The American Bulldog is a real working dog and he is seen as one of the oldest and healthiest breeds alive today. Almost extinct at one time, the American Bulldog has been enjoying increasing popularity in recent years.

The character is often described as black and white. It is a dog that is also very good at assessing circumstances. He is alert, tough and fearless without being aggressive. There’s no need to use aggression either in dealing with this dog since he tends to correct himself quite appropriately. The American Bulldog can be dominant towards other dogs, but this behaviour can easily be avoided through proper socialization. The American Bulldog is actually a peaceful dog, and like any other dogs he is very calm and quiet around the house. These dogs naturally interact well with children. As puppies they are sturdy little fellows and as adult dogs they are real buddies. Still, it is always advisable never to leave small children alone with dogs.
Their love for their owner and their owner’s families is rock solid. These dogs will go very far to protect their owner and owner’s family. Respectable American breeders often have heroic tales to tell of American Bulldogs. They won’t yield to anything. In protecting their owner and owner's family they will take on bears, wild dogs, bulls and even fire. There’s a story that the ranch of a Mr. Johnson (one of the founders of this breed) was surrounded by bush fires. A number of dogs actually starting fighting the fires, which resulted in the deaths of some. There is a reason why, when speaking of the American Bulldog, people say “they have true grit, true devotion and true love.”

The American Bulldog is the original English Bulldog and consequently belongs to the oldest breed we know of. This dog is descended from Mastiff-type dogs and has always been a working dog. He was used as a butcher’s dog for catching bulls and or as entertainment in fighting lions, bears, monkeys, etc. This type of entertainment occurred all over the world, from ancient Roman theatres to the English countryside and it even resulted in this type of dog appearing in Asia. All this eventually led to the bravest creature ever to have lived. The bravest creature? Indeed. This dog would fight fearlessly against any animal it was set against. A lion would never attack an elephant. But in those days, a Bulldog would take up the challenge.

As the world became more civilized, the fighting Bulldog fell out favour among most people. Later on, dog shows became popular and the Bulldog was obviously no show dog. To make him suitable for showing, he was crossed with the Pug, resulting in today’s English Bulldog. Before the English show Bulldog was developed, the original Bulldog departed with emigrants for America where he again was kept by the poorer classes and had to work to earn his keep. His tasks involved catching cattle, driving away vermin such as wild dogs, bears and any other animals that didn’t belong on the farmstead.
He also guarded the property of his owner against human intruders. The Bulldog employs a very individual method for catching cattle: a bull he seizes by the snout and a boar by the ear, all under the supervision of the owner of course.
Nowadays the American Bulldog is an all-round working dog that is used as a catch dog (for catching cattle – this technique is still used in America for example), as a guard dog (Schutzhund), in the sport of weight pulling (the pulling of heavy weights over a specific distance), and in all kinds of other extremely tough competitions. The American Bulldog is one of the few dog breeds that combines a strong protective instinct with a very stable, peaceful and reliable character.

The dog’s appearance. Because the American Bulldog has always been a working dog, his appearance varies from that of an agile dog suitable for hunting to a heavily muscled and imposing guard of land and property. His colour is basically white with large patches of all possible hues. His weight varies from 30 kg to 60 kg.

                               

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foto: Darkenwalds Thunderbull’s Anne
foto: Susan Gorel