Describing the Character of the English Bull Terrier
BulliesofNC
Richlands, NC
The character of the BULL TERRIER is probably the outstanding feature which
draws prospective owners to the breed. A typical Bull Terrier is active,
interested, playful and clownish. It is also extremely attached to its owners of
family. These all sound like attributes of the perfect dog; however, there are
drawbacks to these characteristics which do not suit every prospective owner or
every situation. Activity is a characteristic which is present in nearly every
young Bull Terrier. The young Bull Terrier is, in fact almost indistinguishable
from a three-year-old child in a dog suit. All puppies are extremely "busy" and
many Bull Terriers continue to be active and playful until well into middle age
(5-6 years). Bull Terriers like to be doing something. For this reason they fit
very well into active families where they receive a great deal of supervision.
They also adapt well to quieter situations such as homes of elderly (but active)
retired persons who have a great deal of time to spend with their dog. Bull
Terriers do not do well in situations where they are expected to remain alone in
the home or yard for long periods of time or where their physical activity is
very restricted. In these situations, very much like a three-year-old child,
Bull Terriers become bored and destructive. They will often chew and destroy,
are difficult or impossible to housebreak, and develop unpleasant habits such
as constant barking, tail chasing and peculiar personality quirks.
Bull Terriers become very attached to their owners and their families. This
usually makes them very good natural guard dogs, but care must be taken that
they are not encouraged to become possessive and jealous. While this would seem
a desirable attribute for someone who wants a dog to protect his wife and
family, it can be a nuisance if the dog does not distinguish between acceptable
strangers and malevolent ones. Bull Terriers can also become involved in the
presence of violent physical activity such as children's fist fights or
exceptionally rough play, activity where they see no reason not to join in, or
to guard the family against the physical assaults of outsiders.
Bull Terriers like to join family activity and for this reason require
constant and firm discipline. They can be wonderful with children if handled
with common sense, both by the adults and the children. Bull Terriers will
tolerate a large range of children's behavior but they will not tolerate being
teased and can be rough if constantly provoked. In their formative years, as do
children, Bull Terriers require large amounts of supervision. They are tireless
playmates and will chase balls, follow the children and watch their games for
hours on end.
Many Bull Terriers can and do enjoy the company of other dogs with certain
exceptions. Male Bull Terriers who have not been altered do not, as a rule, get
along with other male dogs. There comes a time when one of the males must
dominate, and there is inevitably an unpleasant fight after which the two must
live entirely separately for life. A male and female Bull Terrier can live
together quite happily, and two females can sometimes share the same home.
Again, care must be taken that jealousy does not arise. It is not fair to expect
an older Bull Terrier who has enjoyed the full attentions of the family to want
to share with another dog. This again is very similar to a young child who
suddenly finds himself confronted with a baby sibling - some care must be taken
to assure the older one that the youngster belongs to the whole family.
Bull
Terriers shed their coats twice a year. The loose hair can be removed by a daily
rubdown with a special rubber glove or grooming comb specifically made to gather
hair. The hair does shed during these periods and the white hairs are more
noticeable than the colored ones on furniture and clothes.
Old age brings on the usual battery of infirmities to which Bull Terriers are
not immune. A Bull Terrier may well live an active and healthy life until he is
eleven or twelve which is about the normal life span of this breed.
Males and
females vary only slightly in temperament. The unaltered males tend not to
tolerate prolonged association with other unaltered males, as previously noted.
Undesirable tendencies based on the drive can be remarkably reduced by spaying
and neutering females as well as males. There can be more difference in the
temperament of families of Bull Terriers than in general between the sexes. Some
families tend to be more possessive and less tolerant of other dogs than others,
and some families have a tendency to some shyness and apprehension with
strangers and in strange places. Some families are very bright and innovative
(which can be mixed blessing) and some are less intellectual and more placid.
Bull Terriers are unique in the spectrum of dogs. They have been carefully
selected and bred largely by responsible, caring people who understand the
legacy of their chosen breed. They can give tremendous joy or wreak havoc,
depending on the time and effort spent by their owners to control and develop
their special character.
Comments
One of the first few times I saw a bull terrier it was a guy at the dog park with a huge brindle male. The first thing he said to me was "Don't get one the f*cking stupid ass dogs!!!" I was like wow...While I now understand what kind of frustrations he probably had at the time, it definitely takes the right kind of people to own a bull terrier and all others should just stay away and stick to little furry dogs that cower when you tell them, "No!"
The good and the bad with my dogs...
The good
They love to cuddle
They love people
They are dog friendly (as much as you can expect for a bullie with some tolerance level of course)
My females are fantastic mothers (as good as one can be for a bull terrier)
They love water, nature, and anything fun, not lazy at all
They are the comedians of the dog race
They decide to listen to me after about 10 times of saying there names
They never turn down a treat or leave an empty food bowl, nope definitely not wasteful for food!
My male will play with anything, oh how they find happiness in the littlest of things
The Bad
There stubborn, hard headed and dominant.
They are easily excited
They CAN be poor with other dogs, especially without proper socialization and hard training, there domiance and love for rough housing can somewhat be hard to find the right play mate
They can be difficult to breed normally
They can be clumsy, poor mothers, not always the case, but I have seen breeders quit breeding bull terriers do to being such poor mothers.
They EAT THINGS THEY SHOULDN'T. Scarlett has a thing for leather, Electra used to eat plastic and rubber if she got the chance.
Thats all I can think of for now, will add more when it comes to me. Getting a bit of writers block.