I'm not quite so familiar with a Scott Type or Johnson Type APBT breed. But I never quite looked into lineage as I'm more interested in adopting a rescue pit.
They are ABs sorry for the confusion. I was using that as a comparison. They are different types but still considered the same breed. The same is true of the AST and APBT. Of course in either case if people so wished they could chose to split them and breed them as completely different breeds. The UKC still considers AST to be APBT and registers them as such. They can be bred together, just as both types of ABs are bred together. Those ABs are called hybrid types but it is more to describe that that the types/lines have been crossed rather then they are actually a cross breed of dog.
I briefly contemplated getting a puppy because again some sources say one should start with a puppy to make sure the dog is more loyal to you and its thus more trainable. I don't quite agree with that brand of wisdom, frankly. If I do adopt a pit in the next few years it'll be a rescue that gets along well with my Malinois.
No that isn't true at all. My older dogs are no more a pain then puppies I've got, it is all just depending on the dog and not so much the age they were when I got them. Besides I don't think it would make the dog more loyal to you. Sometimes they do bond very close to their family and wouldn't be happy away from them. Most adjust just fine though without any issue.
I've heard both that pits are very easy to train and that they're very difficult to train. I would imagine the former would be more true, because you'd want a controllable dog, especially one with that amount of physical strength. This is again logic based thinking. Strong dog = desire for controllability. An uncontrollable dog with that amount of brute power could really ruin the day of his handler.
They are very easy to train. Willingness to learn and please make for a dog that easily trains and obeys. Another reason why I don't see getting an older dog as bad. I've trained older dogs in a very short time, they learned quick and do as I say. Even within a couple of days already behaving different and continued on that same path. Within weeks you could have a different dog. It doesn't mean it will always be easy or that a dog you rescue won't have a specific issue that requires more time to work on. I think that if a child can train and control a Pit Bull it isn't terribly difficult, which is why I wonder how come so many people have dogs that go so terribly wrong. Most seems like they are just plain irresponsible to begin with.
A dogs strength or absence there of does not dictate how easy or difficult they are to train. How easy/difficult a dog is to train can be based on a few factors including how quickly they learn, biddability, ability to focus, how independence level.
If I have a 130lbs muscular, strong dog that learns what I want very fast and bends at my every whim they are not hard to train nor to control. (of which are 2 related but separate parts training and actually controlling) If I have a 20lbs dog, that is independent, stubborn and does not readily do as I wish they are not as easy to control nor are they so easy to get the end product of training. Especially if it may take more repetitions for them to even understand what it is that I want, though in some cases they might understand what I want they just don't care to do it.
How easy/difficult a dog is to train or control is not based on strength nor size.
Some say I should not have my dogs, because I am a small woman. Yet my dogs are not causing issues and I've known men who were not small at all fail to control their Pits or larger dogs. Not only through training/lack there of but even physically controlling the dog. As some say no matter how well trained the dog it is still an animal that can go against your wishes. True but then I know how to stop my dogs, I can as well physically control them. Where some big men fail at even doing that, though they have more physically strength then I. In the end does little good for them.
I'm sure volunteering at a Pit rescue at my next duty station where I'll probably have extended time in garrison would be helpful for increasing my knowledge of the breed.
That is great to hear. I bet you will enjoy it.
I've heard the term Pitbull can refer to the American Pitbull Terrier and American Staffordshire Terriers predominantly, but in legal terms can refer to such diverse breeds as the Boerbel, Dogo Argentino and Cane Corso among others. (This I know because a buddy of mine had to find housing off post at FT Riley because he had a Cane Corso and it was deemed a 'pitbull' by housing authority.) Thankfully my friend had enough money to get his own place out off post and was planning to do so anyway, but the post's BSL hastened his decision.
The issue is that while Pit Bull is applied to specific breeds a lot of breeds are similar physically to a Pit, at least somewhat. Some BSL names breeds and mixes of those but also states any breed that has the appearance of a Pit shall be deemed one in the opinion of the authoritative body. So a Lab could be mistaken for a Pit, if they think it looks like a Pit, then it is a Pit in their opinion.
There have actually been Lab, Boxer mix, American Bulldog all mistaken as a Pits under these laws and the owners have had to fight to prove their dogs are not Pits just because they have sturdy build, short coat and are muscular, ect.
Most often BSL does not actually consider those breeds Pit Bulls (Corso, Malinois, ect are usually names separately in BSL if other breeds is what it is truly meaning to ban). When they state any dog that fits the
physical description of a Pit is one it can incorporate many breeds. This is very dangerous, in UK where APBTs are banned but SBTs are not, many SBT have still been taken as "illegal pit bulls" since they are closely related they can look a lot alike.