Breed Information

Following is basic breed information for anyone who is interested in acquiring a Pit Bull, for those who already have one or more and would like to learn more about the breed, or simply for anyone who would like to understand these great dogs a little better.

You will learn here that while Pit Bulls make great family companions in the right hands and living situation, they require intelligent, responsible and dedicated ownership. Unfortunately too many people obtain these dogs for the wrong reasons or have little understanding of the inherent traits this breed possesses. It is unfortunate that one of the original purposes of the APBT was (and still is for many) dog-to-dog combat, but it's a fact that can't be denied or ignored. It's very important that every potential Pit Bull owners understand the selective breeding that took place to make the dogs of today and the inherited characteristics that are potentially within this wonderful breed.

Is a show-type dog a good pet?

A lot of serious dogmen feel that the dogs do not belong in the hands of pet people and are resentful of the people to keep the dogs as pet. Though we believe that a bulldog can be a very companion dog under the right circumstances, the above opinion is not without some justification. The fact is, the problems that has face the breed over the past decade also have been-almost without exemption-cause by irresponsible pet owners. Though the humane societies and media always try to blame dog fighting for the Pit bull attacks. The fact of the matter is that it is not dog fighter’s dogs that have gotten out of their yard and attacked people, or run lose in public places and killed other peoples pets; serious dogmen keeps their dog properly confined and under control.

A Pit bull is a fighting dog, bred down from many generations of fighting/show dogs; to even consider raising one of this dogs as a pet you must understand this and accept it-even if you are totally opposed to dog fighting. No matter how you raised this dogs he will be still a pit bull, not a golden retriever! Time and time again we’ve seen people get a pit bull puppy with the attitude “If I raised him right, he won’t want to fight” and in nearly every case we’ve seen the situation eventually come down to a serious problem

The humane societies and media like to depict fighting dogs as animals whose only ambition and purpose in life is to kill, and imply that they aren’t good for anything else. In our opinion, that as a very unfair characterization made by people who know nothing about the true nature of our breed, and don’t care to learn.

Actually, we ourselves have always been amazed at the intelligence and personality this dogs show. Each of one of our own dogs is an individual. We believe we could probably still tell them all apart if they were of the same color! They play elaborate little game with each other and with us; for instance we have several dogs that will, every time they see us coming, sneak along and hide behind a cage or their dog house and crouch there waiting for us to walk by, at which point they leap out of their hiding place as if to say “surprised!”.

One thing often amazes people about bulldogs is that some fully schooled out pit dogs are very tolerant of other animals, so long as they do not challenge them. We know of may bulldogs kept as pets with dogs, cats, and other small animals that get along fine with them.

3 kinds of Pit Bulls

The pit bull's ancestor, the bulldog, was bred for a variety of work, including farming, hunting, protection, and companionship. Bulldogs and their offspring were also bred for bull and bear baiting and pit fighting (fighting against other dogs). Such dogs were required to be loyal, human-friendly, intellegent, hard working, and persistent. Many of these qualities still remain in modern pit bulldogs.

Today's pit bulls are somewhat different from the original working bulldogs. In today's society we rarely need farming and hunting dogs, and pit fighting, bullbaiting, and other cruel bloodsports are, thankfully, outlawed. Today, pit bulls are less of a working dog than a household companion and guardian. Some pit bulls find work in the agility field, in weightpulling competitions, on a search-and-rescue team, or as a therapy dog at a nursing home.

There are today three very different breeders trying to create three very different types of pit bulls. In addition, many pit bulls are crossed with other breeds, like mastiffs or retrievers, and acquire some of the characteristics of these breeds. This means that the pit bull's physical and mental characteristics vary widely among different strains, and it makes it almost impossible for me to describe an average pit bulldog to you.

Registered Show Dogs

The first kind of breeder is the show breeder. These breeders, like all other show breeders, are concerned primarily with a "breed standard" created by the various dog organizations. They breed for stable temperament and physical conformation to that standard. These dogs are registered with one of the national dog associations. These pit bulls are generally attractive and friendly, and usually pet quality - but they can be expensive.

Fighting Dogs

Another kind of breeder is the pit fighter. The pit fighter engages in the inhumane activity of dog fighting. Pit fighters breed for aggression. In the novice fighting world, it is generally believed that the more aggressive the dog, the better it will fight. Thus, those who breed pit bulls with intent to fight them often mistakenly breed and "train" (read "abuse") for human-aggression as well. Some pit fighters, especially more experienced fighters who fight under a tried-and-true set of rules and regulations, understand that their pit bulls must be human-friendly. This is because dog fighters must be able to handle their dog in the midst of a heated dog fight, and they are also expected to bathe the opponent's dog before the fight. Human-aggressive dogs are not acceptable under such rules. However, in either case, this kind of pit bull is bred and trained for endurance to pain, gameness (willingness to persist), and viciousness. This is the kind of pit bull you hear about constantly in the media, and these owners and breeders are primarily responsible for the breed's onerous reputation. These dogs are NOT representative of the breed. They are a minority.

Mixed Dogs

The last variant of the breed is the mixed, "mutt", or pet pit bull. These dogs are usually the result of accidental breeding, puppy mills, and, in some cases, hobbyists who enjoy breeding pit bulls. You most often find this kind of dog at the animal shelter, a foster home, a rescue group, or in the newspaper. These pit bulls are not registered and their genetics/bloodline is questionable. They are often only part pit bull, usually mixed with another breed such as mastiff, Labrador Retriever, Chow Chow, or any of a number of dogs.