The American Pit Bull Terrier of olden times was bred to excel in the dog fighting arena. Today, dog fighting, though illegal in the United States, is still very prevalent in our society although inroads have been made into the complete discontinuation of the sport. Still, there are a couple of things to remember in regards to gameness and temperament. Gameness simply means to stay steadfast in the face of defeat. How does that translate in regards to temperament? It basically is a dog that will give everything it has in any venue. In the past, that was the box (fighting ring), today, that is in any performance venue the American Pit Bull Terrier owner wishes to pursue,like weightpull, police work, tracking, search and rescue, Dock Dogs competitions, etc.

Thinking about gameness in relation to temperament is an interesting task. The APBT was bred to be highly pain tolerant, game, athletic, NON-people aggressive, strongly prey driven, and, yet, dog aggressive also. Do NOT confuse dog aggression with people aggression. Many dogs will happily attack or kill another dog or small animals, and be excellent with people. Dogs, and, especially terriers of any persuasion, have the tendency to be less than friendly to other dogs. Dog as small as the Border Terrier have killed fellow house mates! Again, dog aggression and people aggression are not related.

Now, for something to think about! People always have this mistaken belief that game-bred dogs and dogs used for dog fighting are the ones that attack people. This is not correct! Game bred dogs are called such because their ancestors were used for fighting and were specifically bred for gameness. Their inherent and native gameness can be a detriment due to the stubborn persistence with which they continue their attack once started, however, game breeders over the years used selective breeding to cull the dogs with any sort of people aggression.

Would you want to get into a pit with a dog that could cause extreme damage and try to separate it in the midst of a battle if it had the slightest bit of human aggression? Well, neither did they, and dogs that were people aggressive were culled!

One last thing for you to consider is the nature of gameness in
relation to the dog fighting ring. Many times the news media proclaims that the loser of the fight was the dog that was killed. In reality, that is not the case. Gameness is prized above all other things, that it why the dog is called a "game bred" dog. Think about it this way, when watching a boxing match or mixed martial arts, there is always a winner and a loser. But, whether winner or loser, the most respect is given to the one that will continue to fight, without giving up, no matter what. Even when losing, there is a never surrender attitude that is exhibited. This is the essence of gameness and the thing that old time breeders prized. The dog that would not give up, especially
if it was losing, that was the dog that they wanted to keep and breed, because of the tenacity and determination that the dog showed.

Happily, the American Pit Bull Terrier of today can be used in a
variety of venues and arenas where the particular skills and traits that made it so deadly in the pit of yesteryear, make it a great companion and athlete today. Gameness and temperament are related in the APBT, much more so than any other breed, although it is often given a negative slant by the news media. Although some people do still use this breed for its original purpose, many more people are now breeding for different skills. All of this notwithstanding, the temperament of this breed can and should remain the same!