American Bulldog

History

Dating back to the 17th century, the American Bulldog was a better use for bull baiting, and controversial use of bull fighting, than their ancestor; the Olde English Bulldogge. The American Bulldog was actually almost extinct at one point in history, however much appreciation goes towards the man who bred two of the healthiest American Bulldogs he was able to find in Summerville, Georgia after he returned from WWII. This man goes by the name of John Johnson. Today, thanks to him, the American Bulldog is an incredible breed, that is loved by many family households around the USA.

Appearance

With males standing between 23-28 inches in height, and females 20-25 inches in height, this breed is considered a large breed. You can expect the males to top out at a healthy 75-120 pounds in weight, with the females following close weighing in between 60-100 pounds in weight. This breed is well recognized for their solid white and brindle coat, however they are available in solid white, brindle, red brindle, brindle with a white chest, fawn, fawn with white chest, and piebald. They have a box-shaped skull, that is very defined as it sits on top of their broad neck, that then flows into their wide, muscular chest. Everything about this breed shows muscle, from their face bones, to their chest and legs. Their ears are accepted in all forms including forward flap, cropped, rose and half pricked. Their nose can be black, brown or grizzle, although it is preferred for show dogs that their American Bulldog does have a black nose. Their tail should remain pointed down towards the ground when relaxed, and is thicker at the top towards the body, as it tapers down to a point by the end of the tail. Their entire body is covered in a short, smooth coat.

Temperament

Both well known for their goofy personality traits as well as their loyal and protectiveness, the American Bulldog should receive 5 stars when talking about a great breed. Better suited for houses with older children due to their size and activity levels, the American Bulldog does however, show phenomenal skills with children and family members within their household. This breed does need daily activity that include at least one longer walk, and playtime outside daily with weather permitting. If you can’t seem to get around to the extra activity outside due to circumstances, please make sure to spend at least one hour a day working with mental exercises, such as training or tricks, to stimulate their mind and make them feel calmer within the house. If this breed receives the proper exercise physically and mentally every day, you can expect them to be very calm and cooperative with you inside of your home, which many owners love to mention how wonderful this breed is for this specific trait! This breed is very loyal and can be protective of its family and home. Early socialization with other pets at a young age, as well as visitors is always recommended with any large breed, and especially to any working dog breed. All around, this breed is a wonderful family addition if you are looking for an active, well responsive dog breed with a giant heart for its family.

Grooming

Daily brushing and bathing when needed. This breed is an average shedder.

Special Notes

Please fully educate yourself about the American Bulldog prior to adding one to your family. Also note that it is highly recommended that you have a properly fenced in yard prior to adding an American Bulldog to your family, for its wellness and safety. Make sure you are able to fully financially and physically meet the needs of this breed before bringing one home, so you are able to be a “forever” home to your new family member. All dogs originate from wolves (Canis Lupus). Each breed of dog was originally created by mixing different breeds together in an effort to bring forth certain characteristics. Once a breeder has created acceptable “breed characteristics” within their bloodline and these “breed characteristics” have shown to be reliably reproduced in the offspring for three (3) generations, the bloodline may be upgraded from the category of “foundation stock” to “pure-bred”. The same “pure-bred” breed standards vary from different continents, countries, territories, regions, breed clubs, and canine pure-breed registries depending on the goals of their breeders. Dog DNA testing companies can have accurate results for a specific bloodline of a small colony of dogs. However, there are tens of thousands of different bloodlines in the world which have not yet been tested for marker baseline results by Dog DNA testing companies as of 2017. For this reason Dog DNA testing companies do not guarantee the 100% accuracy of their breed lineage results and will also show different marker results for the same pure-bred breed in different continents, countries, territories, regions, breed clubs, and canine pure-breed registries depending on the goals of their breeders.