 |
 AMERICAN
BULLDOG |
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| GENERAL APPEARANCE | - The American Bulldog is a powerful, athletic short-coated dog, strongly muscled, and well boned. The body is just slightly longer than tall. The head is large and broad with a wide muzzle. Ears are small to medium in size, high set, and may be drop, semi-prick, rose, or cropped. The tail may be docked or natural. The American Bulldog comes in solid colors, white with colored patches, and brindle. Gender differences are well expressed in this breed, with males typically larger and more muscular than females. Honorable scars resulting from field work are not to be penalized. The American Bulldog should be evaluated as a working dog, and exaggerations or faults should be penalized in proportion to how much they interfere with the dog's ability to work. | |
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| PROPORTIONS | - The essential characteristics of the American Bulldog are those which enable it to work as a hog and cattle catching dog, and a protector of personal property. These tasks require a powerful, agile, confident dog with a large head and powerful jaws. | |
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| SIZE | -
Height at the withers: from 22 to 27 inches; female, from 20 to
25 inches The American Bulldog must be sufficiently powerful and agile to chase, catch, and bring down free-ranging livestock. Dogs capable of doing this come in a rather wide range of height and weight. Males are typically larger with heavier bone and more muscle than females. Both sexes, however, should have a well-balanced overall appearance. |
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length: (standard
does not comment).
- weight: male ranges from 75 to 125 pounds; in a mature female, from 60 to 100 pounds. |
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| TEMPERAMENT | - gentle, loving family companion who is fearless enough to face an angry bull or a human intruder. Note: It is common for young American Bulldogs to be somewhat standoffish with strangers and judges should not penalize this. By the time the dog is around 18 months of age, however, the breed's normal confidence asserts itself. | |
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| SKIN | - (standard does not comment). | |
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| COAT | - The coat is short, close, and stiff to the touch. | |
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| COLOUR | - Any color, color pattern, or combination of colors is acceptable, except for solid black, solid blue, and tricolor (white with patches of black and tan). Some dark brindle coats may appear black unless examined in very bright light. A buckskin color pattern, where the base of the hair is fawn and the tips are black, may also appear solid black. A judge should not disqualify an American Bulldog for black color unless the dog has been examined in sunlight or other equally bright light. | |
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| HEAD | - large and broad giving the impression of great power. When viewed from the side, the skull and muzzle are parallel to one another and joined by a well-defined stop. Despite the depth of the stop, the forehead is wider than it is high. | |
| - | Skull | - large, flat, deep, and broad between the ears. Viewed from the top, the skull is square. There is a deep median furrow that diminishes in depth from the stop to the occiput. Cheek muscles are prominent. |
| - | Stop | - very deep and abrupt, almost at a right angle with the muzzle |
| - | Muzzle | - broad and thick with a very slight taper from the stop to the nose. The length of the muzzle is equal to 35 to 45 percent of the length of the head. Lips are moderately thick but not pendulous. The chin is well defined and must neither overlap the upper lip nor be covered by it. |
| - | Nose | - large with wide, open nostrils. The nose may be any color but darker pigment is preferred. |
| - | Lips | - |
| - | Jaw/Teeth | - complete set of large, evenly spaced, white teeth. The preferred bite is undershot with the inside of the lower incisors extending in front of the upper incisors up to ¼ inch. A scissors bite is acceptable. A level bite and extreme undershot bite are considered faults to the degree that the bite interferes with the dog's ability to work. Teeth are not visible when the mouth is closed. Worn teeth or broken teeth are acceptable. |
| - | Eyes | - Eyes are medium in size, round, and set well apart. All colors are acceptable but brown is preferred. Haw is not visible. Dark eye rims are preferred. |
| - | Ears | - may be cropped but natural ears are preferred. Natural ears are
small to medium in size, high set, and may be drop, semi-prick, or rose. Drop ears: The ears are set high, level with the upper line of the skull, accentuating the skull's width. At the base, the ear is just slightly raised in front and then hangs along the cheek. The tip is slightly rounded. When pulled toward the eye, the ear should not extend past the outside corner of the eye. Semi-prick ears: Same as drop ears except that only the tips of the ears drop forward. Rose ears: Rose ears are small and set high on the skull. |
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| NECK | - exerts power to bring down livestock. The neck must be long enough to exert leverage, but short enough to exert power. The neck is muscular and, at its widest point, is nearly as broad as the head, with a slight arch at the crest, and tapering slightly from shoulders to the head. A slight dewlap is acceptable. | |
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| BODY | - | |
| - | Topline | - inclines very slightly downward from well-developed withers to a broad, muscular back. |
| - | Withers | - (standard does not comment). |
| - | Back | - (standard does not comment). |
| - | Chest | - deep and moderately wide with ample room for heart and lungs. |
| - | Ribs | - well sprung from the spine and then flatten to form a deep body extending at least to the elbows, or lower in adult dogs. |
| - | Belly | - The flank is moderately tucked up and firm. |
| - | Loin | - The loin is short, broad, and slightly arched |
| - | Underline | - (standard does not comment). |
| - | Croup | - moderately sloping |
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| LIMBS | ||
| Forequarters - The shoulders are strong and well muscled. The forelegs are heavily boned and very muscular. Viewed from the front, the forelegs are perpendicular to the ground or may, especially in a dog with a very broad chest, incline slightly inward. | ||
| - | Shoulder | - well laid back and forms, with the upper arm, an apparent 90-degree angle. The tips of the shoulder blades are set about 2 to 3 finger-widths apart. |
| - | Upperarms | - (standard does not comment). |
| - | Elbows | - set on a plane parallel to the body, neither close to the body nor turned out. |
| - | Forearms | - (standard does not comment). |
| - | Carpus | - (standard does not comment). |
| - | Pasterns | - short, powerful, and slightly sloping when viewed in profile. Viewed from the front, the pasterns are straight. |
| - | Forefeet | - round, medium in size, well arched, and tight. |
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| Hindquarters - well muscled and broad. The width and angulation of the hindquarters is in balance with the width and angulation of the forequarters. | ||
| - | Thighs | - well developed with thick, easily discerned muscles. |
| - | Stifles | - |
| - | Secondthighs | - muscular and short. |
| - | Metatarsus | - Viewed from the side, the rear pasterns are well let down and perpendicular to the ground. |
| - | Hocks | - Viewed from the rear, are straight and parallel to one another. |
| - | Hindfeet | - round, medium in size, well arched, and tight. |
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| Tail | - may have a natural or a docked tail, but the natural tail is preferred. The natural tail is very thick at the base, and tapers to a point. The tail is set low. A "pump handle" tail is preferred but any tail carriage from upright, when the dog is excited, to relaxed between the hocks is acceptable. | |
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| Gait/Movement | - When trotting, the gait is effortless, smooth, powerful and well coordinated,
showing good reach in front and drive behind. When moving, the backline remains
level with only a slight flexing to indicate suppleness. Viewed from any
position, legs turn neither in nor out, nor do feet cross or interfere with each
other. As speed increases, feet tend to converge toward center line of balance. Poor movement should be penalized to the degree to which it reduces the American Bulldog's ability to perform the tasks it was bred to do. |
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| Faults | -
should be regarded in exact proportion to its degree. Very visible haws. Hound ears. Neck too short and thick; thin or weak neck. Cowhocks; open hocks. Splayed feet. The seriousness of this fault is based on the amount of splay in the feet. |
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| Serious Faults | - Swayback; sloping topline. Narrow or weak hindquarters. Tail curled over the back; corkscrew tail; upright tail when the dog is relaxed. | |
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| DISQUALIFICATIONS - the generals and more: Unilateral or bilateral cryptorchid. Viciousness or extreme shyness. Unilateral or bilateral deafness. Cowardice. Overshot. Long or wavy coat. Albinism. Solid black or blue with no white markings. Tricolor (white with patches of black and tan). | ||
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| NOTE: Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum. | ||