Pitbull-Type Breeds & Pictures
4Unique AKC/UKC breeds that are considered "pitbull-type" breeds
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18,000,000Estimated "pitbull-type" dog population in the U.S. (20% of dogs)
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20+Other breeds with similar physical characteristics
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Pitbull-type dogs make outstanding canine citizens and are loving companions in millions of U.S. households. They consistently achieve excellent temperament scores, are successful as service dogs, therapy dogs, K9 police dogs, and as family pets. While the term "pit bull" is a generic term used to loosely describe a type (or category) of dog based only on its physical appearance (not on genetics or lineage) resembling any medium-sized dog with physical characteristics from any of the numerous "bully-type" (or bulldog-type) breeds, there are four breeds that are commonly classified as the modern "pitbull-type" breeds by AKC/UKC breed standards. The American Pit Bull Terrier (APBT) is the only formal breed with the term "pit bull" in its name and well over 20 other unique breeds and their mixes share similar physical characteristics that are common to dogs in the "pitbull-type" category. Pitbull-type dogs are growing in popularity and are by far the most popular "strong" breed dog in the U.S. - in fact, an estimated 20% of dogs in the U.S. can be classified as pitbull-type dogs. Below, learn more about the pitbull-type breeds, the history of pitbull-type dogs, and how the term "pit bull" originated.
AKC/UKC Pitbull-Type Breeds
There are four breeds that are commonly classified as the modern "pitbull-type" breeds by AKC/UKC breed standards - most are members of the Terrier Group of dog breeds. The American Pit Bull Terrier (APBT) is the tallest and most athletic of the four pitbull-type breeds. The American Staffordshire Terrier is slightly shorter and stockier than the APBT. The Staffordshire Bull Terrier is easily the smallest of the four. The American Bully (not to be confused with the American Bulldog) is the most unique of the group as it's the most stout and closely resembles the classic Bulldog breed.
Pictures of Pitbull-Type Dogs
An easy way to identify bias and misinformation about pitbull-type dogs is any website or organization that publishes aggressive pictures of pitbull-type dogs. Aggressive pictures can be found for any breed, but these biased and cherry-picked pictures never represent the breed as a whole. The pictures below are representative of the various pitbull-type breeds as a whole:
Note: Cropped (clipped) ears are a human modification of dogs performed for cosmetic reasons. As cropped ears are not a natural trait (of any dog breed), pictures of dogs with cropped ears were not included (with the exception of the American Bully picture). Pitbullinfo.org supports the American Veterinary Medical Association's position against the practices of ear cropping and tail docking.
History of Pitbull-Type Dogs
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Pitbull-type dogs are a crossbreed between a bulldog and a terrier originally bred in England in the early 19th century (then called "Bull and Terriers") to be working dogs on farms to herd, protect, and manage livestock. While their early history is complex and includes herding cattle and protecting homesteads, it also unfortunately includes the cruel sports of bull-baiting and dog fighting. However, these cruel "sports" were not specific to today's pitbull-type breeds - many different breeds were subjected to these activities which are now illegal almost everywhere. During the 20th century, pitbull-type dogs quickly became one of America's most popular family dogs to the extent that they became national mascots and were used on recruitment posters for World Wars 1 & 2 and were proudly called "America's dog". More recently, their popularity has continued to grow to an estimated 20% of the total dog population in the U.S. (all "pitbull-type" dogs and mixes combined) and are successful as service dogs, as therapy dogs, as K9 police dogs, as family pets, and consistently achieve excellent temperament scores.
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World War 1 Military Mascot Poster
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The "Pit Bull" Name
Historically, "pit bull" was an informal and slang term that was used to describe any dog that was used for the cruel sport of bull-baiting - using dogs (of any breed) to seize tethered animals such as bulls within an enclosed area called a "pit" (thus the term "pit bull"). While many different breeds and mixes were used for this "sport", dogs that resemble today's bully breeds were commonly used - it was not an activity limited to today's "pitbull-type" breeds. In other words, "pit bull" was more of a term used to describe any dog that was used for bull-baiting and less of a term used to describe a specific breed or type of dog (technically, if a Husky had been used for baiting a bull in a "pit" it would have been considered a "pit bull" back then). Furthermore, baiting is not an inherent trait for any breed, it's an activity that must be taught and honed, no different than training a dog to sit or fetch.
Today, the term "pit bull" is a generic term used to loosely describe a type (or category) of dog based only on its physical appearance (not on genetics or lineage) resembling any medium-sized dog with physical traits from any of the numerous "bully-type" (or bulldog-type) breeds. While the American Pit Bull Terrier (APBT) is the only formal breed with the term "pit bull" in its name, over 20 unique breeds and even more mixed breeds share the same or similar physical characteristics that are common to dogs in the "pitbull-type" category. In fact, a recent comprehensive peer-reviewed canine DNA study determined that 98% of dogs visually identified as "pitbull-type" dogs are in fact mixed breed dogs (not purebred); additionally, the majority of the "pitbull-type" dogs in the study had less than 50% DNA from any "pitbull-type" ancestry (from any of the "pitbull-type" breeds identified above).
Today, the term "pit bull" is a generic term used to loosely describe a type (or category) of dog based only on its physical appearance (not on genetics or lineage) resembling any medium-sized dog with physical traits from any of the numerous "bully-type" (or bulldog-type) breeds. While the American Pit Bull Terrier (APBT) is the only formal breed with the term "pit bull" in its name, over 20 unique breeds and even more mixed breeds share the same or similar physical characteristics that are common to dogs in the "pitbull-type" category. In fact, a recent comprehensive peer-reviewed canine DNA study determined that 98% of dogs visually identified as "pitbull-type" dogs are in fact mixed breed dogs (not purebred); additionally, the majority of the "pitbull-type" dogs in the study had less than 50% DNA from any "pitbull-type" ancestry (from any of the "pitbull-type" breeds identified above).
Breeds Misidentified as Pitbull-Type Dogs
While there are over 20 different breeds (and many mixed breeds) with similar physical characteristics as pitbull-type dogs, the breeds below (and especially their many mixes) are just a few of the unique breeds frequently misidentified as pitbull-type dogs because of their appearance. These breeds are larger and less common than the pitbull-type breeds and are not classified as "pitbull-type" breeds by any canine organizations (most are members of the Working Group of dog breeds).
Complicating the issue of breed bans and restrictions is the fact that about half the estimated 80 million American pet dogs are mixed breeds. Through canine genetic testing, studies have found that even people in animal-related professions can’t accurately identify the breeds in a mixed-breed dog’s genealogy.
- Humane Society of the United States (HSUS)
