AMERICAN PIT BULL TERRIERS

The St. Francis Terrier --
Rediscovering The American Pit Bull Terrier

With all of the media brouhaha surrounding the breed commonly known as the "pit bull", the American Pit Bull Terrier's reputation has suffered terribly, as have many APBTs themselves, with so many having fallen into the hands of irresponsible people.

Anyone who has ever lived with or trained this often misunderstood breed, knows that in the right hands they make wonderful pets. APBTs are:

• Playful
  
   
• Intelligent
  
   
• Athletic (great for agility, flyball, etc.)
  
   
• Good at retrieving
  
   
• Good candidates for Schutzhund (due to their strong prey, fight, and defense drives)
  
   
• Affectionate to their family and other familiar people
   
• Protective of their owners and home (although some APBTs are not very protective).

American Pit Bull Terriers are a lot of dog in a medium package. They require a lot of exercise, constructive physical outlets, humane obedience training, and a responsible loving home. APBTs are not for everyone. They are NOT for instance, recommended for anyone who:

• has little or no experience with dogs
  
   
• wants a dog as a macho status symbol
  
   
• tends to be irresponsible, lax or neglectful
  
   
• is not very familiar with the breed
  
   
• expects to let their dog run around off-leash in public places

Also, while some APBTs get along well with other dogs, many tend to be dog-aggressive, particularly with unfamiliar dogs of the same sex.

_{Robin Kovary is the American Dog Trainers Network helpline director
 and canine behavioral consultant.}

TimLeeDesign