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Rassestandard des AMERICAN BULLDOG
Deutsche Uebersetzung in Bearbeitung
Official U.K.C. Breed Standard
History
Bulldogs in England were originally
working dogs who drove and caught cattle
and guarded their masters' property. The
breed's strength, courage, and familiarity
with livestock led to its popularity in
the brutal sport of bull baiting.
When this sport was outlawed in England,
the original type of Bulldog disappeared
from Britain and was replaced with the
shorter, stockier, less athletic dog
we now know as the English Bulldog.
The original Bulldog, however, was
preserved by working class immigrants
who brought their working dogs with them
to the American South. Small farmers
and ranchers used this all-around working
dog for many tasks. By the end
of World War II, however, the breed was
almost extinct. Mr. John D. Johnson,
a returning war veteran, decided to
resurrect this breed. Along with Alan
Scott and several other breeders, Johnson
began carefully to breed American
Bulldogs, keeping careful records and
always with an eye for maintaining
the breed's health and working abilities.
Because of the many different types of
work this breed can do, several distinct
lines evolved, each emphasizing the traits
needed to do a specific job. The
best known lines are usually referred to
as the Johnson and Scott types.
The Johnson dogs are more massive, with a
larger, broader head and shorter
muzzle, and a definite undershot bite. The
Scott dogs were somewhat lighter
in musculature and bone than the Johnson
dogs, with a less Mastiff-like head.
Today, however, most American Bulldogs
have crosses to two or more of these
lines and are not as easily
distinguishable.
The modern American Bulldog continues to
serve as an all-purpose working
dog; a fearless and steady guard dog; and
a loyal family companion.
The American Bulldog was recognized by the
United Kennel Club on January
1, 1999.
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).
Quelle U.K.C. |
