Bull Terrier Head Shape

BulliesofNC

This discussion was created from comments split from: Bull Terrier puppy at 4 weeks old.

KingLouis1

Greetings all! I'm new to the site, and so far very impressed!  Anyhow, I have a few questions regarding the head structure of puppies. I've been privileged to have had 2 bull terriers in my life, but unfortunately both have passed on My second one, King Louis, was the best dog I've ever had, and probably the best friend I've ever had, too. When I purchased each dog, they both were already approximately 10-12 weeks old, so it was easy to notice the nice head structure.  Fast forward to now, currently I've been looking at finding a puppy to call my new pal, but I've had trouble finding any with the classic egg nosed or even Roman head shape, at least down here in Corpus and Houston area. My question is:  can you tell if a puppy at 2-4 weeks old will still develop an egg nose if  at present it still more flat or slightly dipped?  What other characteristics do you look for in a puppy? Any advice would be much appreciated!  Thanks

BulliesofNC

Great question @KingLouis1. I converted this question into its own discussion topic because I think it's a good one all by itself.

It is near impossible to look at a particular puppy at 2 weeks old and cast an opinion on just how well their head shape will turn out as a matured adult. You'd have a better idea of getting an idea by studying the head shape of the parents than you would the puppy itself. However, when you already know what the head shape and overall qualities are like with both parents and you're looking at each puppy from the litter what I look for is which one has the more predominant hump on the top of their head. This will actually flatten as the puppy grows and slide downwards causing an increase in the slope or roman shape of the head. I also look for a nice wide head with a shorter muzzle and thick cheek bones giving the puppy more of a "Bull" type look vice "terrier" or "dalmatian" look. I prefer seeing the bigger heads than the skinny long straight nosed head ("snipey head"). 

Although at 2-4 weeks old the bite of a puppy really isn't known but at 6 weeks it will be much better to predict. The bite at 6 weeks old should appear with a slight overbite because the jaw will actually push forward as the puppy grows. The bigger that hump on the head is the more you will notice changes in the head too. A puppy with a perfect scissors bite at 6 weeks old will often end up with either an even bite (which isn't a bad thing) or a slight underbite. Obviously most people would much rather have a Bull Terrier with a slight underbite than an over bite because the underbite always creates more volume in the muzzle and creates a thicker looking head vice a Bull Terrier with a distinctive overbite creating a "Pig Jaw."

The best thing you can do when choosing a puppy from birth to around 4 weeks old is to really analyze the parents especially the sire which often throw more of the genetics in regard to the look and structure of the puppies. At that point look for volume within the head, nice hump on the head, defined cheek bones, and short thick muzzle. This will at least give you a better chance of picking a puppy from a litter that may result in having a better head but the bite, overall conformation, gait, etc may very well be trumped in the future by another puppy you overlooked that developed very nicely in other areas besides the head.

BulliesofNC

Here's an example of a puppy we recently whelped with a very nice head.

I show progression from 2 weeks all the way to 8 weeks.

BulliesofNC

2 Weeks Old:

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3 Weeks Old:

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4 Weeks Old:

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5 Weeks Old:

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6 Weeks Old:

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6 1/2 Weeks Old:

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7 Weeks Old:

BulliesofNC

Here's a few photo's of Nitro viewing head shape from puppy to adult:

philsergeant

Fabulous looking creature that "Sky" ... Only you and God!!!!

BulliesofNC

Thanks Phil. I was beginning to think my posts were mysteriously hidden from public view. It's good to know someone seen them.

philsergeant

Count the "views", amazing how many people see but don't comment.

Djammy

@philsergeant
You are absolutely right. I am also chatting in another huge dog forum (German) with many members.
And there you can see right below the thread who of the registered members have watched the discussion. Also you can see how many have flagged it to stay informed.

Guess what: Within the discussion most of the time only a handful of people - often the same ones - and a hundred people in the "who read this thread" list including 20 who have flagged it to follow.


@Steve
I wasn't going to write that, but here's your reaction.

I have even photographed Djamila's head and looked at baby photos of hers to compare and reconstruct the things you've said here - initiated by this discussion.
I've only come to the conclusion that her profile is a little weaker, not very arched (but also not dented) and the snout a tad longer than Nitro's, for example. To me it looks like she has a very "girly" profile.

All of this is no problem for me, because I love her to pieces exactly the way she is and think she is beautiful and 100% EBT.

Yet, if I had several specimen to choose from for breeding to promote the arched nose, I'd probably skip her.
But that's just two different pairs of shoes. She is never going to have babies.

My photos are not any better or cuter than yours. And they basically only confirm what you've already said: If the dog has a very dented face already as a baby, something's probably not right. There was a pup here in a different discussion the other day with a dented face.

But as far as it concerns the typical baby puppy face profile of an EBT at the age of only a few weeks there's hardly any telling how arched exactly it will turn out. You are right.

Your photos: LOVE ALL OF THEM! Nitro is such a beautiful stud. I wish I had brought up the patience to wait for a puppy available from you back when we were looking around.
But then again there's Djamila - and I would not want to trade her for any other dog in the world.

BulliesofNC

Thanks Dorothea! The most perfect Bull Terrier will always be the one we own. Nothing beats the loyalty of a Bull Terrier and I so attached to my Bullies that I find myself more interested in their personalities than anything else. Each with their own individual fun loving characteristics and humor but all which share that same spunk and loyalty that of an English Bull Terrier which we all love and respect.