American Bulldog Standard
Bulldog
A.B. Breed standard
The American Bulldog originated as a catchdog (mostly cattle) and property protection dog, in America's Southeast. He was not bred to put on threat displays or to look a certain way. But, he did need the right equipment to take care of his real bulldog duties which were confrontational personal and property protection and as a catch dog. He needed to be strong enough to put unruly bulls on the ground and athletic enough to catch hogs that were allowed to free range in a semiwild state.
General Appearance The American Bulldog should generate the impression of great strength, agility, endurance and exhibit a wellknit, sturdy, compact frame with the absence of excessive bulk. Males are characteristically larger, heavier boned and more masculine than the bitches. The AS is a white or white and patched (brindle or red) dog. When patched he can range from the traditional pied markings of a patch over one or both eyes or ears, or a patch on the base of the tail, to a large saddle patch and various other patches. For judging purposes, distinctions between an ideal "Scotttype" and an ideal "Johnsontype" are defined in brackets and in bold. Size General Males 23 to 27 inches at the withers and weigh from 75 to 120 Ibs. Females 21 to 25 inches at the withers, 60 to 90 Ibs. The weight should be proportional to size. [Scotttype: an ideal males should be 23 to 27 inches at the withers and weigh from 75 to 110 Ibs., females, 21 to 25 inches, 60 to 85 Ibs. The weight should be proportional to size.] [Johnsontype: an ideal male should be 22 to 26 inches at the withers and weigh from 80 to 120 Ibs. Females 20 to 24 inches, 60 to 90lbs.l
Head
Medium in length and broad across skull with pronounced muscular cheeks.
Eyes
Medium in size. Any color. The hew should not be visible. Black eye rims preferred on white dogs. Pink eye rims to be considered a cosmetic fault.
Muzzle
Medium length (2 to 4 in.), square and broad with a strong underjaw. Lips should be full but not pendulous. 42 to 44 teeth. [Scotttype: tight undershot (reverse scissors) preferred. Scissors and even bites are considered a cosmetic fault. Structural faults are a muzzle under 2 inches or longer than 4 inches, pendulous lips, less than 42 teeth, more than 1/4 inch undershot, small teeth or uneven incisors.] [Johnsontype: definite undershot, 1/8 to 1/4 inch preferred. Scissors or even bite is a disqualification. Structural faults are a muzzle under 2 inches or over 4 inches.]
Nose
Color is black or grizzle. On black nosed dogs the lips should be black with some pink allowed. A pink nose to be considered a cosmetic fault.
Ears
Cropped or uncropped. Uncropped preferred.
Neck
Muscular, medium in length, slightly arched, tapering from shoulders to head, with a slight dewlap allowed.
Point Breakdown for Judging
Overall: proportion 10 points
temperament 10 points
total of 20 points
Head: size and shape 10 point
muzzle 5 points
teeth 5 points
total of 20 points
Body: neck 5 points
shoulders 5 points
chest 10 points
back 10 points
hindquarters 10 points
legs 10 points
feet 5 points
tail and coat 5 points
total of 60 points
Grand Total of 100 points
American Bulldog
Origin
Coal miners in the Staffordshire region crossed English Bulldogs with scrappy terriers and continued the gladitorial tradition in clandestine matches that are still going on today. From these Bulldog Terrier crosses we get the American Bulldog, the American Pit Bull Terrier, the Staffordshire Bull Terrier and the Bull Terrier.
There are two distinct strains of American Bulldogs, Classic (Johnson, Bully) and Standard (Scott, Performance) which is often mistaken for its second cousin, the American Pit Bull Terrier because of its appearance, and for its much smaller European relatives because of its name. The American Bulldog is different from any of these. The American Bulldog is massive in comparison to the French Bulldog or English Bulldog as it still resembles the Old English Bulldog and was never down bred to be a lap dog.
The Standard American Bulldog does resemble the pit bull-type breeds on many points, such as being muscular dogs that can be all white or white with patches. However, the pit bull's head is in the shape of a wedge coming to a more rounded point at the muzzle, whereas an American Bulldog's is box-shaped. The American Bulldog's ears are also typically uncropped, and its head is heavier and a little bulkier. Another major difference is size, with the American Bulldog generally being much larger than a purebred American Pitbull Terrier (which according to the UKC standard should only weigh 30 - 60 pounds).
The two types differ temperamentally as well as physically. The Johnson dogs are descendants of the plantation Bulldogs that were kept as yard dogs in the old south. They are typically more territorial, more man aggressive, in short more of a guardian. The athletic Scott strain descended from hog and cattle catch dogs. They were and still are used to catch wild hogs and cattle that have strayed into brush so thick that a man on horse back would find it impenetrable. This type of work requires extreme physical prowess. For this reason the smaller strain is called Performance
Description:
The American Bulldog is a powerful, athletic short-coated dog, strongly muscled, and well boned. American Bulldogs generates the impression of great strength, endurance and exhibits a well-knit, sturdy compact frame. The American Bulldog should be evaluated as a working dog, and exaggerations or faults should be penalized in proportion to how much they interfere with the dogs ability to work.
Height:
Males 22-27 inches; Females 20-25 inches
Weight:
Males 75-125 lbs; Female 60-100
Colors:
All white, pied, or up to 90% color; brindle or red patches (red is defined as any shade of tan, brown.
Coat:
The coat is short, close, and stiff to the touch.
Temperament:
An American Bulldog is typically a happy, friendly, and assertive dog that is at ease with its family and fine with strangers as they get to know the stranger in question. They are quite fond of children but sometimes do not know their own strength, thus, as with all dogs, they should be supervised with small children. They bond strongly with their master and family but, because of strong guarding instincts and a somewhat dominant attitude, they need a firm but fair hand; they should be socialized and obedience trained early to expose them to other dogs and people and to ensure that they can be controlled around company as they get older and larger.
Remember, they are working dogs with high energy drives. They need room to expend their energy, and so American Bulldogs do best in a home with a backyard and preferably a "job" to do. A tired well worked bulldog is a happy bulldog. They are not always well behaved towards cats and smaller pets, but correct socialization at an early age can greatly increase the chances of them accepting these animals. This behavior is a reflection of a breed trait called prey drive. High prey drive is a desirable trait in an American Bulldog. A well bred American Bulldog is a catch dog of large herbivores. They can be stubborn with training though once they are trained they tend to obey their masters faithfully. American bulldog puppies can be relatively difficult to housebreak, but it is important to be persistent.
Care and Exercise:
Brush coat with a firm bristle brush or rubber mitt and bathe only when necessary. Puppies should have early socialization.
Health Issues:
A very healthy, hardy dog. Some strains have hip dysplasia.
Category:
Rare, Working
