Separation of Type...Pit Dogs and Stock Dogs

These pups are littermates. The separation of type seen here is astonishing.

The pit dogs are bred for one thing...to prove the illusive trait of gameness. Stock dogs have been bred as two types for as long as any can remember. In the south, they are the Brindle Bulldog and the WEB, which have been traditionally considered and kept as separate breed types. We at the WEBPS firmly believe these two types are of Spanish origins through early imports, (1500's - 1700's). These types are the presa and ayuda. In this photo we see these two types. The obvious difference is the coat color, however, the important thing is the head types.

This is an example of genetic throwbacks, showing that all breeds are an almalgamation of breeds. These pups are in fact Pit dogs, Colby dogs from the 70's.

It is obvious that the Colby line shows strong alaunt traits. Whether this old alaunt type came through genetic throwbacks to the predecessors of the early Pit stock he imported, or whether it came from infusions of alaunt types in the southern US, Cuba, and Mexico, we may never know. These alaunt types are the presa and ayuda. In the southeast, they are the WEB and the BB. These two types are found all over Spain's 'New World'. These two types are seen in the photo of the two pups above. Despite these two types being of the Stock dog phenotype, their geneotype is a very pure Pit stock.

The history of the Colby dogs is intertwined with England's historical accounts of bulldogs, being rather one sided, as most histories are. The fact is, there was no such English word for 'bulldog' until first used in Ben Johnsons play 'The Silent Woman' in 1609, and most historians say 1631, when an Englishmen in Spain wrote home for supplies and a good mastiff dogge and two good bulldogges. In Spain, bull fighting had long been popular, and since England was under Phillip II, King of Spain, who married the Queen of England, bull fighting became popular in England. Meanwhile, in la Florida, Spain started to conquer in 1513, using Alanos, and from 1556 - 1649, Spain imported alaunts of England to Spain, Minorca, and Cuba for the arenas. In Spains historical accounts, they exported a number of Spanish type bulldogs to England, including alanos and perro de torros.

It is possible, through game testing, (a test developed for the new Pit stock), for any line to revert back to mainly alaunt / alano type, for the most part. While JP may have imported all his stock from England, Ireland and Wales, he assumed England was the original source for the wordls fighting dogs, and that these imports contained no outside blood. Other breeders, like Richard Stratton, who stated, "in any case, it is clear that dogs of this breed came from various parts of Europe, specifically Spain and Sicily", see things differently. Even in the history of the US, after the Civil War, control of our nations school history texts are of the north, with little info on southern history. People like JDJ and John Blackwell, like most everyone else, just assumed all the bulldogs in the south came from England, since this is what these history texts tell us. Heres an example of how one sided these histories are. "No country in the world can claim dogs that excel in courage and grit like the United Kingdom; indeed, many of the worlds fighting typ dogs, such as the Presa Canario, Cane Corso, Dogo Argentino, Dogue De Bordeaux, and Tosa, owe what valor they have to the blood of the British fighting dogs that sailed the world over with their Empire - building masters." Colby Book

There is no disrepect inteded towards the Colbys, as their line is quite impressive and probably the best documented line and breed of any. Most of todays fighting dog breed histories that are written in English, are still nearly this one sided. The reality is, the alaunt or mastiff, as a gladiator dog in 550 BC, was meek with bulls but a fighter of tigers long before these dogs entered into Europe. This is the quality we look for in the WEB and the quality Colby described in his best dogs. We can surmise from this that it was in fact not the new English stock that influenced the worlds fighting stock, rather, it was the alaunt / mastiff of Central Asia, (where it originated), that influenced the worlds fighting stock, including England.

“History is written by those who make the wake, not by those who ride on it, nor by those who watch safely from the shore.“ Basically, history is written by those in power, regardless of it's accuracy. Since England was ultimately the conquering empire of the US, we speak, read and write English, therefore, history as we know it and as has been taught by those who have conquered, is one sided, told to suit those in power.

"It is interesting to note that the Bulldog was often referred to as a type of hound in early writings. He also was occasionally referred to as a Mastiff or Alaunt, so it is quite likely that those terms at one time all referred to basically the same fighting strain that varied in size and conformation somewhat throughout the world." RICHARD F STRATTON

Before the word Bulldog entered the English language, the word Mastiff was introduced from the Normans of France in 1066. In fact, the ever popular text " The Master of the Game," written in England describing Mastiffs and Alaunts in 1406 was practically copied word for word from the French text written by Gaston Phebus in 1387.

"Every partisan would like to claim the greatist antiquity for his particular sort of Mastiff as well as to say that all other sorts sprang from it."AKC

"One of the most famous breeders of fighting Bulldogs was Ben White...What is important about Ben White's kennels is that after he moved his business to May Tree Cottage, Kensal Rise, he passed away and his business was purchased by Mr William George (1805-1991), who renamed the kennels "Canine Castle" and set about breeding the best Bulldogs and Mastiffs money could buy.William George was also one of the people who introduced the Spanish Bulldog or "Perros de Torros" to England. In 1840 he imported a dog from Spain that he named "Big Headed Billy," a brindle pied dog of some 90 pounds..." THE STORY OF THE REAL BULLDOG

First one should realize the bull-baiting dog and the fighting Bulldog are completly different blood sports. The Bulldogs of England were already well infused with Spanish Bulldogs before comming to Newbury Port. An outcross to WEB/BB would not be needed to show throwbacks to these breed types. Even more so, which of these breed types shown in the Colby line are correct for APBTs? The fact is, all are correct, as the test is of gameness and this defines the breed.

A bright young man visists my yard that was tutored by Don Mayfeild himself. I explained to him that the genetic background behind game bred APBTs is the best info for breeding all breeds of dogs. He said, "But the Pit Bull is nothing more than a mix of breeds." (Don Mayfeild had taught him well) I informed him, "All breeds are a mixture of breeds."

JP Colby claims the American Bulldog was created from inbreeding the Colby stock. JD Johnson claims the American Bulldog is the original Bulldog from which the APBT decends from. Both are dead wrong IMO.

I also question this statement by Louis Colby from his book; "No country in the world can claim dogs that excel in courage and grit like the United Kingdom; indeed, many of the worlds fighting typ dogs, such as the Presa Canario, Cane Corso, Dogo Argentino, Dogue De Bordeaux, and Tosa, owe what valor they have to the blood of the British fighting dogs that sailed the world over with their Empire - building masters." Colby Book

This statement is amazing to me. No disrespect meant but how arrogant and uniformed. England was the last place conquered and settled by Rome. Rome never did conquer Ireland. When ROme invaded England, (44 AD), the 'English' were still a tribal people, far from being an Empire. Spain and France, (Gaul), had long been part of the Roman Empire. The Roman Empire spread east and west from Rome, reaching England lastly. The 'famed pugnaces' of England met by Romans were in fact Celtic dogs brought by the Celts from their homeland near the Danube River. The western border of the Alani peoples was the Danube River. We believe the Celtic war dogs developed independantly of the alaunt but that the alaunt was infused into them and visa versa. Either way, the Celtic war dog served the same purpose as the alaunt, as a war dog and guardian of the home. The Celts were an oral society, not a written one so very little information about their history and way of life remains, being written by the English, as the English did conqeur, war with and rule the Scottish and Irish, (where the Celtic 'diehards' lived), for hundreds of years.

The French, as an Empire, invaded England in 1066 AD and introduced the term 'Mastiff' to England in reference to their OWN war dogs, direct descendents of those war dogs brought by the Alani people into France and Spain in 406 AD.

The term 'bulldog' was introduced to England by Spain in reference to their perro de torro or dog of the bull in the 17th century. These too were descendants of the Alani war dogs brought by the Alani into Spain in 406 AD.

His statement that conquerers were aided by English fighting dogs baffles me. Empires, long before England was really even a civilized nation, were conquering with their own dogs of war. Spain conquered Cuba and la Florida with Alanos, Mastins, and Lebrels, all Spanish dogs, nearly 150 years before the English arrival in America, which is named for an Italian. These same dogs aided the Spanish in the conquest of Mexico, Central and SOuth America. At this time in history, even into colonial times, Spain and Portugal were the Empires with the largest holdings. The majority of England's holdings during colonial times was in Canada, with a tiny strip of land along Americas eastern shore...the 13 colonies, of which Georgia was the last and a former Spanish territory.

The English fighting dogs that were of true English origin were in fact the Pit Bulldog as developed after the outlawing of bull baiting in 1835, when people began breeding the 'bulldog', (once bred for pinning a bull not fighting it), for fighting other dogs and breeding them smaller and smaller for one purpose. This is the English fighting dog, not the Celtic fighting dogs encountered by the Romans in 55 AD, not the Roman fighting dogs brought by the Romans in 55 AD, not the French fighting dogs brought by the French in 1066, and not the Spanish fighting dogs imported into England during Phillip II, (a Spanish King), reign during the late 16th and early 17th century. What places were conquered with the English bred Pit dog by anyone's side? When the English came here, they brought 2 Mastiff's, which as actual history tells, were first brought into England by the French in 1066 who obtained them directly from the Alani.

Now of course NONE of these dogs remained in any nation in any pure form, (Even in England, and despite their many breeds 'long pure heritage'), as breed purity is a modern concpept; rather it was the genotype that remained the same, just as the genotype of these Colby dogs pictured here is so pure yet with the phenotype varying within a litter.

To continue with COlby's statement...The Presa Canario was developed on the Canaries by crossing the native Canary Farm dog, the Bardino Majero, the Spanish dogs of war, (Alano, Mastin and Lebrel), as well as the English Mastiff. The English Mastiff / Alaunt of that time was a much lighter bodied functional dog of alaunt type, the same type as the Spanish dogs of war, and also used as war dogs and guardians of the home. These were the same English Mastiffs / Alaunts brought to Florida by the Spanish from 1556-1649 during Philip II, (King of Spain who married Marie Tudor, Queen of England) reign, when he was importing English stock into Spain, Majorca, and Cuba.

The Cane Corso was developed in Italy during the Great Italian Wars from 1494 - 1559, (which coincides with Spain's American conquest), when the native Siciliano Branchiero was nearly descimated during these wars; and was crossed with Spanish Alano belonging to occupied Spanish forces in Italy, as well as French alaunt stock belonging to French occupying forces in northern Italy, to produce the Cane Corso. Despite regional differences, these alaunts were all of true alaunt type...the genotype was the same; the same as the alaunt of 550 BC that was meek with cattle but fought tigers. The perfect basis for a defender of livestock and home and a superb war dog. This is why the alaunt was the choice dog for these functions all over Europe.

The Dogo Argentino was never developed as a fighting dog, rather a hunter of big cats. It was developed using a number of breeds for the hunt. I believe he intended to reference the Cordoba Fighting Dog instead.

The Dogue De Bordeaux of old was as well an alaunt type dog and was actually first introduced into England by the French in 1066 and infused into English stock. Any English infusion into the Dogue De Bordeaux would have been a reinfusion back into the French stock.

I'll end by reiterating this...

"Every partisan would like to claim the greatist antiquity for his particular sort of Mastiff as well as to say that all other sorts sprang from it." AKC