Pit Bull/Staffordshire Terrier/ S. Bull Terrier ?????

Yes, a Staffordshire bull terrier is a "pit bull". Pit bull is a term, not necessarily a breed of dog. It CAME from the breed American Pit Bull Terrier, but calling a dog a pit bull vs an APBT is very different. The term "pit bull" loosely covers bull breed type dogs, Including but not limited to, the APBT, American Stafordshire Terrier, Staffordshire Bull terrier, American Bully(commonly mistaken for an APBT, but they are NOT the same breed) and even Bull terriers.

APBTs and other pit bull type dogs have gotten a very bad reputation, so when you say you have a "pit bull" a lot of people just assume it is a vicious dog because of its phsycial apperance. I was walking my neighbors pit bull (not sure if he is purebred or not, he is from a BYB) a mother and her little girl asked to pet him (I know this dog and his behavior very well, so I said yes). He is extremly friendly, and was licking the little girls face and rolling over for belly rubs. The mother asked what his name was and what kind of dog he was. When I replied, he is a pit bull, she immedietly grabbed her daughters had and yanked her away from the dog (who was on his back, tail wagging, getting his belly rubbed) and walked away without saying another word.

APBTs are known for DOG AGGRESSION. It is a common trait in the breed. Some APBTs can get along fine with other dogs, and some cant. Certin lines have more DA than others. Some APBTs with training and sociaization can learn to tolerate other dogs, and some cant. Another trait of the APBT, is its lack of any human aggression. Back in the early days of the APBT, when they were still used for fighting (legal fighting back then) any dog that showed aggression towards a human in the pit was culled. It resulted in a breed that can have extreme DA, but an absolute love for humans.

 Yep... sometimes Pit Bull is short for APBT and sometimes it's just descriptive of a TYPE... in this case, a "bull" breed who was bred for the "pit" (fighting).  Staffies are a "pit bull".... (the original I think...? not sure) but that ancient breeding isn't what makes them dangerous.  The things that make them dangerous are the things that make ANY dog (regardless of breed) dangerous.... lack of training, socialisation, supervision, management and proper care.

 Are bully breeds banned where you live? If not, I'm not certain why you'd be worried about other people's misconceptions about your breed or their thinking you are covering something up? 

FWIW I've always found Staffy bulls to be jolly, happy go lucky little dogs. 

Honestly, at this point in my life I don't feel very enthusiastic about being the ambassador for a maligned breed er.. type.  Nor do I feel very comfortable bringing home a puppy for my family to fall in love with and then taking the risk of that dog someday falling under a dangerous breed ban or facing other restrictions because it is a pit bull-type breed. 

M

There are American Pit Bull Terriers (APBT), American Staffordshire Terriers, and Staffordshire Bull Terriers.

APBT and Am. Staffordshires are basically the same. They descended from the same type of dog, it just depends on the registry. The UKC registers American Pit Bull Terriers and the AKC only registers them as American Staffordshires. For example, my dog Luna is a registered APBT with the UKC and if I wanted, I could register her with the AKC but she would be registered as an Am. Staffordshire. The origin of this is that the AKC wanted to distance itself from the fighting pitbull image so it basically just changed their name. But ironically the AKC "standard" is based off a dog that was an APBT.

IMO I think APBT tend to be bred along more game lines and Am. Staffordshires are bred along more showy lines, but of course there are exceptions. There are plenty of huge pit bulls registered as APBT that in my opinion look like an entirely different breed. Pits should be around 50-65 lbs - not 80 or even some are 100+.

Staffordshire Bull Terriers are another breed. They were primarily bred in the UK and are a bit smaller and stockier than APBT. FYI they are often called the nanny dog because of their good nature around children.

I would recomend getting any of these dogs. They make great family pets because they are so tough and can take a lot of "abuse" from kids. But like any dog a lot depends on how you raise them. And do a lot of research before you get one. My dogs are great with my nephew... check out my pics! They have lived together for the last 2 years. However, aggression toward other dogs is not uncommon with pits so consider that too. Luna likes other dogs, Gotti hates them - and I didn't do anything different with either one. Gotti even used to go to dog parks, he just started getting agressive toward other dogs as he got older.

And lastly, when it comes to other people's opinions about your pit bull, of course you're gonna get all types of reactions. In my experience people either love 'em or hate 'em. But I've never met some one who owned one and didn't absolutely love them! I don't try to be some big-time abassador for the breed, but if someone takes an interest in my dogs, I love to educate them and I always tell them what breed they are.