How to Identify a Pit Bull
When you are identifying a dog breed, one of the hardest to define is an American pit bull terrier, also known simply as a pit bull. They are hard to identify since they come in a wide variety of colors. Also, pit bulls have been overbred in an effort to breed a larger version of the dog. Overall though, some main traits of the dog have stayed true.
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Instructions
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Look for a blocky head. American pit bulls have broad skulls with muscular cheeks. Their round, dark eyes are set far apart. The American pit bull's jaw is very strong and well-defined, and the pit bull's nose is always black.
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Examine the dog's chest. The American pit bull's chest is very broad and deep. Its shoulders are muscular and strong, and the ribs are very close together.
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Check the dog's tail. The American pit bull's tail is shorter than you would expect for their body. They do not curl up over the back. They sit low on the dog's body.
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Measure the dog. A male American pit bull is 18 to 19 inches at the shoulder. A female pit bull is 17 to 18 inches at the shoulder. Males weigh 35 to 60 lbs. Females weigh 30 to 50 lbs. They are stocky dogs but should still look graceful and have great agility. Their front legs are very straight. Their back legs are very muscular, and do not turn in or out.
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Tips & Warnings
American pit bulls, despite claims to the contrary by some owners, are documented to be aggressive animals that are more prone to attacking than most other dogs. Do not approach an unfamiliar dog that you believe to be an American pit bull.
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Comments
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Oh My GOD , I have 6 Pit Bulls here 5 of which was rescues , I work with hundreds of pit bull and non pit bull rescues and friends and I can't believe how misunderstood and mislabeled the pit bull is. It makes me sick to my stomach to think that just because of a breed name or look is getting millions of loyal companions MURDERED! it's like saying "A BLACK MAN KILLED SOMEONE SO THAT MAKES ALL AFRICAN AMERICANS MURDERS" so lets automatically put them all to death as soon as we see one , Sound stupid to you too? Duh! I have seen bad traits out of all dog breeds , why don't people label huskys? they are the nearest thing to Wolf and yes I work with a husky breeder too and have seen some very , very aggressive behaviors from them.Not only them but they're GOOD and BAD in all breeds just like humans. So what happens when the PIT BULL Breed is all gone? and maulings still happen what breed do we start blaming next and start labeling so we can be our typical selves Judgmental and Stupid and wipe them out. And one more point is snakes and spiders kill pointless thousand maybe millions each year what are we going to do about that BAN them.Lol.
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annnnnnd They were used at Ground Zero/Joplin/Katrina.
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Maybe I missed something, but where does it mention that these excellent breed of K9 with tremendous stamina for work are Deputized with Law Enforcement and are SARS (Search and Rescue) K9's that retrieve cadavars(homicide)missing persons, lost Hikers and missing children!
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vitez
Jul 01, 2009
I agree this is a lot of crap!!!! Who ever wrote this surely doesnt know anything about pit bulls. They dont always have dark eyes etc. I have 6 pits and not one of them look the same! Some have yellow eyes and some have dark eyes, smaller races and larger races, all I can say these are awesome dogs and great companions!!!!! They also have different noses, liver noses and dark noses! This just shows that people are uneducated and then they give our breed a bad reputation but identifying scatter bred dogs as pit bulls!!!!! -
Diana Lastra
Mar 18, 2009
I'm sorry but this article is crap. My pit bull and many other pit bulls I know are the sweetest, kindest, most affectionate dogs ever. They are a breed that loves to please their owner and loves to be loved.Also, just last week, my pit bull was attacked by a golden retriever while at the dog park. This just goes to show that ANY breed of dog can get nasty.
