The American Pit Bull Terrier has always been the center of blood sports with dogs and, for some people, this is the perfect dog for this practice, considering it 100% functional. We must know that the world of fighting dogs is an intricate and especially complex labyrinth. Although the " bull baiting" stood out in the eighteenth century, the prohibition of blood sports in 1835 gave rise to dog fighting, because in this new " sport" much less space was needed. So, from the ancient bulldog gladiators and the terrier spartans, a new cross between bulldog and terrier was born that ushered in a new era in England, as far as it refers to dog fights.
Today the pit bull is one of the most popular dogs in the world, either because of its undeserved fame as a "dangerous dog" or because of its faithful nature, and despite the bad press received, the pitbull is a particularly versatile dog with multiple qualities. Therefore, in this article on our site we will talk extensively about the history of the American pit bull terrier, offering you a real, professional perspective based on studies and facts contrasted. If you are a lover of the breed this article interests you, keep reading!
The Bull Baiting
From 1816 to 1860, dog fighting was heyday in England, despite its prohibition among the years 1832 and 1833, when bull baiting (fights with bulls), bear baiting (fights with bears), rat baiting (fights with rats) and even dog fighting (fights between dogs) were abolished. In addition, this activity spread to the United States, around the years 1850 and 1855, rapidly gaining popularity among the population. In an attempt to end this practice, in 1978 the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) officially banned dog fighting, but even so, in 1880 this activity was still taking place in various regions of the United States.
After that time, the police gradually eliminated this practice, which remained underground for many years. In fact, even today dog fights continue to take place illegally. However, how did it all really start? Let's start at the beginning to know the history of the pit bull…
The Birth of the American Pit Bull Terrier
The history of the American Pit Bull Terrier and its ancestors, bulldogs and terriers, is steeped in blood. The old pit bulls, "pit dogs"or "pit bulldogs", were dogs originating in Ireland and England and, in a small percentage, in Scotland.
Life at the time of the 18th century was difficult, especially for the poor, who really suffered from vermin infestation, such as rats, foxes and badgers. They had dogs out of necessity, because otherwise they were exposed to diseases and supply problems in their homes. These dogs were the magnificent terriers, selectively bred from the strongest, most skilled and tenacious specimens. During the day, the terriers patrolled near homes, but at night they guarded potato fields and farm fields. They themselves had to find shelter to be able to rest outside.
Little by little, the bulldog was introduced into the daily life of the population and then, from the cross between bulldogs and terrier dogs, the "bull & terrier was born ", the new breed that had specimens of different colors, such as tan, black or brindle.
These dogs were used by the most humble members of society as a form of entertainment, making them fight each other In the early 1800's already There were bulldog and terrier crosses that fought in Ireland and England, ancient dogs that were bred in the Cork and Derry regions of Ireland. In fact, their descendants are known by the name of "Old family" (old family). But in addition, other English pit bull bloodlines were also born, such as "Murphy", "Waterford", "Killkinney", "G alt", "Semmes", "Colby" and "Ofrn". The latter was another lineage of the old family and, with time and selection in breeding, it came to divide into other completely different lineages (or strains).
At that time pedigrees were not written down and duly registered, since many people were illiterate, so the usual practice was raise them and pass them from generation to generation, while being carefully protected so that they do not mix with other bloodlines. Old family dogs were imported into the United States around the 1850s and 18555, as in the case of Charlie "Cockney" Lloyd.
Some of the older lineages are: "Colby", "Semmes", "Corcoran", "Sutton", "Feeley " or "Lightener", the latter being one of the most famous breeders of Red Nose "Ofrn", stopped breeding them because they became too big for his liking, as well as detesting completely red dogs.
At the beginning of the 19th century the breed had already acquired all the characteristics that still today make it a particularly desirable dog: athletic ability, bravery and a friendly temperament towards people. Upon arrival in the United States, the breed diverged slightly from the dogs of England and Ireland.
The Development of Race in America
In the United States, these dogs were used not only as pit fighting dogs, but also as big game hunting dogs, that is say, boars and wild cattle, and as guardians of the family. Because of all this, breeders began to breed taller and slightly larger dogs.
This weight gain, however, was insignificant. We should note that old family dogs in 19th century Ireland rarely exceeded 25 pounds (11.3 kilograms) and those weighing around 15 pounds (6.8 kilograms) were not uncommon. In the American books of the breed in the first part of the 19th century it was truly rare to find a specimen of more than 50 pounds (22.6 kilograms), although with some exceptions.
From the year 1900 and until 1975, approximately, a small and gradual increase in the average weight of the A. P. B. T began to be observed, without any corresponding loss of performance capabilities. Right now American Pit Bull Terriers no longer perform any of the functions of the traditional standard, such as dog fighting, as performance testing and pit competition are considered serious crimes in most countries.
Despite some changes to the standard, such as admitting slightly larger and heavier dogs, a remarkable continuity can be observed in the breed for more than a century. Archival photographs from 100 years ago showing show dogs are indistinguishable from those that are bred today. Although, as with any performance breed, there is some lateral (synchronous) variability in phenotype across lines. We look at photos of fighting dogs from the 1860s that are phenotypically speaking (and judging from contemporary pit-match descriptions) identical to today's A. P. B. Ts.
The Standardization of the American Pit Bull Terrier
These dogs were known by a wide variety of names such as "pit terrier", "pit bull terriers", "staffordshire ighting dogs", "old family dogs" (the name of Ireland), "yankee terrier" (the name of the north) and "rebel terrier" (the name of the south), just to name a few.
In 1898, a man named Chauncy Bennet formed the United Kennel Club (UKC) for the sole purpose of registering"pit bull terriers" , since the American Kennel Club (AKC) wanted nothing to do with them because of their selection and participation in pit fights. He was originally the one who added the word "american" to the name and dropped "pit". This did not please all lovers of the breed and, because of this, the word "pit" was added to the name in parentheses, as a compromise. The parentheses were finally removed about 15 years ago. All other breeds that are registered with the UKC were accepted after the A. P. B. T.
Another record of the A. P. B. T. we find it in the American Dog Breeder Association (ADBA), which was started in September 1909 by Guy McCord, a close friend of John P. Colby. Today, under the direction of the Greenwood family, the ADBA continues to register only the American Pit Bull Terrier and is more in tune with the breed than the UKC.
We should know that ADBA is a sponsor of conformation shows, but more importantly: it sponsors weight drag competitions, thus evaluating the resistance of the dogs. It also publishes a quarterly magazine dedicated to the A. P. B. T. call "American Pit Bull Terrier Gazette"The ADBA is considered to be the pit bull's flagship standard registry, as it is the federation that works hardest to uphold the original standard of the breed.
Pete and the little rascals
In 1936, thanks to "Pete the Pup" in "Little Rascals" and "Our Gang," who introduced a wider audience to the American Pit Bull Terrier, he caused the AKC to register the breed as "staffordshire terrier". This name was changed to American Staffordshire Terrier (AST) in 1972 to distinguish it from its smaller close relative, the Staffordshire Bull Terrier. In 1936, the AKC, UKC, and ADBA version of the "pit bull" were identical, as the original AKC dogs developed from pit fighting dogs, which were UKC and ADBA registered..
During this period of time, as well as in subsequent years, the A. PBT he was a very popular and popular dog in the United States, being considered the ideal dog for the family due to his affectionate and tolerant temperament with children. That is when the false myth of the pit bull as a nanny dog appears. Little kids of the "Little Rascals" generation wanted a companion like "Pete the pup."
First World War
During the World War I an American propaganda poster was seen depicting rival European nations with their national dogs, dressed in military uniforms, and in the center, the one representing the United States, is an A. P. B. T., stating below: "I am neutral, but I am not afraid of any of them."
Differentiation of similar races
Since 1963, due to different breeding and development goals, the American Staffordshire Terrier (A. S. T.) and the American Pit Bull Terrier (A. P. B. T) have diverged , both in phenotype and temperament, although both, ideally, continue to have the same friendly disposition. After 60 years of breeding for very different purposes, these two dogs are now completely different breeds. However, some people prefer to see them as two different lineages of the same breed: working and show. In any case, the gap continues to widen as breeders of both breeds consider unthinkable to interbreed the two
To the untrained eye, the A. S. T. they can appear larger and more fearsome, thanks to their large, stocky head, with well-developed jaw muscles, broader chest, and thick neck. However, in general, they have nothing to do with sports such as an A. P. B. T.
Due to the standardization of its conformation for show purposes, the A. S. T. tends to be selected for appearance rather than functionality, to a much greater degree than the A. P. B. T. We observe that the pit bull has a much broader phenotypic range, since the main objective of its breeding, until recently, has not been to achieve a dog with a specific appearance, but to work in the pit, leaving aside searching for certain physical characteristics.
Some A. P. B. T. of breed are virtually indistinguishable from the A. S. T. typical, however, in general they are somewhat thinner, with longer and lighter limbs, something especially identifiable in the poise of the feet. They also tend to show more endurance, agility, speed, and explosive force.
Second World War
During and after World War II and into the early 1980s, the APBT was plunged into relative obscurity. However, there were still some devotees who knew the breed down to the smallest details and knew a great deal about the ancestry of their dogs, capable of reciting genealogies of up to six or eight generations.
The pit bull today
When the A. P. B. T. became popular with the public around 1980, nefarious individuals with little or no knowledge of the breed began to own and breed with them, and predictably, trouble began to ariseMany of these newcomers did not adhere to the traditional breeding goals of the old-time A. P. B. T. breeders. Then began the "backyard" craze, in which they started randomly breeding dogs, in order to mass-breed puppies that were considered a profitable commodity, without any knowledge or control, in their own homes.
But the worst was yet to come: they began to select dogs with the opposite criteria that had prevailed until then. Selective breeding of dogs showing tendency for aggressiveness towards people began. Before long, people who shouldn't have been allowed to produce dogs bred just about anything: human-aggressive pit bulls for a mass market.
This, coupled with the media's facility for oversimplification and sensationalism, gave rise to the media war on the pitbull something that continues to this day. It goes without saying that, especially with this breed, "backyard" breeders without experience or knowledge of the breed should be avoided, as the occurrence of he alth and behavioral problems is common.
Despite the introduction of some poor husbandry practices in the last 15 years, the vast majority of A. PBT They are still very friendly to humans. The American Canine Temperament Testing Association, which sponsors temperament titer testing of dogs, confirmed that 95% of all A. P. B. T. who took the test completed it successfully, compared to a 77% pass rate for all other races on average. The APBT pass rate was the fourth highest of all breeds tested.
Today, the A. P. B. T. in illegal fights, often in the United States and South America. Pit fights are held in other countries where there are no laws or where laws are not enforced. However, the vast majority of A. P. B. T.s, even inside the cages of breeders who breed for fighting, have never seen action in the pit. Instead, they are companion dogs, loyal lovers, and family pets.
One of the activities that has really gained popularity among APBT fans is the weight drag contest. Weight pulling retains some of the competitive spirit of the pit fighting world, but without blood or pain. The A. P. B. T. it is a breed that excels in these contests, where refusal to quit counts as much as brute force. Currently the A. P. B. T. hold world records in various weight classes.
Another activity for the A. P. B. T. It is ideal is an agility competition, where your agility and determination can be highly appreciated. Some A. P. B. T. they have been trained and have done the sport of Schutzhund well; these dogs, however, are the exception that proves the rule.
