If you just Googled “American Pit Bull Terrier Temperament?”, you’ve come to the right place!
This breed happens to be one of my favorite breeds of dog, and I’m here to arm you with all of the information that you need to decide whether the breed is the right choice for you.
As you probably already know the American Pit Bull Terrier is a large breed of dog that weighs anywhere between 30-60 pounds and stands approximately 19 inches in height.
They are both strong and stocky and pack more muscles per pound than any other dog breed – which is one of the reasons so many people are drawn to them.
But what is their temperament like, and do they make good family pets?
Today we will answer these questions, plus learn:
- About the Pitbull Temperament Test
- How Pitbulls interact with other animals, strangers, and children
- How the temperament of the Pit Bull Terrier is different than the Staffordshire Terrier
- How much you can expect to pay for an American Pit Bull Terrier
So let’s get started!
Do Pit Bulls Have a Good Temperament?
Let’s start with the question you sought out the answer to – do Pitbulls have a good temperament?
The simple answer to this question is yes.
Although Pitbulls often get a bad reputation, they have excellent temperaments and make excellent companions.
Anyone who has experience working with Pit Bull Terriers will describe them as:
- Affectionate
- Friendly
- Intelligent
- Loyal
- Playful
The breed was originally bred to be a working farm dog, but later became a popular breed for dogfighting.
And though the breed is extremely courageous and powerful, it is their role in the dogfighting industry that landed them with a bad reputation.
In reality, the American Pit Bull Terrier is a fun-loving, gentle companion that is considered to be very unaggressive.
Aside from their power and courage, one of the main reasons that Pit Bulls were chosen for dogfighting is because they are very eager to please their owners.
This means that they are easily trainable, but it also means that their personality depends much on that of the owner.
Let us stress that aggressiveness is not in the natural temperament of a Pit Bull.
Instead, Pit Bulls only become aggressive when trained to do so, because they will do anything to please their owners, even if it is against their nature.
Sadly, their eagerness to please has landed them a feared reputation, when all the breed is really looking for is love, affection, and consistent training.
The breed can also be described as enthusiastic and comical, with a confident and playful nature.
You don’t want to miss this next part…
The Pit Bull Temperament Test
As we’ve already established, the Pit Bull often gets a bad name.
Unfortunately, this bad name has nothing to do with the Pit Bull and everything to do with the owners who have previously pushed their dogs into dog fighting rings.
But it isn’t just me that will tell you how great the Pit Bull Temperament is; it’s also the American Temperament Test Society.
The American Temperament Test Society is a non-profit organization that provides a uniform temperament evaluation for purebred dogs.
The test focuses on different aspects of temperament, including:
- aggressiveness,
- friendliness,
- stability, and
- protectiveness,
They measure these aspects based on real-life situations by which the dogs are placed – and the results may surprise some.
According to the Temperament Test results, of the 931 American Pit Bull Terriers tested, 814 passed the test. This means:
87.4% of Pit Bulls demonstrated Positive Temperaments.
Here is the screenshot of the actual results:
Yes, this means that there are some Pit Bulls that didn’t pass the test (117 to be exact), but this was true regardless of breed.
In fact, the Pit Bull Terrier scored higher than the ever-so-beloved Golden Retriever, wherein only 687 out 804 (85.4%) of dogs passed the test!
The moral of this story?
If you are considering adopting an American Pit Bull Terrier into your home, but are concerned about temperament, don’t be.
Despite their harsh reputation, the Pit Bull Terrier is one of the most well-adapted, gentle, and loving dog breeds out there.
It’s the owners who give Pit Bulls the bad name, not the dogs themselves.
Is a Pit Bull a Good Family Dog?
Yes! American Pit Bull Terriers make loving, trustworthy family dogs.
Read The Article: “Incredible! Newly Rescued Pit Bull Saves Four-Year-Old Boy’s Life.”
If you are looking for a breed that is friendly, loyal, playful, funny and loves to cuddle, the Pit Bull could be the perfect breed for you.
With that being said, it is a myth that Pit Bulls make good guard dogs. If you are looking for a dog to protect your home, the Pit Bull might not be the best choice.
This breed loves people way too much, and doesn’t discriminate with strangers – they are friendly and loving to all and want nothing more than to be friends with everyone.
Watch This Video: “Heroic Pitbull Saves Missing Elderly Woman With Alzheimer’s.“
American Pit Bull Terriers are also good with young children. They thrive on being part of the family and are affectionate to all adults and children within.
With that being said, it is important to remember that the Pit Bull is strong, big, and bulky, and though they wouldn’t intentionally hurt a child, they could accidentally knock them over.
Supervision anytime when large dogs are around small children is suggested.
Other benefits of choosing a Pit Bull are that they are very loyal, athletic, and hilarious.
Pit Bulls can be calm when the environment entails, but can also run, play, and keep up with an active lifestyle.
They’re also bursting with personality, and as most Pit Bull owners will tell you, they love to make us laugh by clowning around.
But all laughing aside, there is nothing that the Pit Bull wants more than to hug and snuggle with you.
With a Pit Bull, you can rest assured that you will never go to bed alone.
In terms of training, the American Pit Bull Terrier is very quick to learn. Though they do tend to be slightly stubborn, they are also very keen to please their owners.
Their goal is to make you happy, so with a firm and consistent training, they can learn very quickly.
As a bonus, did you know that the Pit Bulls have the best smiles?
Anytime you are having a bad day, all you have to do is look at the smile of your pet, and surely their zest for life will become infectious.
Do Pit Bulls Suddenly Snap?
Like any animal, including any breed of dog, pit bulls can snap.
So can Alaskan Malamutes, Golden Retrievers, Akitas, German Shepherds, and so forth.
Pit Bulls can snap, but are they going to snap out of nowhere?
Absolutely not!
If your Pit Bull has been raised to be gentle, loving, and affectionate, they aren’t just suddenly going to turn into raging monsters.
Pit Bulls who do snap generally have a reason for doing so – either:
- they feel their owners are being threatened, or
- they themselves have undergone longstanding abuse.
Then why are people so afraid of Pit Bulls?
The reason that Pit Bulls are so feared, and have even been banned in some places, is because when they do snap, the outcome is not usually favorable for the person.
Pit Bulls are one of the strongest, most muscular breeds of dog, and they have very powerful jaw muscles. When they are provoked to attack, severe damage is usually done.
And again, Pit Bulls will only attack when provoked to do so.
They aren’t going to attack a stranger that is coming up to pet them, nor are they going to attack a child for pulling on their tail.
Pit Bulls are a very gentle, loving breed of dog, that are excellent with both children and strangers. They will only attack if they feel they, or a loved one, are under threat.
Watch this video: “Pitbull defends owner from being attacked by a dog.”
So how can you ensure that your Pit Bull won’t suddenly snap?
If you want to ensure that you are getting a well-mannered Pit Bull, you want to try to get the Pit Bull when they are young.
This will ensure that you can raise the Pit Bull in a loving home environment. It’s okay to adopt an older Pit Bull (and encouraged), but it’s important that you know the background of the dog before you adopt.
A dog that has been raised in an abusive home could snap – and the same can be said for any other breed of dog.
Other Pit Bull Type Dog Temperament
We all know that the term “pit bull’ is not a specific breed ( Many breeders argued that the American Pit Bull terrier is the true Pit Bull) but a type of dog.
Now,
Let’s have a look at another “pit bull” type dog temperament- the Staffordshire Bull Terrier or Staffy.
The American Pit Bull Terrier and the Staffordshire Bull Terrier both have excellent temperaments.
As we mentioned before, 87.4% of Pit Bulls passed the Temperament test, as did 91.2% of Staffordshire Bull Terriers! (124 out of 136).
The reason that the temperament of these two dogs is so similar is that, in history, they were actually one of the same breeds.
RELATED: “Are Pit Bulls and Staffies The Same?”
Today, of course, the Pit Bull Terrier and the Staffordshire Bull Terrier are considered two distinct breeds, but still, share many of the same characteristics.
In terms of personality, both breeds are very intelligent and are both rapid learners.
It is often said, however, that the American Pit Bull Terrier is more eager to please, while the Staffordshire Bull Terriers have more of a stubborn streak during training.
The truth, however, is that these two breeds have more in common than they do in differences.
Both breeds are loving, loyal, affectionate, athletic, and comical, and both would make excellent family pets.
Conclusion:
Don’t believe everything you hear. Pit Bull Breeds are gentle, loving, affectionate, and friendly pets that have temperaments better than that of a Golden.
So if you are thinking about buying American Pit Bull Terrier puppies,
I highly encourage it. They range in price from $500 – $700, and are worth every single penny.
