Pitbull Dogs - Characteristics of the 3 Most Popular Breeds

There are three main breeds of Pitbull dogs: American pitbull terrier, America Staffordshire terrier and Staffordshire bull terrier. Although these breeds of dogs were all originally bred from bulldog and terriers, these are registered as different breeds due to their characteristics and bloodlines.

Origin

The different breeds of pitbull dogs hail from England where these dogs were bred for fighting and other sports and later for farm use. After these sports were banned, breeders started developing pure breed for the purpose of developing the muscular strength and obedient characteristic of these animals.

These different breeds of pitbull dogs are characterized by different clubs (like the United Kennel Club, American Dog Breeders Association and American Kennel Club), which formed between the late 19th century to the early 20th century. The main objectives of these clubs are to develop pure pedigrees and register dogs that belong to a particular bloodline and are not crossbred from another breed.

Characteristics

There are some common characteristics that all breeds of pitbull dogs and some that are only specific to certain types of breeds. The common physical and behavioral characteristics include:

· Muscular and lean body structure
· Energetic and require to be taken to regular walks everyday
· Intelligent dogs
· Aggressive behavior that can be tamed by proper training
· Ears are often cropped to given the dogs a characteristic look
· Loyal and attached to humans.

The physical and behavioral characteristics that are specific to each of these breeds of pitbull dogs are elaborated below.

American Pitbull Terrier

American Pitbull Terriers can have different colors and are:

· Length is 18 to 22 inches
· Weight varies from 30 to 60 pounds
· Short coat which is thick and shiny

AmericaStaffordshire terrier

This breed is a medium-sized dog, which was earlier known as Staffordshire Terriers, later distinguished from this breed due to its heavier size, and named America Staffordshire Terrier. It has the following characteristics:

· Life expectancy is 12 to 16 years
· Health problems include congenital heart disease hip dysplasia, cataracts, thyroid problems and other infections.

Staffordshire bull terrier

This breed is also known as English Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Stafford, Staffordshire, Staffie, Stafford, Staffross or Staffy. The characteristics of this breed include:

· Medium size body
· Length varies from 13 to 16 inches
· Weight varies from 23 to 38 pounds
· Energetic Courageous intelligent and obedient dogs
· Prone to health problems like cataract, hip dysplasia and breathing problems

Tips for Raising and Training Pitbull Dogs

Pitbull dogs are aggressive dogs that need to be trained at an early age. Untrained Pitbull dogs tend to become very aggressive and disobedient. Nothing is worse than owning a dog that is a nuisance at home and pose a danger to people around them

These intelligent dogs enjoy training and excel at sports like agility, obedience training and other competitions. Training pit bull dogs encompasses positive methods in which the dogs are rewarded for their good behavior. Training includes teaching these animals housekeeping, strength training, obedience training anal that is required to make these pitbull dogs obedient and able companions.

If you are looking for more information and articles about pitbulls you can find these at our Pitbull Blog. Want to know more about pitbulls? Check out the complete guide at www.pitbull-dogs.com.