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From as early as the 1600's, there are references to "Bulldogs" in England where they were used for the sport of bull baiting. That is how their name came about. The colonists brought them over to America and they were primarily used as farm guards, stock dogs gathering cattle and as pack dogs to hunt or tree bears. At the time they were called "Old English Whites". To this day, in its purest state, the dog is still used by mountain men for this purpose in the more rural south. The modern day American Bulldog is used more widely in other areas as guard, catch, predator and companion dogs. There are three basic lines of American Bulldogs:
It is essential to understand that the American Bulldog of the past was a dog in the 70-110 pound range. The larger strains of today, in an effort to increase size building a more impressive dog has had breeds crossed in to it. A couple of them are St. Bernard or Bull Mastiff. If you study the breed threw history, and take a look at the breed over a long period of time you can visibly see the changes that took place. This is evident due to structure changes and coat variations not natural mutations. One should take caution when purchasing the larger American Bulldog. While these crosses brought up size and an impressive look, they also created problems. Hip dysplasia has cropped up, shyness, spine problems and they lack their true athletic nature. They should also be undying with children allowing the kids to jump on them, pull their ears and just plan old tolerate them extremely well. Some, these days lack social graces with kids. Present day negatives on the breed are due to unethical breeding practices and outrageous claims have been made as in any breed. The general character of the breed is a sensitive, slow developing breed with a fixed personality. A sound American Bulldog should be outstanding with family and children possessing a very stable temperament. He is a protector and can concentrate on the task at hand with out being distracted. Calm in the house yet a superior powerful athlete being light on his feet bounding over any obstacle and able to change directions with the greatest of ease. He works well with other breeds getting along with dogs he is raised with. His general appearance should denote great physical strength and a muscular stature with endless endurance. Height and weight may vary but structure is what is of importance, well balanced. Height for females run 21-24", weight 60-80 pounds. Males 22-25" in height and weighing 70-100 pounds. The skull is wide, the muzzle short and relatively tight. The ears button or rose. The American Bulldogs coat is short, smooth and comes in pure white with or with out head markings, piebald, bulldog brindle (clear and distinct), tan or red all with white markings or spots of color. A true American Bulldog does not come in a solid color, sable, fawn, merle, or St. Bernard red. The eyes are darker to lighter shades of brown only. All in all he is beautifully impressive and has a temperament to match. |