American Pit Bull Terrier vs Bulldog

An American Pit Bull Terrier
Photo: geoggirl
A Bulldog
Photo: Pleple2000

Side by side

American Pit Bull Terrier
Bulldog
Adult weight
Males 16–27 kg (35–60 lb); females 14–23 kg (30–50 lb) (registry figure)1
Males 23–32.2 kg (51–71 lb); females 20.2–28.4 kg (45–63 lb) (measured in UK vet records, n = 1,621, mean ±1 SD)2
Height
Males 45–53 cm; females 43–50 cm (registry figure)1
Males 35.6–38.1 cm; females 35.6–38.1 cm (breed club figure)3
Lifespan
12–13 years4
Median 9.8 years5
Fully grown
11 months, both sexes6
Group
Terrier (AKC)
Pinschers & molossoids7
Coat
No sourced figure
Short coat7
Shedding
No sourced figure
Sheds through the year
Grooming
No sourced figure
A brush once a week
Exercise
No sourced figure
A moderate amount
Health
No sourced figure
Breathing obstruction from a short muzzle (far more likely); Cherry eye (far more likely)8,9
Class
Companion
Companion

Which suits you

Size
The Bulldog is larger on average: about 26 kg (57 lb) as an adult, against 20 kg (44 lb) for the American Pit Bull Terrier.
Temperament
They differ most on activity (American Pit Bull Terrier: needs lots of exercise; Bulldog: happy with modest walks) and on handler demand (American Pit Bull Terrier: needs an experienced owner; Bulldog: suits a first-time owner).
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 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.

Bulldog
Pinschers & molossoids · Medium

In temperament the modern Bulldog is calm, affectionate and good-natured, steady rather than lively, though often determined and somewhat stubborn.

The American Pit Bull Terrier page →The Bulldog page →

Breed traits

Day to day
American Pit Bull Terrier
Bulldog
Activity
Differs
Needs lots of exercise
Happy with modest walks
Intelligence
Differs
Learns readily, likes games
Easy-going, simple routines
Handler demand
Differs
Needs an experienced owner
Suits a first-time owner
With people
American Pit Bull Terrier
Bulldog
Affection
A lap or leaning dog
A lap or leaning dog
Loyalty
Differs
Bonded to its family
Friendly with everyone
Independence
Differs
Cooperative, with its own ideas
Decides for itself
Around the home
American Pit Bull Terrier
Bulldog
Sensitivity
Differs
Average
Hardy, takes a busy home in its stride
Voice
Differs
Barks to alert, then settles
Quiet
Prey drive
Differs
Likely to chase small pets
Usually fine with small pets
Breed explains only about 9% of how individual dogs differ in behaviour10. Meet the dog. A good breeder breeds for temperament as well as health, and matches each puppy's personality to the right home11,12.

Puppy growth

Reference curves · both sexes
The Bulldog grows to the heavier adult, about 26 kg against the American Pit Bull Terrier's 20 kg.
American Pit Bull Terrier
Bulldog
0102030402m4m6m9m12m18m
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More comparisons

Compare the American Pit Bull Terrier with
American Pit Bull Terrier vs Staffordshire Bull TerrierAmerican Pit Bull Terrier vs American Staffordshire TerrierBulldog vs French BulldogAmerican Bully vs American Pit Bull TerrierAmerican Pit Bull Terrier vs Bull TerrierAmerican Pit Bull Terrier vs German ShepherdAll breed comparisons →

Sources

Parts of this page were written by AI ·