American Bulldog vs American Pit Bull Terrier

An American Bulldog
Photo: Frikkii
An American Pit Bull Terrier
Photo: geoggirl

Side by side

American Bulldog
American Pit Bull Terrier
Adult weight
Males 34–45 kg (75–100 lb); females 27–36 kg (60–80 lb) (breed club figure)1
Males 16–27 kg (35–60 lb); females 14–23 kg (30–50 lb) (registry figure)2
Height
Males 55.9–68.6 cm; females 50.8–63.5 cm (registry figure)3
Males 45–53 cm; females 43–50 cm (registry figure)2
Lifespan
10–15 years4
12–13 years5
Fully grown
12 months, both sexes6
11 months, both sexes6
Group
Working (AKC)
Terrier (AKC)
Health
Dry eye (much more likely); Blood blister in the ear flap (more likely)7,8
No sourced figure
Class
Watchdog
Companion

Which suits you

Size
The American Bulldog is larger on average: about 36 kg (79 lb) as an adult, against 20 kg (44 lb) for the American Pit Bull Terrier.
Temperament
They differ most on activity (American Bulldog: a good daily walk and play; American Pit Bull Terrier: needs lots of exercise) and on loyalty (American Bulldog: sticks close to its people; American Pit Bull Terrier: bonded to its family).
Alike
Both are rated the same on affection: a lap or leaning dog.
Neither is the better dog in general. Which suits you depends on your home, your days and the care you can give.
Take the breed matcher

What they're like

American Bulldog
Working · Large

In temperament it is confident and loyal, friendly with its own people and naturally watchful, and often reserved with strangers.

American Pit Bull Terrier
Terrier · Medium

Breed standards describe a confident, eager and people-focused dog that is usually friendly with strangers, which makes it a poor guard dog.

The American Bulldog page →The American Pit Bull Terrier page →

Breed traits

Day to day
American Bulldog
American Pit Bull Terrier
Activity
Differs
A good daily walk and play
Needs lots of exercise
Intelligence
Learns readily, likes games
Learns readily, likes games
Handler demand
Needs an experienced owner
Needs an experienced owner
With people
American Bulldog
American Pit Bull Terrier
Affection
A lap or leaning dog
A lap or leaning dog
Loyalty
Differs
Sticks close to its people
Bonded to its family
Independence
Cooperative, with its own ideas
Cooperative, with its own ideas
Around the home
American Bulldog
American Pit Bull Terrier
Sensitivity
Differs
Hardy, takes a busy home in its stride
Average
Voice
Barks to alert, then settles
Barks to alert, then settles
Prey drive
Differs
Chases; needs managing
Likely to chase small pets
Breed explains only about 9% of how individual dogs differ in behaviour9. Meet the dog. A good breeder breeds for temperament as well as health, and matches each puppy's personality to the right home10,11.

Puppy growth

Reference curves · both sexes
The American Bulldog grows to the heavier adult, about 36 kg against the American Pit Bull Terrier's 20 kg.
American Bulldog
American Pit Bull Terrier
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More comparisons

Compare the American Bulldog with
American Pit Bull Terrier vs Staffordshire Bull TerrierAmerican Pit Bull Terrier vs American Staffordshire TerrierAmerican Bully vs American Pit Bull TerrierAmerican Pit Bull Terrier vs Bull TerrierAmerican Pit Bull Terrier vs German ShepherdAmerican Pit Bull Terrier vs BulldogAll breed comparisons →

Sources

Parts of this page were written by AI ·