Bull Terrier

Puppies

Agility Tutorial

Bull Terriers and Kids

Bull Terriers and Kids.  Bull terriers and young children are not the best combination.  Bull terriers usually love children, but that rock-hard, egg-shaped head running into a grown adult during a hucklebutt (search YouTube for some real-time examples of what is also known as the 'bully run") is painful enough....a bully running into a small child can be dangerously concussive!   And kids who like to wrestle with dogs may trigger mouthiness or nipping from a bully, whose powerful jaws can do damage even in play.  If you have small children or if kids visit you regularly, we usually recommend you wait for a very mellow, or an older, rescue dog to become available.

Bull Terriers and Other Pets

If you do have other animals and still want a bull terrier, you must be prepared to carefully and cautiously manage your bully's behavior when in the presence of other animals, even if they are caged or crated.  If you do not, the result may be tragic.  Generally, we recommend that if you wish to add a second dog to your home, you select a bullie of the opposite sex as your current dog.Bull Terriers and Other Pets.  Many, if not most, rescue bull terriers do not get along well with other animals.  Your rescue bully may not have been properly socialized.  Even dogs with the best start in life and the best socialization as puppies may not be able to override their aggressive instincts.  Remember, bullies were wired for fighting.  For decades, responsible breeders have tried to mitigate this but while you can keep the dog out of the fight, you can't always keep the fight out of the dog.  Even if your bull terrier is friendly and not prey-driven, you may never be able to assume he or she can interact unsupervised with cats, dogs, birds or any manner of other fuzzy or winged things.What does this mean in terms of adoption?  It means if you have other animals, you may need to wait a while before a friendly bull terrier comes into rescue.  It means if you regularly socialize with friends/relatives with dogs, or if you wish a dog that you can take to the dog park or dog run, a bullie probably is not the right breed for you.  Even if you end up with a friendly bully, given today's political climate and bias against bull breeds, if your bullie gets into a scuffle it's he that will likely be blamed, even if the other dog "started" it.

Health

All puppies should be checked for deafness, which occurs in 20% of pure white dogs and 1.3% of dogs and is difficult to notice, especially in a relatively young puppy. Many Bull Terriers have a tendency to develop skin allergies. Insect bites, such as those from fleas, and sometimes mosquitoes and mites, can produce a generalized allergic response of hives, rash, and itching. This problem can be stopped by keeping the dog free of contact from these insects, but this is definitely a consideration in climates or circumstances where exposure to these insects is inevitable. A UK breed survey puts their median lifespan at 10 years, with a good number of dogs living to 10-15 years.

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