American Bulldogs

American Bulldogs are powerful, athletic, strongly muscled, and well boned dogs with a short coat. The body of the American Bulldog is slightly longer than tall. Like all other Bulldogs, this breed is characterized by a large and broad head with a wide muzzle and strong jaws. Sexual dimorphism is very strong in all Bulldogs. Males are much larger and more muscular than females. These dogs have small, high set ears that may be drop, rose or semi-prick. The tail in this breed may be docked or natural.

American Bulldogs are evaluated as working dogs, so strength and working abilities are more important than conformation in this breed. That’s why almost any coat color and pattern is accepted in this breed, except for solid black, blue, and tricolor. Honorable scars are not a fault, but a mark of a courageous and agile dog. All faults and deviations from the standard are penalized in proportion to how much they interfere with the Bulldog's ability to do its job. The height and weight of the American Bulldog varies to a great extend, because these characteristics don’t influence the dog’s working abilities much. American Bulldogs range from 20 to 27 inches at the withers and from 60 to 120 pounds in weight.

Today, the American Bulldog is used mostly as a protector of the property and a hog and cattle catching dog. To perform these tasks, the dog should be powerful, confident, independent and intelligent. Viciousness, hyper aggression as well as shyness and cowardice are serious faults in American Bulldogs.

Many owners keep American Bulldogs as family companions. These large and powerful dogs make ideal playmates for children and good companions for people of all walks of life. Because of versatility of the breed, several bloodlines evolved for performing specific tasks. All American Bulldogs are subdivided into the Johnson and Scott types. The Johnson American Bulldogs are massive, with a larger head and shorter muzzle; the Scott Bulldogs are lighter in musculature and bone. When choosing a dog of this breed, the buyer has to decide what the main purpose of the Bulldog would be. However, many American Bulldogs are crossbreds of these two lines.