Hi, Not posted on here in a long time however I am looking to gain some information on American Bulldogs, my boyfriend is looking into getting one at some point within the next year. I've never owned an American Bulldog before or know of anyone who has so I was wondering if anyone owning one on here could advise me on the breed? I love the look of them and everything I have read is something I know I/We could handle (I've owned larger breeds before) such as training/socializing etc I've been looking at finding breeders however the few that seem to be well known in the UK, don't seem interested in either speaking to me or don't have the dogs we're looking for (we prefer the scotts type to the johnsons type) but the majority seem to be johnsons in the UK so is scotts more an american type? Also I wouldn't trust any advertised on most websites as they all seems to be crosses with Staffordshire bull terriers or no papers, pictures look like pups aren't living in the best conditions etc. I'm someone who learns the majority from speaking to people rather than reading on the internet (although I have done that as well) which is why I'm on here as Dogsey has always helped me in the past =] Any information/pictures would be lovely!
A good friend of mine is a breeder here in the USA. She has Johnson lines, but maybe others. You can Google American bulldog breeders, Jackson Tennessee, and she should come up. Very nice lady with probably 20 years experience with the dogs. I'm not sure what I could answer for you, as I have never owned one myself. Dixie would be happy to help, she is also a judge of the breed, very knowledgeable.
I love ABs, but would think twice about getting one as so many insurance companies in the UK have added them to their exclusion list Depending on the lines you get, the slimmer scott lines are like bigger staffs with high drive (some might say similar to pits), and the johnson lines are more like mastiff-types. I'd go and meet a few, then read up on them, then get Jean Donaldson's The Culture Clash (book). Good luck
Got to agree with you AZZ. I had problems obtaining insurance for Buster. most of the big insurance companies won't insure him. However, Animal Friends will.
Sorry, I can't help with a breeder as I was given Buster by my brother. Buster is the hybrid type of AB. He has the tallness of the Scott but the build of a Johnson. See pic. Buster is a lovely friendly dog and loves to play with other dogs. Buster is very intelligent and learns very quickly. He can be very independent and likes to take himself off to bed upstairs. Buster has no prey drive whatsoever and just wants to play with everything he comes across. He also lives with a cat. He can be very inactive in the home. However, he is always up for play. He likes to play tug, chase tennis balls and loves his buster cube. I found training Buster very easy. He is very food motivated. Buster can sometimes be weary of strangers. If I walk buster during dark hours he is very alert and I do not allow him to be walked off lead during night time walking. The best advice I can give you if you do get an AB is to train and socialise him/her as early as possible. Expose the dog to as many other dogs and people as you can and you should have a well behaved dog. If you need any more info, please ask. HTH
So are our White Boxers & there have been incidences in rescue apparently with people giving up 'Am Bullldogs' when they were quite obviously white Boxers
No, its £21 per month. He is on a life time policy. He is on the superior plus the second to top insurance. It's not the best policy but having limited companies willing to insure Buster I had to get what I could. Although I am thinking of upgrading to prestige. I've attached a link on animals friends dog insurance policy prices (remove if not allowed) http://www.animalfriends.org.uk/pet-insurance/compare-pet-insurance/
I have had a look and the insurance company I do like Animal Friends do insure American Bulldogs so I insure the pup with them =] Ahh yes I have heard some American Bulldogs can get taken as pitbulls, maybe we would be better leaning more towards the Johnsons type then, we'll be looking for a long time I think to find the perfect puppy! And thank you I'll have a look for that! Thank you, I have had a look at their dogs before I think I've looked at every American Bulldog breeders website in the UK, I'm going to have another look at them all now =] Thank you I will have a look for her website, it would be nice to talk to a breeder who knows a lot about the breed, two I've spoken too have just brushed me off which I found really rude! Oh he is lovely! Looks like you were very lucky with his training etc... My staffy was the same so easy to train and absolute delight to own =] And yes already planned all the socialisation... taking the pup everywhere on buses, taxi, train, to the park, puppy classes etc... make sure the pup is used to everything like my previous dog was as a puppy I used to take him to the town center and because everyone wanted to say hello to the puppy he just loved everyone as he grew up which is what I wanted! Ah yes my mum and dad adore Boxers (they've owned 3) and some of the pictures i've shown them of American Bulldogs they've said they can look alike! Wow really? You have to think how little people know about the breed they want to buy when they go to pick the puppy up =/
one thing that may sound silly is,some cant climb stairs,i fostered a big boy who could not.it is a factor to concider.iv worked with a few.
Very late to the thread so I don't know if you've got an AB already or found a good breeder. I have an AB x and she's great, very affectionate, intelligent and motivated. I will say she is very willful and strong though on the somewhat negative side, you do need to be super consistent as with all dogs but would also need a lot of socialisation so they don't become too territorial. They can be very bouncy and sometimes overly friendly so working on calming behaviours and not jumping is a concern, especially with their strength. They're a joy to own though, I never thought of getting a bully breed myself but have fallen in love with AB.
Hi - so many pitbull/staffies, x-breeds in rescue centres - *pretty please - consider taking one of these. Sandy
I know I'm late too, just wanted to tell you about the ones I've known. They've been very trainable, but strong minded. Also you won't have the guarantee it will be friendly to other dogs when it matures. One of my friends who's had this breed and other bull breeds for years said to me you should assume it WON'T be friendly to other dogs (mainly same sex), and then think if that's for you. Then if it is, you can be lucky and it can be find, but you have no guarantee (I got the same thing on my breed). Other than that, lovely dogs, but look deep into their health problems. From the 4-5 I've known, 1 has got severe skin problems now as a one year old, one had to be put to sleep due to health issues 2 years old and the others are ok.
