Get award-winning cover with more benefits and up to 80% of eligible vet bills reimbursed. Find out about your cover options.
Get a quick quoteThe American Bulldog is a large, stocky and powerful working dog breed from the Mastiff family. They have distinctive half-erect pendant-shaped ears and a strong jaw. American Bulldogs can trace their lineage from the American Johnson Bulldog and the Scott Bulldog.
American Bulldogs are bigger, faster and more agile than their English counterparts. Their strong legs mean they are able to jump very high, in some cases up to 6 feet. They have short, coarse fur which usually comes in white and brindle, though there are many different colours available. They are light to moderate shedders, but do not shed as much as other dogs because they do not have a thick undercoat.
A healthy male American Bulldog should weigh between 30 and 59 kilos while a female should weigh between 27 and 41 kg. Males usually stand at about 50 – 71 cm tall and females are usually 50 – 61 cm tall. Their lifespan is between 8 and 15 years.
American Bulldog breeders have bred them as working dogs and so the breed requires a decent amount of exercise. A long walk each day along with sufficient play time should be enough to tire it out.
The American Bulldog is a loving, affectionate and fiercely loyal companion. As long as the American Bulldog puppy is socialised and trained from a young age, it is great with children and other pets and has been known to perform heroic acts in order to protect its loved ones. They are not hostile dogs, and despite their tough looks, they’re in fact dogs with very sweet temperaments.
They are extremely energetic dogs and even though they are relatively inactive and mellow indoors, they’ll jump at the chance to play fetch, go for a walk or run, swim, or jog alongside their owners on bikes or skateboards. If the American Bulldog does not receive enough exercise each day it may become anxious and highly strung.
They are easy to care for and look after; they only need a bath when necessary and can be brushed easily with a firm bristle brush. Be warned, however – American Bulldogs do tend to drool.
Not all conditions are covered by Pet Insurance. For details of Bow Wow Meow Pet Insurance cover, refer to the Product Disclosure Statement.
American Bulldogs are descended from ancient Mastiffs, which originated in Asia and came to Europe with traders and nomads. The ancient Mastiffs were incredibly courageous fighters who could bring down large and dangerous prey such as wild boar, big cats and bears.
They were first brought to England around 800 BC by Phoenician traders, and the English Mastiff and Bullmastiff are some of the closest ancestors to the original Mastiffs. About 1,200 years later, another tougher strain of Mastiff came to England and was called the Alaunt. In England, farmers and butchers used the Alaunt to breed the very first Bulldogs.
In the 19th century, coal miners from Staffordshire crossed English Bulldogs with terriers, leading to the American Pit Bull, Staffordshire Bull and Bull terriers.
The original American Bulldog was used for bull baiting and as farmhands. John D. Johnson, after returning from WWII, found that the numbers of American Bulldogs was dwindling to near extinction. He gathered the best examples of the breed he could find and began a breeding program which led to the Classic American Bulldogs we see today. Alan Scott, joined John D. Johnson’s efforts in reviving the breed and began breeding the Johnson Bulldog breed with other non-Johnson Bulldogs to develop the Scott Bulldog, now know as the Standard American Bulldog.
Because it is considered a manufactured breed, it is not recognised by the AKC.
Bourke’s Backyard – Boxer Breed Info: http://www.burkesbackyard.com.au/fact-sheets/pets/pet-road-tests/dogs/boxers/#.VFBEpfmUcsA
Boxer Club of New South Wales: http://www.nswboxerclub.com/
American Boxer Club: http://americanboxerclub.org/unique.html
American Kennel Club – Boxer: http://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/boxer/