Standard For The
American Bulldog

Official American Bulldog Association

American Bulldog Breed Standard

revised 1997

Background:
The American Bulldog originated as a catchdog (mostly cattle) and property protection dog, in America's Southeast. He was not bred to put on threat displays or to look a certain way. But, he did need the right equipment to take care of his real bulldog duties which were confrontational personal and property protection and as a catch dog. He needed to be strong enough to put unruly bulls on the ground and athletic enough to catch hogs that were allowed to free range in a semi-wild state.

General Appearance:
The American Bulldog should generate the impression of great strength, agility, endurance and exhibit a well-knit, sturdy, compact frame with the absence of excessive bulk. Males are characteristically larger, heavier boned and more masculine than the bitches. The AB is a white or white and patched (brindle or red) dog. When patched he can range from the traditional pied markings of a patch over one or both eyes or ears, or a patch on the base of the tail, to a large saddle patch and various other patches.
For judging purposes, distinctions between an ideal "Scott-type" and an ideal "Johnson-type" are defined in brackets and in bold.

Size
General:
Males - 23 to 27 inches at the withers and weigh from 75 to 120 lbs.
Females - 21 to 25 inches at the withers, 60 to 90 lbs. The weight should be proportional to size.

[Scott-type: an ideal male should be 23 to 27 inches at the withers and weigh from 75 to 110 lbs., females, 21 to 25 inches, 60 to 85 lbs. The weight should be proportional to size.]

[Johnson-type: an ideal male should be 22 to 26 inches at the withers and weigh from 80 to 120 lbs. Females 20 to 24 inches, 60 to 90 lbs.]

Head
Medium in length and broad across skull with pronounced muscular cheeks.

Eyes
Medium in size. Any color. The haw should not be visible. Black eye rims preferred on white dogs. Pink eye rims to be considered a cosmetic fault.

Muzzle
Medium length (2 to 4 in.), square and broad with a strong underjaw. Lips should be full but not pendulous. 42 to 44 teeth.

[Scott-type: tight undershot (reverse scissors) preferred. Scissors and even bites are considered a cosmetic fault. Structural faults are a muzzle under 2 inches or longer than 4 inches, pendulous lips, less than 42 teeth, more than 1/4 inch undershot, small teeth or uneven incisors.]

[Johnson-type: definite undershot, 1/8 to 1/4 inch preferred. Scissors or even bite is a disqualification. Structural faults are a muzzle under 2 inches or over 4 inches.]

Nose
color is black or grizzle. On black nosed dogs the lips should be black with some pink allowed. A pink nose to be considered a cosmetic fault.

Ears
Cropped or uncropped. Uncropped preferred.

Neck
Muscular, medium in length, slightly arched, tapering from shoulders to head, with a slight dewlap allowed.

Shoulders
Very muscular with wide sloping blades, shoulders set so elbows are not angled out.

Chest, Back and Loin
The chest should be deep and moderately wide without being excessively wide as to throw the shoulders out. The back should be of medium length, strong and broad. Loins should be slightly tucked which corresponds to a slight roach in the back which slopes to the stern. Faults: sway back, narrow or shallow chest, lack of tuck up.

Hindquarters
Very broad and well muscled and in proportion to the shoulders. Narrow hips are a very serious fault.

Legs
Strong and straight with heavy bone. Front legs should not set too close together or too far apart. Faults: in at the elbows or excessively bowlegged. Rear legs should have a visible angulation of the stifle joint.

Feet
Of moderate size, toes of medium length, well arched and close together, not splayed. Pasterns should be strong, straight and upright.

Tail
Set low, thick at the root, tapering to a point. Tail should not curl over back. Docked or undocked.

Coat
Short, close, stiff to the touch, not long and fuzzy.

Color
All white, pied, or up to 75% brindle or red patches, (red is defined as any shade of tan, brown or red).

Disposition
Alert, outgoing and friendly with a self-assured attitude. Some aloofness with strangers and assertiveness toward other dogs is not considered a fault.

Disqualifications
Both types: dogs that are deaf or males without two testicles clearly descended.

[Johnson-type: an even or scissors bite.]

A cosmetic fault is one of a minor nature. A fault not specified as cosmetic has to do with structure as it relates to a working dog. In a show or other evaluation, the dog is to be penalized in direct proportion to the degree of the fault. Any fault which is extreme should be considered a serious fault and should be penalized appropriately.

We have not included a line drawing of a Scott-type or Johnson-type standard dog because they could not take into account the variations acceptable within the realm of the working American Bulldog. The emphasis placed on specific types in other breed standards has led to the general disintegration of the breed concerned by eliminating individuals who might have contributed significantly to respective gene pool.

Attributes other than cosmetic listed in the standard all relate to working qualities which include but are not limited to agility, endurance, leverage, biting power and heat tolerance.

Point Breakdown for Judging
Overall:
proportion............... 10 points
temperament............ 10 points
total of................... 20 points

Head:
size and shape......... 10 points
muzzle....................... 5 points
teeth......................... 5 points
total of................... 20 points

Body:
neck........................... 5 points
shoulders................... 5 points
chest........................ 10 points
back......................... 10 points
hindquarters............ 10 points
legs.......................... 10 points
feet........................... 5 points
tail and coat............. 5 points
total of................... 60 points

Grand Total of...... 100 points

Note:
the distinctions made between the Scott-type and the Johnson-type depict an ideal representative of their respective types for show purposes only.

A Summary
of the Scott-type and Johnson-type distinctions.
Many would disagree with the term "pure Scott" or "pure Johnson", but the names of these two breeders have become synonymous with the respective types, so we are using their names with -type to designate separate classifications.

In actuality, many American Bulldogs are hybrids between the Scott and Johnson type. The distinctions between the two types were made to allow separate shows for Scott-types and Johnson-types. Generally the Johnson-type distinction allows for a slightly larger dog and requires a slightly (1/8 to 1/4 inch) undershot lower jaw, but this distinction mandates separate shows for the two types.