The Truth About AmStaff, APBT — and the Real Nanny Dog Legacy

  Why Sin City Pits Produces True American Pit Terriers, Refined as the American Terrier. At Sin City Pits, we don’t just breed dogs we refine a legacy. Our program blends verified APBT and AmStaff genetics to preserve the original Pit Bull’s structure, temperament, and athletic, muscular build. That refinement is what we now call the American Terrier, a name that honors the past while setting a stronger, more consistent standard for the future.

Read this full blog fully backed by legitimate facts, verified breed history, and real DNA data you can research for yourself. The truth is out there, and we don’t just stand behind it, we prove it for your knowledge, not just ours.

🔗 Same Dog, Different Papers — Let’s Set the Record Straight

We’ve seen countless owners confused by DNA breed type results like:

• 83% American Staffordshire Terrier, 11% American Pit Bull Terrier

They assume it means their dog is mixed or not a real Pit Bull.

But in reality, it means their dog is more Pit Bull than most people realize.

American Pit Bull Terriers and American Staffordshire Terriers are the same breed by blood they are just split by registry, not by genetics.

🧬 Shared Origins: The Bull and Terrier

Both the APBT and AmStaff trace back to the Bull and Terrier dogs of the 1800s which were created by crossing:

Old English Bulldogs (for strength, tenacity, and loyalty)

Terriers (for agility, protection, and focus)

These Bull & Terrier dogs were brought to the U.S. and then split into two directions:

🟥 American Pit Bull Terrier — bred for performance and working structure, recognized by the UKC in 1898

🟦 American Staffordshire Terrier — bred for show purposes, renamed for AKC acceptance in 1936 (AKC source)

📜 Same foundation. Different registration paths.

Both are terrier breeds with the same origin, traits, and genetics. They were only split by kennel club registries not by their genetics.

The UKC recognized the American Pit Bull Terrier in 1898, honoring its working dog background.
The American Staffordshire Terrier, which frequently appears on DNA test results, is the same terrier bloodline renamed and accepted by the AKC in the 1930s for conformation show purposes.

The conclusion is simple: Yes, both descend from the same Bull and Terrier bloodline backed by history and DNA.

📊 DNA Breed Testing — What Most Don’t Understand

Popular consumer tests like Embark and Wisdom Panel often confuse APBT and AmStaff because:

• Their genetic markers are nearly identical
• Breed percentages are based on registry history, not real genotype variation
• Their databases group APBT/AmStaff ancestry as overlapping “Pit Bull type” DNA

So if your dog shows 94%+ combined between AmStaff and APBT  you own a true Pit Bull.

What about those 1–5% traces of Bulldog, Mastiff? That’s called genetic noise, it holds no real influence over your dog’s identity or production value.

This is exactly why Wisdom Panel is recommended over Embark when analyzing real breeds like Pit Bull type dogs as it breaks down terrier ancestry more clearly and accurately. Instead of vague or misleading breed labels like “100% American Bully, Wisdom Panel identifies true, registrable breeds with verified percentages.

That distinction matters. Dogs with legitimate American Pit Bull Terrier and American Staffordshire Terrier ancestry will appear as such because they come from structured, traceable bloodlines, not mix bred, paper hung hyped lines.

It’s the difference between facts and fabrication and one more reason why understanding DNA testing tools is essential for both breeders and dog owners who are committed to preserving real lineage through proper breeding ethics.

🧬 Not All “DNA” Is Created Equal

There are two types of DNA testing in the dog world and they are not the same:

1️⃣ DNA Breed Type Testing

(Used by Embark, Wisdom Panel, etc.)

These tests compare your dog to a breed database and estimate breed makeup. But they:

Struggle to separate closely related breeds like AmStaff vs. APBT — which are historically the same breed

Often group Pit-type dogs into vague categories like “Supermutt” or “American Bully” — terms that often reflect mixed or unclear ancestry rather than true lineages

Are made for curiosity, not breeding or lineage accuracy

2️⃣ DNA Genotyping (Breeder Grade Testing) by UC Davis

At Sin City Pits, we use breeder grade DNA genotyping the true tool that gives us:

     ✅ Verified bloodline traits

     ✅ Genetic disease markers

     ✅ Inbreeding percentages

     ✅ Heritable trait mapping across generations

So when we say we produce true Pit Bulls we mean it. We've genotyped multiple dogs, tracked multiple bloodline productions, and built a program off provable, testable genetics, not assumptions.

🧬 Wisdom Panel vs. Embark — Which Is Better?

Both have value, but they serve different purposes:

🧬 Embark = great for health testing, coat color, and inbreeding data

🧬 Wisdom Panel = great for health testing, best for accurate breed breakdowns

📢 Our recommendation:

     ✅ Use Wisdom Panel for verifying ancestry and breed breakdowns, especially with closely related Terrier breeds like APBT and AmStaff
     ✅ Use Embark for genetic health screening and coat color or trait mappingBut here’s the truth: no consumer DNA test tells the full story.

That’s why Sin City Pits uses genotyping and multi-generational data to protect and preserve the legacy we produce, something most breeders in the past never did.

We’ve profiled multiple dogs across generations, verified our structure and DNA lineage, and proven consistency through production not guesswork. And today, were seeing more serious breeders following that lead.

We didn’t just raise the bar,  we set the example.
Not for us,  but for the dogs and breed.

👶 The Nanny Dog: A Forgotten Legacy

Before bad breeding and media hype reshaped public opinion, these dogs were once proudly called “Nanny Dogs” as you may have heard known for:

🧠 Loyalty and bond with children

❤️ Stable, affectionate, family-centered temperament

🐾 Appearances in wartime posters, homes, and history books

🏆 Show level structure and balance dogs built to perform and be seen

The APBT and Staffordshire Bull Terrier were both known by this name. That Nanny Dog temperament still lives on today, it’s exactly what we breed for, and have proven through our productions at Sin City Pits.

🔥 What Sin City Pits Produces: Real American Pit Terriers

At  Sin City Pits, we breed for legacy, not likes.
     ✅ Genotyped Pit Bull type dogs (87–97% combined APBT/AmStaff) — as pure as it gets, backed by legitimate data.
     ✅ DNA-verified through health and trait testing
     ✅ No Bully, Mastiff, or Corso stacking ever
     ✅ Functional, stable, and structurally correct
     ✅ Direct descendants of the original Bull and Terrier line

The American Terrier is a line that was once commonly referred to as XL Pitbulls, but what we’ve done is take that loose label and brought real structure, purpose, and consistency to it. This wasn’t a trend or a shortcut, it was a long term investment in selective breeding, using verified genetics and a vision for refinement. Through multiple generations of disciplined pairing and DNA verification, we’ve produced something far more than a nickname.

Our dogs are built from true terrier foundations: American Pit Bull Terrier (APBT) and American Staffordshire Terrier (AmStaff), two breeds that share the same bloodline dating back nearly 150 years. No Bully mixes have ever been part of our program. That’s why every litter gets more consistent in structure, in health, and in identity. What once was an undefined category has evolved into a clearly recognizable breed, one that other breeders now look to as a gold standard and are doing as well.

The American Terrier isn’t hype. It’s real blood, real work, and real discipline.

That’s why we call our dogs American Terriers, not because we created something new, wanna be different, or chase hype, but because we’ve properly refined the  XL Pitbulls into something consistent, verifiable, and elite. It’s a proper name for a properly bred version of the APBT. No fluff. No lies. Just legacy, the original bloodline. Refined with purpose. Protected by proof.

See our available pups or learn more about our process.

🧠 Final Thoughts

• If your DNA breed types say AmStaff and APBT, your dog is still a Pit.
  
• If your DNA breed type test shows 94% combined APBT and AmStaff — with a few minor trace breeds — your dog is still a true Pit Bull by genetics.
• If your dog comes from verifiable DNA and tested production — it’s the real deal.
• And if it came from Sin City Pits — it’s registered as an APBT, which is the same thing as the American Terrier.

💯 Built off proven, searchable facts — not fluff.
Open your eyes. Do the research. See the truth for yourself.

Built off proven, searchable facts 📚 Sources:

UKC – American Pit Bull Terrier History

AKC – American Staffordshire Terrier

Embark – Genetic Testing Guide

Wisdom Panel – Breed Breakdown Reference

National Canine Research Council – “Nanny Dog” Myth Explained