El bamerican uldog, is a vigorous and energetic breed of dog without any fear and only with its physical appearance it transmits it. This breed of dog is often confused with the pit bull, Argentine dogo and often with the boxer and this is because there are similarities between them. We invite you to continue reading to learn a little more about this fabulous dog.
Origin of the American Bulldog
The American Bulldog throughout history has been confused with the English bulldog and the Pitbull since their characteristics are very similar.
The breed stems directly from the original, now-extinct bulldogs of XNUMXth-century England. In Great Britain, bulldogs were used as guard dogs even to the point of handling and driving cattle to help butchers kill cattle, it was also used as a guard dog.
For that same century, the fight between dogs and bulls arrived in these countries as a sport, and the bulldog was used to carry out this type of fight, leaving the disappearance of the breed as a consequence. In the year 1835 the British authorities prohibited this sport.
The English bulldog breed originates from the cross between less tall and aggressive dogs. Englishmen who had this type of cult in their possession took them to North America, which kept the breed under control since it served as a box for wild animals such as wild pigs. This type of dog is the one that gives rise to the current American bulldog, it hardly suffers any type of change in its original characteristics.
After the Second World War, the american bulldog dog likewise it was potentially extinct, but some breeders rescued the breed. John Johnson and Alan Scott, breeders who generated the two basic species of this breed.
Jackson bred bulldogs, much firmer in muscle and vigorous these dogs are identified as bully or traditional. Scott's bulldogs, those were more energetic and less bulky, and are called standard. In any case, in general, current American bulldogs are mestizos originating from these two breeds.
Currently the United Kennel Club UKC, the FCI International Cinological Federation and the American Bulldog Registry & Archives ABRA, do not recognize the breed with these characteristics.
General Physical Characteristics
- Male dogs of this breed measure between fifty-seven (57) and sixty-seven (67) centimeters to the cross.
- Females measure between fifty-three (53) and sixty-five (65) centimeters at the withers.
- The standard type of this breed does not indicate an ideal weight condition, but it does indicate that the weight must be balanced with height.
- The American Bulldog is a medium to large-sized dog. Considerably powerful, athletic and corpulent.
- De nature robust, his texture es slightly traditional prolonged which high.
- La cabeza wide and long this dog give the print of great power.
- Dome cranial is parallel to the stripe top of the mouth and the stop is sharp and abrupt.
- El snout es width y well-built, with strong jaws and muscular cheeks.
- Los labios consist of moderately thick, but not pendants and, of particularity, blacks.
- Typebully, the amplitude of the snout is between 25% and 35% of the long total for the cabeza.
- in those of type "standard", the distance of the snout varies between 30% and 40% of the long total for the cabeza.
- in the bulldogs type"bully" is preferred to the 1/4-inch jaw bone abnormality. On both of them cases the pincer bite is accepted, but is not wanted.
- The nose is wide and long with wide nostrils. are accepted nose brown, chestnut and grayish, but el color de distinction for this part of the body is black. Lack of pigmentation in the nose is inadmissible. Their nose can be between spherical to almond-shaped and they can be presented in any color, but the preferred brown dark or black.
- The eyes of the American bulldog are medium in size and with a separation between them. With the edge of the eyelids in black they are the most sought after.
- The ears of these dogs are short or medium and set high. They tend to bend, little straight or pink..
- The neck is stocky and firm, tapering slightly from the shoulders to the head. The largest radius area is about as wide as the bulldog's head.
- Can to exhibit a chin
- As for the forelimbs as well as the hind limbs, they are firm and muscular, and have thick and well-developed bones.
- The legs are curved and medium, well arched and tight. The American Bulldog's chest is deep and moderately broad.
- The top path slopes subtly from la cross, until the vigorous back.
- The loin is short, broad and subtly arched and joins the rump with a very slight slant.
- La tail, inclusion low, wide at basis and ends in peak. Reaches into lower leg and upper legs when in rest and should not twist Never. The UKC accepts docked tails, However, prefers whole tails. The ABRA does not accept docked tails.
- El by the es corto and tight, with a structure which can to vary starting in docile but also rough Should to be minimum within an inch of long and any is accepted mixture colored with the peculiarity of the jet pure, bluish pure, blackbird and tricolor. Neither the mask completely black.
- A main characteristic is that ten (10) percent of the body must to be white, and in general all Bulldogs have that color on the body.
- The walk of the American bulldog is light, strong and organized and at first glance it looks like it does not make any effort when walking. The path of the upper limbs are level, the legs do not go to the center or out and the legs do not show any cross between them. As the bulldog gains more speed, the feet tend to move toward the balance axis of the body.
american bulldog character
The typical American bulldog is a brave and dashing dog, but he should not be unnecessarily violent. Extraordinarily vigilant because of his strong guarding intuition, he can be violent with strangers and other dogs when he has not been properly socialized or when he does not have good self-control. For this reason, it is very essential to socialize as a puppy and train him in discipline so that he develops the necessary self-control.
It is also a great hunter, mainly when used as a hunting dog, where it stands out among other dog breeds. However, their effort to capture can be an obstacle for those who have the American bulldog as a pet.
That determination can cause that dog have tendencies tohunt» small animals such as other pets and small breed dogs. A crafts de support a compare his strong impulses work out with the dog some training canine like the agility or the schutzhund.
Dog care
Like all dogs, the American bulldog is an animal that needs to exercise in order to maintain its figure and posture, to comply with this the dog must live in a place where it has enough space to run and exercise, that would be the best way to live. of the American bulldog dog, however, if you want to have it in a building, it can be adapted as long as you give it the time it deserves for it to complete its exercises.
This dog is not resistant to weather changes and tends to get sick quickly, so it is best for the American bulldog to live indoors and not in the backyard.
They need to prevent the dog from getting sick and for this you must prevent the impact that the weather has on it, that is, when it rains the dog should not go for a walk, in the spring when the pollen of the flowers spreads the American bulldog usually gets sick of allergies and this diagnosis is usually made by the veterinarian and in turn he indicates the medications that the dog should take in that period of the year.
Its physical maintenance is very simple and this is due to its short coat, but even so it must be combed frequently at least four times a week and its bath must be at least once a month, this is because as the dog goes out a lot to play and run, it may sometimes get dirty, it is necessary that the place where the dog sleeps is always clean to avoid skin diseases.
American bulldog dog education
It is considered a very intelligent animal and is often misunderstood by its owners, it has a certain education with which it is born, it automatically recognizes the leader of its pack, which is the person who gives it food, the rest of the people in the home will show you respect but will not give you obedience. The only way for the dog to have a calm behavior is for the owner to be patient and know how to train it effectively.
It is necessary for the owner to establish rules with which both must live and at no time break them because the dog may feel confused.
If it is complicated to teach the dog, the best option is to enter a school for dogs in which there are people prepared to attend and understand the needs of each animal, there they will give them a series of indications that are the ones that must be applied in the home and thus not create a controversy in the dog.
as one of the smarter dogs, the American bulldog will always find a way to make you believe that he has changed his behavior as long as you do not take him to strange places, since he is not very sociable and is not considered an animal with a docile character. Patience will be the best ally for anyone who wants to have and educate an American bulldog.
"Salud"
The bulldog is characterized by having two serious health problems, these are hereditary or acquired:
eye diseases
This is a hereditary disease that characterizes the American bulldog, in which it directly affects the dog's eyelids, it is based on the eyelid turning both in or out, these diseases are called entropion and ectropion.
The eyes are a part of the body that is characterized by being quite delicate and these diseases cause the dog to frequently have irritated eyes, cry and even fleshiness can be noticed, in the end this disease can cause the dog to lose his sight. The approved treatment is to subject the bulldog to an operation in which the veterinarian must have knowledge in ophthalmology.
You can also suffer from corneal ulcers that compromise the functioning of the eyeball to the point of perforating and emptying the eye when it is not attended to in time, this disease is acquired since it is caused by blows that dogs can give to the face when they are puppies or that a hair from the same dog enters the eye, the treatment of this disease will depend on the degree of difficulty of the same, basically with antibiotics and if necessary, the dog must undergo an operation in which the dog can lose the vision of the affected eye.
skin diseases
The skin of the American bulldog is very delicate, this is due to its predominant white color and it must have the care indicated above, otherwise it can suffer from diseases such as:
- Dermatophytosis: It is a disease that attacks the dog's fur and nails, caused by a series of fungi that are contagious to other types of animals and even to humans. It attacks dogs with a few months of life, which do not have well-developed antibodies. It is easy to detect because it usually appears on the belly in the form of a rosette in which the dog scratches a lot.
- Mange in Dogs: This disease attacks all breeds of dogs, however in the American bulldog it is a little more complicated because it depends on the excessive cleaning of the dog's environment, since as you can see it is very delicate. The treatment to cure mange can be given by a veterinarian or in dog stores the people who work there can help them.
- Demodectic mange: Caused by the bite of fleas or ticks, when the dog has them in excess. This can be controlled so that it does not reach the point of forming a disease, however, there are risk factors that can seriously trigger it, these factors are:
- Depression
- Malnutrition
- Stress
It can also be seen how some of the folded layers of its skin suffer from reddening characteristic of poor dog care, it is necessary to comb it so that the blood flows through all its folds.
diseases in the ears
A common disease is otitis, which occurs when water enters the dog's ear, the only way for this to happen is when he is bathed, for that reason the bath must be very careful, making sure that the water enters in all her folds but not in her ears. It is important to mention that this causes pain, imbalance and a bad smell.