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Pit bull Characteristics Pit bulls are medium-sized (males range 45-85lbs, females 30-80lbs), solidly built, short-coated dogs that require little grooming. They have an affectionate disposition, and are noted for their attachment to their masters as well as for their confident and intelligent temperament. Pit bull breeds are typically devoted and sociable, and are happiest when in the company of their human companions.... Pit Bulls are extremely athletic and energetic dogs, and require a great deal of exercise if they are not to become destructive. Although they can be short, they have extremely high muscle density and are generally capable of executing a standing four-foot-vertical jump. Pit bulls have also been bred to have a very high tolerance for pain. Unfortunately this is one of the reasons they are used for dog fights but being tolerant, does not mean they do not feel it, they do and they suffer a lot. Pit bulls were historically bred to display dominance aggression toward other dogs—a relic of the breed's dog fighting past. A pit bull displaying the correct breed temperament is friendly towards humans, but at the same time protective over its territory. Some believe this behavior is desirable in family pet for protection from intruders. Meanwhile, The American Temperament Test Society, Inc. (ATTS) breed statistics as of December 2004 show an 83.4% passing rate for the American Pit Bull Terrier and a 93.2% passing rate for the Staffordshire Bull Terrier, as compared to an 81% average pass rate for all dog breeds. The testing process is not a direct measure of agression. Some of the tests used by ATTS may give a passing grade to agression toward humans considered appropriate for the situation, such as a stranger advancing toward the dog and handler in an threatening manner. Other parts of the ATTS test battery gauge response to unfamiliar situations such as walking on slippery surfaces or hearing nearby gunshots. Many other common breeds look similar to the pit bull breeds to inexperienced eyes, and can be confused for them. A few of these breeds are the Argentine Dogo, the English Bull Terrier, the American Bulldog, the Boxer and a few others. It is actually quite difficult to identify a pitbull, pbrc.net in a fun way but very educative is showing how scary the breed misidentification is in the times of BSL FIND A PIT BULL Even "experts" might have difficulty differentiating between a female AmStaff and a female Cane Corso, for example. Many other breeds or crosses are confused with 'pit bulls'. Similar-looking, but much larger breeds such as: Presa Canario, Cane Corso, Dog Argentino, and Tosa Inu are more frequently misidentified as 'pit bulls' than not. And even breeds that look nothing like 'pit bulls' have been reported as such. Some of those misidentified as 'pit bulls' are: Jack Russell Terrier, Labrador Retriever, Great Dane, and even an Airedale cross. Who Is Qualified To Determine If A Dog Is A 'Pit Bull'? What many people don't know is that a dog's breed can never actually be proven, not even through DNA. Genetically speaking, a Chihuahua is a wolf is a Labrador is a 'pit bull'. The determination of breed is somewhat subjective, especially when the dog's parentage is unknown. There have been dogs that looked exactly like a typical 'pit bull' who we know have no 'pit bull' in them, whatsoever. Crosses like Lab and Rhodesian Ridgeback or Chesapeake Bay Retriever and Boxer could throw puppies that look like 'pit bulls', for example. Only those experienced with a wide range of similar-looking breeds are expert enough to make the subtle distinctions. This may include breeders, dog show judges, or anyone with years of personal experience with multiple, similar-looking breeds. There is no course of instruction for this. It requires years of interaction with the breeds in question, in order to accurately differentiate one from the other. 
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