AMERICAN BULLDOG BREED STANDARD

The American Bulldog is an athletic, powerful and medium to large sized dog that possesses great strength, agility and confidence. He is bold and fearless without being hostile, shy or aggressive towards man and not overly aggressive with other dogs. He moves with power, giving the impression of speed and agility. The first impression one should get is that of a large Bulldog and should never be confused with uniquely different breed such as the American Staffordshire Terrier or the American Pitt Bull Terrier.

HEAD

The head is well-muscled throughout with prominent cheeks. The overall head is box-shaped. The skull should be large and square. The top of the skull is flat but covered with powerful muscles. There is a defined furrow between the eyes with a destinct, deep stop.
Faults: An excessively narrow head is unacceptable in both types.

SIZE

Males should range from 22 to 28 inches at the shoulder. Females will be smaler, from 17 to 26 inches. Males should weigh between 90 to 135 pounds, females weigh between 65 to 110 pounds. Weight should be proportional to height and body typ. These weights are for well-muscled, conditioned dogs and not overweight or underweight.

EYES

The eyes should be round, medium sized and wide set. Eyes should be black or dark brown.
Faults: Two blue eyes, crossed or nonsymmetrical eyes are unacceptable.

MUZZLE

The muzzle should be relatively broad and square. The large jaws are well-muscled, displaying great strength. The muzzle should be approximately 30 to 40 % of the overall head length. Black pigment lining lips preferred.
Faults: Narrow or tapering muzzle.

TEETH

The teeth should be large and powerful.

BITE

Standard type: Reverse scissors is preferred.
Classic type: Undershot ¼ to ½ inch preferred. Even bite is not preferred.
Faults: Teeth should not be visible when the mouth is closed. Wry Jaw is a serious fault.

NOSE

Nose should have large, open nostrils and black is preferred color. A pink or dudley nose is unacceptable.

EARS

The ears may be either rose or flap with no preference. Ears may be carried semi-erect.

BODY

The body shall be powerful, compact, athletic and well balanced. The American bulldog is a broad and wide dog.
Faults: The body should not be excessively long.

NECK

The neck should be very muscular and medium in length. The neck should match the body-fairly short and thick and powerful. The neck should taper from shoulder to head and be slightly arched.

SHOULDERS

Shoulders shall be broad and heavily muscled with good definition and wide sloping blades giving the appearance of great strength.

CHEST

The chest should be deep and moderately wide giving the appearance of power and athletic ability. The front, overall, should be straight and well ballanced.

BACK

The back is fairly short and very powerful. There should be a slight roach just over the loins, giving spring and power to the hindquarters.

LEGS

Legs of the American bulldog shall be heavily muscled, strong and straight with moderate to heavy bone. The rear legs should be angulated and parallel.
Faults: Cow-hocks. A front whose feet turn either in or out. Some AB can be so wide in the chest that the elbows appear to be pointing out when the dog is in motion.

HINDQUARTERS

The hindquarters should be thick with well-defined muscles. Not as wide as shoulders, but well-balanced.

TAIL

The tail should be moderately thick, it should be powerful. The tail is set low, thick at base and tapering to a point. It will often be carried above the back when the dog is moving or excited. The tail should end in a complete circle.

GAIT

The American bulldog should move with agility, power and speed with a definite spring to the step. All legs move parallel to direction of travel, with front legs clearly reaching and the rear legs propelling the dog forward. Front legs will not cross or wing out to either side when the dog is in motion.

COLOR

The preferred color is white, white with patches of color. The color patches may be any shade of brindle or any shade brown ( tan, red, brindle, brown). A full black mask is not preferred.

COAT

Short, hard and shiny. The coat should be clean and bright.

DISQUALIFICATIONS

Males without two testicles, dogs under 75 pounds, females under 60 pounds. Dogs with a full black mask. Docked tails and ears.

SCALE OF POINTS

Apperrance	Size	Head	Body	Legs	Gain	Color	Tail	Coat	Total
20	15	15	15	10	10	5	5	5	100