Question:On a web site that had pictures they look like the same breed of dog. Can you tell me the difference between the three breeds? A web site with pictures or history of the animal would be helpful. Thanks!
Answers:
All three breeds started as one. The Staffordshire Bull Terrier was the first recognized by The Kennel Club(England) When the dogs were imported to the U.S. they became all around farm hands as well as pit fighters. One strain got taller and heavier, and became the American Staffordshire Terrier. The other strain was still used to fight, and stayed smaller, lighter, and was not bred for looks at all. This was the strain that kept the "Pit Bull Terrier" name. When fighting was outlawed, AKC moved it's two "pit breeds" further from their roots, and both the orginal Staffy and the AM Staff, became heavier and more showy than ever before. The UKC, with it's American Pit Bull Terrier followed suit, and the UKC pits became bigger and heavier. This really ticked off some ethical breeders and all the underground fighters, so they formed the American Dog Breeders Association, or ADBA. Most ADBA pits are still small, light weight, and shown in "fighting weight" which, to me, looks like skeltons!
The breeds have been seprated enough now that they are truelly diffrent breeds, EXCEPT, you can have dual registered dogs. You can have an Am Staff registered with UKC, or ADBA, or both. A UKC pit can also be an ADBA pit. An AKC Am Staff can not be crossed wit a Staffy and still be registered, though some are still sold as "purebred" pit bulls.
It sounds confusing, but it is not once you see the diffrences, here are a couple good sites:
www.crawdadkennels.com (ADBA dogs)
www.yorkkennels.com (UKC dogs, some dual registered, but bred to UKC standards)
www.storytimekennel.com (AKC Am Staffs)
www.edelhauskennel.com (AKC Am Staffs)
www.aztecastaffords.com (AKC Staffys)
Oh, a couple more things, AKC does not recognize "red-nose" pits. They can have AKC papers, but are not allowed in the show ring. And, Staffys are not allowed to be cropped(ears), the other three are. None of the pit breeds should have docked tails! UKC and ADBA also recognize more colors than AKC.
Other Answers:
American Pit bull terrier is the name given the breed that are registered with UKC. American Staffordshire terrier are the ones registered with AKC. Staffordshire Bull terrier is a totally different breed.
In the beginning of pit bull registry, the AKC registered the 'pet' dogs, and the UKC registered the 'sporting' dogs (fighting)
Today, an AKC AmStaff can be double registered with UKC, as a pit bull, but the UKC AmPitbull cannot be duel registered with AKC.
In general, the AKC Am Staff is a less aggressive dog, and usually of a more slender build.
the UKC pit bull is a blockier, more aggressive dog, as his roots are more recently from fighting stock.
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