american bulldog
GENERAL APPEARANCE : Powerful dog, showing strength, endurance, intelligence and vivacity. Powerfully built but active.
Personality: Strong and powerful.
Power Level : Active.
Good with children: Yes.
Good with other dogs: With supervision.
Grooming: Seasonal.
Life expectancy : 8-10 years old.
Bark level: Bark when necessary.
HISTORICAL SUMMARY
Bulldogs in England were working dogs that originally herded livestock and guarded their owners' property. Their strength, courage and familiarity with the herds led to their popularity in the brutal sport of hunting oxen. When this sport was outlawed in England, the original type of Bulldog disappeared and in its place came a new type of dog, shorter, stockier, less athletic that we know today as the English Bulldog. The original Bulldog, however, was preserved by working classes of immigrants who brought their working dogs to the South of North America. Small farmers and ranchers have used this multipurpose working dog for many tasks. At the end of World War II, however, the breed almost became extinct. Mr. John D. Johnson, a war veteran, decided to rebuild this breed. Along with Alan Scott and many other breeders, Johnson began carefully breeding Bulldogs, keeping careful records, always with an eye on maintaining the animal's health and working skills. Because of the many types of jobs practiced by the breed, many distinct lines were involved, each one emphasizing the traits required to perform a specific job. The best-known lines are referred to as the Johnson and Scott types. Johnson dogs are more massive, with larger, wider heads and shorter muzzles with a defined undershot bite. Scott-type dogs were somewhat lighter in muscle and bone than Johnson-type dogs, with a head less similar to Mastiffs. Today, however, most American Bulldogs are crossed between two or more of these lines and are no longer easily distinguishable. The modern American Bulldog continues to serve as an all-purpose dog; a fearless and steadfast watchdog; and a loyal companion for the family
Country of Origin: USA.
BEHAVIOR AND TEMPERAMENT: Very obedient and faithful to its owner and family. Very friendly during the day, but very aggressive at night, especially with strangers. You must be impatient, courageous and confident with no sign of fear or shyness.
HEAD: Large and wide, flat on top giving a square appearance with a muzzle of short to medium length and well muscled. The union of the muzzle with the skull forms a well-defined stop.
CRANIAL REGION
Skull: Large, flat, deep and wide between the ears. Viewed from above, the skull is square. The cheek muscles are prominent.
FACIAL REGION
Muzzle: Should be broad and deep, neither long nor narrow. The length should not be shorter than 3.8 cm or longer than 7.5 cm (ideal length: 5 to 6.8 cm).
Nose: Large with wide and open nostrils. It can be any color, but dark pigmentation is preferred.
Jaws: The mandible should be slightly more protruding than the upper jaw, by at least 0.6 cm to 2.5 cm (underprognathism), depending on the size of the dog and the shape of the head. Fault: Superior undershot.
Eyes: Set apart, almond-shaped to round, of medium size. Normal color, brown. Acceptable colors: gray, green or light blue.
Ears: Small to medium in size, carried close to the head, heavily or folded back in pink.
NECK: Slightly arched, of moderate length. Very muscular - almost equal to the length of the head.
TRUNK
Chest: Deep and moderately broad, with ample room for heart and lungs.
Ribs: Well sprung along the spine, giving the body enough depth to reach at least the elbows, or in adult dogs a little lower.
Topline: Gently slopes from well-defined withers to muscular and broad back.
Loin: Short and broad, and slightly arched, joining with a moderately sloping croup.
Flank: Moderately tucked up and firm. Faults: Sealed back; sloping top line.
TAIL: Strong and thick at the root, tapering to the tip. Fault: Tail curled over back.
HAIR: Short and soft. Fault: Long or wavy.
FEET: Round, of medium size, well arched and firm.
COLOR: Solid white. White with all shades of brindle (white, red, yellow, blue, brown, black or grey). Red and white; brown and white; beige and white; deer color and white; black and white; brown and white; mahogany and white; cream and white. Solid black and any other color without a minimum of 25% white is not acceptable.
MEMBERS
FOREQUARTERS: The combination of the main components of the set of the forequarters, shoulders to the paws, must be muscular and slightly inclined. Legs must be straight
Bone structure: Medium to heavy, able to support a large dog.
HINDQUARTERS: Broad and muscular, showing strength and speed, not as strong as the shoulders.
GAIT/MOVEMENT: When trotting, gait is effortless, smooth, powerful and well-coordinated, showing good range and direction. Topline remains level with only slight flex to indicate agility. Viewed from any position, the legs turn neither out nor in; the paws do not cross or interfere with the other's movement. As speed increases, the paws tend to converge towards the center line of balance. Poor movement should be penalized as it impairs your ability to perform your tasks.
SIZE E WEIGHT
Johnson: Males 23 to 32 inches at the withers. Weight: 90 - 150 lbs. Females 20 to 28 inches at the withers. Weight: 70 - 130 lbs.
Scott: Males 22 to 28 inches at the withers. Weight: 70 - 100 lbs. Females 18 to 26 inches at the withers. Weight: 50 - 80 lbs.
FAULTS
Any deviation from this standard should be considered a fault and penalized in exact proportion to its severity and its effects on the health and well being of the dog.
DISQUALIFYING FAULTS
• Aggressiveness or excessive shyness.
• Any dog that shows any sign of physical or behavioral anomaly must be disqualified.
• Atypical dogs.