguori, Mikki Pet Products, and Nikki Sussman.
The publisher wishes to thank all of the owners of the dogs featured in this book.
The exact origin of the American Pit Bull Terrier is in doubt. Theories purport that it derived from either the Staffordshire Bull Terrier or the English Bulldog.
History of the American Pit Bull Terrier
THE GENESIS OF THE BREED IN ITS HOMELAND
Americans like to think of the Pit Bull, or, more properly, the American Pit Bull Terrier, as being a breed of purely American origin. To a large extent, this is true. After all, it was in the United States that this breed took on its definitive form, ability and character. As there are no written records that clearly document the origin of the breed, disagreement among its advocates abounds. Most American Pit Bull historians feel that the American Pit Bull Terrier is the American expression of the game-bred Stafford or Staffordshire Bull Terrier of the United Kingdom. These breed fanciers maintain that as English, and especially Irish, immigrants to the United States established themselves throughout the New World, the little dogs that they prized so highly at home, the game-bred Staffords, sometimes traveled with them. Separated from their foundation stock, the gene pool of Staffordshire Bull Terriers in the United States became more distinct and was subject to the changes imposed by the thinking of American dog breeders, the most obvious of these changes being an increase in size.
Other Pit Bull fanciers have a different opinion regarding the origin of the breed. These fanciers feel that the Pit Bull is a modern-day expression of the original English Bulldog. They speculate that, unlike the Staffordshire Bull Terrier, a breed of known bulland-terrier ancestry, the Pit Bull has no terrier blood in it at all, but rather is a continuation of the pure Bulldog of Elizabethan days.
SIZE INCREASE
Some feel that the increased size found among American Pit Bulls was originally a response to new demands placed upon the breed in the New World. It is speculated that as “catch work” (catching free-range domesticated animals on large farms and ranches) was added to the breed’s duties in America, greater size was selected for in order to allow the breed to serve well in a number of roles. This theory is best represented in the writings of the American pure-bred dog historian Carl Semencic.
The English Bulldog, shown here, was developed as a fighting dog, yet it does not have the notoriety of the American Pit Bull Terrier.
They further speculate that the very obvious differences between the modern show dog known as the Bulldog and the Pit Bull reflect the vastly different purposes for which each was bred, showing versus working. This thinking is best put forth in the writing of an American historian of the Pit Bull breed, Richard Stratton.
THEORY OF ORIGIN
The author is inclined to agree with the theory that today’s American Pit Bull Terrier is the American expression of the Staffordshire Bull Terriers of England and Ireland. Supporting this theory is the fact that the smaller game-bred (fighting stock) American Pit Bull Terriers and the larger game-bred (badger hunting and fighting stock) modern Staffordshire Bull Terriers of England appear to be nearly identical.
Staffordshire Bull Terrier puppy and adult.
ORIGINAL PURPOSE OF THE AMERICAN PIT BULL TERRIER
The specifics of ancient breed history, and the breed’s modern reputation notwithstanding, show that there can be no doubt about one thing—and that one thing is the core function of the Pit Bull breed. Throughout the entire existence of the breed, from its earliest days and, to some extent, through modern times, the Pit Bull in its purest working form has been and remains essentially a fighting dog. This is to say that the breed’s function, its very purpose, was, and in the minds of some remains, to be a gambler’s tool. The breed was originally selectively bred without regard for looks, but rather only for everincreasing ability to fight other Pit Bulls, and only other Pit Bulls, in long sustained combat events in man-made dog pits for the enjoyment of human spectators. Note that, unlike some breeds, the Pit Bull’s purpose was never to attack man. In fact, it must be noted here that in the organized combat events for which the Pit Bull was and occasionally still is used, these dogs are handled by their human handlers throughout the event. Those who use these dogs in such events have no use for a dog that would in any way endanger the handler rather than its canine opponent.
The American Pit Bull Terrier was never trained to be an attack dog against humans; in fact, Pit Bulls had to be unconditionally loyal and obedient to their handlers, traits they display with their owners today.