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The American Bulldog is a breed of working dog developed for catching livestock and for protecting property. There are generally considered to be two types of American Bulldog, the Johnson type and the Scott type, named after the breeders who were influential in developing them, John D. Johnson and Allen Scott. These are more commonly known as Classic or Bully type and Standard or Performance type.
The American Bulldog is a stocky, strong-looking dog. Its
coat is short and either white or white with patches. The
Johnson type is a larger dog with a shorter muzzle than the
Scott type. However, many modern American Bulldogs are a
combination of the two types. In general, American Bulldogs
weigh between 27 to 54 kg (60 to 100 lb) and are 52 to 70 cm
(20 to 28 inches) at the withers.
Confusion with other breeds: There are two distinct
strains of American Bulldogs, Classic (Johnson, Bully) and
Standard (Scott, Performance) which is often mistaken for its
second cousin the American Pit Bull Terrier because of its
appearance, and for its much smaller European relatives
because of its name, the American Bulldog is different from
any of these. The American Bulldog is massive in comparison to
the French Bulldog or English Bulldog and was never bred to be
a lap dog.
The Standard American Bulldog does resemble the pit
bull-type breeds on many points, such as being muscular dogs
that can be all white or white with patches. However, the pit
bull's head is in the shape of a wedge coming to a more
rounded point at the muzzle, whereas an American Bulldog's is
box-shaped. The American Bulldog's ears are also typically
uncropped, and its head is heavier and a little bulkier.
Another major difference is size, with the American Bulldog
generally being much larger than a purebred American Pitbull
Terrier (which according to the UKC standard should only weigh
30 - 60 pounds).
Temperament: An American Bulldog is typically a
happy, friendly, and assertive dog that is at ease with its
family and fine with strangers as they get to know the
stranger in question. They are quite fond of children but
sometimes do not know their own strength, thus, as with all
dogs, they should be supervised with small children.
They bond strongly with their master and family but,
because of strong guarding instincts and a somewhat dominant
attitude, they need a firm but fair hand; they should be
socialized and obedience trained early to expose them to other
dogs and people and to ensure that they can be controlled
around company as they get older and larger.
They need room to expend their energy and so do best in a
home with a backyard. They are not always well behaved towards
cats and smaller pets, but correct socialization at an early
age can greatly increase the chances of them accepting these
animals. They can be stubborn with training though once they
are trained they tend to obey their masters faithfully.
American bulldog puppies can be relatively difficult to
housebreak, but it is important to be persistent.
History: The history of Mastiff-type dogs in the
British Isles dates back beyond the arrival of Ceasare, who
reported of the ferocious dogs. With the arrival of the
Normans in 1066 came Alaunts from the continent. The breeding
of the indigenous mastiffs to the newly arrived ones produced
the Mastiff and Bulldog of England. An interseting aside, is
that all descriptions of the Alaunts (there were three types)
mention an all white, or almost entirely white coat -
something only the American Bulldog still has.
In England during the 17th and 18th centuries, bulldogs
were used on farms to catch and hold livestock; as butchers'
dogs; and as guardians, as well as for other tasks. This
eventually led to bloodsports such as bull-baiting, popular
for both entertainment and the potential for gambling. These
practices extended not only from the British Isles but also to
the colonies she acquired during this time, including what is
now the United States and in particular the South; many
settlers brought their dogs with them to help around the farm,
hunt in the woods, and use in gambling.
In 1835, the sport of bull-baiting was outlawed in the
United Kingdom and, over time, the Bulldog there became a
common pet, being bred into today's more compact and
complacent version. The product was as much the efforts of
selectively bred bulldogs as it was the introduction of the
Pug. Conversely, the American strain maintained its utlitarian
purpose, and thus underwent less modifications; even as its
popularity declined in favor of other breeds. Even the slight
modifications the bulldog underwent in England from the late
Renaissance into the Industrial Revolution (pre 1835), were
absent in the American strain. (Most settlers of the American
South came from the West Midlands and as a result of the Civil
War between Royalists and Parliamentarians, well before the
Industrial Revolution).
Perhaps the most important role of the bulldog and the
reason for its survival and in fact why it thrived through out
the South was because of the presence of feral pigs,
introduced to the New World and without predators. The
bulldogs were the settlers only means of sufficiently dealing
with the vermin. By World War Two, the breed was near
extinction until John D. Johnson and his father scoured the
backroads of the South looking for the best specimens to
revive the breed. During this time a young Allen Scott grew an
interest in Mr. Johnson's dogs and began to work with him on
the revitalization process.
At a point, Allen Scott began infusing non-Johnson select
dogs with John D. Johnson's line creating the now Standard
American Bulldog. Therefore, the base stock of the Standard
American Bulldog is the Classic American Bulldog. This created
a falling out between Johnson and Scott causing them to go
their separate ways and breed the two slightly different
versions of the American bulldog.
Today: Today the American Bulldog is safe from
extinction and is enjoying a healthy increase in popularity,
both as a working dog and as a loving family pet. In the South
and West they are used as "hog dogs" (dogs used in
the catching of escaped pigs and/or hunting razorbacks) and
are also used in tracking, driving cattle, and in various dog
sports such as schutzhund and weight pulling.
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