Quick Links: Table of Contents
- American Pit Bull Terrier Breed Overview
- History of the American Pit Bull Terrier Breed. Where American Pit Bull Terriers came from
- What the American Pit Bull Terrier Looks Like
- How Much is the American Pit Bull Terrier Puppy?
- Adopting or Rescuing the American Pit Bull Terrier
- The Temperament of the American Pit Bull Terrier
- How Long American Pit Bull Terriers Live
- Good Names for American Pit Bull Terriers
- Health Problems in American Pit Bull Terriers and How to Prevent Them
- Dog Breeds That Are Similar to American Pit Bull Terriers
- Other Things to Know About American Pit Bull Terriers
American Pit Bull Terrier Breed Overview
The American Pit Bull Terrier is a medium-sized dog.
The adult American Pit Bull Terrier stands 17 to 19 inches tall at the shoulder.
The American Pit Bull Terrier belongs to the Terrier Dogs group.
Dogs in the Terrier Dogs group, like the American Pit Bull Terrier, were originally bred to go underground to hunt rodents and other small wild animals (vermin).
Terriers come in a wide range of sizes and shapes, but all terriers are energetic, highly intelligent, and territorial. Terries also have the tendency to escape. They require a securely fenced yard.
The fact that the American Pit Bull Terrier belongs to the Terrier Dogs group is one of the reasons why American Pit Bull Terriers have the personality and temperament that they have.
The temperament of the American Pit Bull Terrier is generally described as:
- Affectionate
- Clownish
- Courageous
- Friendly
- Gentle
- Intelligent
- Loyal
- Obedient
- Strong Willed
- Stubborn
History of the American Pit Bull Terrier Breed. Where American Pit Bull Terriers came from
In early 19th-century England, Ireland, and Scotland, the Pit Bull is believed to have originated.
Experimental crossbreeding of Bulldogs and Terriers created this animal, which was used for bear- and bull-baiting, a blood sport in which the dog was trained to attack until the larger animal was defeated.
The dogs were bred for the sport of ratting and dog fighting after baiting was banned in the 1800s.
Pit Bulls were introduced to North America by European immigrants.
The American Kennel Club does not recognize Pit Bulls due to their controversial origins.
Pit Bulls have thus been given their own clubs for the specific purpose of registering them.
First, there was the United Kennel Club (UKC), founded in 1898 by founder C.
Z.
Bennett.
ADBA`s founding president, Guy McCord, who bred the American Pit Bull Terrier as a hobby, enlisted it as a Pit Bull club in the 1930s.
Pit Bulls are generally considered to be friendly and outgoing dogs, in contrast to their negative reputation as aggressive dogs.
Pit Bulls are fast becoming a popular companion pet once again due to those dedicated to this breed becoming more active in education and training.
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What the American Pit Bull Terrier Looks Like
American Pit Bull Terriers range in size from medium to large.
Stocky and muscular, pit bulls have a short, smooth coat that varies in color.
A Pitbull`s size and color will fluctuate due to the breed`s combination of Bulldogs and Terriers.
A Pit Bull has a long body and a short, rounded tail that ends at a point.
On its broad, flat head are small to medium-sized ears.
Pit bulls are known for their wide, powerful jaw, which is the most defining feature of their facial features.
This is an easy breed to groom because their coats are generally pretty short and the fur is made of harder bristled material to keep out dirt and oil.
This breed has a need to exercise and relies heavily on being walked and given activities to alleviate boredom.
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How Much is the American Pit Bull Terrier Puppy?
The average price of a American Pit Bull Terrier puppy is $1160. The price of a American Pit Bull Terrier puppy ranges from $450 to $1200.
A lot of factors determine the price of the American Pit Bull Terrier. These factors include what health records the American Pit Bull Terrier puppy has, the lineage of the American Pit Bull Terrier puppy, the US state the breeder is located in, etc.
To estimate how much you can expect to pay for a puppy American Pit Bull Terrier based on the many factors that determine the price of the American Pit Bull Terrier puppy, check out our calculator that lets you estimate how much you should expect to pay for the American Pit Bull Terrier puppy based on what you want in the puppy.
When looking to buy a puppy, look at buying a puppy only from well-established breeders that breed puppies primarily for the love of the American Pit Bull Terrier breed, and secondarily for profit. Do not buy a puppy from a puppy mill. Puppy mills mass-produce puppies in bad living conditions for maximum profit.
You may also consider adopting instead of buying a puppy. Adoption costs are very low compared to the price of a puppy.
Adopting or Rescuing the American Pit Bull Terrier
You may consider adopting a dog instead of buying a puppy. Many dogs, American Pit Bull Terriers included, are currently available for adoption in your local dog shelters.
These helpless but adorable dogs are waiting in dog shelters hoping that someday someone will rescue them. Dog adoption costs are lesser than the cost of a new puppy. Dog adoption costs are usually around $300 or even less.
In addition to your local dog shelter, another good place to find dogs that are available for adoption is petfinder.com.
Below is an adorable Male American Pit Bull Terrier named Phi Choy that is currently available for adoption on Petfinder.com. You can find other lovely American Pit Bull Terriers like Phi Choy on pefinder.com.
You can find more American Pit Bull Terriers that are available for adoption on petfinder.
The Temperament of the American Pit Bull Terrier
The temperament of the American Pit Bull Terrier based can be summarized as in the table below.
The table shows the scores of the American Pit Bull Terrier for 13 important dog behavioral factors.
We obtained these scores by analyzing raw data from the C-BARQ dog personality survey tool. The higher the score of a dog for a factor, the worse the temperament of the dog regarding that factor.
The C-BARQ tool was developed by researchers from the University of Pennsylvania, and it is a scientific tool that is used worldwide for reliably measuring the temperament of dog breeds.
See our complete analysis of the temperament of the American Pit Bull Terrier here.
| Factor | Score |
|---|---|
| Energy Level | 68.2 percent |
| Dog Directed Aggression | 66.5 percent |
| Prey Drive | 54.7 percent |
| Attachment Attention Seeking | 51.6 percent |
| Separation Related Behavior | 51.4 percent |
| Excitability | 51.0 percent |
| Owner Directed Aggression | 5.7 percent |
| Dog Directed Fear | 40.2 percent |
| Dog Rivalry | 38.3 percent |
| Nonsocial Fear | 31.8 percent |
| Stranger Directed Aggression | 30.2 percent |
| Stubbornness | 26.7 percent |
| Touch Sensitivity | 26.6 percent |
| Stranger Directed Fear | 22.9 percent |
How Long American Pit Bull Terriers Live
The lifespan of the American Pit Bull Terrier is typically from 12 to 16 years.
American Pit Bull Terriers live long if they eat well, drink well, exercise well, and visit the veterinarian regularly.
Good Names for American Pit Bull Terriers
Here are some really good names that are typical for the American Pit Bull Terrier ranked by popularity:
- Rocky
- Dog
- Blue
- Zeus
- Bruno
- Max
- Little
- Bane
- Toby
- Heatmeiser
Health Problems in American Pit Bull Terriers and How to Prevent Them
Every dog breed has its own set of health problems that it tends to develop. There is nothing like a perfect dog breed.
The American Pit Bull Terrier is prone to certain genetic health conditions. The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) is an organization that keeps track of genetic health problems in dog breeds.
From the extensive records that the OFA keeps, the OFA knows what health problems each dog breed is naturally prone to develop.
Hence, the OFA recommends which health screening breeders should perform on a dog breed to make sure that the breeders won`t breed `defective` dog parents that can pass down defective genes to their puppy offspring.
If you want a American Pit Bull Terrier puppy that will grow up to be healthy, make sure that your American Pit Bull Terrier breeder screens your puppy or your puppy`s parents for the health problems that the OFA recommends for your puppy`s breed. This will increase the chances that your puppy is free from genetic defects.
The following are the health tests that Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) recommends that breeders should screen American Pit Bull Terriers for:
You can find out more about OFA`s recommended tests for American Pit Bull Terriers here.
Dog Breeds That Are Similar to American Pit Bull Terriers
If you have not made up your mind on which dog breed to get, you may also want to consider some other dogs similar to the American Pit Bull Terrier.
We crunched the numbers and found that the following dog breeds that have similar behavior and temperament as the American Pit Bull Terrier:
- American Staffordshire Terrier (76 percent match with American Pit Bull Terrier). Learn more about the American Staffordshire Terrier here.
- American Water Spaniel (74 percent match with American Pit Bull Terrier). Learn more about the American Water Spaniel here.
- German Shepherd Dog (77 percent match with American Pit Bull Terrier). Learn more about the German Shepherd Dog here.
Other Things to Know About American Pit Bull Terriers
Here are some of the very important characteristics of the American Pit Bull Terrier that you need to know about the American Pit Bull Terrier breed:
