American Bulldog (UK) Faq's

The American Bulldog is still regarded very much as a working and workable breed, they have emense power and drive.. and as such are not a dog for everyone. These are big dogs that need to use their energy or have the capability to become destructive.
We would not recommend generally that this would be your first choice of dog. Ask yourselves the following questions BEFORE running out to buy an American Bulldog Puppy.

Why an American Bulldog?
If your answer is “ because my mate owns one and it makes him look hard”, please move onto another breed, you perhaps should not own a dog as you maybe a liability to a fantastic breed of dog like the AB.
If your answer is “because my kids want a dog who looks like ‘Chance’” again move on, these are serious dogs requiring serious owners who have not been seduced by a Disney film.
People may feel the above is harsh but this is my opinion and unsuitable owners will ruin this breed much as they did for the APBT.

Do I fully appreciate the power and strength of these animals?
Most people are amazed at the sheer strength of these animals, pound for pound they must be amongst the strongest dogs on the planet when conditioned right. I am not saying this to hype the breed up, there are too many others who do this for a sales pitch, but merely to warn potential owners that this is not a breed to leave with your 90 year old frail granny whilst you have two weeks in Lanzarote. These dogs are capable hunters, used on very large quarry, who can overpower an average sized man if they need to. Owners need to be aware that the little puppy they bring home at 8 weeks old will by twelve months of age be about 75-80lb of muscle with, in most cases, a tendency to vie for top dog status. You need to train your dog from the start and be consistent to prevent issues arising.

Is my home suitable for an American Bulldog?
We would all love to say we had a massive house in the country with acres of free running for our dogs but this is not the real world and as one who has returned to urban living I can honestly say that living in the country with an AB is no walk in the park either. What I mean by this question is do you have the space and time for an American Bulldog in your home. Despite their macho appearance a well socialised AB loves nothing more than human contact and at worst will slobber and leave white hairs, that appear to have their own superglue, around the house/car/even windows! If your other half is house proud beyond belief make sure you know what they are letting themselves in for, people know when you have an AB. Please ensure you also have the time for an AB, they are not high maintenance dogs but they do, like all dogs, require daily input from you.

Are American bulldogs aggressive towards humans?
American bulldogs are very dominant and also very protective. They are very loving towards their own family, their pack if you will, but will show aggression towards strangers due to their protective instinct. These dogs have been bred for centuries to guard and excel at protection work. They can be taught what to perceive as threat. It is very important to do lots of obedience training, starting with sitting for a treat when they are less than six months. After six months you can teach them to sit, down, come, and heel on command. A class with an experienced instructor is a great way to do it. It is important that your dog knows that you are his/her leader and that you have control over him/her. It can prevent problems down the road. Early socialization is also very important. One trainer suggests that you should have 100 people over (not all at once of course) during the first 100 days after you get your dog. Getting them around a lot of people will help reduce problems such as shyness or fear aggression later on. And don't worry, socialization will not take away your dog's natural protective instinct.

Are American bulldogs aggressive towards other dogs?
Often their strong drives and dominance cause American bulldogs to be aggressive towards other dogs. They love to play rough with each other, but unfortunately as they mature (1-2 yrs.) they often become aggressive with each other and fight. Intact males rarely get along with other males. Sometimes females will fight with other females and sometimes males and females will fight. It is very difficult and scary to break up a fight between two tenancious dogs such as AB's. Careful planning must be done when deciding to own more than one dog. Socializing a young dog can help him/him get along better with other dogs but does not guarantee that he will never want to fight.

Are American bulldogs aggressive towards animals?
American bulldogs were bred to catch and bring down bulls and other livestock. Care needs to be taken when around horses and other animals. Careful planning needs to take place when deciding to bringing home an AB to a house with other animals. Gameness will mean that they are not always good around cats and other smaller animals, with rabbits in a run just being a game before a snack. Also take into consideration that male AB's will become dominant and this can start as young as seven or eight months, they are a large strong and focused breed and this will effect how you deal with this.. many have found out the hard way that they have not been able to mix males in the house so ideally its not advisable. They are not always dog friendly and this means keeping your dog on a lead most of the time, and if you live in the city you may want to explain to others that you would like them to keep their dog well away from yours.

What health problems occur in this breed?
The most common and worst health problem is hip dysplasia. If you are buying a puppy from a breeder be sure to get one only from a breeder who has tested the hips of both parents and found them to be free of dysplasia by OFA or PennHip. American bulldogs also are often inflicted with skin disorders such as mange and ichtyosis (fish scale disease) and eye disorders such as entropian. Allergies and thyroid problems do sometimes occur. Deafness is rare.

Do American bulldogs shed?
Yes. Their fur is very short but they do shed year round and more during changing seasons. There may not be as much fur to clean up as with other breeds since they don't have thick undercoat, but be prepared to do some sweeping!

How long do American bulldogs live?
Large breeds have slightly shorter life spans than small breeds. More than ten years, up to about 15 years is typical for a healthy American bulldog.

Were expecting a child, is it a good time to get one?
No, I would advise getting the baby home and settled first, get used to being a family before deciding to add an American Bulldog.

What are they like with children?
Yes, the American bulldog puppy is like any other that you might bring into your family.. a well trained puppy is a happy and sociable animal one that thrives on attention and affection. Both the puppy and the children need rules, gentle social games work best with healthy treats and cuddles as rewards.
Too much excitement and you will quickly find a strong bounding pup knocking children over or jumping all over the place. Many people crate train their pup, as this alows them and the pup to have quiet time.

How big do they grow?
The American Bulldog in this country is divided into three types:
Classic (bully) Standard (performance) and hybrid (mixture of the two).

The Classic tends to be heavier and shorter, although this is not a hard and fast rule.
Either type and you will find yourself with a pup that is caperble of putting on a kilo per week as it grows and weighing up to 145lbs as an adult- with females being lighter than the males and performance type being the lighter of the different types.
Hieght can be differing with the shoulder being anything up to 27-29 inches.

What do they eat?
There are a number of reputable manufacturers of performance and puppy dry feeds on the market, some supliment with meat and vitamins and some feed complete raw diet.. remember what you put in will affect what you develope you pup into, both as a pup and later as an adult dog.

How much exercise do they need?
As a young pup this is very often where damage is done.
Once you pup has had jabs then getting used to the lead is a great idea, even if its only walking around the garden.. exercise should be gentle and fun allowing your pup to rest when needed. Try to avoid jumping games too early as they have not developed the bones or the muscle to protect and fully support their wieght.
As they grow they love chasing games with ropes and leather straps as well as old footballs, or at least they will become prematurly old footballs.
As previously mentioned these dogs have a lot of drive and energy and this needs to be used, the American bulldog will need a great deal of exersise to work of this energy. Untill you establish a routeen with your dog, this is not a dog that can be ignored in this area.. and if you think you can leave your pup for hours on end alone and without any stimulation then your pup will show you otherwise and you neighbours will also remind you.
They can also get exercise doing one of the many things they excel at such as agility, weight pulling and protection work.

Are they like the British Bulldog?
It is said that pioneers like Dr JD Johnson adapted the english bulldog that was brought to the US by the settlers, although as mentioned this is debated by the people who recognise the Old Southern Whites, and is harder to see in the performance or standard types of American Bulldog.
They share some of the English Bulldog traits in being strong, loyal, stuborn, focused.. but generally a much livelier and athletic animal altogether.

Can they live outside?
The easy answer is yes, many owners kennel and keep their dogs outside.. obviously with a properly built draft free kennel and secure run. Stimulation is the key here and also hygeine.
This is an extreamly adaptable breed and as long as the requirements are met have no problem living outside.

Where are they from?
The clue here is in the name "American Bulldog" most of the dogs in this country are not that far away in their pedigree from dogs in the states, the southern states being the more prolific in Kennels and breeders.
There are also a number of freashly imported dogs in this country with Europe also providing some very good dogs now too.

Is there any health problems to look out for?
Like any other large breed the pure weight and muscle mass to bone structure can meen that Hip Dysplasia is a possibility. Both parents (Dam & Sire) should have had there hips tested before the breeding was done, this scoring should be made available to you.. If not then ask to see both parents hipscores. Also try and see both parents, are they healthy? do they have any skin problems? do they move well? also discuss with the breeder what they will do if their are any unforseen problems should arise.

How obedient are they?
This will be entirely up to you, given that they have emense strengh and energy training is best started early, puppy training classes are good for this and also provide a good oppertunity for socialising your puppy.
There are many bulldoggers who are now attending Shutzhund classes and with amazing results although this takes a great deal of time and dedication.

Are they KC registered?
No, the American Bulldog is not recognised by the UK Kennel Club.. there are a number of registries in the US which you can register your puppy/dog. This is something to discuss with your breeder and will very much depend on what your dog has been bought for.

Are they good guard dogs?
Yes, they will protect you and will be a deterant to most of the types that may want to invade your property or worse do you harm. As previously mentioned this is a breed with a lot of energy and drive, and it would be a brave or foolish person that took liberties with this size dog.
A word of caution, do not attempt to do protection training with your AB without proffesional help.. once an American Bulldog gets going it is extreamly hard to stop and this is what people refer to as prey drive.
Your dog has all it needs to be reliable and loyal the rest will be up to you.

This breed still is relatively new in this country no more than twelve to fifteen years, and we would suggest if you havnt all ready you get yourself signed onto the forum there is a great deal of knowledge and support from experienced bulldoggers to new owners like yourself.