American Bulldogs Facts – Must Read For Potential Owners

If you’ve ever felt the love and affection of an American bulldog, you will certainly agree is one of the greatest pets humans could ever have the pleasure of keeping.

Having lived with an American Bulldog for close to 12 years, I can honestly say, he was one of the best friends I ever had.

They are big and strong, yet kind and gentle while remaining fiercely loyal and protecting those that they love with their innocent and sometimes clumsy manner.

American bulldogs are quite mysterious and there is plenty that us humans may be surprised to find out, so without further adieu let’s jump straight into our American Bulldog facts.

Physical Characteristics

American bulldogs will typically live from anywhere are between 10 to 16 years, and they are quite large growing to anywhere between 60 and 120 pounds.

They have a strong, stocky and broad-shouldered body and they also strong muscular legs that allow them to scale heights of up to 7 feet with one jump.

They are often white but can come in various different colors including tan, black or brown.

They will often have a white coat with patches of brown or black and they have strong jaws and large heads. They have a short and soft coat with short fine hairs and they are moderate to heavy shedders, with the light-colored hair it often won’t be too much of a problem in the home.

American Bulldogs are also quite tall, often scaling up to 30 inches with a minimum of about 20 inches in height.

They Make Popular Pets

According to the American Kennel Club, American bulldogs were the 5th most popular breed of dog to keep as a pet in America in 2018, behind the Labrador, the Golden Retriever, the German Shepherd and it’s smaller cousin the French Bulldog.

Stubborn But Trainable, Eventually

American bulldogs can make excellent pets and even better companions. They do, however, require a lot of socialization as puppies if they are to go on and become quality pets.

They are quite stubborn to training at first, but once they get the hang of it, there will be no stopping them.

Dominant And Protective But Not Aggressive

American Bulldogs can be quite dominant dogs and plenty of males will never accept another male dog in the house.

They’re also very protective of their loved ones without being aggressive at all.

Early socialization is absolutely critical for American bulldogs, to get them used to meeting different people and different animals without hurting them and using their instinct to hunt anything that is smaller than them. By teaching them early, they can learn to control their behavior and be the best-behaved member of the clan.

Introduce Them To Other Animals Early

The American bulldog is well known for its history as a hunting and herding dog and its instincts will be to hunt or heard any smaller animals that it sees around the house.

If you can introduce them early to any fellow pets, especially cats, then they will learn to get along with them no problem.

Perfectly Safe For Children

While the American bulldog is strong and athletic it has a gentle and kind heart. With that being said, there is no problem leaving an American bulldog around children once they are trained since pups and socialized correctly.

Athletic Dogs That Need Athletic Owners

These dogs are Big, Strong and Powerful and they need a ton of exercise. While they can be kept as apartment dogs, they need to be walked or even run extensively and they are also perfect for activities like weight pulling, agility and due to its strong legs can scale heights up to 6 and 7 feet tall in a single bound.

If American bulldogs don’t get enough exercise, they will quickly become destructive, so be prepared to put the hours in throwing the ball or running with them. These are large and confident animals and they require fit athletic owners who can keep up with their blistering pace.

America Bulldog History

American bulldogs first showed up in England believe it or not. They were used in a horrific practice called bull baiting and after World War II they almost became extinct.

Due to their large muscular size and strength, they were used as guard dogs to protect property and they were used by farmers for herding cattle.

They often also been used in hunting, unfortunately, and they can easily take down cows, foxes and they have even been used to hunt bears and takedown horses.

American bulldogs made the trip from England to America with their owners because they were so useful on the farms and as guide dogs.

There Are Two Breeds Of American Bulldogs

American bulldogs worth rescued from near extinction because of their usefulness. Because they had so many different uses two different breeds emerged.

The Johnson breed came from John Johnson a World War II veteran and these dogs are bulkier and stronger for pulling weights.

The Scott breed came from Alan Scott and these dogs are well known to be fitter and more athletic for hunting and performance.

The two different types became crossbred over time and it’s accepted now that most are a hybrid of the two types.

Is the American Bulldog Part Pitbull?

The American Bulldog is very similar to Pitbull Terrier but there different blood lines and while they look quite similar, the American Bully is bigger, stockier and it has a larger head.

American Bulldogs Produce Some Of The Largest Litters

A female bulldog can give birth to up to 11 pups at the same time. Due to the large heads of the puppies, they are often delivered by cesarean section.

They Can Even Take Down Horses

Another reason why early socialization is key, is that because of their instincts, they may even see horses and livestock as potential prey to be hunted and they will have no problem taking them down with their size, strength, and speed.

You could consider adopting an adult

American Bulldogs are commonly found in rescue shelters all around America. This happens when they have timid owners that aren’t assertive enough to keep them or if they haven’t been socialized from birth they may run wild with a strong prey drive and a natural paranoia towards strangers that can lead to unsocial behavior

Prone To Hip Dysplasia

This is one of a number of issues that can affect American bulldogs, including allergies and skin conditions as well and before you buy your American bulldog you should make sure that their parents did not have this disease as well, as it can be quite debilitating.

The American Bulldog Is The Largest In The Bulldog family

The American Bulldog has 2 cousins, the English or British bulldog and the French Bulldog.

American Bulldog weighs about 120 lbs was the British bulldog was half that at about 60 pounds and the French Bulldog comes in at a respectable 30 pounds.

The key purpose of the British bulldog is as a pet and companion, while the French Bulldog was created as a miniature version of the English bulldog and is currently even more popular than the American bulldog, coming in at number four on the list of popular dogs as pets in 2018.

This Is Not A Dog For Beginners

This is a dog best suited for a strong and assertive owner who has no problem being the leader of the pack. Given these dogs strength, stature confidence they really need an owner with similar qualities that they can look up to, admire and someone who can lead the activities and exercise.

You need to be firm and consistent with these dogs, taking charge and letting them know in no uncertain terms that you are the boss and someone they need to respect.

Fuelling An Active Dog

American bulldogs are active dogs and they need high-quality food sources to fuel their energy needs.

You can choose from dry food as long as it contains about 25% protein plus and you also want to give them a lot of healthy fats found in fish or omega-3 supplements and also make sure they are getting enough fiber.

Some owners will choose to feed them raw meat or even cook for them but just remember that they will also need to get all the vitamins and nutrients for them to stay healthy.

These dogs also suffer from allergies quite regularly and if that is the case you should first try switching the diet to see if that helps.

Summing Up

All in all, he’s a big strong softie and these are highly active dogs that need an owner of the same character and if you can socialize them from youth, they will make an excellent addition to any family as the loving cuddly friend that is bigger than it realizes, a protector and a party starter with a massive heart.