The breed most often called Pit Bulls is the American Pit Bull. The name Pit Bull covers a large number of individual breeds. They have a large range of colors that when matched with their distinctive physical features make them an intriguing and beautiful animal. Colors can be brown, chocolate, red, blue, white, fawn, sable, and black. They also can be in many of those colors as combinations, such as black and tan, brown with red nose and blue fawn.

The Pit Bull has a broad, brick-like head with powerful jaws and teeth that form a scissor like bite. The neck is thick and muscular and connects to a brawny chest and shoulders. The ears are generally cropped, though this is not necessary and the coat is made up of thick, short, shiny hair.

Unlike common belief these dogs are not a ferocious beast. Although they do have natural aggressive tendencies toward other dogs and animals, but not people. If they are properly trained and socialized by a firm, but calm, confident, consistent human pack leader, they can make terrific companions and easy to manage. The American Pit Bull is pleasant, entertaining, extremely loyal and can be a loving family pet that does well with children and adults. They are very eager to please. It is an exceptionally courageous and smart dog that is high spirited and alert. It is sociable when properly trained, but also knows when to protect itself and owners from a threat and when to remain calm.

This breed requires vigorous, regular exercise. Long walks are recommended because it not only gives the dog the exercise but creates a great opportunity for bonding and socializing.

They are generally okay with other pets if acclimated to them from an early age. They are very friendly, but not recommended for most people because many pet owners don’t understand how to properly raise a dog.

Some are bred and trained as assistance dogs and therapy dogs. Due to the breed’s high energy and intelligence, they make great working dogs, often being used in search and rescue as well as for drug-sniffing operations.

The American Pit Bull has a reputation for being dangerously aggressive. This is a result of rare instances of when a random Pit Bull attacks another dog or human. Pit Bulls are tremendously loyal to their owners and will do anything to please them. If they are trained to be aggressive and not provided proper dog obedience training, they will misbehave. Because of their strong jaws and great upper body strength, they are capable of inflicting harm on whatever or whoever they attack.

The first thing to understand is that a properly trained pit bull can and will be a great family pet. Early socialization with other dogs and humans will greatly improve the success of a well-behaved dog.

Introduce them to other dogs in a calm setting that they are familiar with. It would not be a good idea to use a public dog park as place to obedience train.

  • Keep the training short and focused.
  • Teach them basic commands such as ‘Sit’, ‘Stay’ and ‘Down’ .
  • The commands should be one word, one syllable commands that are crisp, clear and consistent.
  • Leash training may also be necessary as the American Pit Bull is a high spirited dog with lots of energy.
  • Make sure they get plenty of exercise.
  • Praise and reward them with food treats during training sessions as a way of reinforcing positive behavior.
  • Never use violence (hitting) as discipline. They will understand your disappointment with a firm ‘No’ and not getting a food treat.
  • If you do this you can be assured that your dog won’t become aggressive and will be known as a friendly dog in your neighborhood.