How to Know If My Pit Bull Is Purebred

Many people think they have an authentic American Pit Bull Terrier when in reality they have a mixed dog or some Pit Bull variant, but not a purebred one. It's important to know for certain whether we have a purebred dog or not, and that's what breed standards are for — they'll help us figure it out.

Let's go step by step through everything we need to know to check and verify our Pit Bull's authenticity, based on the breed standard registered with the United Kennel Club, the organization with the world's largest dog breed database.

Pedigree Shows a Pit Bull's Purity

A Pedigree certificate is a certificate guaranteeing the breed's purity, and also that it's free of inherited genetic diseases. It's a certificate issued by different organizations depending on where in the world we live.

In Spain, a Pit Bull's Pedigree certificate is issued by the RSCE (Royal Canine Society of Spain), in Mexico it's issued by the Mexican Kennel Federation (FCM), in Argentina it's handled by the FCA (Argentine Cynological Federation), while in the United States it's the American Kennel Club (AKC).

If you have a Pedigree certificate for your Pit Bull, then there's no doubt at all — your American Pit Bull Terrier is 100% authentic purebred.

Pit Bull Characteristics to Know If It's Purebred

If we don't have a Pedigree certificate, we can also tell whether our Pit Bull is purebred based on the physical traits set out in the breed standard according to the United Kennel Club (UKC). A Pit Bull isn't purebred if it doesn't meet all these traits.

Size and Weight of an Authentic Pit Bull

According to the UKC, a purebred Pit Bull should have a medium-sized body with an athletic build and well-defined muscles. It should be longer than it is tall, with APBT females being somewhat longer than males.

The length of a Pit Bull's front leg (measured from the elbow to the ground) should be roughly half the dog's height at the withers. The height at the withers is the distance measured from the ground to the highest point of the shoulder blades.

A purebred Pit Bull's height at the withers, once mature (from two years old), should be between forty-five and fifty-three centimeters in males and between forty-three and fifty centimeters in females.

Likewise, according to the breed standard that determines purity, the American Pit Bull Terrier's weight, once mature, should be between fifteen and twenty-seven kilos in males and between thirteen and twenty-two kilos in females.

The length of the front leg (measured from the tip of the elbow to the ground) is roughly equal to half the dog's height at the withers.

Head Characteristics of the Pit Bull

The shape of its skull, muzzle, the position of its ears and eyes, and even its teeth, will also tell us whether we have a purebred or mixed Pit Bull, since breed standards leave no room for error.

The Pit Bull's head should be wide and large, giving a powerful impression without being out of proportion with the body. Looking at the Pit Bull's head from the front, it should have a blunt wedge shape according to the United Kennel Club.

Looking at the head from the side, the muzzle and skull should be parallel to each other, marked by a deep, well-defined stop. The stop is the area where the muzzle meets the skull or forehead.

The Pit Bull's Ears

Looking at the skull from above, there should be considerable width between the ears. These should be set high and natural, medium-sized. Pointed, flattened, or very wide ears aren't accepted under the Pit Bull's purity standard.

The Pit Bull's Eyes

An authentic Pit Bull has round, well-separated eyes, set low on the skull. With well-defined brow ridges (the ridge above the eyebrows) visible at a glance. A Pit Bull's eyes should convey elegance, character, and strength. A purebred Pit Bull can have eyes of any color, except blue. Because of this, so-called Blue Pit Bulls, which sometimes have bluish eyes, aren't considered purebred.

The Pit Bull's Muzzle, Nose, and Teeth

A Pit Bull should have a wide, deep muzzle, with a slight drop from the eyes and a slight cone shape from the base of the skull (stop) to the nose. The muzzle length of a true Pit Bull should always be shorter than the length of its skull, roughly two-thirds of it. It should have firm, clean lips.

Excessively short or narrow muzzles aren't accepted. A Pit Bull's nose can be any color, always with wide, open nostrils. Its teeth should be evenly spaced, forming a scissor bite.

What Is an Authentic Pit Bull's Coat Like?

The United Kennel Club is quite strict about what a purebred American Pit Bull Terrier's coat should be like — it should be medium-short, straight, and moderately stiff to the touch. Naturally glossy.

Curly, wavy, or semi-long hair is never accepted, nor is fine hair, which can indicate a mixed Pit Bull. Every color and combination is accepted, except merle (the merle color shows patches with diluted pigment).

The Pit Bull's Body

A purebred American Pit Bull Terrier should have a deep, moderately wide chest, with well-defined ribs sloping back and arched from the spine.

The APBT's torso should have a slight downward slope from the withers to the tail. Its back should be wide, muscular, and strong. Its hindquarters should be strong and muscular, wide and matching the front. Viewed from behind, the rear pasterns should be straight and parallel.

The Pit Bull's Tail

A purebred Pit Bull should have a medium-sized tail extending from the base to the hock. Its tail should be aligned with the spine when moving, and should rise when excited or challenged. The thickness of the Pit Bull's tail should be medium, tapering toward the tip. The breed standard doesn't accept curly/curled tails, or ones of a different thickness or length than indicated.

How Do I Know If My Pit Bull Puppy Is Purebred?

Without a Pedigree certificate, it's very difficult to confirm 100% whether a puppy is purebred or not. That said, we can check some very common traits found in all Pit Bull puppies that will help us verify their purity, though without being able to guarantee it until they're adults.

• A Pit Bull puppy's ears are semi-erect, wide at the base, and triangular in shape, folded forward.
• A Pit Bull puppy's coat should always be short, though puppies may not have hair as coarse as adults, since they're born with a kind of "fuzz."
• Their skull and muzzle should be wide and large, showing the classic blunt wedge shape of an authentic Pit Bull Terrier.
• Their body should already show signs of power, though this will keep increasing as it develops.

As you can see, it's not too hard to tell if it's a purebred Pit Bull puppy, but you'll need to wait for it to fully develop to certify it.

What to Do If I Have Doubts About My Pit Bull's Purity?

You should be aware that there's only one authentic American Pit Bull Terrier, but there are also many types of Pit Bull dogs that are either different APBT breeding lines or crosses with other breeds that share Pit Bull genetics.

If you have doubts about your Pit Bull's purity, you can follow these steps:

• Contact your puppy's breeder to request the Pedigree certificate
• Take your dog to a vet checkup so they can evaluate the dog's traits and check its purity
• Contact an association that can verify its purity, like American Dog Breeders or the United Kennel Club (ukcdogs.com)

Our advice is not to obsess over your dog's purity — just enjoy life with it, since it won't be better or worse based on its purity, but rather based on its character, behavior, socialization, and ability to obey and work.