American Pit Bull Terrier

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American Pit Bull Terrier
American Pit Bull Terrier
Not from the FCI recognized
Origin :

United States

Alternative names:

APBT, Pit Bull, Pitbull

Withers height:

Male: 46-53 cm (18-21  inches )
Female: 43-51 cm (17-20 inches)

Weight:

Male: 16–27 kg (35–60  lbs )
bitch: 13.5–22.5 kg (30–50 lbs)

Breeding standards:

UKC ADBA

List of domestic dogs

The American Pit Bull Terrier (APBT) is a non- FCI recognized dog breed from the United States. The breed has been recognized by the UKC since 1898 and by the ADBA since 1909 .

Origin and history

Dog fight, United States, 1868

The American Pit Bull Terrier is due to crossbreeds of bulldogs and terriers . These crosses were used for pied piper competitions. In such a competition, wagers were made on how quickly a dog could kill a certain number of rats. Another use was the dog fight (dog against dog), which was extremely popular in England and Ireland until all animal fights were banned in England in 1835. Pit was the name of the arena for dog fights , which is reflected in the breed name.

In the United States, these dogs gained great popularity even before the Civil War . In 1898, C. B. Bennett founded the United Kennel Club (UKC). This was the first club to register the new American Pit Bull Terrier breed, the male Bennett's Ring received the first registration . The UKC published both a breed standard and rules for dog fighting. This UKC still exists today, takes care of the APBT and many other breeds.

In 1909, Guy McCord founded the American Dog Breeder's Association (ADBA), which also registered the APBT. The ADBA also hosts dog shows and weight pulling competitions. After some disputes about the breed name, Yankee Terrier was quite common, the American Kennel Club (AKC) decided on the name Staffordshire Terrier (later American Staffordshire Terrier ) and recognized this as a breed in 1936, which formally a new breed next to the AKC APBT was born.

The American Pit Bull Terrier breeders, on the other hand, placed no value on recognition by the AKC. Many good working breeds have been badly harmed by people who bred for the show ring, many pit bull breeders feared the same for their breed. On the flip side, the AKC took a significant step back from the history of the breed and its associated history of dog fighting. Then the UKC American Pit Bull Terrier and American Staffordshire Terrier began double-registering as the same breed. Although each breed is mentioned in the pedigree, one could also enter crossbreeds unchanged.

description

American Pit Bull Terrier
Dun-colored American Pit Bull Terrier

The Pit Bull is a compact dog weighing up to 27 kg (60  lbs ), the desired size for males is 46–53 cm (18–21  inches ) and for bitches 43–51 cm (17–20 inches), with variations tolerated as long as the dog is proportioned accordingly. Its fur is short, dense, shiny, all colors and markings are allowed (except merle ). According to the latest UKC and ADBA standards, blue eyes are no longer permitted.

The focus of breeding was originally the will to fight, the appearance did not matter, which is why it is very variable. In contrast to other dog breeds, all breed-typical characteristics of the American Pit Bull Terrier can be traced back to the original task of dog fighting. This also means that the dogs in dogfight were not allowed to bite people and dogs that did that when they were biter taken out of breeding. American Pit Bull Terriers had to be guided by their dog handler in the fight and are therefore usually very submissive towards people and not suitable as guard dogs.

Breed specific legislation

Due to its use in dog fighting , this breed has had a poor public image to this day. In almost all German federal states, keeping is subject to strict requirements . In many federal states of Germany he is one of the dangerous dogs . A study by the University of Kiel comes to the conclusion that the Pitbull does not show any breed-specific aggressiveness. An Australian study comes to the same conclusion. There it is stated: "Although some APBT were selected for dog fights, at the same time there was also a selection for balance and manageability by humans." And it goes on to say: "Like all dogs [...] APBT can also be made aggressive through human influence, and that unconsciously or on purpose. "

A study from the United States and Canada , the press releases to dog bites auswertete where the authorities announced the breed of dog involved, concluded that it came from 1982 to 2013 to 530 fatal Beissunfällen with dogs. In 263 (49.6%) of all cases the dogs involved were identified as Pit Bulls, in 12 (2.3%) further cases as Pit-Bull mixed breeds . Research by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , which evaluated fatal bite wounds from dogs in the United States between 1979 and 1998, found that pit bull-type dogs and rottweiler dogs combined caused more than half of all dog bite deaths.

In Austria , the American Pit Bull Terrier is on the breed list in all three list-leading federal states ( Vienna , Lower Austria , Vorarlberg ). Depending on the federal state, a " dog handler license " (Vienna), " certificate of competence " (Lower Austria) or a special permit from the mayor (Vorarlberg) is required.

In Switzerland, the pit bull is on this list in all thirteen cantons that have introduced a breed list. The keeping of the breed requires a permit in nine of these cantons; in the cantons of Friborg , Geneva , Valais and Zurich , keeping, breeding and importation are prohibited.

In Liechtenstein dogs from Pitbull-type require a permit and must, if they do not have character test passed, from the age of nine months in public with a muzzle are provided.

In Great Britain, the American Pit Bull Terrier is one of the very dangerous breeds of dogs whose keeping has been practically banned since the Dangerous Dog Act of 1991. In 1997 the law was revised and the restrictions partially relaxed. Local authorities can approve the keeping of pit bulls subject to certain conditions. In the period that followed, the number of pit bulls kept in Great Britain rose again and in 2010 even exceeded the level of 1991.

In Denmark, the Pit Bull was the only breed besides the Tosa that was on the breed list of the Danish Dog Act before 2010 and therefore may not be kept, bred or imported there.

In contrast to the American Staffordshire Terrier , breeders of the American Pit Bull Terrier regard their breeding as breeding for performance, in which the will to fight until exhaustion is required.

Usage today

American Pit Bull Terrier (left) and Staffordshire Bull Terrier in the service of the Austrian Rescue Dog Brigade

The American animal welfare organization ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) describes the pit bull as a generally intelligent and docile dog . In the breed standard of the UKC he is described as an excellent family dog , but an unsuitable guard dog . One book about the breed states that he was "a playmate, clown , comforter or excellent bed warmer". In order to maintain this desirable behavior in an American Pit Bull Terrier, it must be carefully socialized and familiarized with various environmental factors. Todd Fenstermacher writes in his book American Pit Bull Terrier - Today :

“While the Pit Bull is a very good family dog, it is certainly not a breed for everyone. Only dog ​​lovers with a strong sense of responsibility should bring such a dog into their home. Keeping and caring for a Pit Bull is very different from owning other dogs. [...] People who want to keep a pit bull have to be willing to strictly train themselves. You have to be one of those dog lovers who are able to follow the advice of breeders and other Pit Bull owners. "

The police use him as a sniffer dog for intoxicants and explosives . Little known as a sport in Germany, it is also used as a pulling dog ( weight-pulling , dog-cart ) in the United States .

The muscular appearance of the American Pit Bull Terrier and the polarizing media coverage have resulted in these dogs becoming fashionable dogs of irresponsible dog owners. While a group of owners uses their dog to spread fear, other friends of the American Pit Bull Terrier ignore the danger that dogs in general can pose, which repeatedly leads to accidents with bite injuries among children in family and friends .

literature

  • Louis B. Colby: Colby's Book of the American Pit Bull Terrier. TFH Publications, 1997, ISBN 0-7938-2091-X .
  • Todd Window Maker: American Pit Bull Terrier - Today. Kynos-Verlag, Mürlenbach 1997, ISBN 3-929545-64-0 .
  • Diane Jessup: The Working Pit Bull. TFH Publications, 1995, ISBN 0-7938-0190-7 .
  • Joe Stahlkuppe: American Pit Bull Terriers / American Staffordshire Terriers. Barron's Educational Series, Hauppauge NY 2000, ISBN 0-7641-1052-7 .
  • Joe Stahlkuppe: The American pit bull terrier handbook everything about purchase, training, grooming, health, and behavior with full-color photographs. Barron's Educational Series, Hauppauge NY 2000, ISBN 0-7641-1233-3 .
  • Richard F. Stratton: The Truth About the American Pit Bull Terrier. Kynos-Verlag, Mürlenbach 1995, ISBN 3-929545-23-3 .

Web links

Commons : American Pit Bull Terrier  - Album with pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Breed Standards: American Pit Bull Terrier | United Kennel Club (UKC). Retrieved April 5, 2020 .
  2. ↑ a b History | United Kennel Club (UKC). Retrieved April 5, 2020 .
  3. ^ A b Tyler Bullock: History of the ADBA. In: American Dog Breeders Association. May 16, 2016, Retrieved April 5, 2020 (American English).
  4. ^ Tyler Bullock: Heritage American Pit Bull Terrier Conformation Standard®. In: American Dog Breeders Association. January 27, 2018, accessed April 5, 2020 (American English).
  5. ↑ a b Räber: Encyclopedia of Purebred Dogs . 2 vol / vol 1: Terriers, running dogs, pointing dogs, retrievers, water dogs, greyhounds . Franck – Kosmos, Stuttgart 1995, (ref. According to Andrea Steinfeldt: "Kampfhunde" history, use, problems with keeping "bull races" - a literature study - (PDF; 6.2 MB), Diss. Hannover 2002 p. 91)
  6. ↑ a b R. F. Stratton: The Truth About the American Pit Bull Terrier. Kynos-Verlag , Mürlenbach 1995, (ref. According to Andrea Steinfeldt: "Kampfhunde" history, use, keeping problems of "bull races" - a literature study - (PDF; 6.2 MB), Diss. Hannover 2002 p. 91)
  7. Jump up ↑ Todd Fenstermacher: American Pit Bull Terrier - Today. Mürlenbach 1997, p. 27.
  8. ↑ Andrea Steinfeldt: “Kampfhunde” history, use, husbandry problems of “bull races” - A literature study - (PDF; 6.2 MB), Diss. Hannover 2002 pp. 93–94
  9. ↑ Dorit Feddersen-Petersen , Helga Eichelberg, J. Unshelm and Wolfram Hamann: Kampfhunde? Dangerous dogs? New scientific advice. in: Verband für das Deutsche Hundewesen (VDH) e. V. (Ed.), 44141 Dortmund, 1997, ISBN 3-9801545-2-1
  10. ↑ "Although some APBT have been under selection for dog fighting traits, it has also been under complementary selection for stability and tractability with people."
  11. ↑ "APBTs, like all dogs [...] can be made aggressive by human agency, Either unwittingly or deliberately."
  12. ↑ Stephen Collier: Breed-specific legislation and the pit bull terrier: Are the laws justified ?. In: Journal of Veterinary Behavior: Clinical Applications and Research. 1, 2006, pp. 17-22, doi : 10.1016 / j.jveb.2006.04.011 .
  13. ↑ M. Clifton et al .: Dog attack deaths and maimings, US & Canada, September 1982 to December 31, 2013. In: Animal People. 2014, Clinton, WA, USA, ( PDF file ).
  14. ↑ JJ Sacks, L. Sinclair, J. Gilchrist, GC Golab, R. Lockwood: Breeds of dogs involved in fatal human attacks in the United States between 1979 and 1998. In: Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association. Volume 217, Number 6, September 2000, pp. 836-840, ISSN  0003-1488 . PMID 10997153 . Full text, PDF file ( Memento from April 11, 2015 in the Internet Archive ).
  15. ↑ Information page of the Federal Chancellery of the Republic of Austria: keeping fighting dogs (accessed on October 28, 2015)
  16. ^ Dangerous Dogs Act
  17. ^ Gordon Rayner: Armed to the teeth: the problem with pit bulls . The Telegraph , April 15, 2010
  18. ↑ The Truth About Pit Bulls at APCA
  19. ↑ UKC breed standard ( Memento from July 9, 2009 in the Internet Archive )
  20. Jump up ↑ Todd Fenstermacher: American Pit Bull Terrier - Today. Mürlenbach 1997, pp. 16-18.
  21. Jump up ↑ Todd Fenstermacher: American Pit Bull Terrier - Today. Mürlenbach 1997, p. 28.
  22. ↑ Why I Use Only American Pit Bulls ( Memento October 12, 2010 in the Internet Archive ). At LawDogsUSA via waybackmachine.
  23. ↑ American Pit Bull Terrier Weight Pulling . ( Memento of March 17, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) In: DogChannel.com.
  24. ^ Johannes Schalamon: Analysis of Dog Bites in Children Who Are Younger Than 17 Years. In: Pediatrics. Volume 117, No. 3, 2006, pp. E374-e379, doi : 10.1542 / peds.2005-1451 .