A “pitbull” is not an actual breed of dog.
Usually the word “pitbull” refers to the American pit bull terrier or the American Staffordshire terrier. However, many breeds or mixed breeds are dubbed with the “pit” name incorrectly. The term slaps together anything resembling or related to the American pit bull terrier. It would be like calling a golden retriever a lab.
Some of the breeds often called pitbulls include the American pit bull terrier, the American Staffordshire terrier, the American bulldog, the Staffordshire bull terrier and even boxers and mastiffs. Many mixed breeds are also inaccurately called pitbulls.
The problem is, anyone can identify a dog as a pitbull without being questioned because the term has become too general.
A cop might identify a 25-pound bulldog mix as a pitbull. And a reporter might identify a 125-pound mastiff mix as a pitbull even though American pit bull terriers are usually around 40-60 pounds, according to the United Kennel Club. The UKC is a performance dog registry with 300 breeds from all 50 states and 25 countries.
The fact that law enforcement and media representatives can get away with using such general terms to describe dogs adds negative stereotypes to the American pit bull terrier and related breeds.
Headlines and police reports with phrases like “Pitbull attacks 7-year-old” imply an American pit bull terrier was at fault, even though the dog could have been three quarters black lab like my mutt. Brent Toellner from the KC Dog Blog had a good post about how the media fails to accurately identify dog breeds.
Are the American Staffordshire terrier and the American pit bull terrier the same?
Yes, they are the same dog. I have used the names interchangeably on my blog for the past year. The difference is in who recognizes which name.
The American pit bull terrier was first recognized by the UKC in 1898. The American Staffordshire terrier was recognized by the AKC in 1936. Other than their names, they are the same dog.
“The UKC’s American pit bull terrier is the same breed as the AKC’s American Staffordshire terrier. They are simply called different things,” said Drew Forsyth, who works with the UKC’s dog events department.
Both clubs recognized a smaller breed called the Staffordshire bull terrier, a breed that is also referred to as a pitbull. When people argue that the Staffordshire terrier and the pit bull terrier are separate breeds, they are often referring to the Staffordshire bull terrier without knowing it.
What breeds can be called pitbulls?
There is a fine line between what can accurately and inaccurately be called a pitbull. It depends on who you ask.
When I say pitbull on my blog, I am referring to the American pit bull terrier or the American Staffordshire terrier. Many people also consider Staffordshire bull terriers and American bulldogs to be pitbulls.
The Staffordshire bull terrier is related to the American Staffordshire terrier. The main difference between the two breeds is size. The Staffordshire bull terrier is smaller, ranging from 24 to 38 pounds, according to the AKC. The American Staffordshire terrier is about three inches taller and heavier.
The American bulldog is registered with the UKC. The club describes the American bulldog’s size to be from 60 to 125 pounds. Chance from the Disney movie “Homeward Bound” was an American bulldog. The breed is much taller than the English bulldog.
Beyond the above breeds, it’s a pretty far stretch to call anything else a pitbull. But people are ignorant and will call anything with a “bulldog face” a pitbull. Breeds like boxers, English bulldogs, French bulldogs, English mastiffs and bull terriers are not pitbulls.
The photos are of the two American pit bull terriers we have fostered, Vixen (top) and Ginger.
No related posts.
February 5th, 2009 at 10:53 am
Yeah, this is an interesting tidbit of information. I kinda wish ‘Pit Bull’ as used by people would just go away. Though I guess maybe people can use it for mixes and stuff… but it has such a negative connotation. These dogs are wonderful, too, whichever definition they fall into! ‘Pit Bull’ is just so generic as to have lost most meaning.
February 5th, 2009 at 12:53 pm
I’ve probably been guilty of using the term too loosely as well. Thanks for the article – def brings to light how aware you should be. I know that I take it personally when someone compares my dog to a differing breed or refers to it incorrectly. Great article!
February 5th, 2009 at 1:46 pm
Great post – this is likely the most misunderstood dog on the planet. Most every “pit” that I meet is a sweetie that just wants attention!
Gus recently met a “pit” puppy hat was quite enamored with him. Being the big, lazy guy that he is – he just didn’t want to play with the little guy. That did not stop him from trying and the puppy was chewing on the folds of Gussie’s neck. Gus finally tired of this and snapped at him (after about 10 minutes). My big guy is patient and has a very laid-back personality. This was only the second time I saw him defend himself (the other was when a large Malamute tried to snap at him – there was no hesitation that time).
February 5th, 2009 at 7:12 pm
Ha, Gus is so gentle. I’m surprised he growled at that pup. But enough is enough!
I agree, Cynthia, pitbull has a negative connotation. Whenever I said I had a pitbull in my house people would say, “Is she aggressive?”
Christina, since my dog’s a mutt, I can’t get too offended when people think he’s a certain breed.
February 5th, 2009 at 8:31 pm
I would just like to add that Pit Bull actually comes from what dog fighters called there dogs. They usually fight in a pit and most of them are a breed of bull dog. Hence the name pit bull. In the fighting circles the American Staffordshire and the American Pit are the most used. And coming in third is probably the Chow. All of them are called Pit bulls. It is a shame that the name has been spread so loosely and caused so much panic.
It took me about 6 months to talk my wife into adopting a Pitty and now she loves her. I wanted to adopt one just to prove a point to everyone out there that they are not mean and aggressive any more than any other dog breed.
February 6th, 2009 at 5:24 pm
Lindsay,
Thanks so much for getting this important information out to your readers!
February 7th, 2009 at 11:49 am
Wow I actually had no clue about that and yeah I also agree with the above comments that the word “pit bull” has actually a negative implications .
February 11th, 2009 at 3:29 am
Interesting! In Sweden, the “Pit Bull” is officially banned, but we have lots of “Amstaffs” [American Staffordshire] which is a popular breed. There is also the Bull Terrier, which looks ridiculous but hasn’t made the head lines as an aggressive dog. I sometimes wonder how bad (or how not-so-bad) pitbulls really are. I saw a post the other day about “horrible Rhodesian Ridgebacks” who were so aggressive they should be put down – and being the owner of the most delightful (yet brave and yes, good guard dog) RR named Sheba, I was left full of questionmarks. As for pitbulls of any kind, I have no first hand experience with them.
February 11th, 2009 at 8:31 am
What is considered a pitbull in Sweden? I would think people are getting around the ban by calling their dogs Amstaffs instead of pitbulls.
February 11th, 2009 at 9:29 am
I just saw on the news that they are trying to ban “pitbulls” in Salt Lake. It frustrates me to no end to blame a breed, rather than make people take responsibility for their individual dogs’ actions. But, I find it even more disturbing when as you’ve pointed out, it’s such a generalized term that blankets several breeds.
February 11th, 2009 at 10:08 pm
I read an article the other day about a city in Iowa that banned Pit bulls and any other dog that looked similiar to a pit bull. ???? The paper bashed the city council because it sounded like the majority of the people were against the ban but there were a couple of council members who wanted it so it got voted through.
February 12th, 2009 at 8:08 am
What a terrible idea. They will soon learn that banning a certain kind of dog will not solve any of their problems. Yet they won’t get rid of the ban. I would move out of town rather than get rid of my dog.
February 13th, 2009 at 8:41 am
People who cannot take care of a dog should be “banned” from having dogs in their home. It is sad when people don’t understand something and make decisions out of fear like banning a particular breed.
There is an interesting law in the Los Angeles area that forbids gang members from having any sort of dog that could be seen as threatening. I am not sure the particulars but it includes more than the aforementioned pit. I am also uncertain if it actually passed but the idea was to forbid this since many of these kids were using dogs to attack people. Poor animals.
February 17th, 2009 at 10:52 pm
This is an enlightening article. I’ve always judged a pitbull by it’s facial looks, that’s why I’m always making a mistake.
August 7th, 2009 at 3:13 pm
APBT and AmStaff is NOT the same dog !!!!
What are u talking about ? The same dog , LoL
August 7th, 2009 at 3:22 pm
The American Pit Bull terrier and the American Staffordshire terrier are two different names for the same dog. One is recognized by the UKC, and one is recognized by the AKC.
August 15th, 2009 at 5:12 am
Excuse me but what kind of rubbish is this?
There are no question
about what a pitbull is, no more question about it than about any other breed.
An apbt is a pure breed dog registered in for example ADBA or BFKC (not UKC, they register amstaff for apbt. Amstaff and pitbull are different dogs. Crosses between them are neither pitbulls nor amstaffs. After 70 years of separate breeding they are completely different dogs and should not be bred with each other; the offspring is as mixed as any other random bred mixes.
This is one of the big problems for these dogs;
They are made responsible for other breeds deeds. Both breeders of inferior mixes wants to make money on their cross breeding and media makes money calling street crosses involved in incidents for pitbulls because the name pitbull sells. So, a whole breed is endangered by ignorant people.
Please do not spread desinformation! That is the worst thing that can happen for these dogs.
August 15th, 2009 at 6:20 am
..And for the record;
don´t believe half of what you hear:
I live in Sweden, I assume Ester Garvi don´t.
There are _no ban of pitbull terriers in Sweden. No ban breeding them or have them or anything.
Hope you know what Sweden is; not Switzwerland or Swaziland or Norway. Completely another country.
A ban would never work in practise here.
What is considered a pitbull here? As I described above, even if we have moneyhungry so called “breeders” of mixes here also who tries to make money even if it means killing the breed at the same time.
They are these dogs worst enemies.
ButI´m glad to say that the public is becoming more and more enlightened so hopefully these people will have more and more difficulties to peddle the inferior unhealthy crosses that causes so much trouble for the breed and their owners, and for the society.
August 15th, 2009 at 6:52 am
Sorry for tripple post but it is not possible to edit and make additions to the posts above:
Important:
One thing to remember as a general rule (could be unsignificant exceptions though, but note; rare exceptions):
For a dog to be called pitbull it has got to be registered in ADBA(American dog breeders association) or BFKC (Bona fide kennel club).
If it is not it is _not to be considered a pitbull, at least not if you are buying from an advertising peddler.
Without that registration it is generally a mix, a non pure bred dog with unknown background. And with known/unknown I don´t mean that you know the names of the parents etc. You have to have info about many generations back and know something about those dogs for many generations ago, and also about the outcome of those dogs.
The mixes are often unhealthy both physically and mentally. You will increase the difficult situation for the apbt breed if you breed these dogs or promote them in any way.
And you should imo not consider a pit bull terrier if you just “want a dog”. The dogs, in this situation as they are, deserves an owner who have special interest in the breed and respect them for what they are. It´s not like toying with or buying a cocker spaniel or something similar.. these mixbreeders no nothing about their dogs. And you should never consider a dog from someone who knows nothing about them.
Be smart; just run i the opposite direction as fast as you can if someone want to sell a “pit” without pedigree to you.
August 15th, 2009 at 10:23 am
KL, thank you for your comments and opinions. Unfortunately there are a lot of misunderstandings out there about the American Pit Bull terrier, and because of that this post needed to be written.
It is unfortunate that people abuse the word pitbull.
January 1st, 2010 at 5:16 pm
In March of 2007 I adopted a male Staffordshire Terrier and his name is Buster Brown. As a puppy classified him to be a “Pit Bull”. His temperament and playfulness is amazingly excellent. He loves all people and other dogs even on first meetings. As he began to grow no one thought of him as a ‘Pit Bull’ except one day my next door neighbor felt his 5 Lb dogs where being threatened which wasn’t the case at all. I also have a 7 year old male Boston Terrier and a 15 year old Pug. My Staffordshire is not the boss by any means. When my neighbor called him a pit bull I was highly offended. My comment to him was Buster Brown is not a pit bull he is a family dog. There are more cases of poodles, German Shepherds, Labradors, and other large with longer rap sheets but because the term pit bulls is thrown around so flagrantly people who are not experts should learn a little more before making such negative comments. That’s like saying all Mexicans are gang members or all Muslims are terrorist’s.
Buster Brown has more friends (human) then most people. All he wanted to do was play with the neighbor dogs. Heck that’s all he ever wants to do is play. He gets his butt wiped by my 12 pound pug all the time.
So excellent article and I highly recommend a Staffordshire Terrier to anyone who wants a very loving, affectionate, fun, high energy family dog.
Best of luck and hopefully this article will help you to decide to get you own Buster Brown.
Buster Browns daddy.
January 2nd, 2010 at 5:36 pm
Buster Brown sounds like an awesome dog. I would love to get a Staffordshire terrrier someday. Thanks for sharing more info on this wonderful breed.
June 25th, 2010 at 8:14 pm
I adopted a Staffy four years ago and my vet and the rescue I adopted him from both agree that a Staffy and a Pitty are two different breeds.
Vet recognized “George” as a Staffy the minute he met him.
Both are great dogs. I don’t think I’ll ever own anything different and will always get my dogs from rescues.
June 29th, 2010 at 11:59 am
The American Staffordshire terrier and the American pit bull terrier are two different names used for the same dog by two different clubs. Your vet and the rescue are confused about that, but many people are.
Glad to hear your are adopting rescue dogs!