A Full Guide to the Bull Terrier Dog Breed

bull terrier sitting in a flower field

The Bull Terrier Breed

Bull Terrier puppies are adorable little kids in a dog suit. Bull Terrier puppy owners have come to love this adorable breed. This dog is playful and rambunctious, and they love making their owners laugh. These dogs know how to have a good time. Bull Terriers certainly find a way to entertain themselves in any situation and might surprise you by how affectionate they are.

All Bull Terrier puppies are silly little maniacs who cherish attention and pets. Bull Terrier puppies are very affectionate and love to be tiny friends to their owners. Even though these dogs are mischievous, many owners come to love them.

This smaller size dog breed is excellent for families. Even though these dogs thrive with a lot of attention, they can still happily live in single-family homes or with older adults because they can fit in many different environments. They can live comfotably in apartments or in big houses. These dogs can get a little excited and tend to play a little rougher, so they should live in a house with older children. Anyone looking to rescue a Bull Terrier puppy will find that these dogs are loyal, honorable, and silly. Dogs in this breed especially reward their owners, so you should be sure this is the right breed for you before bringing one of these pups home.

History of The Bull Terrier Breed

The Bull Terrier puppy breed became popular in the 1860s. People brought this breed into existence by mixing other terrier breeds together. The goal was to create a low-shedding small dog. The Bull Terrier has always been a popular dog, but there isn’t much that’s agreed upon about the start of the breed. History credits James Hanks for breeding these dogs and initiating the Bull Terrier breed line.

Bull Terrier Size

Bull Terrier puppies aren’t giant dogs, but they aren’t petite, either. These muscular dogs can stand between 21-22 inches tall at the shoulders and may weigh anywhere between 50 to 70 pounds. Even though the Bull Terrier might seem like they’re a large dog, they might act like little lap dogs with their families. Bull Terrier puppies will need plenty of exercise to stay healthy. Potential owners need to ensure that they feed these dogs the appropriate amount of food based on their size and exercise routine.

white bull terrier standing in the road

Bull Terrier Temperament

Bull Terrier dogs have excellent temperaments. These dogs are known to be playful and silly almost all of the time. When they’re not tired or trying to fall asleep in your lap, they’re going to follow you around, trying to get you to play with them.

Potential Bull Terrier puppy owners should know that these dogs are great with families, but they can play a little rough whenever they get excited. These qualities make Bull Terrier puppies great dogs for older children rather than young kids.

Sometimes because this breed is so gentle, owners forget that they can be so destructive. Even though these dogs are calmer whenever they’re more tired and relaxed, they can easily bounce back to their bubbling personalities. When excited, these dogs can make quite the mess as they are so unaware of their own power. Sometimes, this means that they can get themselves into a bit of trouble when they’re excited.

These clown dogs have a great sense of humor, but they’re still very willful. They might be stubborn, and their strong will might prevent them from listening to their owners every once in a while. But, after your bond grows with your Bull Terrier puppy and they begin to trust you more, your affection will likely win them over, and they won’t be as stubborn-headed.

Bull Terrier Breed Intelligence

The Bull Terrier is an intelligent dog breed. These dogs are pretty independent thinkers, which is why they might have willfulness when it comes to training. Because they’re so intelligent, they should be easy to train once owners have a strong bond with their pets.

Sometimes rescue dogs are more challenging to train than others. Rescued Bull Terrier puppies might be a little more stubborn than others, but this only happens because they’re scared of their new environments. Potential owners adopting Bull Terriers should rest assured, knowing that the dogs learn to listen more over time as their bond with their owner grows.

Training sessions always work best when the sessions are short and consistent. When it comes to training, Bull Terriers are like many other dog breeds because they will respond much better to verbal praise and plenty of treats rather than chastising.

Bull Terrier Shedding Habits

With short fur and little needs, these dogs are very low maintenance. Bull Terrier puppies have much shorter fur than the average pup, and they only need to be brushed about once a week to make sure their coats are clean and shiny.

These dogs don’t shed too often, but they go through heavy shedding periods twice a year. Whenever Bull Terrier dogs have their heavy shedding, it’s good for owners to brush them more often to remove the extra dead hair.

bull terrier leaping through the air

Health Overview of the Bull Terrier Dog Breed

Many dogs live long, healthy lives without facing any physical health conditions or issues. Bull Terrier puppies have an average life expectancy of anywhere from 12-14 years long. Even though these dogs are overall a very healthy breed, they still might contract a few different health conditions they’re genetically predisposed to experiencing.

Bull Terrier dogs are at risk of experiencing a few different physical health issues and a couple of psychological conditions. While not every dog in this breed will experience these physical conditions, every dog will experience psychological conditions at some point.

Stress and anxiety are two psychological things that affect all people and dogs at some point. However, these issues are not typically very severe, which means they usually require little to no treatment at all.

Common Psychological Health Conditions

Stress

Stress is a natural response to the environments around us. Depending on a dog’s history, they may experience stress more often and at a more intense level than dogs with less traumatic pasts.

Many Bull Terrier puppies will face stress at some point and might show some common symptoms like tucking their tails between their legs or shaking. Some dogs experience more symptoms of stress when they’re around loud noises like sirens, fireworks, or thunderstorms. Owners can best help their Bull Terrier puppies overcome their stress symptoms by observing what causes their stress and taking action to either avoid those things or provide calming supplements ahead of time.

For example, if your dog is terrified of fireworks and has a lot of noticeable signs of stress, don’t take them outside around July 4th. However, it can be difficult to avoid things like thunderstorms, so owners can give their dogs calming things ahead of time.

Many owners find that calming treats or calming supplements are just the things their dogs need to calm down from stress. If your dog has much more severe stress, you will likely need to ask your vet for help.

Anxiety

Many dogs experience anxiety, and Bull Terrier puppies will also experience this at some point. Dogs that are rescued from shelters are much more likely to experience anxiety at a more intense level because of their past trauma. Any dogs that have experienced neglect, abuse, abandonment, or homelessness are likely to have anxiety symptoms more often.

Depending on the severity of a Bull Terrier puppy and their anxiety, they may show a wide range of symptoms. Some anxious dogs will bark, pace, or chew up the house. Often when owners leave their homes and come back to see their pet has destroyed the living room, it is because that dog has separation anxiety. The worse the fear is, the more intense the symptoms are. For example, dogs with more severe anxiety will urinate, defecate, or vomit.

Owners can treat their Bull Terrier puppies with anxiety by providing CBD treatments. There are plenty of different types of calming supplements owners can provide their pets, and most dog stores have calming treats for dogs with anxiety.

brown bull terrier standing on concrete pavers

Calming Dog Products

There are plenty of other home remedies to help dogs with anxiety. One method that has become more popular recently is creating a safe space for your pet. A safe space is an area that is quiet and away from any foot traffic in the home. Often, owners will crowd these spaces with plenty of things that make their dogs feel more comfortable. Typically this means that owners will put a comfortable calming bed in these rooms and might put their dog’s cage in these areas as well. Some owners will put open water or calming treats in these spaces, and they might also place their dog’s favorite toys or blankets in these areas.

Common Physical Health Conditions

The majority of Bull Terrier puppies will live long lives without experiencing any physical health conditions. However, some of these dogs will contract a few health issues that this breed is prone to experiencing. The Bull Terrier breed is overall very healthy, but they have a predisposed risk of developing health issues like ectropion, patellar luxation, and obesity.

Ectropion

Ectropion is a minor condition that causes the eyelid to droop outwards away from the eye. This condition doesn’t usually cause any damage, but it can allow for external debris to fall into the eye and damage it. Typically this condition can be seen if your dog’s eyelid is excessively droopy, but it would be all day long, not just when they get tired.

Owners can help their Bull Terrier puppies with ectropion by providing anti-inflammation treats or ointments to ease the discomfort this condition causes. Typically the only way to fully correct this condition is through surgery, but most cases of this health issue aren’t severe enough to warrant eye surgery.

Patellar Luxation

A prevalent condition among dogs is patellar luxation. This condition occurs when a dog’s knee joint commonly becomes dislocated, and this can cause your pet to adopt a strange run from time to time. Typically patellar luxation is a minor joint issue and can be resolved at home without any veterinary aid.

When a Bull Terrier puppy experiences patellar luxation, it might seem like they are skipping or lifting one of their back legs while they’re running or jogging.

When this condition occurs, dogs usually benefit from joint supplements, anti-inflammation medication, or dog CBD for its pain management and anti-inflammatory properties. Patellar luxation is mostly mild in nature and very rarely needs any more treatment to help their situation. Often dogs with this condition will have it their whole lives but only begin showing symptoms later in life as arthritis begins to develop.

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Obesity

Small but mighty dogs like the Bull Terrier are at a higher risk of obesity than other dog breeds. These animals are very high energy, but owners do not usually give their dogs the proper amount of daily exercise.

Obesity can lead to other more severe health conditions in dogs if it isn’t treated correctly. To prevent your Bull Terrier puppy from experiencing obesity, you should make sure you don’t feed them too much food. Your Bull Terrier needs daily exercise to maintain their physical health, and owners need to account for their dog’s total calories, including any treats they’re given.

Owners can do a rough examination of their Bull Terrier puppy’s physical health by placing their hand on their dog’s side. If you put a little bit of pressure on your dog’s side and you can feel their ribs, that dog should be in great shape. If you don’t need any pressure to feel your dog’s ribs, then they might be underweight, and if you need more than just a little bit of pressure, your dog is likely overweight.

The only way to help obese dogs become fit again is to put them on a diet while making sure they get the right amount of exercise. If your dog is being overfed, cutting back on its diet is the way to help. However, if your dog doesn’t get enough exercise but is receiving the right amount of calories, it’s important not to cut back on their food. Owners can better help their dogs become healthier by purchasing low-calorie dog treats or providing healthy snacks like cucumbers to their dogs.

Oral Health

Oral health is incredibly important for dogs, as it can affect their bodies’ overall health. Many owners don’t realize they need to brush their pet’s teeth at least once a week. If owners don’t provide adequate oral health care, then their dog might develop dental disease. Dental disease can lead to other serious health problems like loss of teeth or heart or respiratory disease.

Tartar, plaque, and bacteria build up in your Bull Terrier puppy’s mouth every time they eat. Owners have to make sure they’re keeping their dog’s oral health in check.

The best way to care for your dog’s oral health is to brush their teeth multiple times a week with canine-specific oral health products. Some ingredients in human toothpaste are poisonous to dogs, and human toothbrushes are often too stiff for dogs and can cause their gums to bleed. Many different oral health treats are produced to clean tartar and plaque off a dog’s teeth, but no teeth cleaning treat will replace the effectiveness of a doggy toothbrush and toothpaste.

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Bull Terrier Breeds Needs

Exercise

Bull Terrier puppies are very energetic dogs, and this active breed requires about 30 to 60 minutes of exercise daily. Some of these dogs might be more energetic than others and may benefit from up to two hours of daily exercise. Typically your dog’s energy levels and size will determine how much activity your particular Bull Terrier puppy needs.

Owners often forget that dogs need physical exercise and mental exercise. Dogs that don’t get enough daily stimulation respond by acting out or becoming disobedient. Often they are not acting out on purpose but are doing so because their psychological needs are not being met. Owners can find plenty of fun ways to give their dogs the daily exercise they need. Enrichment activities are a great way to find the best way to help your dog.

It’s also important to keep in mind that dogs need interactions to exercise well. Leaving your dog alone in a backyard won’t be enough for them, and Bull Terriers definitely need to go on at least one walk a day.

Exercise Toys We Love

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Nutrition

Bull Terrier puppies might need a cup or two of food to stay healthy. A dog’s independent diet will change that based on its age, sex, weight, activity levels, add overall health. Owners want to make sure they take the best care of the dog’s nutritional health by checking with the vet.

It’s important for owners to make sure their dog is getting all of the necessary vitamins and nutrients from their dog food. A great way owners can ensure this is by purchasing a special dog supplement that gives them a little boost in their daily nutrients. It’s like the dog version of taking gummy vitamins, and it works well for them.

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Dog Foods We Love Based On Size

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Grooming

Bull Terrier owners need to make sure that they groom their dogs properly to take care of their entire health. Many owners don’t brush their dogs as often as they should because they think short-haired dogs don’t need grooming at all. Your pet will likely be fine if you don’t brush your dog’s short hair, but it does help keep their fur cleaner and take better care of it.

Bull Terrier puppies can have a wide array of coat colors. These dogs might have red, fine black, white, or black & tan coats. Often, the colors of their coats come in different patterns, and they might have a bi-color, tri-color, or brindle pattern.

The best way owners can take care of their Bull Terrier’s grooming needs is to make sure that they trim nails their nails anytime they can hear them tapping on the floor. They should also make sure to examine their ears at least once a month, and if they find tiny mites in them, they should clean them as many times as the vet recommends.

Dogs often don’t need a bath more than once a month, but owners can wait longer in between bathing sessions if their pup isn’t too dirty. It’s important to remember only to use dog-safe shampoo and conditioners when bathing your dog, as human products can be too harsh for their skin.

Top Product Picks for Bull Terrier

When bringing your Bull Terrier puppy home, you want to make sure that you’re prepared for them. Owners can prepare for their new dogs by ensuring they have a collar, a leash, and a dog bed at home upon their new pet’s arrival. Dogs will feel much safer whenever they move homes if they can see that they already have a place set up at the place they’re going to.

Owners should also make sure to have any necessities such as food, a crate, or treats and toys for their dog as well. Buying some extra stuff might benefit their pup’s move as well. Some dogs benefit from having calming treats dog CBD available to them, especially during an anxious time such as a move. 

Crates We Love

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Owners like to buy some helpful tools for new dogs, like food storage containers, potty pads, or portable drinking containers. If your pet isn’t house trained, you should consider purchasing a crate so you can feel safe leaving them alone in your house.

Eventually, owners will want to purchase dog toys and a harness for their pet as well, but you might want to wait until you have your pup to purchase these things. It’s a good idea to make sure the harness will fit before you buy it. The most important thing for owners to remember is that they should make their Bull Terriers feel as comfortable as possible. Bull Terriers are adorable little children who need comfort at home and want a lot of attention. When bringing your new Bull Terrier best friend home, you should let them explore your home by themselves and be ready to give them plenty of treats and verbal praise when they come to you. Bull Terrier dogs may be uneasy in a new environment, but they will quickly warm up to you when they see the love and attention you can offer them.

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