Intro

Standards of strength

If you are having trouble keeping all the bully breeds straight, you aren’t alone. Several breeds of dogs are commonly referred to as pit bull types or bully breeds. Primarily, these are the American Pit Bull Terrier (APBT, also called a Pit Bull), the American Staffordshire Terrier (AmStaff), the Bull Terrier (BT), the Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Miniature Bull Terrier and the American Bulldog. All six share common ancestors and some history. The interwoven breeds share names and characteristics so closely related that the uninitiated can be forgiven if they are a little confused. For instance, neither the APBT nor the American Bulldog are recognized by the American Kennel Club (AKC). The AKC does recognize dogs that are virtually identical to the APBT under the name of the American Staffordshire Terrier, which it changed from Staffordshire Terrier in 1972, to distinguish it from the Staffordshire Bull Terrier of England. This, of course, is not to be confused with the AKC-accepted Bull Terrier, which has a smaller spin-off, the Miniature Bull Terrier. American Pit Bull Terriers are recognized by the United Kennel Club (UKC), and AKC American Staffordshires can be double registered as UKC APBTs. But American Pit Bulls cannot be registered as AmStaffs. And finally, the American Dog Breeders Association (ADBA), established in 1910, registers only American Pit Bull Terriers under its own standard. ADBA dogs are sometimes dual-registered with the UKC but almost never with the AKC. Whew!

Why all the confusion? The answer is partly practical, partly political, because the development and recognition of pit bull types have been inextricably bound to changing social norms and volatile public opinion since their inception.

In 1835, the British Parliament put an end to bullbaiting, a sadistic form of entertainment in which dogs were pitted against bulls, usually with a bad end for both. With bullbaiting outlawed, dog fighting in pits took its place. Both sports required tenacious, fearless, muscular, agile dogs with strong jaws, a high pain threshold and a fight-to-the-death attitude—but also an easygoing and loyal disposition toward humans. Aficionados crossed mastiff-type bulldogs with a variety of working terriers, resulting in a number of different types of dogs, all bred for basically the same purpose: gameness in the fighting pit.

Settlers brought these so-called bull-and-terrier dogs of England and Ireland to the United States in the early 1800s. Despite the breeds’ emerging popularity, though, the AKC refused to recognize the pit bull or other similar breeds. Frustrated by the club’s repeated brush-offs, a breeder named Chauncey Bennett formed the rival United Kennel Club for the specific purpose of recognizing the American Pit Bull Terrier as a working dog in 1898. The UKC now registers more than 300 breeds including a number of working breeds, but the APBT was the first.

It wasn’t until 1936 that the AKC finally recognized the APBT under a different name. With the widespread popularity of the movies and television shows Little Rascals and Our Gang, a UKC-registered American Pit Bull Terrier, Pete the Pup, (“Lucenay’s Peter”) won the hearts of viewers across the country. World War I posters used the Pit Bull’s image to stir American patriotism. Unable to ignore the growing demands of fanciers who wanted to legitimize the breed through conformation shows but still unwilling to perpetuate the negative image of pit fighting, the AKC agreed to accept APBTs under the more genteel name of Staffordshire Terrier. In 1972, the breed’s name was changed to American Staffordshire Terrier to distinguish between the heavier AmStaff developed in the United States and the Staffordshire Bull Terrier of England. The 1936 Staffordshire Terrier breed standard was written by APBT breeders; all of the original AKC Staffordshire Terriers were UKC-registered APBTs. But fanciers agreed to the name change from Pit Bull to Staffordshire Terrier as a compromise in order to legitimize the dogs in the show ring.

Because of this common ancestry, some people feel that the two—APBTs and AmStaffs—are essentially the same breed with different names. Sara Nugent, president of the American Staffordshire Terrier Club of America and also a UKC American Pit Bull Terrier judge, points out that the AmStaff stud books have been opened to Pit Bulls as recently as 1966. “People try to say one is different from the other, but they all came from the same gene pool, and no other blood had been added to the mix, so how can you say they are different?” says Nugent. “Genetically, they are the same. The difference is only in what traits people have selected for and what registry they have chosen.”

UKC senior judge Carol Gaines Stephens of Vancouver, Washington, respects her colleague’s opinion, but could not disagree more. “It’s like saying the Sheltie and the Collie are the same dog,” says Stephens, who has judged UKC Pit Bulls since 1988. “The dogs have gone in separate directions. Die-hard AKC and Pit Bull breeders believe very strongly that the breeds are different at this point.”

Mike Snyder of Seattle, Washington, is president of the UKC’s National Pit Bull Terrier Association. He sees both sides—to a point. He strongly objects to the increasing influence of the AmStaff on the Pit Bull, but he still thinks that AmStaffs differ from Pit Bulls in the way that show dogs differ from working dogs in other breeds. Or at least, they should.

“This is a can of worms that has been argued for decades,” says Snyder. “They were debating this back in the 1950s. It’s true these dogs all started with the same limited gene pool. But how many years of selective breeding does it take before you have a different dog?”

Snyder says that even though the standards read differently (the APBT standard is much more detailed and has been revised at least twice since its original form), the biggest difference is that Pit Bulls have been selectively bred over time for working ability while the AmStaffs are bred for the conformation ring. “Other than that,” says Snyder, “there’s not a big difference between AKC and UKC dogs.”

Stephens agrees that the breed has changed in recent years as more AKC AmStaffs, bred for the conformation ring, have crossed over and dual-registered as UKC Pit Bulls. “We’ve gone from working, athletic-looking dogs to pretty conformation dogs,” says Stephens. “It’s a beauty contest, what can I say?”

Fanciers will probably never reach perfect consensus about how best to preserve the historic integrity of the breeds while satisfying the needs of a diverse membership. But all responsible breeders and judges want what is best for the breeds, even though they may differ about what that may be or how best to achieve it. While the controversy ebbs and flows, the official breed standards remain the guiding light for breeders and judges to steer by.


Setting the standard

The purpose of any breed standard is to create a blueprint for the breed: to chart a course for future breeders that maintains the original form, function and character of the dog. But how do you breed true to original traits when the activities that shaped the breed—dog fighting and bullbaiting—are now illegal? In 19th-century England, survival of the fittest determined form and function. Dogs with weak hind ends didn’t win in the pit. Bleeders didn’t survive their first match. Dogs with weak jaws, spindly legs or shy temperaments didn’t last long enough to contribute to the gene pool. Aesthetics such as eye color, bite and ear shape were irrelevant.

With the outlawing of these sports, however, has emerged a variety of approaches to the breed standard. The original breed standard for the American Staffordshire Terrier was approved by the AKC on June 10, 1936, under the breed name Staffordshire Terrier. It has not been amended since, except for one typographical correction. It describes the look of the dog while giving reasonable leeway for interpretation and variation. The UKC APBT standard, on the other hand, is much more specific, lists more disqualifying and undesirable faults, and has been updated as recently as 2000 to reflect the evolving look of the breed. The difference in how the two standards have developed raises the question: Should breed standards be changed to keep up with trends? Or should trends be limited to what can exist within the boundaries of the standard?

Both breed club presidents believe the latter. “The point is to breed dogs to the standard,” says Nugent, “not breed to meet the fashion of the day.”

Snyder agrees. “Why change anything? Why not just breed your dog to the standard? The basic purpose of the dog hasn’t changed, so why should the standard change?”

According to the AKC standard, the American Staffordshire Terrier should give the general impression of “great strength for his size, [and be] a well put-together dog, muscular, but agile and graceful, keenly alive to his surroundings. He should be stocky, not long-legged or racy in outline. His courage is proverbial.”


Growing out of the standard?

Height and weight should be proportional, with males measuring about 18 to 19 inches at the shoulders and females standing 17 to 18 inches considered preferable. No mention is made of weight, but by Nugent’s reckoning, a 19-inch male ought to weigh no more 60 pounds. She says today’s dogs average at least 10 to 20 pounds heavier than that, and a 19-inch male “disappears in the show ring” because they are now on the small end of the size scale.

Because AmStaffs can be dual-registered as Pit Bulls, some of this height and weight increase is being felt in the UKC registry as well. The weight range for a male APBT is 35 to 60 pounds, but typically the UKC dogs have been smaller and leaner, more closely resembling the original fighting dogs. But the AKC show influence is being felt. “Some dogs are too big,” says Snyder. “But remember, there were bigger dogs in the early 1900s too. They were big and small. So I’d say that having some bigger dogs is not a problem, but when you are breeding consistently for 100-pound dogs, that’s a problem.”

According to Nugent, in addition to being oversized, many modern AmStaffs do not exhibit agility and grace because breeders are over-emphasizing heavy musculature and stockiness. “Americans tend to exaggerate certain characteristics,” says Nugent. “We have too many dogs that are too massive, their bones are too heavy, their heads are too big, they carry too much bulk. The thinking is, ‘if some is good, more must be better.’”

Larger dogs may be popular with judges and the buying public, but that is not the point, says Nugent. “You are supposed to breed dogs to the standard, not change the standard to fit the dogs. That’s the whole point of having a standard.”

“They’re overdone,” says Stephens simply. “Too much muscle, too much dog. Not that they have to look like a terrier, but there is a happy medium.”

Their concerns are not purely academic. Heavier muscles retain heat, causing working dogs to tire more easily. Short, thick muscles are strong but less elastic, slowing reflexes and potentially putting working dogs in harm’s way.

However, big dogs win shows, winning dogs get bred, and their offspring perpetuate traits that are not necessarily in keeping with the original vision of the breed’s founders. Dedicated breeders are embarking on a judges’ education campaign to try and re-familiarize judges with the specifics of the breed by emphasizing the requirements for agility, balance and size limits. “It’s going to take a long time,” says Nugent. “Older judges are pretty set in their ways, and it’s hard to tell a winning breeder they are doing something wrong. But it has to be done.”


A head of strength and style

When discussing the head, the AmStaff AKC standard calls for a head of “medium length, deep through, broad skull, very pronounced cheek muscles, distinct stop.” The ears may be cropped or uncropped, held half-pricked or rose (a partially dropped ear that is folded back from the head). The muzzle should be of medium length, with well-defined jaws. The underjaw should be “strong and have biting power,” with tight lips and a close bite. Pink eyelids and red noses are not allowed.

As written, this description clearly acknowledges the blended ancestry stemming from both the terrier and bulldog influence. But Nugent believes that AmStaff heads are becoming more mastiff-like and losing the terrier look. Muzzles are getting shorter, stops are more pronounced and the larger skulls are replacing the balance and refinement of the terrier influence.

In an attempt to head off similar problems, the APBT standard specifies a 2-to-3 ratio of length of muzzle to length of skull. It also takes care to describe a head that is not disproportionate to body size and one that exhibits “strength, elegance and character.”

“You don’t want the muzzle getting too short,” says Stephens, “because working dogs will have trouble breathing if they bite and hold a wild pig.”

In 2000, the APBT standard was amended to specify that weak jaws, snipey muzzles (pointed, weak muzzles lacking breadth and depth) and level bites are all faults, and undershot, overshot and wry mouths (asymetrically aligned upper and lower jaws, also known as cross bite) are serious faults. It also was changed to include the presence of the pre-molars. Stephens thinks this is superfluous. “Now judges really look for those teeth, when they never looked before. But is that going to tell you if that dog can work? I don’t understand the obsession with it. So many other things are important in our line. I believe in a good bite, but if I were going to fault a dog, it should be on a severely undershot or overshot jaw, which would actually interfere with its ability to bite and hold.”

Another amendment to the APBT standard allows almond eyes as well as round. Snyder says this is a clear example of changing the standard to accommodate dogs that don’t meet the requirements. “That’s what happens when you start paying more attention to what’s winning in the show ring rather than what’s written in the standard,” says Snyder. Ironically, even though almond eyes are common in winning AmStaffs, the AKC standard makes no mention of almond eyes.


From neck to tail

Both Nugent and Stephens note that in order to support the heavier head, the necks of both breeds are getting shorter, thicker and straighter. Both standards call for a “heavy, slightly arched” neck of medium length which tapers from the shoulders to the back of skull. Despite that, however, both judges see a trend toward shorter necks tapering into straight shoulders, which makes the neck look even shorter.

The AmStaff standard describes the ideal shoulder as “strong and muscular with blades wide and sloping.” The APBT standard goes further, specifying that the “upper arm is roughly equal in length to the shoulder blade and joins it at an apparent right angle.” This is important for freedom of movement, one of the areas Stephens believes is most in need of attention within the Pit Bull breed. Combined with the current tendency to breed for wider chests, these two traits are changing the way the dogs move.

The AmStaff standard calls for the forelegs to be set “rather wide apart” and a chest that is “deep and broad.” The Pit Bull chest is “deep, well filled in, and moderately wide...but the chest should never be wider than it is deep.”

Stephens notes that the trend toward excessively wide chests is producing dogs that roll (display a swaying, ambling action of the hindquarters) as they travel, instead of their feet converging toward the center and tracking smoothly. An AmStaff should have a springy gait, without rolling or pacing (a lateral gait that tends to produce a rolling motion). The Pit Bull standard adds that the dog should travel with a “jaunty, confident attitude,” which should also be “effortless, smooth, powerful, and well coordinated, showing good reach in front and drive behind.”

“You can get some beautiful dogs standing there until they start to move,” says Stephens. “They have really messed up the shoulders where they are too straight and not getting enough reach. Combined with overly wide chests and too much bulk, it really restricts their ability to move properly.”

In keeping with the look of compact strength and agility, both breeds should have strong, short backs with a slightly sloping topline, but not so short as to cause the dogs to over-reach and crab (to move with the body at an angle to the line of travel; also called sidewinding), notes Stephens. Both standards call for ribs to be well-sprung. The forelegs should be straight, with upright pasterns (the foreleg between the wrist and foot). The UKC standard adds that forelegs should be “strong and muscular,” while the AKC standard specifies forelegs should have “large or round bones.”

The hindquarters should be well-muscled and let down at the hocks (the equivalent of ankles in humans), with a short tail, low set and tapering to a point. Neither breed allows docked tails, but the UKC standard offers additional detail when discussing tail carriage. “When the dog is relaxed, the tail is carried low and extends approximately to the hock. When the dog is moving, the tail is carried level with the backline. When the dog is excited, the tail may be carried in a raised, upright position (challenge tail), but never curled over the back (gay tail).”


A working coat

Both breeds sport a coat that is “short, close, stiff to the touch, and glossy.” Because of their mixed heritage, Pit Bulls and AmStaffs come in a rainbow of colors, and Nugent thinks that attempting to breed specifically for color is a detriment to the breed. The AmStaff standard discourages but does not prohibit the colors of liver and black-and-tan, as well as dogs that are more than 80 percent white. The APBT standard accepts any color and any pattern. “What does color have to do with working ability?” asks Snyder. “Nothing. It’s not a factor.”

The AKC discouraged excess white in the AmStaff in 1936 to reduce confusion between the new breed and the all-white Bull Terrier, which, at that time, did not possess the distinctive egg-shaped head that defines the breed today. Liver color was discouraged in an attempt to eliminate the gene for red noses. And the black-and-tan color combination was frowned upon because the Staffordshire Bull Terrier, one of the breed’s close relatives, disallowed it. But the fact remains that all colors are acceptable, and the breed has known pure white champions, as well as liver and black-and-tan.


Capable, confident and courageous

One cannot discuss Pit Bull and AmStaff breed standards without mentioning temperament. Media coverage of tragic incidents where Pit Bulls have mauled and even killed people and other dogs has been the bane of both breeds in recent years. Breeders and judges blame a small segment of the membership that has bred and trained their dogs irresponsibly to exaggerate aggressive tendencies.

Despite their fighting background, the dogs were never developed for protection work. The AmStaff standard simply says that the dog’s “courage is proverbial.” The UKC standard acknowledges the potential for aggression toward other dogs, but it also mentions the breed’s friendliness, zest for life and love of children. The traits are not necessarily contradictory.

“A lot of people mistake aggression for courage,” says Nugent. “It’s a completely different thing. Courage feels self-satisfied and doesn’t see the world as a threat. The original dogs were supposed to be capable dogs who didn’t feel the need to be quarrelsome. But one element [of breeders] that has been attracted to the ‘media pit bull’ likes aggression,” she explains. “Others are trying so hard to keep the breeds out of trouble they have bred submissive, retiring dogs, and that’s not right either. It’s hard to stay in the middle,” Nugent concludes.


The Bull Terrier

Members of the public often refer it to as a “pit bull,” but in fact, the Bull Terrier has a distinctive appearance that, once recognized, is not easily confused with either the American Staffordshire Terrier or the American Pit Bull Terrier. The Bull Terrier distinguished itself early among the other pit breeds. In 1863, James Hinks of Birmingham, England, exhibited the first “White Cavalier,” an arresting, all-white dog he had bred by crossing the now extinct white English Terrier, the Dalmatian and perhaps the Spanish Pointer on the more coarse bull-and-terrier (a cross between a bulldog and white English Terrier that is the bully breeds’ common ancestor). “Puss” was a cleaner, smoother, version of the bull-and-terrier, with a longer, more elegant head. The result was a dog well-suited to the world of Victorian-era dog shows, a suitable pet for an English gentleman. The AKC easily accepted the White Cavalier in 1885, as it had already distinguished itself as more of a companion animal than a fighter, and the dog became what is now known as the Bull Terrier.

The most notable difference between the Bull Terrier and other bully breeds is its face, which is longer and distinctly egg-shaped, with a profile that tapers down gradually from the top of the skull to the end of the nose. This creates a domed, or Roman nosed, look that immediately sets the dog apart. However, this was not always the case. Through the early 1900s, the dogs looked more like more streamlined, less cheeky, white Pit Bulls. The standard was amended in 1915 to include the egg-shaped or downface, a popular phenomenon which is now the hallmark of the breed.

David Harris of Albuquerque, New Mexico, has bred and judged Bull Terriers internationally for over 30 years, and has written two books on the breed. “American dogs have some of the best heads in the world,” says Harris. “But the downface has created some problems with bite. When we get extreme heads that go beyond a gentle curve, we get a disproportionate amount of underbites. But we are coming out of that.” Bull Terriers’ teeth should meet in a scissors bite, with strong, even teeth covered by clean, tight lips.

Along with the egg-shaped face, the forehead should be flat with a strong underjaw. Sometimes described as possessing a face only a mother could love, the Bull Terrier has other distinctive facial features, including small, deeply set, triangular-shaped eyes that are set close together and high on the head and close-set ears that prick fully erect at attention.

For all its unique appearance (fanciers will tell you Bull Terrier aesthetics are an acquired taste), the Bull Terrier is perhaps the sweetest and most eager to please of all the bully breeds. While it is alert, protective and “full of fire,” it also frequently displays a clownish streak and extreme loyalty.

Harris calls Bull Terriers the clowns of the canine race. “They have a cavalier attitude,” says Harris. “They are fun dogs. They are very spirited and love to play, and we have made them far less dog-aggressive than the other [pit bull-type dogs].” Harris says that it is not uncommon for 30 male Bull Terriers to be in a ring together, all wagging their tails at each other. “They love people, and they love kids. We’ve realized that, these days, people just need more easygoing dogs.”

Bull Terriers display their early English bully heritage most notably in their overall musculature. Broad, deep chest, muscular neck and shoulders, and a short, strong back are called out in the standard. As in all of the other bully breeds, adaptations to pit fighting include taut skin, short hair, a low-set tail and powerful hindquarters. The legs are “big boned but not to the point of coarseness,” with straight forelegs, strong pasterns and muscular thighs. Well-bent stifles and let down hocks aide in thrusting power, another trait the bully breeds are well known for.

This balance between strength and agility creates a Bull Terrier that should move “smoothly, covering the ground with free, easy strides.” Despite the power and purposeful nature of the breed, it retains a “jaunty air” in motion, as does the American Pit Bull Terrier. But Harris notes that the breed is not known for great movement. “It’s sort of a cross between a roll and a strut,” he says. “The better ones are moving quite well, but because of all the focus on the head, we don’t put as much emphasis on movement.”

You won’t find any loose skin or slackness in a Bull Terrier, another trait shared by the other bully breeds. The less to grab on to, the better, from the perspective of these breeds’ ancestors that once made their living fighting bulls, wild boars and other dogs.

The AKC Bull Terrier standard was amended in 1936 to allow colored dogs into the registry, and now Bull Terriers are shown in two varieties, white and colored. Head markings are permissible in white dogs, and any color is allowed in the colored variety, with brindle preferred. Blue eyes are a disqualification in both varieties.

It should be noted that the standard mentions neither a height nor weight limit, as those guidelines were dropped from the standard in 1957. As a result, there is no size preference, as long as all other characteristics are present. Because Miniature Bull Terriers must measure between 10 to 14 inches at the shoulder, theoretically a Bull Terrier could be smaller than a Miniature Bull Terrier. But Harris says that is unlikely, as the current trend is for larger, not smaller, dogs. He describes the best way to determine the correct size for a Bull Terrier.

“It’s a balance issue,” says Harris. “You have to maintain quality and type, and you can’t do that if they are too big. To get the right blend of bull and terrier, to get that middle ground, you end up with a dog that balances. I don’t care if it is 40 pounds or 75 pounds.”

But he does acknowledge the potential for problems as the average size of the breed is increasing. “A typical bitch 30 years ago weighed 45 pounds. Now they weigh 65 pounds plus. You want the maximum substance for the size, but if you get too big, the head will be out of proportion, and you’ll lose some refinement. I am now making a conscious effort to breed down in size.”

The bully breeds have all evolved and changed to keep up with the times, but controversy or no, they still retain common links to a distant past. The lineage of the tenacious fighting dogs from a bygone era live on through their contributions of strength, loyalty, intelligence and game outlook on life to the dogs of today.

Although modern bully breeds will likely never have to hang on the snout of a raging steer or fight for their life in a sporting contest, their courage and conviction can translate into excellent working, family or all-around dogs for the right owner.