BREED STANDARD
AMERICAN PIT BULL TERRIER
Terrier Group
Official U.K.C. Breed Standard
**Note this is copyrighted and permission must be
granted for use.**
Revised October 21, 2004
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History
Sometime during the nineteenth century,
dog fanciers in England, Ireland, and Scotland began to experiment with
crosses between Bulldogs and Terriers, looking for a dog that combined
the gameness of the terrier with the strength and athleticism of the
Bulldog. The result was a dog that embodied all of the virtues
attributed to great warriors: strength, indomitable courage, and
gentleness with loved ones. Immigrants brought these bull and terrier
crosses to the United States. The American Pit Bull Terrier's many
talents did not go unnoticed by farmers and ranchers who used their
APBTs for protection, as catch dogs for semi-wild cattle and hogs, to
hunt, to drive livestock, and as family companions. Today, the American
Pit Bull Terrier continues to demonstrate its versatility, competing
successfully in Obedience, Tracking, Agility, Protection, and Weight
Pulls, as well as Conformation.
The United Kennel Club was the first
registry to recognize the American Pit Bull Terrier. U.K.C. founder C.
Z. Bennett assigned U.K.C. registration number 1 to his own APBT,
Bennett's Ring in 1898.
General Appearance
The American Pit Bull Terrier is a medium-sized, solidly built, short-coated dog with smooth, well-defined musculature. This breed is both powerful and athletic. The body is just slightly longer than tall, but bitches may be somewhat longer in body than dogs. The length of the front leg (measured from point of elbow to the ground) is approximately equal to one-half of the dog's height at the withers. The head is of medium length, with a broad, flat skull, and a wide, deep muzzle. Ears are small to medium in size, high set, and may be natural or cropped. The relatively short tail is set low, thick at the base and tapers to a point. The American Pit Bull Terrier comes in all colors and color patterns. This breed combines strength and athleticism with grace and agility and should never appear bulky or muscle-bound or fine-boned and rangy.
Characteristics
The essential characteristics of the
American Pit Bull Terrier are strength, confidence, and zest for life.
This breed is eager to please and brimming over with enthusiasm. APBTs
make excellent family companions and have always been noted for their
love of children. Because most APBTs exhibit some level of dog
aggression and because of its powerful physique, the APBT requires an
owner who will carefully socialize and obedience train the dog. The
breed's natural agility makes it one of the most capable canine climbers
so good fencing is a must for this breed. The APBT is not the best
choice for a guard dog since they are extremely friendly, even with
strangers. Aggressive behavior toward humans is uncharacteristic of the
breed and highly undesirable. This breed does very well in performance
events because of its high level of intelligence and its willingness to
work.
The American Pit Bull Terrier has always
been capable of doing a wide variety of jobs so exaggerations or faults
should be penalized in proportion to how much they interfere with the
dog's versatility.
Head
The APBT head is unique and a key element
of breed type. It is large and broad, giving the impression of great
power, but it is not disproportionate to the size of the body. Viewed
from the front, the head is shaped like a broad, blunt wedge. When
viewed from the side, the skull and muzzle are parallel to one another
and joined by a well defined, moderately deep stop. Supraorbital arches
over the eyes are well defined but not pronounced. The head is well
chiseled, blending strength, elegance, and character.
SKULL - The skull is large, flat or slightly
rounded, deep, and broad between the ears. Viewed from the top, the
skull tapers just slightly toward the stop. There is a deep median
furrow that diminishes in depth from the stop to the occiput. Cheek
muscles are prominent but free of wrinkles. When the dog is
concentrating, wrinkles form on the forehead, which give the APBT his
unique expression.
MUZZLE - The muzzle is broad and deep with a
very slight taper from the stop to the nose, and a slight falling away
under the eyes. The length of muzzle is shorter than the length of
skull, with a ratio of approximately 2:3. The topline of the muzzle is
straight. The lower jaw is well developed, wide and deep. Lips are clean
and tight.
Faults:
Snipey muzzle; flews; weak lower jaw.
TEETH - The American Pit Bull Terrier has a
complete set of evenly spaced, white teeth meeting in a scissors bite.
Fault:
Level bite.
Serious Faults:
Undershot, or overshot bite; wry mouth;
missing teeth (this does not apply to teeth that have been lost or
removed by a veterinarian).
NOSE - The nose is large with wide, open
nostrils. The nose may be any color.
EYES - Eyes are medium size, round to
almond-shaped, and set well apart and low on the skull. All colors are
equally acceptable except blue, which is a serious fault. Haw should not
be visible.
Serious Faults:
Bulging eyes; both eyes not matched in
color; blue eyes.
EARS - Ears are high set and may be natural
or cropped without preference. If natural, semi-prick or rose are
preferred. Prick or flat, wide ears are not desired.
Neck
The neck is of moderate length and
muscular. There is a slight arch at the crest. The neck widens gradually
from where it joins the skull to where it blends into well laid-back
shoulders. The skin on the neck is tight and without dewlap.
Faults:
Neck too short and thick; thin or weak neck;
ewe neck; dewlap.
Forequarters
The shoulder blades are long, wide,
muscular, and well laid back. The upper arm is roughly equal in length
to the shoulder blade and joins it at an apparent right angle.
The forelegs are strong and muscular. The
elbows are set close to the body. Viewed from the front, the forelegs
are set moderately wide apart and perpendicular to the ground. The
pasterns are short, powerful, straight, and flexible. When viewed in
profile, the pasterns are nearly erect.
Faults:
Upright or loaded shoulders; elbows turned
outward or tied-in; down at the pasterns; front legs bowed; wrists
knuckled over; toeing in or out.
Body
The chest is deep, well filled in, and moderately wide with ample room for heart and lungs, but the chest should never be wider than it is deep. The forechest does not extend much beyond the point of shoulder. The ribs extend well back and are well sprung from the spine, then flattening to form a deep body extending to the elbows. The back is strong and firm. The topline inclines very slightly downward from the withers to a broad, muscular, level back. The loin is short, muscular and slightly arched to the top of the croup, but narrower than the rib cage and with a moderate tuck-up. The croup is slightly sloping downward.
Hindquarters
The hindquarters are strong, muscular,
and moderately broad. The rump is well filled in on each side of the
tail and deep from the pelvis to the crotch. The bone, angulation, and
musculature of the hindquarters are in balance with the forequarters.
The thighs are well developed with thick, easily discerned muscles.
Viewed from the side, the hock joint is well bent and the rear pasterns
are well let down and perpendicular to the ground. Viewed from the rear,
the rear pasterns are straight and parallel to one another.
Faults:
Narrow hindquarters; hindquarters shallow
from pelvis to crotch; lack of muscle; straight or over angulated stifle
joint; cow hocks; sickle hocks; bowed legs.
Feet
The feet are round, proportionate to the
size of the dog, well arched, and tight. Pads are hard, tough, and well
cushioned. Dewclaws may be removed.
Fault:
Splayed feet.
Tail
The tail is set on as a natural extension
of the topline, and tapers to a point. 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).
Fault:
Long tail (tail tip passes beyond point of
hock).
Serious faults:
Gay tail (not to be confused with challenge
tail); kinked tail.
Disqualification:
Bobbed tail.
Coat
The coat is glossy and smooth, close, and
moderately stiff to the touch.
Faults:
Curly, wavy, or sparse coat.
Disqualification:
Long coat.
Color
Any color, color pattern, or combination
of colors is acceptable, except for merle.
Disqualification:
Merle
Height and Weight
The American Pit Bull Terrier must be both powerful and agile so actual weight and height are less important than the correct proportion of weight to height. Desirable weight for a mature male in good condition is between 35 and 60 pounds. Desirable weight for a mature female in good condition is between 30 and 50 pounds. Dogs over these weights are not to be penalized unless they are disproportionately massive or rangy.
Gait
The American Pit Bull Terrier moves with
a jaunty, confident attitude, conveying the impression that he expects
any minute to see something new and exciting. When trotting, the gait is
effortless, smooth, powerful, and well coordinated, showing good reach
in front and drive behind. When moving, the backline remains level with
only a slight flexing to indicate suppleness. Viewed from any position,
legs turn neither in nor out, nor do feet cross or interfere with each
other. As speed increases, feet tend to converge toward center line of
balance.
Faults:
Legs not moving on the same plane; legs over
reaching; legs crossing over in front or rear; rear legs moving too
close or touching; rolling; pacing; paddling; sidewinding; hackney
action; pounding.
Disqualifications
Unilateral or bilateral cryptorchid.
Viciousness or extreme shyness. Unilateral or bilateral deafness. Bobbed
tail. Albinism. Merle. Long coat.
Note: Although some level of dog aggression
is characteristic of this breed, handlers will be expected to comply
with U.K.C. policy regarding dog temperament at U.K.C. events.