The history of the American Pit Bull Terrier is a story of function, politics, and media construction. It shows how a dog regarded for more than 150 years as a working and family dog was turned within just a few decades into a symbol of danger — without the dog itself having changed.
We want to trace with you how the APBT came into being, what role it played in the United States, why it separated from the American Staffordshire Terrier, how dog sport helped move it away from the so-called fighting dog image, and why it is on breed restriction lists in Germany today. We do not rely on opinions, but on verifiable sources — from genetic studies to current legislation.
This article is the detailed companion to our YouTube video. In the video, we tell the story in a condensed form. Here, we explore the background in greater depth, place the research in context, and name the sources.
From bull-biter to Bull-and-Terrier — the European roots
The roots of the American Pit Bull Terrier are not in America, but in medieval Europe. Anyone who wants to understand the breed needs to understand what its ancestors were bred for — and why that purpose eventually disappeared.
Cross between English bulldog and terrier breeds
The American Pit Bull Terrier developed from crosses between the old English bulldog and various terrier breeds — including the Black-and-Tan Terrier, the White English Terrier (now extinct), and the Fox Terrier. Throughout history, there were numerous terrier breeds, some of which no longer exist today or have changed considerably. They, too, may have contributed to the development of the APBT.
Bull & Terrier: the origins
These crosses produced a type of dog known as the Bull & Terrier — the direct ancestor of the APBT. These dogs varied in appearance, but shared similar traits: strength, courage, endurance, and tenacity. On farms and in industry, they were used as working dogs — they helped drive livestock, pull loads, and protect property. Their terrier traits made them excellent ratters and hunting dogs for small game.
Bull-baiting and the Cruelty to Animals Act 1835
Over time, the function shifted. In England, a working task became a popular sport: bull-baiting. A tethered bull was confronted with dogs, bets were placed, and the crowd cheered. For centuries, this practice was socially accepted and provided breeders with an economic foundation.
In 1835, the British Parliament passed the Cruelty to Animals Act, which banned animal baiting of all kinds. As a result, the bull-baiting dog disappeared from its functional context almost overnight. What remained was a type of dog without a task — strong, courageous, closely bonded to people, but without work.
From Bull-and-Terrier to APBT — the birth in America
With the end of legal baiting in England and the large wave of emigration from the mid-19th century onward, many Bull-and-Terriers came to North America with their dog owners. There, the actual history of the APBT as a distinct breed began.
Bull and bear baiting as historical background
Before the dogs came to America, their traits had led to an extremely brutal dog sport: bull and bear baiting. With the ban around 1835, the practice shifted. Fights took place against badgers, rats, and above all against other dogs in hidden fighting rings known as “pits.” Hence the name American Pit Bull Terrier. In these pits, the dogs had to fight to the death.
Requirements for so-called fighting dogs — and why human-friendliness was mandatory
What very few people know: at that time, so-called fighting dogs were expected to have an impeccable temperament toward people. The owner or referee had to be able to intervene in the pit at any time. The dogs had to be manageable, obedient, and highly responsive to people. If a dog had bitten and held onto a person, it was removed from breeding and killed.
This means that, over generations, selection was deliberately directed toward human-friendliness — a fact that is mostly missing from today’s public perception of the breed.
Emigration and the continuation of breeding
With the end of the American Civil War in the mid-19th century and the ban on dog fighting in England, many English people emigrated to the USA with their dogs. There, this brutal sport continued because there were not yet any bans. Breeding of the Bull & Terrier continued. Because they all looked different and there were no standards, they had various names: Yankee Terrier, Pit Bull Terrier, American Pit Bull Terrier, or simply Bull Terrier.
John P. Colby and targeted breeding from 1889
1889 was a key year for the American Pit Bull Terrier as we know it today. At that time, John P. Colby began targeted breeding in Newburyport, Massachusetts. He combined the best dogs from England and Ireland that had been brought to the USA by immigrants. Over the decades, these crossings gave rise to two breeds that we clearly distinguish today.
a · The American Pit Bull Terrier
The first line is the American Pit Bull Terrier, first registered by the United Kennel Club (UKC) in 1898 and additionally by the American Dog Breeders Association (ADBA) in 1909. This made the APBT the very first breed in the UKC stud book. To this day, the UKC sees itself as a working-dog registry and explicitly emphasizes a balanced, people-friendly character in its standard.
b · The American Staffordshire Terrier
The second line is the American Staffordshire Terrier, which was registered by the American Kennel Club (AKC) in 1936 as a pure show line. While the UKC recognized the APBT as a working dog, the AmStaff became established within the AKC system with its own standard. Genetically, both share a common origin — but in breeding and appearance, they have developed differently over the decades.
From so-called fighting dog to athlete — Ralph Greenwood and ADBA Top Dog Sports
Ralph Greenwood and the beginning of a new era
Ralph Greenwood was a central figure in the modern history of the American Pit Bull Terrier. In 1972, Greenwood took over the American Dog Breeders Association (ADBA) — an organization dedicated to the registration and protection of the APBT. With his passion for the breed, Greenwood was determined to end the use of APBTs in dog fighting and make the true potential of these dogs visible.
Greenwood worked closely with other breeders and animal lovers to bring the breed’s positive qualities to the forefront and channel its abilities into less harmful areas. His goal: to move the breed away from its association with fighting — without denying its working roots.
ADBA Top Dog Sports — the five disciplines
Greenwood’s most important initiative was the introduction of ADBA Top Dog Sports in the late 1970s — a dog sport developed specifically for American Pit Bull Terrier and designed to meet their natural drives and needs. The five disciplines:
1. Treadmill Race — endurance and speed on the treadmill.
2. Wall Climb — jump up a padded wall toward a hanging lure.
3. Lure Coursing — sprint competition behind a lure.
4. Weight Pull — pulling a weighted load.
5. Long Jump — standing long jump.
These sports allowed the dogs to use their abilities and energy in a positive way — without putting other dogs or people at risk. Greenwood’s work helped change public perception of the APBT and show the breed for what it truly is: an athletic, intelligent, loyal companion.
From family dog to restricted breed dog — the shift in image
Despite Greenwood’s work, the public image of the APBT began to shift in a different direction from the early 1980s onward. The reason is not found in genetics, but in the history of media and politics.
Sergeant Stubby and the early 20th century
In the First World War, a Bull-and-Terrier-type dog named Sergeant Stubby became the most famous military dog of his time. He served in 17 battles, warned his unit of poison gas attacks, and was received by President Wilson. For years, Stubby was a popular advertising figure — during this period, the Bull-and-Terrier was seen as a patriotic symbol. From the 1920s to the 1940s, Petey, the dog from the film series Our Gang / Little Rascals, was an APBT who appeared on cinema screens as a family dog for more than two decades.
The 1980s and the media shift
The turning point came in the early 1980s in the United States. With the resurgence of illegal dog fighting and a series of bite incidents, the “Pit Bull” suddenly became a symbol of urban violence. A central role was played by the Sports Illustrated cover story of July 27, 1987 (“Beware of this dog”). Within just a few years, the public image shifted.
The identification problem
What matters is the media mechanism: “Pit Bull” was — and still is — used in reporting as an umbrella term for several visually similar breeds and mixed-breed dogs. Studies on breed identification show that even veterinary and animal shelter staff often misidentify pit bull-type dogs. This systematically distorts the statistics to the detriment of the breed.
Germany 2000 — how the APBT ended up on the list
In Germany, the debate reached its peak in the summer of 2000, after the tragic death of six-year-old Volkan Kaya in Hamburg. Within a few weeks, the German Bundestag passed the Dog Movement and Import Restriction Act (HundVerbrEinfG). At federal level, four breeds were broadly classified as dangerous, including the American Pit Bull Terrier. At state level, further breeds were added, with lists that were sometimes contradictory.
The scientific basis for this legislation remains disputed to this day. The German Veterinary Association for Animal Welfare (TVT) states in its Fact Sheet 85 that breed restriction lists are not a suitable tool for preventing bite incidents. Several German federal states — including Lower Saxony — have since abolished their breed restriction lists because they proved to be scientifically untenable.
What research shows today
We have seen how the history unfolded. But what does science say today about whether breed is a good predictor of dog behavior at all?
Breed explains only a small part of behavior
The most comprehensive study to date comes from Boston. In 2022, a team led by Kathleen Morrill at the Broad Institute and the University of Massachusetts analyzed the genomes and behavioral data of more than 2,000 dogs in Science — including both purebred and mixed-breed dogs.
This does not mean that breed is irrelevant — certain tendencies can be identified statistically. But it does mean this: Breed classification alone does not allow a reliable conclusion to be drawn about an individual dog. Yet that is precisely the logic on which breed restriction lists are based.
Standardized tests and the reality check
What do standardized temperament tests specifically show in pit bull types?
These findings align with the statistics of the American Temperament Test Society, which has been carrying out standardized temperament tests on thousands of dogs for decades: The APBT achieves a pass rate of 86.7% — slightly above the breed average of all tested breeds.
Our Vitomalia conclusion
When we look at what research says and compare it with the history, a clear picture emerges: The APBT is a breed that was regarded as a working and family dog for over 100 years, whose breed standard explicitly requires friendliness toward people, whose historical selection filtered out human aggression, and whose real-world aggression data is below average. What has changed is not the dog — but the story told about it.
We are not saying here that every APBT is an easy beginner’s dog. That would be just as dishonest as the opposing view. APBTs are dogs with substance: physically powerful, mentally focused, with a high threshold for arousal, but also with a pronounced prey orientation toward other animals. They need dog owners who understand this substance and can guide it.
What we experience with Amalia every day aligns with what research says: A carefully socialized, well-guided, clearly managed female dog of this type is reliable, readable, and steady in herself. The breed does not create a “dangerous dog.” What makes dogs dangerous are factors that have little to do with breed — socialization, pain, early trauma, overwhelm, and a lack of guidance.
That is exactly why our position is this: We do not need breed restriction lists in Germany. We need dog owner suitability, expertise, breeding control, and a fact-based public debate. This is the discussion we want to have through this blog, through our videos, and with Amalia by our side.
