The breeds · terrier
AKC Terrier · UKC Terrier · FCI standard 359
Miniature Bull Terrier.
AKC standard: strongly built, symmetrical and active, with a keen, determined and intelligent expression; full of fire, courageous, of even temperament and amenable to discipline. UKC history: a direct descendant of the original bull-and-terrier crosses made in England in the early 19th century, specifically to bait bulls and, later, to fight in pits; a smaller version of the Bull Terrier, identical apart from size; recognised by the UKC on Jan 1 1993; characteristics peaceful and tractable; viciousness or extreme shyness a disqualification. FCI 359: utilization Terrier; Group 3 Section 3 Bull type Terriers; a smaller Bull Terrier has been known since the early 19th century, fell out of favour before the First World War, was dropped from the Kennel Club register in 1918 and revived from 1938 by the Miniature Bull Terrier Club; courageous, full of spirit, fun-loving, even-tempered, and although obstinate particularly good with people; aggressive or overly shy dogs disqualified. RKC: recognised as a separate variety in 1943; miniaturised by breeding together small Bull Terriers; a vulnerable native breed. Wikipedia: loving but can be stubborn and courageous; they will readily challenge larger dogs and are variable around other dogs; the AKC admitted the breed on May 14 1991. AKC breed page scores: good with other dogs 3, good with young children 3, openness to strangers 3, watchdog/protective nature 4..
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
Center left blank: the AKC prints a range. Only the AKC prints a 10 in minimum; UKC and FCI print only a maximum. White and coloured dogs share one size, so no line.
Weight
Center left blank: no standard prints a weight. AKC page band and Wikipedia are shown side by side; low and high span both. Editorial views stand beside the standard.
Coat
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; sparse white coat and sun exposure 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
Registry texts and Wikipedia agree on the bull-and-terrier, baiting and fighting ancestry; none states a field use. The AKC treats the Miniature Bull Terrier as a breed separate from the Bull Terrier. The Wikipedia statements on other dogs are editorial and stand beside the standards.
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)
- USLethal acrodermatitis (LAD)DNA test · American Kennel Club, Terrier Group Health Testing Requirements (parent-club recommended tests)
- USPrimary lens luxation (PLL)DNA test · American Kennel Club, Terrier Group Health Testing Requirements (parent-club recommended tests)
- USLaryngeal paralysis (Miniature Bull Terrier type)DNA test · 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)
- UKPrimary lens luxation DNA test; eye testingRKC Good Practice: DNA, BVA/KC/ISDS Eye Scheme · The Royal Kennel Club, Bull Terrier (Miniature) 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. 5 sources on this page. Found something wrong? Tell us and the correction is logged with its date.
- Also called
- Mini Bull Terrier, Mini Bull, English Miniature Bull Terrier
Every breed, read the same way.
The breed index grows as entries clear the standard. Gun dogs first.
All published breedsYour miniature bull terrier, on the record.
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