The APBT has been developed over hundreds of years to be a worker and is well suited to most any task requiring strength, agility and intelligence. A well-developed ABPT should be muscular in build with well-pronounced chest and legs. Their head is often described as brick-like but is actually more in the shape of a wedge. The muzzle may vary in length but a pit with a well-developed head will have a wide muzzle at maturity ending at a muscular jaw. The tail is often described to resemble a lever and ends in a tip. Although some pits have their tails cropped this is NOT recommended as it affects their balance. The ears of the pit are set rather high on the head and may be cropped or un-cropped depending on preference. When a pit shows interest or expresses joy in something its ears will often move toward each other revealing wrinkles in the forehead. Pits eyes are round or oval in shape and come in all colours including blue which is caused by the Merle gene. Merle genetics may also reveal itself in blotches on the coat and is typically manifested this way in reds and blues. The nose of the pit can be any natural colour but in most cases are black, red, blue or speckled. The APBT needs little grooming being a short-coated bread and suffers from few diseases. They are however prone to hip dysplasia, cataracts and some tumours.