The breeds · terrier
UKC Terrier
American Pit Bull Terrier.
UKC history: nineteenth-century dog fanciers in England, Ireland and Scotland crossed Bulldogs and Terriers for a dog with the gameness of the terrier and the strength and athleticism of the Bulldog; immigrants brought the bull-and-terrier crosses to the United States, where farmers and ranchers used APBTs as catch dogs for semi-wild cattle and hogs, to hunt, to drive livestock, and as family companions. UKC: 'Above all else, the APBT must have the functional capability to be a catch dog that can hold, wrestle (push and pull), and breathe easily while doing its job.' The UKC was the first registry to recognize the breed (UKC number 1, Bennetts Ring, 1898). Today the breed competes in Obedience, Rally, Tracking, Agility, Lure Coursing, Dock Jumping, Weight Pulls and Conformation (UKC). UKC characteristics: strength, confidence and zest for life; loves children; 'most APBTs exhibit some level of dog aggression', so the owner must carefully socialize and obedience-train; extremely friendly even with strangers, so not the best guard dog; aggression toward humans is uncharacteristic and highly undesirable; an excellent climber, so good fencing is a must. Wikipedia on the fighting history: bull and terrier dogs were used in bull baiting and bear baiting in Britain until those bloodsports were banned in 1835; because dog fighting was cheaper to organize and easier to conceal, bloodsport proponents turned to pitting dogs against each other, and the dogs reached America around 1845 to 1860 where dog fighting continued. Wikipedia also states that pit bull terriers make up the majority of dogs used in illegal dog fighting in America and lists police, therapy, French Ring Sport and weight-pull roles. The UKC text does not mention fighting. Wikipedia on legal status: twelve countries in Europe, and Australia, Canada, some parts of the United States, Ecuador, Malaysia, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, Singapore and Venezuela have enacted some form of breed-specific legislation on pit bull-type dogs including APBTs, from outright bans to restrictions and conditions on ownership; several Australian states place restrictions including mandatory sterilization..
Breed sets the odds. The parents set the dog. Every number here shows its source, its spread and how sure we are. Nothing on this page is a prediction about one dog.
The body
What the breed is built like. Registry standards give an ideal, not a range.
Height at the shoulder
UKC guideline range; center left blank.
Weight
Range as the UKC prints it (Wikipedia repeats it); no single ideal, so center is blank.
Coat
Heat tolerance
Derived from a short single coat (5). No source states a heat finding for the breed. The UKC's functional standard asks that the dog 'breathe easily while doing its job'.
The work
What it was built to do in the field, and what a test or trial asks of it.
Role
UKC and Wikipedia agree on the catch-dog and bull-and-terrier origin. The fighting history and the legal list are Wikipedia's account; the cited laws were not opened, so check current law before relying on it. Wikipedia's stated rationale for the legislation (attack frequency) is left out under the library's no-bite-statistics rule. Wikipedia notes that 'pit bull' is also a colloquial family term; this entry is the APBT only.
Primary game
Hogs are the one quarry named, and only by Wikipedia; the UKC says 'to hunt' without naming game. The APBT is not a pointing, flushing or retrieving breed.
Also used on
Search pattern
Stated only as far as the standard goes; no hunting-style description exists in the sources read.
Field trial standard
No hunt-test or title program for hog work was found in any source read.
How common the problems are
Evaluated dogs skew toward breeding stock; the numbers are still the best there are.
Hip dysplasia
OFA breed statistics. OFA-evaluated dogs skew toward breeding stock, with normal results over-represented, so this likely understates the breed as a whole. Hips rank 41 in the OFA table. American Pit Bull Terrier rows only; the American Staffordshire Terrier and the American Bully are separate OFA breeds.
Elbow dysplasia
OFA breed statistics. OFA-evaluated dogs skew toward breeding stock, with normal results over-represented, so this likely understates the breed as a whole. Elbows rank 29. APBT rows only.
Most common disorders
Wikipedia's health section is flagged on the page as needing expansion and was not checked against its sources. Wikipedia's average lifespan of 12 to 14 years is not used (see open_gaps). No VetCompass breed paper was read.
What to ask a breeder for
The health clearances the breed’s own club and registry name. Reference only: what to ask for, never a statement about any dog’s health.
- USElbow evaluationOFA · Orthopedic Foundation for Animals, breed statistics data service (the data behind ofa.org/diseases/disease-statistics/): hips and elbows, all evaluations on file, read Oct 5 2026
- USHip evaluationOFA · Orthopedic Foundation for Animals, breed statistics data service (the data behind ofa.org/diseases/disease-statistics/): hips and elbows, all evaluations on file, read Oct 5 2026
How to read this page
Every value carries a label. Measured means peer-reviewed data on many dogs. Studied means peer-reviewed, smaller or indirect. Breed club means a club or registry states it. Editorial means expert opinion with no measurement behind it. Where two good sources disagree, both are shown and neither is averaged.
Published when the entry rests on the best information available from no fewer than three independent sources, checked by a second pass that did not write it. 3 sources on this page. Found something wrong? Tell us and the correction is logged with its date.
- Also called
- APBT, Pit Bull Terrier, Pitbull Terrier, Pittie
Every breed, read the same way.
The breed index grows as entries clear the standard. Gun dogs first.
All published breedsYour american pit bull terrier, on the record.
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