In a show or other
evaluation, the dog is to be penalized in direct
proportion to the degree of the fault. Any fault which
is extreme should be considered a serious fault and
should be penalized appropriately.
Note: Features that
are disqualified or faulted in the show ring, are in no
way is meant to disqualify the dog from “working
events”, or to take away any credit the dog might have
as a “working dog”. The conformation ring is just
that, it is not meant to be a judgment for a dogs
working abilities; however there is no excuse for dogs
with poor temperaments and these dogs should be kept
away from NKC show and working events.
According
to ABA Registry:
1997 Revisions: Our former
term of "Scott" for the standard type AB has
led to much confusion. Many of the dogs referred to as
Scott type have very little or no Scott background
whatsoever. My personal dogs are mostly Scott
(Painter)/Johnson hybrids, and it was presumptuous and
confusing on my part to designate all non-Johnson dogs
as being the Scott-type, when many were
Bailey/Williamson/ Tate/Tuck combinations. Henceforth
the non-Johnson type will be referred to as the
"standard" type. Although the vast majority of
purebred ABs are 75 to 100% white, there are a few that
have less than 25% white. Our standard is now amended to
say "All white, pied, or up to 90% color [brindle
or red patches, (red is defined as any shade of tan,
brown or red)], with a portion of the white on the
head." This seems to be a more accurate reflection
taking into account the rarer color form. Our standard
was designed as a description of the breed rather than a
"perfection to aspire to" as others claim
theirs to be.
Background: The
American Bulldog originated as a catchdog (mostly
cattle) and property protection dog, in America’s
Southeast. He was not bred to put on threat displays or
to look a certain way. But, he did need the right
equipment to take care of his real bulldog duties which
were confrontational personal and property protection
and as a catch dog. He needed to be strong enough to put
unruly bulls on the ground and athletic enough to catch
hogs that were allowed to free range in a semi-wild
state.
General Appearance:
The American Bulldog should generate the
impression of great strength, agility, endurance and
exhibit a well-knit, sturdy, compact frame with the
absence of excessive bulk. Males are characteristically
larger, heavier boned and more masculine than the
bitches. The AB is a white or white and patched (brindle
or red) dog. When patched he can range from the
traditional pied markings of a patch over one or both
eyes or ears, or a patch on the base of the tail, to a
large saddle patch and various other patches.
For judging purposes, distinctions between an ideal
"Standard-type" and an ideal
"Johnson-type" are defined in brackets and in
bold.
Size: General:
Males - 23 to 27 inches at the withers and weigh from 75
to 120 lbs. Females - 21 to 25 inches at the withers, 60
to 90 lbs. The weight should be proportional to size.
[Standard-type: an ideal male should be 23 to 27 inches
at the withers and/ weigh from 75 to 110 lbs., females,
21 to 25 inches, 60 to 85 lbs. The weight should be
proportional to size.]
[Johnson-type: an ideal male should be 22 to 26 inches
at the withers and weigh from 80 to 120 lbs. Females 20
to 24 inches, 60 to 90 lbs.]
Head: Medium in length and
broad across skull with pronounced muscular cheeks.
Eyes: Medium in size. Any
color. The haw should not be visible. Black eye rims
preferred on white dogs. Pink eye rims to be considered
a cosmetic fault.
Muzzle: Medium length (2 to
4 in.), square and broad with a strong underjaw. Lips
should be full but not pendulous. 42 to 44 teeth.
[Standard-type: tight undershot (reverse
scissors) preferred. Scissors and even bites are
considered a cosmetic fault. Structural faults are a
muzzle under 2 inches or longer than 4 inches, pendulous
lips, less than 42 teeth, more than 1/4 inch undershot,
small teeth or uneven incisors.]
[Johnson-type: definite undershot, 1/8 to 1/4 inch
preferred. Scissors or even bite is a disqualification.
Structural faults are a muzzle under 2 inches or over 4
inches.]
Nose color:
black or grizzle. On black nosed dogs the lips should be
black with some pink allowed. A pink nose to be
considered a cosmetic fault.
Ears: Cropped
or uncropped. Uncropped preferred.
Neck: Muscular,
medium in length, slightly arched, tapering from
shoulders to head, with a slight dewlap allowed.
Shoulders:
Very muscular with wide sloping blades, shoulders set so
elbows are not angled out.
Chest, Back and
Loin: The chest should be deep and moderately
wide without being excessively wide as to throw the
shoulders out. The back should be of medium length,
strong and broad. Loins should be slightly tucked which
corresponds to a slight roach in the back which slopes
to the stern. Faults: sway back, narrow or shallow
chest, lack of tuck up.
Hindquarters: Very
broad and well muscled and in proportion to the
shoulders. Narrow hips are a very serious fault.
Legs:
Strong and straight with heavy bone. Front legs should
not set too close together or too far apart. Faults: in
at the elbows or excessively bowlegged. Rear legs should
have a visible angulation of the stifle joint.
Movement:
The gait is balanced and smooth, powerful and unhindered
suggesting agility with easy, ground covering strides,
showing strong driving action in the hind quarters with
corresponding reach in front. As speed increases the
feet move toward the center line of the body to maintain
balance. Ideally the dog should single-track. The top
line remains firm and level, parallel to the line of
motion. Head and tail carriage should reflect that of a
proud, confident and alert animal.
Movement faults:
Any suggestion of clumsiness, tossing and/or rolling of
the body, crossing or interference of front or rear
legs, short or stilted steps, twisting joints, pacing,
paddling, or weaving. Similar movement faults are to be
penalized according to the degree to which they
interfere with the ability of the dog to work.
Feet: Of
moderate size, toes of medium length, well arched and
close together, not splayed. Pasterns should be strong,
straight and upright.
Tail: Set
low, thick at the root, tapering to a point. Tail should
not curl over back. Docked or undocked.
Coat:
Short, close, stiff to the touch, not long and fuzzy.
Color: All
white, pied, or up to 90% color [brindle or red patches,
(red is defined as any shade of tan, brown or red)],
with a portion of the white on the head.
Disposition: Alert,
outgoing and friendly with a self-assured attitude. Some
aloofness with strangers and assertiveness toward other
dogs is not considered a fault.
Disqualification’s:
Both types: dogs that are deaf or males without two
testicles clearly descended.
[Johnson-type: an even or scissors bite.]
Fault Degrees:
A cosmetic fault is one of a minor nature. A fault not
specified as cosmetic has to do with structure as it
relates to a working dog. In a show or other evaluation,
the dog is to be penalized in direct proportion to the
degree of the fault. Any fault which is extreme should
be considered a serious fault and should be penalized
appropriately.
We have not included a line drawing of a Standard-type
or Johnson-type standard dog because they could not take
into account the variations acceptable within the realm
of the working American Bulldog. The emphasis placed on
specific types in other breed standards has led to the
general disintegration of the breed concerned by
eliminating individuals who might have contributed
significantly to respective gene pool.
Attributes other than cosmetic listed in the standard
all relate to working qualities which include but are
not limited to agility, endurance, leverage, biting
power and heat tolerance.
Point
Breakdown for Judging
Overall: proportion 10 points
temperament 10 points
total of 20 points
Head: size and
shape 10 point
muzzle 5 points
teeth 5 points
total of 20 points
Body: neck 5
points
shoulders 5 points
chest 10 points
back 10 points
hindquarters 10 points
legs 10 points
feet 5 points
tail and coat 5 points
total of 60 points
Grand Total of
100 points
According to
U.K.C. registry:
General Appearance
The American Bulldog is a powerful, athletic
short-coated dog, strongly muscled, and well boned.
The body is just slightly longer than tall. The head
is large and broad with a wide muzzle. Ears are small
to medium in size, high set, and may be drop,
semi-prick, rose, or cropped. The tail may be docked
or natural. The American Bulldog comes in solid
colors, white with colored patches, and brindle.
Gender differences are well expressed in this breed,
with males typically larger and more muscular than
females. Honorable scars resulting from field work are
not to be penalized. The American Bulldog should be
evaluated as a working dog, and exaggerations or
faults should be penalized in proportion to how much
they interfere with the dog's ability to work.
Characteristics
The essential characteristics of the American Bulldog
are those which enable it to work as a hog and cattle
catching dog, and a protector of personal property.
These tasks require a powerful, agile, confident dog
with a large head and powerful jaws. The American
Bulldog is a gentle, loving family companion who is
fearless enough to face an angry bull or a human
intruder. Note: It is common for young American
Bulldogs to be somewhat standoffish with strangers and
judges should not penalize this. By the time the dog
is around 18 months of age, however, the breed's
normal confidence asserts itself.
Disqualifications: Viciousness or extreme
shyness; cowardice.
Head
The head is large and broad giving the impression of
great power. When viewed from the side, the skull and
muzzle are parallel to one another and joined by a
well-defined stop. The stop is very deep and abrupt,
almost at a right angle with the muzzle. Despite the
depth of the stop, the forehead is wider than it is
high.
SKULL -- The skull is large, flat, deep, and broad
between the ears. Viewed from the top, the skull is
square. There is a deep median furrow that diminishes
in depth from the stop to the occiput. Cheek muscles
are prominent.
MUZZLE -- The muzzle is broad and thick with a very
slight taper from the stop to the nose. The length of
the muzzle is equal to 35 to 45 percent of the length
of the head. Lips are moderately thick but not
pendulous. The chin is well defined and must neither
overlap the upper lip nor be covered by it.
TEETH -- The American Bulldog has a complete set of
large, evenly spaced, white teeth. The preferred bite
is undershot with the inside of the lower incisors
extending in front of the upper incisors up to ¼
inch. A scissors bite is acceptable. A level bite and
extreme undershot bite are considered faults to the
degree that the bite interferes with the dog's ability
to work. Teeth are not visible when the mouth is
closed. Worn teeth or broken teeth are acceptable.
Disqualification: Overshot.
NOSE -- The nose is large with wide, open nostrils.
The nose may be any color but darker pigment is
preferred.
EYES -- Eyes are medium in size, round, and set
well apart. All colors are acceptable but brown is
preferred. Haw is not visible. Dark eye rims are
preferred.
Faults: Very visible haws.
EARS -- Ears may be cropped but natural ears are
preferred. Natural ears are small to medium in size,
high set, and may be drop, semi-prick, or rose.
Drop ears: The ears are set high, level with the
upper line of the skull, accentuating the skull's
width. At the base, the ear is just slightly raised in
front and then hangs along the cheek. The tip is
slightly rounded. When pulled toward the eye, the ear
should not extend past the outside corner of the eye.
Semi-prick ears: Same as drop ears except that only
the tips of the ears drop forward.
Rose ears: Rose ears are small and set high on the
skull.
Fault: Hound ears.
Neck
The neck is where the American Bulldog exerts power to
bring down livestock. The neck must be long enough to
exert leverage, but short enough to exert power. The
neck is muscular and, at its widest point, is nearly
as broad as the head, with a slight arch at the crest,
and tapering slightly from shoulders to the head. A
slight dewlap is acceptable.
Faults: Neck too short and thick; thin or
weak neck.
Forequarters
The shoulders are strong and well muscled. The
shoulder blade is well laid back and forms, with the
upper arm, an apparent 90-degree angle. The tips of
the shoulder blades are set about 2 to 3 finger-widths
apart.
The forelegs are heavily boned and very muscular.
The elbows are set on a plane parallel to the body,
neither close to the body nor turned out. Viewed from
the front, the forelegs are perpendicular to the
ground or may, especially in a dog with a very broad
chest, incline slightly inward. The pasterns are
short, powerful, and slightly sloping when viewed in
profile. Viewed from the front, the pasterns are
straight.
Body
The chest is deep and moderately wide with ample room
for heart and lungs. The ribs are well sprung from the
spine and then flatten to form a deep body extending
at least to the elbows, or lower in adult dogs. The
topline inclines very slightly downward from
well-developed withers to a broad, muscular back. The
loin is short, broad, and slightly arched, blending
into a moderately sloping croup. The flank is
moderately tucked up and firm.
Serious faults: Swayback; sloping topline.
Hindquarters
The hindquarters are well muscled and broad. The width
and angulation of the hindquarters is in balance with
the width and angulation of the forequarters. The
thighs are well developed with thick, easily discerned
muscles. The lower thighs are muscular and short.
Viewed from the side, the rear pasterns are well let
down and perpen-dicular to the ground. Viewed from the
rear, the rear pasterns are straight and parallel to
one another.
Faults: Cowhocks; open hocks.
Serious faults: Narrow or weak hindquarters.
Feet
The feet are round, medium in size, well arched, and
tight.
Fault: Splayed feet. The seriousness of this
fault is based on the amount of splay in the feet.
Tail
The American Bulldog may have a natural or a docked
tail, but the natural tail is preferred. The natural
tail is very thick at the base, and tapers to a point.
The tail is set low. A "pump handle" tail is
preferred but any tail carriage from upright, when the
dog is excited, to relaxed between the hocks is
acceptable.
Serious fault: Tail curled over the back;
corkscrew tail; upright tail when the dog is relaxed.
Coat
The coat is short, close, and stiff to the touch.
Disqualifications: Long or wavy coat.
Color
Any color, color pattern, or combination of colors is
acceptable, except for solid black, solid blue, and
tricolor (white with patches of black and tan). Some
dark brindle coats may appear black unless examined in
very bright light. A buckskin color pattern, where the
base of the hair is fawn and the tips are black, may
also appear solid black. A judge should not disqualify
an American Bulldog for black color unless the dog has
been examined in sunlight or other equally bright
light.
Disqualifications: Solid black or blue with
no white markings; tricolor (white with patches of
black and tan).
Height and Weight
The American Bulldog must be sufficiently powerful and
agile to chase, catch, and bring down free-ranging
livestock. Dogs capable of doing this come in a rather
wide range of height and weight. Males are typically
larger with heavier bone and more muscle than females.
Both sexes, however, should have a well-balanced
overall appearance.
Desirable height in a mature male ranges from 22 to
27 inches; in a mature female, from 20 to 25 inches.
Desirable weight in a mature male ranges from 75 to
125 pounds; in a mature female, from 60 to 100 pounds.
Gait
When trotting, the gait is effortless, smooth,
powerful and well coordinated, showing good reach in
front and drive behind. When moving, the backline
remains level with only a slight flexing to indicate
suppleness. Viewed from any position, legs turn
neither in nor out, nor do feet cross or interfere
with each other. As speed increases, feet tend to
converge toward center line of balance.
Poor movement should be penalized to the degree to
which it reduces the American Bulldog's ability to
perform the tasks it was bred to do.
Disqualifications
Unilateral or bilateral cryptorchid. Viciousness or
extreme shyness. Unilateral or bilateral deafness.
Cowardice. Overshot. Long or wavy coat. Albinism.
Solid black or blue with no white markings. Tricolor
(white with patches of black and tan).
