{"id":2418,"date":"2022-01-25T22:56:23","date_gmt":"2022-01-25T22:56:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pitbulltribe.com\/?p=2418"},"modified":"2022-01-25T22:57:17","modified_gmt":"2022-01-25T22:57:17","slug":"why-american-pitbull-small","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pitbulltribe.com\/why-american-pitbull-small\/","title":{"rendered":"3 Reasons Why Your American Pitbull Is So Small"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

When getting an American Pitbull, a small dog is the last thing you think of getting. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After all, Pitbulls are supposed to be tough, athletic, incredibly strong, not small. Fortunately, there are plenty of explanations for why your American Pitbull is rather small, and some of them, although not all, have solutions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why is your american pitbull so small?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your American Pitbull could be small for various reasons, including issues related to malnutrition. However, the most common cause is that your dog is simply genetically small or a mixed breed. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the rest of this article, I\u2019ll go over malnutrition and how to correct it, the history of mixing within the Pitbull breed, and how that can lead to smaller than average dogs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Things To Know About Why Your Pitbull Is So Small<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

American Pitbulls are generally thought of as larger than average dogs. However, they don\u2019t always have to be. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If your dog was malnourished, had small parents, or is a mixed breed, then it may end up being smaller than average. Malnourishment can be corrected if caught early enough. But if your American Pitbull is genetically small, there\u2019s very little you can do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Your Dog Is\/Was Malnourished<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

One of the main causes of a small dog is malnourishment. Malnourishment can be caused by a lack of food, incorrect food, or parasites that prevent your dog from absorbing adequate nutrition. If the growth stage for your dog has already passed, there\u2019s little you can do to correct this. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you purchased or adopted your American Pitbull as a puppy and noticed that it seems undersized or like it\u2019s not growing quickly enough, the first thing you should do is take your puppy to the vet. The vet will examine your puppy, run some tests, and let you know what\u2019s going on. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The most common reason a puppy is undersized is malnutrition, typically from parasites. Parasites attack your dog\u2019s gastrointestinal system and can damage it to the point where it\u2019s unable to absorb adequate nutrients no matter how much your dog eats. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you take your dog to the vet, they can run tests to see if there are any parasites or other ailments present that could be causing the malnutrition. Then, if that\u2019s the issue, they\u2019ll be able to prescribe the appropriate medication to help your dog recover. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If your dog is in its first year of life, especially before six months of age<\/a>, there\u2019s a good chance that with high-quality food and plenty of it you\u2019ll be able to reduce most of the damage. Unfortunately, once you\u2019re past that point and your dog is done growing, there isn\u2019t much you can do to correct it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You may just have a small dog at that point. But don\u2019t worry. There are worse things in the world than a small dog. As long as your dog gets adequate nutrition as an adult, it should be perfectly healthy and happy, even if it\u2019s a little shorter than it would\u2019ve been. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Your American Pitbull Is Just Plain Small<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Sometimes in a litter of puppies, you\u2019ll have one puppy referred to as the runt. It simply means it\u2019s smaller or weaker than the other puppies, especially in larger litters. Various factors play into this, including one thing we can\u2019t control: genetics. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There can be a huge variation in the expressed genes, even among human families and siblings. One sibling can be well over 6 feet tall while the other can be below average; it all depends on which genes are transmitted from the parents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Taking that into account, think about a litter of puppies. Of course, there will be quite a bit of variation among the puppies in many ways. You can have brindle, black, brown, white, and spotted puppies in the same litter from the same parents; the same goes for size. Sometimes puppies are born small or big, and that\u2019s just the way they are\u2014it\u2019s in their genes. They may even be larger or smaller than their parents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If your puppy is simply genetically small, there\u2019s nothing you can do to change that. You can\u2019t change the DNA instructions that have been laid out telling your puppy how big to grow. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At least you can rest assured that there are no additional health risks with genetic smallness unless your puppy is suffering from dwarfism, which is an entirely different condition that has very little to do with just being small. If you\u2019re determined to have a large American Pitbull, you have two options: <\/p>\n\n\n\n