Pitweiler

The Pitweiler is a designer dog, an intentional crossbreed between two extremely muscular and determined molosser type dogs, the American Pit Bull Terrier and the Rottweiler. The “Pit” in Pitweiler refers to the American Pit Bull Terrier, a dog breed recognized by United Kennel Club in England, but not yet by the American Kennel Club. The American Kennel Club does recognize the American Staffordshire Terrier, however, and some canines are dually registered as American Pit Bulls in England, but as American Staffordshires in the United States. Although these breeds are practically identical, the American Pit Bull Terrier has greater variation in size and color than the American Staffordshire. The prevailing theory regarding the origination of the Pit Bull is that bulldogs were bred to terriers in the 1800s to make them smaller and more agile for pit fighting. Selective breeding since the late 1800’s has significantly changed the shape of the English Bulldog, encouraging stockier, short-faced dogs with low to the ground bodies, and some experts posit that the Pit Bull Terrier is, for the most part, a smaller delineation of the 1800’s Bulldogs, used to bait, guard, and control bulls, with very little contribution from terrier type dogs. The Rottweiler was developed in the town of Rottweil in Germany from large Roman dogs known as Drover dogs, which were employed to drive cattle for butchers and cattlemen alike as early as 700 AD. The need for cattle driving declined in the mid-1800s as cattle could now be transported by train, and the population of Rottweilers declined drastically. The 1900s saw a resurgence in their popularity as they began to be regarded as  high-quality security, police, or military dogs, as well as personal guard dogs.