American Pit Bull Terrier vs Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier

An American Pit Bull Terrier
Photo: geoggirl
A Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier
Photo: SusanSmithGSU

Side by side

American Pit Bull Terrier
Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier
Adult weight
Males 16–27 kg (35–60 lb); females 14–23 kg (30–50 lb) (registry figure)1
Males 16–18 kg (35–40 lb); females 14–16 kg (30–35 lb) (breed club figure)2
Height
Males 45–53 cm; females 43–50 cm (registry figure)1
No sourced figure
Lifespan
12–13 years3
Median 13.7 years4
Fully grown
11 months, both sexes5
Group
Terrier (AKC)
Terriers6
Coat
No sourced figure
Wavy coat6
Shedding
No sourced figure
Sheds through the year
Grooming
No sourced figure
Brushing a few times a week
Exercise
No sourced figure
A moderate amount
Health
No sourced figure
Blood-vessel cancer of the spleen (much more likely)7
Class
Companion
Family

Which suits you

Size
The American Pit Bull Terrier is a little larger on average: about 20 kg (44 lb) as an adult, against 16 kg (35 lb) for the Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier.
Temperament
They differ most on activity (American Pit Bull Terrier: needs lots of exercise; Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier: a good daily walk and play) and on handler demand (American Pit Bull Terrier: needs an experienced owner; Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier: needs steady training).
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.

Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier
Terriers · Medium

In temperament the breed is friendly, cheerful and closely attached to its family. It is generally less combative than many terriers but keeps the terrier's quick energy and urge to chase.

The American Pit Bull Terrier page →The Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier page →

Breed traits

Day to day
American Pit Bull Terrier
Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier
Activity
Differs
Needs lots of exercise
A good daily walk and play
Intelligence
Learns readily, likes games
Learns readily, likes games
Handler demand
Differs
Needs an experienced owner
Needs steady training
With people
American Pit Bull Terrier
Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier
Affection
A lap or leaning dog
A lap or leaning dog
Loyalty
Bonded to its family
Bonded to its family
Independence
Cooperative, with its own ideas
Cooperative, with its own ideas
Around the home
American Pit Bull Terrier
Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier
Sensitivity
Average
Average
Voice
Barks to alert, then settles
Barks to alert, then settles
Prey drive
Differs
Likely to chase small pets
Chases; needs managing
Breed explains only about 9% of how individual dogs differ in behaviour8. Meet the dog. A good breeder breeds for temperament as well as health, and matches each puppy's personality to the right home9,10.

Puppy growth

Reference curves · both sexes
The American Pit Bull Terrier grows to the heavier adult, about 20 kg against the Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier's 16 kg.
American Pit Bull Terrier
Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier
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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 TerrierAmerican Bully vs American Pit Bull TerrierAmerican Pit Bull Terrier vs Bull TerrierSoft Coated Wheaten Terrier vs Standard SchnauzerAmerican Pit Bull Terrier vs German ShepherdAll breed comparisons →

Sources

Parts of this page were written by AI ·