Mary Allen
The Bull Terrier is a traditional fighting dog that still gets along badly with dogs, but all the better with people. There are two sizes of bullies, the larger variant of which is considered dangerous. Since breeding and keeping require a permit in most federal states, many owners choose the Mini Bullterrier, which is not listed as a dog. We check the family suitability of the four-legged friends:
The Dog with the Distinctive Ram’s Head: Bull Terriers in Small and Large
As the name suggests, Bull Terriers are a mix of Bulldog and White Terrier, and Dalmatians were also crossed to create the breed. To this day, lines are referred to as Dalmatian, Terrier, or Bulldog types, depending on which ancestor the dogs’ stature most closely resembles. Miniature Bull Terriers are recognized by the FCI as an independent breed. Strictly speaking, it is a smaller breed of Bull Terrier, the size of which is not specified and can vary from litter to litter.
FCI Breed Standard
- Standard of the Bull Terrier
- Standard of the Miniature Bull Terrier
- The standards differ only in size. No size is specified for the Bull Terrier, for the Mini Bull Terrier, a maximum height at the withers of 35.5 cm is specified.
The Dog with the Unmistakable Head – Characteristics of the Breed
- The ram’s head is long, strong, and deep, similar to that of a horse or sheep, without indentations or bulges. A profile line that curves slightly downwards runs from the top of the head to the tip of the nose.
- Matching the shape of the skull, the black nose also curves slightly downwards at the tip. The nostrils and teeth are quite large and the lips are tight. Typical of the fighting dogs is their extremely strong jaw.
- The narrow and slanted eyes are triangular in shape and give the breed a penetrating expression. They should appear as black as possible and the distance to the back of the head should be visibly shorter than the distance to the tip of the nose. Blue eyes do occur but are undesirable in inbreeding.
- The thin erect ears are not too big. They are straight at the top and slightly curved at the bottom, like short sabers.
- The neck is muscular and long like a bulldog. It tapers slightly towards the head. It merges into a well-rounded chest that is deep and broad when viewed from the front. The loins are also broad and well-muscled.
- The shoulders form almost a right angle with the upper arms so that the legs are absolutely straight and solid. Strong bones and very pronounced muscles reinforce the brawny impression. Hind legs are well angulated and parallel when viewed from behind. Round and compact paws fit the overall picture and give a firm footing.
- The short tail is set low and carried horizontally. It is very wide at the base and tapers to a point.
Fur and Colors
The skin is tight and the coat is very short, smooth, and relatively hard. A light undercoat develops in winter, but not as in short-haired hunting and herding dogs. Not all colorings are accepted for inbreeding:
Allowed colorings
- White (without speckles, skin pigmentation, and patches on the head are acceptable)
- Black
- brindle
- Red
- fawn
- tricolor
- White markings are desirable for all colors on the legs, chest, neck, face, and neck, as long as the colored area predominates.
- Brindle and solid white bull terriers are preferred.
Unwanted coloring
- Blue
- liver brown
- White with colored markings on the body
The History of the Bull Terrier – Blood Sports Dogs with Elegance
The ancestors of today’s Bull Terriers (Staffordshire and Bull Terriers) originated in England in the 19th century. Bloody animal fights were popular sports at the time – in the working class, animal fights were a popular way to earn extra money. In dog-to-dog fights, bulldogs proved to be too slow, while terriers were less powerful. Thus, the Bull and Terrier dogs were bred from the Old English Bulldog and Old English Terrier (both original breeds are now extinct).
From Bull and Terrier to Bull Terrier
Around 1850, breeder James Hinks began crossing his English White Terriers with white Bull and Terrier dogs. Later Dalmatian, Spanish Pointer, Whippet, Borzoi, and Collie were crossed. In order to integrate brindle coat color into the gene pool, Staffordshire Bull Terriers were also crossed, which developed at about the same time as Bull and Terrier dogs with a pronounced stop. The first bull terrier according to today’s breed standard (with an egg head) was registered in 1917.
The Mini Version
From the beginning, Bull Terriers came in all sizes – to this day, no specific size is specified in the breed standard. The short-legged Miniature Bull Terrier was recognized as a separate breed in 1991. In many countries, the mating of small Bull Terriers and Miniature Bull Terriers is still allowed – if the height at the withers is less than 35.5 cm, a Bull Terrier-Mini Bull Terrier mix is considered a purebred Miniature Bull Terrier.
A Questionable Status Symbol
Because of their bloody history, bull terriers have been popular with criminals and in the red light district since the mid-20th century, where they are used as a deterrent and for self-defense. To this day, they are popular with young people who want to scare others but all too often overdo it – in bite statistics listing dog biting incidents, Bull Terriers rank high for this reason, although they are not dangerous per se, but are raised to be dangerous dogs.