American Bulldog - the Facts Every Owner of This Dog Breed Should Know

Descended from the English Bulldog, the Americanworking dogs that helped herd cattle and the
Bulldog was nearly extinct after World War II.American Bulldog retains some of these
Thanks to the efforts of John D. Summerville, thischaracteristics, particularly the strong jaw and
breed has returned from the edge of extinctionequally strong personality. Though American
and flourished in America. This working dog hasBulldogs are known as fierce protectors of their
been described as fiercely loyal, an excellentproperties and masters (making them excellent
hunter, and wonderful family pet. In fact, someguard and watch dogs), they are very gentle and
American Bulldogs are known for theirgood with both children and other family pets.
extraordinary acts of bravery and courage whenHowever, an American Bulldog is sometimes
defending their masters.unaware of its own strength and for this reason,
There are two types of American Bulldog: Classicchildren should always be closely supervised when
(also known as Johnson or Bully) and Standardplaying with this breed. In general, American
(also known as Scott or Performance); however,Bulldogs can be difficult to train, as they are
many of today's American Bulldogs tend to be astubborn, but once consistently trained, will obey.
combination of both. Standards tend to be shorterAmerican Bulldogs are suited for apartment life,
and stockier, causing them to sometimes beas they tend to be relatively inactive indoors.
mistaken for their cousin the Pit Bull, butHowever, they should be exercised at least once
otherwise Classic and Standard American Bulldogsa day. Some American Bulldogs are prone to hip
look similar to one another. American Bulldogs aredisplaysia, but otherwise, are a healthy breed of
primarily white though some may have patchesdog.
of brindle or red. Their coats are short and wiry,There is a website that has great information on
feeling bristly and rough to the touch. AmericanAmerican Bulldogs and most other breeds of
Bulldogs require relatively little maintenance thanksdogs. It has details that pertain to a dog breeds
to this short coat, and only need the occasionalhealth, grooming, living conditions, best food
bath and regular brushing with a stiff bristle brush.choices and more, the website is called: Dog And
Their strong jaws give their heads a boxy andCat Facts, and can be found at this url:
strong-looking appearance.By Robert W. Benjamin
Male American Bulldogs will reach an averageCopyright © 2006
height of 22 to 27 inches and average weight ofYou may publish this article in your ezine,
75 to 125 pounds. Females will reach averagenewsletter on your web site as long as it is
heights of 20 to 25 inches and weights of 60 toreprinted in its entirety and without modification
100 pounds. American Bulldogs will live, onexcept for formatting needs or grammar
average, 16 years. English Bulldogs were bred ascorrections.