The Bull Terrier is often called “A three year
old in a dog suit”
“ The clown of the dog world” and “Fun to the
max”
If you have never met one before-you are really
missing out, they are unlike any other breed and really do have a “presence”
about them- they can never be ignored or over looked.
The breed is physically strong, as well as strong
in personality.
This is a breed that demands attention, no matter where
it goes, no matter who it meets.
Due to this breed being so strong willed, and so
physically strong, it is not a breed for the owner who simply wants a dog to
“be” this is not a breed for a single person who works all day, or a person
who
prefers being a couch potato with no real
responsibility’s.
You truly must be devoted to this dog if you wish
to keep them happy, healthy and from becoming a huge problem as the breed never
truly grows out of its “puppy hood” they are never 100% trained or reliable.
Leave them alone once and your house can become half eaten.
To own this breed you MUST possess a strong sense
of humor, Become to angry or frustrated at this dog and it will flat out break
there hearts, spirits and souls.
They are not malicious in the least, they are not
conniving or spiteful it is just not in their nature to be so. But they do have minds of their own, and its
often said:
“They would rather ask for forgivness then permission"
And that is especially true, they will happily
ignore your commands to come when they see a child walking past (even though
they have been through the 600$ six week training coarse and graduated with full
honors) they will get a pat on the head by the child and look oh so remorseful
and ashamed as you clip the lead back on, only to do it all over again the
second the lead is unclasped.
A Guard dog they rarely are as they adore human
contact too much, this breed can be trusting of humans to a fault, as my own
male will happily jump into any strangers car the second he sees the door
open.
A true lap dog, they can never be “too close” and
will literally mush their faces hard into yours and, it is a running joke in my household to say
"Not Close Enough!"
No matter how many top of the line expensive toys
and chews and puzzle toys you buy for them, they will rarely sit down to play
alone with them and would much rather pester you for 8 hours to be petted,
hugged or kissed and cuddled, or for the more athletic types-to have you throw
the ball or take them for a walk or a game of wrestle.
While they do not seem very intelligent, they
are incredibly smart and makes it very difficult to keep them out of trouble.
This is a breed that NEEDS to be kept stimulated, and it can only be in ways
that THEY enjoy at that moment, otherwise they will simply ignore you and walk
away or beg for something else to do.
One minute your bully may be happy to play
fetch-but then suddenly just decide it has becoming boring, ignores the ball and
decides it would be much more entertaining to eat the newly planted flower
garden instead.
Training can be notoriously difficult, as they
often have short attention spans, and will never do anything they simply do not
want to do.
And you can never out right laugh at a Bull Terriers naughty antics, as they tend to thrive on laughter, and laughing will only encourage them to do it over and over again attempting to get a laugh from
you.
And keeping yourself from laughing can be one of
the most difficult things as Bull Terriers some how get into the silliest
situations you'd never expect. You may come into the living room one day to find
you Bully's head buried in the couch, or you might find your Bully has climbed
into your fish tank, he may of knocked the lamp over and still has the shade on
his head. One day I found my Girl with a paper shopping bag full of old rags
around her neck, walking around as if nothing was out of the ordinary.
But Bull Terriers also have there fair share of
headaches and heart aches. They are a very pushy and very cocky breed-whats
theirs is theirs, unless you work hard to teach them otherwise.
Dog aggression is quite common in the breed ,
they have small thresholds and can and will only take so much from other dogs,
meaning one small, yappy dog gets into a usually sweet, laid back Bully’s face,
and its very likely your going to end up with a seriously bitten tiny yappy
dog.
It takes a lot of work managing a Multi dog
household with Bull Terriers-even harder when its 2 or more Bull Terriers they
WILL squabble over toys, food, attention, furniture, beds,treats anything.
And if the signs are ignored it could be a
serious dog fight.
Bull Terriers are physically strong with very
hard heads and often times do not realize how strong they can be, they will
knock you down in play because they will not be paying attention to anything
other then their own play, they will leave “love bruises” and scratches from
trying to snuggle up with you too hard.
Every Bull Terrier own finds out sooner, rather
then later- to watch out for their Bully's head!
Ask any Bull Terrier owner about how hard their
Bull Terriers head is and they will most likely be able to give you at least one
story about there Bull Terrier causing a bloody nose,black eye,chipped tooth,
etc. But none of them can say it was out of aggression-its almost always out of
love or playfulness, Bull Terriers like to be close to people-ALL THE TIME, they would be happy
to be glued to them, and often try to pretend that they already are, they will
rub against your legs like a cat, they will follow you around all day as though
you were made of meat, they will make your knees buckle when they attempt to
push through your legs instead of walking around (even if they have an entire 6
feet of space to walk around you) be prepared to be tripped at least several times per
day-every day for the rest of your Bull Terrier owning life, and that includes
going up and down stairs.
From a dog behavior stand point-this breed is
more human like then dog like in many ways.
You should never try to “control them” as no
matter what you do it will never work, I doubt even beating them half to death
would ever cause a Bull Terrier to listen and do your bidding un
questioningly-they simply cannot and will not, so its better off to not even try
such silly training techniques with this breed, but instead to learn how to work
with them and not against them.
The breed originates from the UK, and
does not seem to do well in extreme temperatures neither cold nor hot and they often
times dislike bad weather such as snow or rain-my dogs will not even go for
walks on windy days as they do not like it and will try running back home.
The Breed does not always get along with cats or
other small prey like animals, However, if raised with them and taught properly
they can be perfectly fine around them-But never leave them unsupervised.
And for very small pets such as rodents,rabbits,
reptiles,etc Bull Terriers are quite heavy and clumsy and can very easily
accidentally crush or step on a small pet-Cats often times will get out of the
way,growl or hiss to alert the Bully to step back.
Its the same for small babies, Bull Terriers love
to snuggle, and can accidentally step on or lie on a small baby hurting
them. So teaching your bully boundaries and keeping a
close eye on them should keep any accidents to a minimum.
Not only is the Bull Terriers personality
difficult for Novice dog owners, but also the care, Bull Terriers are quite
prone to a list of health conditions that can be very difficult for an owner who
does not have the most profitable of jobs.
Bull Terriers need a very good diet due to skin
and stomach sensitivities.
Foods like Iams, Eukanuba, Hills science diet,
Purina, etc, are to be avoided.
Bull Terriers also suffer from neurological
disorders that can be difficult to manage. Heart disease,kidney disease,deafness etc, are
also quite common. And it can cost a small fortune paying for these
issues.
Bull Terriers are determined dogs who will stop
at almost nothing to get what they want.
If they want to get into a bedroom you have
locked them out of, do not think they would not break down the door to get into
that room. One day we had the electrician come out, he went to the fuse box in
the back room, since he was dealing with electrical wiring, I decided to shut
the bedroom door and keep my 55 pound male from bothering him. Without much
effort, my male went running full speed down the hallway literally taking the
door off its frame, frightening the poor electrician out of his wits honestly
fearing for his life, when all Cesar wanted was a pat on the head and to stare
lovingly at this new found friend and escort him around the house.
So, do not underestimate the sheer will power of
a Bull Terrier, they WILL get what they want, However, if you can change what
they want when it suits you, then you will have the most obedient Bull Terrier
ever.
I always tell new owners 'Never fight your Bull
Terrier for what you want-work at making what YOU want, what THEY want, because
if you fight them, you will most definitely lose!”
I have never seen a person walk away after
meeting my Bull Terriers without a smile on their faces, and about 90% of the
time they are talking about how wonderful they are and about 80% of the time are
walking away saying “Some day, I want a dog like that!”
That is the effect Bull Terriers have on people,
they are such a happy-go-lucky breed who loves life, no matter the situation,
they love living and having fun, they love love and being the center of
attention, they are social butterfly’s who make everyone who come in contact
with them feel special and loved.
I have never talked to a person who has owned one
who said they disliked them, often times I hear of people who say things
like
“I have owned other breeds, but once I got my first
Bull Terrier I was hooked for life”
Bull Terriers love their owners with everything,
they are extremely loyal and extremely loving.
Extremely silly and extremely happy and fun!
old in a dog suit”
“ The clown of the dog world” and “Fun to the
max”
If you have never met one before-you are really
missing out, they are unlike any other breed and really do have a “presence”
about them- they can never be ignored or over looked.
The breed is physically strong, as well as strong
in personality.
This is a breed that demands attention, no matter where
it goes, no matter who it meets.
Due to this breed being so strong willed, and so
physically strong, it is not a breed for the owner who simply wants a dog to
“be” this is not a breed for a single person who works all day, or a person
who
prefers being a couch potato with no real
responsibility’s.
You truly must be devoted to this dog if you wish
to keep them happy, healthy and from becoming a huge problem as the breed never
truly grows out of its “puppy hood” they are never 100% trained or reliable.
Leave them alone once and your house can become half eaten.
To own this breed you MUST possess a strong sense
of humor, Become to angry or frustrated at this dog and it will flat out break
there hearts, spirits and souls.
They are not malicious in the least, they are not
conniving or spiteful it is just not in their nature to be so. But they do have minds of their own, and its
often said:
“They would rather ask for forgivness then permission"
And that is especially true, they will happily
ignore your commands to come when they see a child walking past (even though
they have been through the 600$ six week training coarse and graduated with full
honors) they will get a pat on the head by the child and look oh so remorseful
and ashamed as you clip the lead back on, only to do it all over again the
second the lead is unclasped.
A Guard dog they rarely are as they adore human
contact too much, this breed can be trusting of humans to a fault, as my own
male will happily jump into any strangers car the second he sees the door
open.
A true lap dog, they can never be “too close” and
will literally mush their faces hard into yours and, it is a running joke in my household to say
"Not Close Enough!"
No matter how many top of the line expensive toys
and chews and puzzle toys you buy for them, they will rarely sit down to play
alone with them and would much rather pester you for 8 hours to be petted,
hugged or kissed and cuddled, or for the more athletic types-to have you throw
the ball or take them for a walk or a game of wrestle.
While they do not seem very intelligent, they
are incredibly smart and makes it very difficult to keep them out of trouble.
This is a breed that NEEDS to be kept stimulated, and it can only be in ways
that THEY enjoy at that moment, otherwise they will simply ignore you and walk
away or beg for something else to do.
One minute your bully may be happy to play
fetch-but then suddenly just decide it has becoming boring, ignores the ball and
decides it would be much more entertaining to eat the newly planted flower
garden instead.
Training can be notoriously difficult, as they
often have short attention spans, and will never do anything they simply do not
want to do.
And you can never out right laugh at a Bull Terriers naughty antics, as they tend to thrive on laughter, and laughing will only encourage them to do it over and over again attempting to get a laugh from
you.
And keeping yourself from laughing can be one of
the most difficult things as Bull Terriers some how get into the silliest
situations you'd never expect. You may come into the living room one day to find
you Bully's head buried in the couch, or you might find your Bully has climbed
into your fish tank, he may of knocked the lamp over and still has the shade on
his head. One day I found my Girl with a paper shopping bag full of old rags
around her neck, walking around as if nothing was out of the ordinary.
But Bull Terriers also have there fair share of
headaches and heart aches. They are a very pushy and very cocky breed-whats
theirs is theirs, unless you work hard to teach them otherwise.
Dog aggression is quite common in the breed ,
they have small thresholds and can and will only take so much from other dogs,
meaning one small, yappy dog gets into a usually sweet, laid back Bully’s face,
and its very likely your going to end up with a seriously bitten tiny yappy
dog.
It takes a lot of work managing a Multi dog
household with Bull Terriers-even harder when its 2 or more Bull Terriers they
WILL squabble over toys, food, attention, furniture, beds,treats anything.
And if the signs are ignored it could be a
serious dog fight.
Bull Terriers are physically strong with very
hard heads and often times do not realize how strong they can be, they will
knock you down in play because they will not be paying attention to anything
other then their own play, they will leave “love bruises” and scratches from
trying to snuggle up with you too hard.
Every Bull Terrier own finds out sooner, rather
then later- to watch out for their Bully's head!
Ask any Bull Terrier owner about how hard their
Bull Terriers head is and they will most likely be able to give you at least one
story about there Bull Terrier causing a bloody nose,black eye,chipped tooth,
etc. But none of them can say it was out of aggression-its almost always out of
love or playfulness, Bull Terriers like to be close to people-ALL THE TIME, they would be happy
to be glued to them, and often try to pretend that they already are, they will
rub against your legs like a cat, they will follow you around all day as though
you were made of meat, they will make your knees buckle when they attempt to
push through your legs instead of walking around (even if they have an entire 6
feet of space to walk around you) be prepared to be tripped at least several times per
day-every day for the rest of your Bull Terrier owning life, and that includes
going up and down stairs.
From a dog behavior stand point-this breed is
more human like then dog like in many ways.
You should never try to “control them” as no
matter what you do it will never work, I doubt even beating them half to death
would ever cause a Bull Terrier to listen and do your bidding un
questioningly-they simply cannot and will not, so its better off to not even try
such silly training techniques with this breed, but instead to learn how to work
with them and not against them.
The breed originates from the UK, and
does not seem to do well in extreme temperatures neither cold nor hot and they often
times dislike bad weather such as snow or rain-my dogs will not even go for
walks on windy days as they do not like it and will try running back home.
The Breed does not always get along with cats or
other small prey like animals, However, if raised with them and taught properly
they can be perfectly fine around them-But never leave them unsupervised.
And for very small pets such as rodents,rabbits,
reptiles,etc Bull Terriers are quite heavy and clumsy and can very easily
accidentally crush or step on a small pet-Cats often times will get out of the
way,growl or hiss to alert the Bully to step back.
Its the same for small babies, Bull Terriers love
to snuggle, and can accidentally step on or lie on a small baby hurting
them. So teaching your bully boundaries and keeping a
close eye on them should keep any accidents to a minimum.
Not only is the Bull Terriers personality
difficult for Novice dog owners, but also the care, Bull Terriers are quite
prone to a list of health conditions that can be very difficult for an owner who
does not have the most profitable of jobs.
Bull Terriers need a very good diet due to skin
and stomach sensitivities.
Foods like Iams, Eukanuba, Hills science diet,
Purina, etc, are to be avoided.
Bull Terriers also suffer from neurological
disorders that can be difficult to manage. Heart disease,kidney disease,deafness etc, are
also quite common. And it can cost a small fortune paying for these
issues.
Bull Terriers are determined dogs who will stop
at almost nothing to get what they want.
If they want to get into a bedroom you have
locked them out of, do not think they would not break down the door to get into
that room. One day we had the electrician come out, he went to the fuse box in
the back room, since he was dealing with electrical wiring, I decided to shut
the bedroom door and keep my 55 pound male from bothering him. Without much
effort, my male went running full speed down the hallway literally taking the
door off its frame, frightening the poor electrician out of his wits honestly
fearing for his life, when all Cesar wanted was a pat on the head and to stare
lovingly at this new found friend and escort him around the house.
So, do not underestimate the sheer will power of
a Bull Terrier, they WILL get what they want, However, if you can change what
they want when it suits you, then you will have the most obedient Bull Terrier
ever.
I always tell new owners 'Never fight your Bull
Terrier for what you want-work at making what YOU want, what THEY want, because
if you fight them, you will most definitely lose!”
I have never seen a person walk away after
meeting my Bull Terriers without a smile on their faces, and about 90% of the
time they are talking about how wonderful they are and about 80% of the time are
walking away saying “Some day, I want a dog like that!”
That is the effect Bull Terriers have on people,
they are such a happy-go-lucky breed who loves life, no matter the situation,
they love living and having fun, they love love and being the center of
attention, they are social butterfly’s who make everyone who come in contact
with them feel special and loved.
I have never talked to a person who has owned one
who said they disliked them, often times I hear of people who say things
like
“I have owned other breeds, but once I got my first
Bull Terrier I was hooked for life”
Bull Terriers love their owners with everything,
they are extremely loyal and extremely loving.
Extremely silly and extremely happy and fun!
To own one is to love one
From A dog behaviorist stand point, to describe the
Bull Terrier can be difficult, the breed is pushy, domineering, intelligent, and stubborn. Very much like that of a child, if they want something-they will do whatever they can to get it.
I will tell you a story about my
Female Chimera. When she was a youngster of about 6 months, she found the cat box and found that, by hopping the baby gate she could eat her fill of cat waste, obviously I did not want her doing this, and would do my best to keep a watchful eye on her. The litter box was in a room behind the stairs I could see in a mirror from the couch.My little girl found that, if she barged up the stairs loudly, and snuck back down exceptionally quietly-she could trick me into
believing she was up the stairs and NOT into the cat box, obviously I would hear
her tags as she climbed the gate and I would sneak up and give her a good scare
and chase her back out.
So when that stopped working she altered her
technique by barging loudly up the stair while barking a few times, then bark
WHILE climbing the gate as to try throwing me off.
Again, it did not work
because I was watching her. Switching tactics, yet again, she decided to simply
take 4 steps, look in all directions for me, take 4 more steps, look around, 4
more steps look around, hop the gate and look around, once I stopped her from
that technique, she stopped messing with the box when she knew I was HOME, if
she thought I was outside or left the house-guess where she would go? But she
was foiled when my mom caught on and began watching her closely every time I
would step out.
You must also be watchful of this breed with
other dogs in play-while they will rarely start a serious fight, but they often
times cause them unintentionally.
This breed exudes confidence, even the more timid
shy ones are quite outgoing. It is the breeds nature.
Being a “Bull” breed, their approach towards
other dogs is often fast,hard and confrontational. Even friendly bullies can
turn any other breed to jello simply by the approach.
My own female at the ripe age of 10 weeks and at a whopping 11 pounds, sent a
(what I thought seemed) like a very outgoing 70ish pound Boxer to tuck its tail and hide
behind its master when she approached him, head and tail held high-with a firm
intense stare.
While she was simply curious and meant this dog
no harm, the sheer confidence in approach was enough to send him for the
protection of his owner.
In a dog who is quite timid to begin with-a
cocky, outgoing young bully approaching can cause a snap or even a full on
attack-not the timid dogs fault, this thick muscular child like dog is too much
for them to handle sometimes! They honestly fear for their safety!
This breed CAN be quite quick to fight back-they
are not a breed who are willing to tolerate other dogs nasty-ness for very long and, it is a
rarity for a bull terrier to NOT fight back when confronted, so you MUST be ever
watchful, because all it takes is a tiny toy Yorkie to nip aggressively a BT for
that bully to nip back, and that’s potentially a dead Yorkie on the owners
hands.
I will talk in depth about training this breed in
the Training section
While this is a pushy and domineering breed, they
do not do it out of spite, or malicioussness. They eat your furniture because
its great fun, they pee on the rug because they dont like getting their feet
wet, they nip your ankles when your trying to run away because it is one of the
funnest games ever, and they refuse to stay off the furniture because they
simply love to be near you. Because of this its extremly important to have a
well defined sense of humour, and be able to laugh about your bullie eating its
10th pair of shoes, or your brand new
couch-that you just spent 6 months to pay for.
There is a darker side to this breed that not
many talk about, that being the fact that- some bullies (even as young as 8
weeks) can have fits of rage or as I call them "Temper Tantrums"
They will cuss and growl and snarl and make you
feel terrified to even go into the same room.
This is a serious behavior that, while can be
common one-should never EVER be ignored, nor should it be handled with violence
or shouting, but patience, calmness and understanding
Bull Terrier can be difficult, the breed is pushy, domineering, intelligent, and stubborn. Very much like that of a child, if they want something-they will do whatever they can to get it.
I will tell you a story about my
Female Chimera. When she was a youngster of about 6 months, she found the cat box and found that, by hopping the baby gate she could eat her fill of cat waste, obviously I did not want her doing this, and would do my best to keep a watchful eye on her. The litter box was in a room behind the stairs I could see in a mirror from the couch.My little girl found that, if she barged up the stairs loudly, and snuck back down exceptionally quietly-she could trick me into
believing she was up the stairs and NOT into the cat box, obviously I would hear
her tags as she climbed the gate and I would sneak up and give her a good scare
and chase her back out.
So when that stopped working she altered her
technique by barging loudly up the stair while barking a few times, then bark
WHILE climbing the gate as to try throwing me off.
Again, it did not work
because I was watching her. Switching tactics, yet again, she decided to simply
take 4 steps, look in all directions for me, take 4 more steps, look around, 4
more steps look around, hop the gate and look around, once I stopped her from
that technique, she stopped messing with the box when she knew I was HOME, if
she thought I was outside or left the house-guess where she would go? But she
was foiled when my mom caught on and began watching her closely every time I
would step out.
You must also be watchful of this breed with
other dogs in play-while they will rarely start a serious fight, but they often
times cause them unintentionally.
This breed exudes confidence, even the more timid
shy ones are quite outgoing. It is the breeds nature.
Being a “Bull” breed, their approach towards
other dogs is often fast,hard and confrontational. Even friendly bullies can
turn any other breed to jello simply by the approach.
My own female at the ripe age of 10 weeks and at a whopping 11 pounds, sent a
(what I thought seemed) like a very outgoing 70ish pound Boxer to tuck its tail and hide
behind its master when she approached him, head and tail held high-with a firm
intense stare.
While she was simply curious and meant this dog
no harm, the sheer confidence in approach was enough to send him for the
protection of his owner.
In a dog who is quite timid to begin with-a
cocky, outgoing young bully approaching can cause a snap or even a full on
attack-not the timid dogs fault, this thick muscular child like dog is too much
for them to handle sometimes! They honestly fear for their safety!
This breed CAN be quite quick to fight back-they
are not a breed who are willing to tolerate other dogs nasty-ness for very long and, it is a
rarity for a bull terrier to NOT fight back when confronted, so you MUST be ever
watchful, because all it takes is a tiny toy Yorkie to nip aggressively a BT for
that bully to nip back, and that’s potentially a dead Yorkie on the owners
hands.
I will talk in depth about training this breed in
the Training section
While this is a pushy and domineering breed, they
do not do it out of spite, or malicioussness. They eat your furniture because
its great fun, they pee on the rug because they dont like getting their feet
wet, they nip your ankles when your trying to run away because it is one of the
funnest games ever, and they refuse to stay off the furniture because they
simply love to be near you. Because of this its extremly important to have a
well defined sense of humour, and be able to laugh about your bullie eating its
10th pair of shoes, or your brand new
couch-that you just spent 6 months to pay for.
There is a darker side to this breed that not
many talk about, that being the fact that- some bullies (even as young as 8
weeks) can have fits of rage or as I call them "Temper Tantrums"
They will cuss and growl and snarl and make you
feel terrified to even go into the same room.
This is a serious behavior that, while can be
common one-should never EVER be ignored, nor should it be handled with violence
or shouting, but patience, calmness and understanding