The breeds · terrier
AKC Terrier · UKC Terrier · FCI standard 11
Bull Terrier.
AKC standard: strongly built, muscular, symmetrical and active, with a keen, determined and intelligent expression, full of fire but of sweet disposition and amenable to discipline. UKC history: a direct descendant of the original bull-and-terrier crosses made in England, specifically to bait bulls and, later, to fight in pits; standardised in the early 1850s by James Hinks; recognised by the UKC in 1948; characteristics peaceful and tractable, with a jaunty air; viciousness or extreme shyness a disqualification. FCI 11: utilization Terrier; Group 3 Section 3 Bull type Terriers, working trial optional; Hinks standardised the type in the 1850s; courageous, full of spirit, fun-loving, of even temperament and amenable to discipline, and although obstinate particularly good with people; aggressive or overly shy dogs disqualified. RKC: descended from a Bulldog and White English Terrier cross and bred for dog fighting in the 19th century; Hinks stabilised the type; coloured dogs became more common from the 1920s, valuable because deafness in all-white dogs had become a problem. Wikipedia: the bull and terriers were developed for vermin control and animal blood sports; the breed can be independent and stubborn and is not considered suitable for an inexperienced owner. AKC breed page scores: good with other dogs 1, good with young children 3, openness to strangers 4, watchdog/protective nature 3, trainability 3..
Breed sets the odds. The parents set the dog. Every number here shows its source, its spread and how sure we are. Nothing on this page is a prediction about one dog.
The body
What the breed is built like. Registry standards give an ideal, not a range.
Height at the shoulder
The AKC page band is the only figure; it describes typical dogs and is not a standard. White and coloured varieties share one standard and one size, so no line.
Weight
The AKC page band is the only figure; it is not a limit. White and coloured varieties share one size, so no line.
Coat
The two varieties share one standard apart from colour and one size, so no line.
Shedding
AKC breed page trait score, 1 to 5: a breed-club tendency, never a measurement.
Heat tolerance
Derived from the coat description (short smooth = 4 on the ruled scale). No measured data; white-coated dogs and sun are not rated here.
How long they live, and what they cost
Measured on real dogs, with the sample and the spread. Never a guess.
Median lifespan
McMillan et al. 2024 / Dogs Trust table. UK population; median across dogs that had died plus censored dogs per the paper's method.
The dog at home
What the breed asks of a day. The first thing most homes get wrong.
Exercise need
RKC is a UK registry band, not a study; mapped by the library rule. AKC scores are the AKC's own bands.
Energy
AKC scores are the AKC's own 1-5 bands, not a measurement.
Grooming load
RKC is a UK registry band, not a study; mapped by the library rule.
The work
What it was built to do in the field, and what a test or trial asks of it.
Role
The registry texts, the RKC and Wikipedia agree on the baiting and fighting ancestry; none states a field use. The AKC score of 1 for good with other dogs is the AKC's own band.
How common the problems are
Evaluated dogs skew toward breeding stock; the numbers are still the best there are.
Hip dysplasia
OFA submissions skew to breeding stock; true population rate is likely higher. OFA all-data is undated.
More
akc bands
Fourteen AKC bands in one row; the selector reads each by name. Breed-club ratings: a tendency, never a measurement.
What to ask a breeder for
The health clearances the breed’s own club and registry name. Reference only: what to ask for, never a statement about any dog’s health.
- USKidney: urine protein to creatinine rationational breed club recommendation · American Kennel Club, Terrier Group Health Testing Requirements (parent-club recommended tests)
- USBAER hearing testnational breed club recommendation · American Kennel Club, Terrier Group Health Testing Requirements (parent-club recommended tests)
- USCardiac examnational breed club recommendation · American Kennel Club, Terrier Group Health Testing Requirements (parent-club recommended tests)
- USPatella evaluationnational breed club recommendation · American Kennel Club, Terrier Group Health Testing Requirements (parent-club recommended tests)
- UKHearing test (deafness), including litter screeningKC BAER Scheme (RKC Good Practice) · The Royal Kennel Club, Bull Terrier breed page (exercise, grooming and lifespan bands; history; health schemes)
How to read this page
Every value carries a label. Measured means peer-reviewed data on many dogs. Studied means peer-reviewed, smaller or indirect. Breed club means a club or registry states it. Editorial means expert opinion with no measurement behind it. Where two good sources disagree, both are shown and neither is averaged.
Published when the entry rests on the best information available from no fewer than three independent sources, checked by a second pass that did not write it. 6 sources on this page. Found something wrong? Tell us and the correction is logged with its date.
- Also called
- English Bull Terrier, Bully, White Cavalier
Every breed, read the same way.
The breed index grows as entries clear the standard. Gun dogs first.
All published breedsYour bull terrier, on the record.
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