The Pit Bull dog breed, popularly known as American Pit Bull Terrier is among the loyal and adorable breeds. They undergo protective instincts and would do anything to protect their owner. The Pit Bull dog breeds originating in England and Ireland. This breed was created by crossbreeding the English bulldogs and the old English terriers.
Back in time, this breed was used for ratting – a sport to see which dog kills more rats. This sport made them into an aggressive breed only to turn them into family dogs. Their appearance might make them look rowdy, but, in reality, they can be friendlier species.
Appearance of Pit Bull Dog:
The Pit Bulldog breed is one of the strong and muscular dogs. These dogs have an average weight of 35-60 pounds and can grow up to 21 inches. While male Pit Bulls can grow up to 20 inches, female dogs can grow up to 17-19 inches. Having bred from the English bulldogs, these have a similar resemblance to the American Bulldogs.
Pit Bull dog breed can live up to 14 years. However, they are prone to several diseases that can reduce their life span.
They have a stiff shiny coat. These coats can be wavy, straight or even curvy. The colour of these coats is mostly brown, sable, chocolate, blue, and even red. They have a firm body with the topline bent towards the back part of the body.
The tails of the Pit Bull dog breed can be either long or screw-like. Their lean body helps in distinguishing them from a set of dogs, especially Bulldogs. Since they are hunting dogs, they have an athletic appearance.
Pit Bull Dog Personality and Temperament:
With unconditional love and care, the Pit Bull Dog breeds can be your best friend. However, this breed also stands on the list of most aggressive dog breeds. Even though they are aggressive by nature, they tend to maintain loyal and friendly behaviour towards other humans, animals and dog breeds.
Pit Bull dogs’ aggressive behaviour can be a result of sensing negative vibes. Their body size makes them the most convenient lap dog. They also have the genes of a guard dog in them. As a result, they can defend their family in the most impossible situations.
Due to temperament issues of Pit bull dog, they fail to socialize quickly. Being highly energetic dogs, pit bull dog require proper ways to release their energy. But, being stubborn dogs, they lack the motivation to do so. As an owner, you need to provide them with interesting activities so that they are motivated to exercise regularly. These dogs have impressive personality and ask for more attention from their human partners. Being very intelligent dogs, the Pit Bull dog breed knows how to accomplish its work. They work with complete obedience and are very neat in caring out their responsibility like weight-pulling or agility trials.
It is observed by many owners that this dog breed might be hostile towards other breeds in some cases. This can be because some part of their fighter instincts still resides in them.
Pit Bull Feeding and Grooming:
Pit Bull dog breed requires at least 1.5-2.5 cups of dry food daily. This food should be divided into two proper meals. However, the diet of a Pit Bulldog breed depends upon the age, size and body metabolism of the breed. Good quality food will also ensure proper nourishment for this breed. This breed also tends to have obese.
In such cases, the owner should provide food to their dogs at specific times, instead of providing it throughout the day. Make sure the waist is visible and the ribs can be felt under a layer of muscles.
The coats of the Pit Bull dog breed are single coat. Therefore, they require proper grooming to keep them healthy. Regular cleaning, brushing and trimming is a must for grooming these dog breeds.
Some of the basic ways of grooming your dog include:
- Make sure you brush the dog’s teeth at least twice or thrice a week. This way, the bacteria and tartar build-up can be removed from their teeth. Brushing daily is better as it will prevent any kind of gum diseases.
- Cut his nails regularly. You can know about the long nails once you hear them ticking on the floor. Usually, dogs wear their nails. If they don’t, trimming them is a better option. This will also prevent bleeding if any place gets cut from these nails.
- Clean his ears weekly. Redness in the ears or bad odour can indicate an infection in their ears. You can use a dampened cotton cloth to clean their ears. This also helps in keeping up the pH balance of the ears.
Health Issues of Pit Bull dog:
In general, the Pit Bull Dog Breed has a long life span. But, these dogs also face certain genetic diseases. These genetic diseases have a significant chance of being affected by these diseases. Some of the most common diseases that the Pit Bull dog breed faces include:
- Dental Disease:
This disease affects almost 90% of dogs including Pit Bull. The tartar build-up on the teeth can lead to infection in the roots and gums of the teeth. In the process, your dog can even end up with a lost kidney, damaged liver and heart. Therefore, it is necessary to clean your pet’s teeth daily. - Mange:
Here, the microscopic mite known as Demodex starts residing in the hair follicle of the dogs. This can lead to hairless lesions if there is an increase in these mites. Finally, such factors can lead to secondary skin infections. - Bladder stones:
The Pit Bull breed has inherited some of the diseases. One such disease is Hyperuricosuria, where the amount of uric acid increases in its urine. These act as fertilizers for stones in the bladder or kidney. A pre-testing or X-ray can help diagnose this disease. - Blindness:
Another one of the inherited diseases is Progressive Retinal Atrophy. This disease may not cause pain like other diseases, but it does not have a cure. Here, the dog can go from temporary to permanent blindness. Symptoms like night blindness start from a younger age for this disease. - Ichthyosis:
The skin problem known as dry flake is common in many dogs. But for the Pit Bull breed, it is particular. This breed starts having flakes that resemble the size of a fish scale. Such an infection can be removed by using special shampoos, but it cannot be cured permanently.
Pit Bull Dog Care and Exercise:
To make sure that your dog lives long, certain things should be taken care of.
- Being highly active, the Pit Bull dog breed requires regular training. A proper schedule should be made to carry out all his actions. Excessive work-out for the dog can also be harmful.
- As an owner, you should make sure that your pet does not stay outside for a long time. This way, he can bring in creating a bug problem.
- Even though these breeds require less grooming, their coat should be maintained weekly to check for bugs and other infections.
- They also can be easy to train, but this should be made into a habit from a young age. Being trained will also reduce the chances of getting aggressive when coming into contact with another animal.
Are Pit Bull Dog Suitable for Families?
Pit bull dog breed are among the most dangerous dog breeds also particularly to people who are not welcomed. So they become excellent guard dogs.
No wonder pit bull can be a nightmare for intruders or ill people. Though they exhibit hostility at times, they can still be an affectionate species if the right amount of love is provided. These friendly companions are highly people-oriented and long for some tender. This feature makes them good family dogs.
Since pit bull can be easily won over, they are perfect for kids. You can be sure about your child if they are in charge, because of their protective trait. They are very protective of their family and his/her owner.
This Pit Bull dog breed is highly energetic. Hence it can require larger space for its workout. But, if you take proper care of your dog, they will be capable of living in apartments. Apart from apartment living many people do keep Pitbull to guard their large fields or big houses. And since they are of the obedient kind, they can easily grasp your training.
Conclusion:
To know about the health conditions of your buddy before it gets worse, it is necessary to do a DNA report. This way, you can know about any dog including the Pit Bull dog breed’s inherited diseases. It can be fun to adopt a Pit Bull, but there are also several drawbacks to it. Certain things should be kept in mind before adopting a Pit Bull.
You should have proper knowledge about the training techniques of a Pit Bull. Or else, it can be difficult to train them. They also prefer larger spaces. Therefore, they are not best suited for apartments. If you have a child at home, this breed can be the most adorable species for you. This breed can take the least of your time for becoming your best friend.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):
Q. Which is the friendliest Pit Bull breed?
Out of the 13 breeds of Pit Bull, the Staffordshire Bull Terrier is the friendliest.
Are these dogs loyal?
Just like any other dog, the Pit Bull dog breed is also one of the most loyal dogs. They are highly protective of their family and are willing to do anything for them.
Is this dog breed smart?
Pit Bull stands among the top 10 smartest dog breeds, according to a Canine Psychologist.