American Bull Terrier

The American Bull Terrier is a lively and attractive American breed. It is intelligent and trainable and makes a delightful companion, always readyforawalkoragame. However, achieving the desired markings can be a show aspirant's nightmare, and bitches frequently require caesarean section in whelping.

Origin and history

The American Bull Terrier, sometimes called the 'American gentleman, imported to the United States from the United Kingdom in 1865. To later progeny were added a dash of English and Staffordshire bull terrier until the dog we know today evolved. At first it was known as the American Bull Terrier, but as a result of objections from other bull terrier clubs it was renamed the Boston Terrier after the city responsible for its development. The Boston Terrier Club of America was formed in Boston in 1891. Two years later the American Kennel Club admitted the breed to its stud book.

The male American Bull Terrier is known as the American gentleman because of his gentle disposition, but even though he is not known as a fighter. the American Bull Terrier is able to take care of himself and of those he loves.

American Bull Terrier Puppies

Good points

• Affectionate
• Easy to look after
• Excellent guard
• Good family pet
• Odourless
• Good with children
• Obedient
• Playful nature
• Rarely sheds coat
• Handy size

Take heed

• Avoid draughts
• Not the easiest type to breed and/or produce for showing
• Watch out for eye trouble

Size

Weight: not more than 251b (11.3kg).

Exercise

This breed will happily settle for an on-the-Iead walk if you do not have a garden to offer it more freedom of movement. It is essentially a pet dog and should not be confined in an outside kennel.

American Bull Terrier Information

SHOW STANDARD

General appearance
The American Bull Terrier should be a lively, highly intelligent, smooth-coated, short­headed, compactly built, short­tailed, well-balanced dog of medium size, of brindle colour and evenly marked with white. The head should indicate a high degree of intelligence and should be in proportion to the size of the dog; the body rather short and well knit; the limbs strong and neatly turned; tail short; and no feature to be so prominent that the dog appears badly proportioned. The dog should convey an impression of determination, strength and activity, with style of a high order. carriage easy and graceful. The gait of the Boston Terrier is that of a sure­footed, straight-gaited dog, forelegs and hindlegs moving straight ahead in time with perfect rhythm, each step indicating grace and power

Colour
Brindle with white markings; brindle must show throughout the body distinctly; black and white markings are permissible, but brindles with white markings are preferred. (Ideal colour shall be one in which the brindle colouring is evenly distributed throughout the body.) Ideal markings: white muzzle, even white blaze over head, collar. breast, part or whole of forelegs, and hind legs below hocks.

Head and skull
Skull square, flat on top,free from wrinkles; cheeks flat; brow abrupt, stop well defined. Muzzle short, square, wide and deep, and in proportion to the skull; free from wrinkles; shorter in length than in width and depth, not exceeding in length approximately one-third of length of skull; width and depth carried out well to end, the muzzle from stop to end of nose on a line parallel to the top of the skull; nose black and wide with well-defined line between nostrils. The jaws broad and square. The chops of good depth but not pendulous, completely covering the teeth when mouth is closed.

Tail
Set on low; short, fine and tapering; straight or screw; devoid of fringes or coarse hair. and not carried above horizontal.

Feet
Round, small and compact, and turned neither in nor out; toes well arched.

Health care
The American Bull Terrier is robust but, as in the case of the Pekingese and other round-eyed breeds, watch that foreign bodies do not penetrate and damage the eyes.

American Bull Terrier Feeding & Grooming

Grooming

Frequent brushing is needed. In the United States ears are cropped in some states according to state law. This practice is illegal in the United Kingdom. The coat rarely sheds.

Feeding

Recommended would be 6-130z (170-369g) of a branded, meaty. product with biscuit added in equal part by volume, or 3/4-11/2 cupfuls of a dry, complete food, mixed in the proportion of 1 cup of feed to 1/2 cup of hot or cold water.

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