Without a doubt, you’ve seen this type of dog referred to as both a “pitbull” and a “pit bull.”
The two spellings are used interchangeably and most of the time people know what you’re talking about when you spell it either way.
That being said, the proper term for this dog is Pit Bull as two words. An easy way to remember it is that the popular Miami singer spells his stage name as Pitbull, one word.
It’s Not A Breed
One thing you might find interesting is that there is no officially recognized breed by the name of pit bull.
Instead, pit bull refers to a type of dog instead of a specific breed of dog.
According to the Animal Foundation,
The term “pit bull” originated in the British Isles in the early 1800s when the barbaric sport of “bull baiting” arose. Bull baiting involved tying a bull to an iron stake that gave him about a 30-foot radius in which to move, blowing the bull’s nose full of pepper to enrage the animal, and then setting dogs on him to immobilize the bull for public entertainment. The sport was outlawed in 1835, but it was from this sport the term “pit bull” came into being. The dogs used in the sport were English bulldogs and then English bulldogs crossed with terriers.
Animal Foundation
What Is A Pit Bull?
Since it’s not a breed and is instead a type of dog, then you might be wondering – what the heck makes a pit bull dog a pit bull?
Some of the dog breeds that are commonly misidentified and classified as pit bulls are:
- the English bull terrier
- the American bulldog
- the boxer
- the American pit bull terrier
- the American Staffordshire terrier
One thing you should note is that pit bulls are not recognized as a breed by the American Kennel Club (AKC).
However, the United Kennel Club does recognize a breed known as the American pit bull terrier.
But, keep in mind that the term “pit bull” is most commonly used to refer to mixed breed dogs with certain physical traits, such as a muscular body and broad head.