APBTs & AmStaffs

I always wondered too!  I suppose the weight variation doesn't always mean a whole lot.  I've seen 50lb purebred GSDs and 120lb purebred GSDs.

That's kinda what I was thinking! I mean, yes, I realize that there are some variations in the standards of the breeds, but that doesn't really mean a whole lot to me since I know of several APBTs that are above their weight range.  And, obviously, the GSDs, Labs (50-100lbs?  lol!  BIG variation there, too), and I'm sure several others, are also various weights.

It just depends on who you talk to.  In the AKC they are registered as Am. Staff but a common name is the Pit Bull.  Some AST refuse to call their dogs APBT.

The word "pit" was referred to as any dog who fought in the pit.  The "pit bull" was first a slang name that has seemed to develop into a breed.  I like to use the name "Am. Staff" when I guess at a breed because a lot more owners are more comfortable using that name since it sounds less fearful to people who have no idea.

Once an owner asked what breed of puppy she had and when I said it looks like a "pit bull" she automatically ask if it could be euthanised because she was afraide of the breed.  Since then I say Am Staff because I don't agree with the BSL and the way the media plays with peoples minds.  For whatever reason it's a lot easier for owners to accept Am Staff over pit bull...strange.

 I also like to mention to people that the dog who was on the Little Rascals (can't think of his name right now) was  a pit bull and that they are wonderful family dog if given proper training and socialization.  That seems to also put peoples mind at ease.  Some of the sweetest dogs I've worked with have  been pits.  Some people I don't think I could even change their minds.
 

Workingdoglover

Ok, so, I'm very very confused now...lol!  I cannot for the life of me figure out whether APBTs and AmStaffs are the same or different. 

According to Desmond Morris in Dogs the Ultimate Dictionary of over 1,000 Dog Breeds,

"The American Staffordshire Terrier is the show-dog version of the fighting dog called the American Pit Bull Terrier.  Because the owners of the Pit Bull Terriers had been keeping accurate records of the pedigree and bloodlines of their dogs for over 30 years, it was clear, by the 1930s, that their animals should be considered as members of a proper breed and officially recognized.  However, since it was suspected that the same animals were unofficially still being used in many cases for organized dog fights, the American Kennel Club faced a dilemma.  It wanted to recognize a genuine American breed, but could not condone dog-fighting.  The solution was to give the breed a new name and insist that any animal registered with the AKC could never be used in organized fighting....

Although the two breeds--the APBT and the AmStaff--are virtually the same animal, small differences have started to appear since the show-dogs have been separated from the 'working' dogs....  As time goes by, this will undoubtedly lead to a kind of divergence that has occured in so many other breeds." 

Pic no 1, not sure but my gues would be Pit.

Pic no 2, Staff

Pic no 3, Pit?

Pic no 4, Not sure.

Having hazarded those guesses though, I'm not sure how different AmStaffs are from Staffordshire Bull terriers. (English).  I know very little about Pits as they have been banned here for over a decade!  I do think they are different though, essentially because I thought AmStaffs were desecnded from Staffs and Staffs are not Pits... and Pits are banned here whereas Staffs are not. 

Yeah I am a bit confused now too! 

I will guess...

1. Pit??

2. staffordshire  bull terrier

3. am staff

4. APBT

I have also heard that one difference is that am staffs are the ones with bigger heads, but i really don't know.

They are basically the same dog, bred originally from the same stock but over time their appearance has become a bit seperate.

Amstaffs/AKC-bred for show

APBT/UKC-bred for athelticism and gameness

http://www.bulldogbreeds.com/americanpitbullterrier.html

Ok, so basically they are one in the same.  Just as different as a working GSD is from a show GSD, just with different names, too. 

 And, for the pictures...  (they look absolutely the same to me, so I suppose that's why they essentially are the same...lol!)

1. APBT

2. APBT

3. AmStaff

4. APBT

So is a pit bull the same too, just a slang term? 

I think a lot of people use "pit bull" to encompass a variety of breeds, including the APBT, American Staffordshire terrier, and Staffordshire Bull terrier.  I've even heard a few people call Bull terriers "pits", though I really don't consider them in the same "group."  But then there are those that just use "pit bull" for APBTs and nothing else.  So I guess it depends on who you're talking to...  lol!

 Yes, Pit bull is a "type" not a breed.  Like "lurcher".  APBTs are banned here and Staffs are not.  Anything more than X % Pit bull "type" can be taken away by authorities....

FWIW, the 'Little Rascals" dog was Pete the Pup.

"pit bull" is not a breed, but a 'term'.

American Pit Bull Terrier is a breed as well as Staffies.

Chuffy

 Yes, Pit bull is a "type" not a breed.  Like "lurcher".  APBTs are banned here and Staffs are not.  Anything more than X % Pit bull "type" can be taken away by authorities....

But if Staffs fall under the pit bull type umbrella, how are they not banned too? (not that I condone banning, I've just never understood why APBTs are banned and Staffs are not, then probably 99% of the population including myself cannot even tell the difference).