The American Bulldog has a very beautiful yet intimidating appearance as an athletic dog. Their personality is a complex mix of happiness, protectiveness of their owners and high energy. The American Kennel Club, despite their growing popularity as a working dog and family pet, doesn’t yet recognize the breed.
The breed was originally used to catch livestock, guard homes and in the sport of bull baiting in the 17th and 18th century. Then the Bulldog was transferred to the United States for the purpose of gambling and as a working dog. The United Kingdom then outlawed bull baiting as a sport in 1835 and the English Bulldog progressed as a popular family pet. Less change has occurred to the American Bulldog. The breed even nearly became extinct during World War II when the breed wasn’t very popular. Although thankfully due to preservation efforts the breed is now a popular family pet, a competitive athlete and a strong working dog.
The dog is very muscular with an overall stocky appearance. The dog can have an expression on their face ranging from goofy and fun loving to stark intimidation. White, fawn and brindle are the most common coat colors for this breed. When full grown the breed will typically weight between sixty and one hundred twenty-five pounds with a height of twenty to twenty-eight inches tall at the shoulders. There are two variations on this breed. The classic variation is larger than the standard, which has a shorter muzzle. There are also mixes of these two variations.
The American Bulldog is like all other Bulldogs in the sense that they make a devoted family pet, especially with children. Throughout the years the breed has become very well known for their acts of heroism, although these same good protective traits also make them aggressive towards other animals and strangers. Make sure you have a lot of time to devote to the dog if you are going to get an American Bulldog.
In order to have a well-behaved American Bulldog you need to train and socialize them from a young age. The American Bulldog can even become friendly to other animals if you train them thoroughly at an early age and are selective about when you choose to use their guarding instincts. Because of their low maintenance coat brushing and bathing only needs to be done on an as needed basis. However, they do tend to slobber a lot because of their large and droopy jowls.
Some bone conditions that this breed is susceptible to include hip dysplasia and elbow dysplasia. They are also prone to eye conditions such as a prolapse of the third eyelid, entropion which is when the eyelid rolls inward and retinal dysplasia. Other conditions to be aware of include deafness, which can be present at birth or can develop later in life. Patent Ductus Arteriosis is a congenital birth defect in which the blood vessel doesn’t close after birth and extra amounts of blood flows into the lungs. By taking proper care of your American Bulldog and avoiding common health problems you can expect your dog to live a happy eight to fifteen years.
The American Bulldog is just one of three different Bulldog types to learn about. You can determine if the American Bulldog is the right pet for you through Bulldog information.
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