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So you think you want an American Bulldog?

American Bulldogs can make a fine companion dog for the experienced dog owner, but they really are not a type of dog suited to just anybody. A well-bred American Bulldog should be a healthy and long-lived dog, equally capable of serving as a working/utility/guardian dog or simply being a family companion. Properly raised and trained, a bulldog can be a loyal and trustworthy friend. Unsocialised and untrained dogs of any large breed can be a potential menace and the American Bulldog is no exception to this rule. Like all dogs, an American Bulldog needs plentiful exercise and mental stimulation.... unlike all dogs this is a large and active breed that consequently needs proportionally more exercise than a smaller or less active breed of dog. They also have a tendency towards aggressive/dominant behaviour towards dogs and other animals, which can be hard to manage.

Looking at the overall quality of most American Bulldogs out there, I would hesitate to recommend the breed. If you are seeking a healthy and athletic bullbreed with a sound temperament to be your companion, a well-bred Staffordshire is more likely to fit the bill for most households than an American Bulldog.

The newcomer to the breed will find that there are a bewildering array of bloodlines and types of American Bulldog. There is an equally bewildering "history" for the breed, much of which is pure myth or hearsay. The breed has many significant health issues, both physical/structural and mental. A prospective owner needs to do his homework. On no account should you go out and buy a pup from the first litter you see advertised in the local newspaper or you may find truth in the old saying "Act in haste, repent at leisure".

This is still quite a young breed in this country and there are many American Bulldogs in the UK that are frankly not of a standard that are suitable for breeding. However, the relatively high price that has often been charged for pups has encouraged the breeding of some poor quality dogs. The pups from these breedings may then get bred themselves. So instead of the desirable situation where the best available is bred to the best available with the goal of producing better bulldogs, the opposite often happens. The bottom has largely dropped-out of the American Bulldog puppy market, both in terms of price and demand, which is probably a not a bad thing since it may deter some people from trying to make a fast buck from breeding. There are still plenty of cheap pups for sale out there from poorly-conceived breedings however; mostly these "breeders" don't give a damn where their pups end up as long as they get some cash in their pockets.

There are a number of very significant health problems that can occur within the the breed, including deafness, hip dysplasia, cruciate ligament rupture, various joint problems associated with over-exaggerated "bully" type or excessive bulk, very severe skin problems including mange, atopy and other allergies/sensitivities, eye problems such as entropion and ectropion, shyness and poor nerves, weak pasterns, splay feet, cow hocks.... to name but a few. All these complaints are distressingly common, despite the spiel that a breeder may feed you. Careful breeding can minimise the risk of some of conditions being passed on, but it can not completely eliminate the possibility. Taking out health insurance on your bulldog is an absolute must.... veterinary treatment is not cheap, for example surgery for cruciate ligament rupture can easily run to over a couple of thousand pounds per knee! Shop around for the best policy and read the small print, prices and levels of cover vary a lot.

How do you find the right dog? Well, there is no guaranteed method but I would start by considering what you expect from your bulldog and consider the different styles of bulldog that are out there. My ideal dog would come from a background which included proven working dogs. Hip-scored dogs would preferably be behind the breeding, the temperaments of both parents should be satisfactory and the bloodlines of both parents should be complimentary. Ideally the pups would have been whelped in a home environment where they had been exposed to the sights and sounds of day to day human life from day one: this helps make a well-rounded and confident pup. The American Bulldog is not currently recognised as a breed by the UK Kennel Club, but both parents should definitely be registered with at least one of the two leading American registries (American Bulldog Association or National Kennel Club. For links to the websites of these two registries, please visit my "Links" pages). Make sure you get to see both of the parents' and the puppies' registration papers/pedigrees. If the parents and their pups are not registered with one or both of these American registries, then just walk away.

Finally, the breeding should have been done with a plan in mind: to improve the breed.

If you are considering becoming an American Bulldog owner or if you are just interested in learning more about this breed, I hope you find some things of interest on this website. The site is updated whenever I have new material to add and improvements to make (and the time to do it!). So please come back soon and take another look.

There are links from this page covering aspects of breed history and something of my own personal background.

Please read on....

Dad: 1927-2006

This website is dedicated to the memory of my late father.

I miss you Dad. Thankyou for everything.