American Pit Bull Terrier
The American Pit Bull Terrier (also known as the Irish Staffordshire Bull Terrier) is an average sized dog. It is well constructed, it has short hair and originated from both Ireland and England. This breed originated in the 19th century, when the countries of the British Isles started to breed crosses of terriers and bulldogs. The breeders where trying to get a dog that had both gameness from the terrier and the potency of the bulldog. The dogs purpose was to bait bears and bulls. However once this practice was stopped to changes in public opinion, another role was found for the American Pit Bull Terrier. This included ratting (this was were a number of rats were put in a pit with the Pit Bill for a certain length of time and the damage counted afterwards) and dog fighting. As time carried on this dog found its way into the household as it was found to be a friendly breed and as a guard dog. In the USA it also found a home on ranches and farms where it was used to guard livestock, as well as to aid in their care. During both world wars this dog was used to take messages across the battlefield.
Appearance
This dog is a medium sized breed. It has a smooth short coat, with very defined muscles. Its eyes are almond shaped and its ears tend to be medium in length. The dogs coat is found in almost any combination apart from merle. The average height of this breed is between 56 cm to 61 cm to withers. It normally weighs between 14 to 27 kg.
Temperament
This dog does have a bad reputation due to its pit bull nature. A great percentage of deaths which occur due to dog attacks have been attributed to the pit bull dog type of which this is one of the three breeds. It should be noted though that this dog is actually generally friendly and has an average level of aggression displayed. The difference with this breed as opposed to others is that it is very powerful, so this can be a dangerous combination. It should be noted though that the probably of dying from a dog attack is very low. These dogs have high prey drives, so they will tend to want to chase small animals, and therefore should be on a lead in the park. It should be noted that various countries have breed specific legislation against this type of dog as well as other pit bull dogs and pit bull like dogs. This goes from completely banning of the breed to restrictions on this breed.
Grooming and care
These dogs need a lot of exercise as they have very high energy levels. They also need stimulation, as otherwise bad behaviour can occur. This will generally manifest itself as destruction of property. Their coats are generally easy to maintain given their short nature.
Health
The life expectancy of the American Pit Bull Terrier is between 12 to 14 years. This breed does tend to suffer from hip dysplasia more than other breeds. Also they tend to have problems with knees which may get dislocated as well as thyroid problems and heart defects. Also if a Pit Bull is born blue then it tends to have a larger chance of getting skin allergies.