Quick Links: Table of Contents
- American Bulldog Breed Overview
- History of the American Bulldog Breed. Where American Bulldogs came from
- What the American Bulldog Looks Like
- How Much is the American Bulldog Puppy?
- Best American Bulldog Breeders
- Adopting or Rescuing the American Bulldog
- American Bulldog Growth
- The Temperament of the American Bulldog
- How Long American Bulldogs Live
- How Fast American Bulldogs Can Run
- Good Names for American Bulldogs
- How Intelligent are American Bulldogs?
- Health Problems in American Bulldogs and How to Prevent Them
- How to Take Care of American Bulldog
- Dog Breeds That Are Similar to American Bulldogs
- Other Things to Know About American Bulldogs
American Bulldog Breed Overview
The American Bulldog is a large-sized dog.
The adult American Bulldog stands 20 to 28 inches.
The American Bulldog belongs to the Working Dogs group.
Dogs in the Working Dogs group, like the American Bulldog, were developed to assist humans in some capacity – including pulling sleds and carts, guarding flocks, guarding homes, and protecting their families.
Breeds in the Working Group are known for their imposing stature, strength, intelligence, and fearless.
Because of their size and strength, working dogs require a structured home life and firm, fair, consistent training by someone who can provide leadership without resorting to anger or physical force.
The fact that the American Bulldog belongs to the Working Dogs group is one of the reasons why American Bulldogs have the personality and temperament that they have.
The temperament of the American Bulldog is generally described as:
- Assertive
- Confident
- Dominant
- Energetic
- Friendly
- Gentle
- Loyal
History of the American Bulldog Breed. Where American Bulldogs came from
The breed is well known for its strength, endurance, agility, and friendly temperament.
The breed`s original purpose was to serve as a farm dog.
A descendant of the English Bulldog, the American Bulldog is a purebred dog.
The bulldog was first seen in America more than 400 years ago.
Around the turn of the century, they came to the United States with immigrants who brought with them their working bulldogs.
Historically, a small farmer or rancher employed this all-around working dog to guard their farm, herd their livestock, and catch fish, as well as guard their crops.
Due to its effectiveness in catching and killing feral pigs, the South was able to keep the breed alive for as long as it did.
Before the name American Bulldog became the standard, the breed was known by many different names.
Although this dog is friendly in temperament it is always a good idea to introduce other members of the family early and to institute early socialization.
These practices provide an American Bulldog the chance to become well-socialized which can be important for this breed to avoid aloofness or aggression.
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What the American Bulldog Looks Like
The American Bulldog comes in a variety of colors.
Throughout the history of the breed, there have been different color variations to choose from, but historically they have been white with red, brindle, and black patches.
Among these patterns can be found fawn, black, red, brindle, and brown colors.
An American Bulldog`s nose and rims of its eyes are typically black, but some of them may have a pinkish tint to them.
The eyes of American Bulldogs are typically brown in color.
Despite the fact that merles and blue coats are not standards of the breed, America Bulldogs have occasionally been known to have them.
As a breed, American Bulldogs shed moderately throughout the year, and they don`t require extensive grooming.
The best thing to do is brush them once a week and give them an occasional bath.
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How Much is the American Bulldog Puppy?
The average price of a American Bulldog puppy is $1400. The price of a American Bulldog puppy ranges from $912 to $1600.
A lot of factors determine the price of the American Bulldog. These factors include what health records the American Bulldog puppy has, the lineage of the American Bulldog puppy, the US state the breeder is located in, etc.
To estimate how much you can expect to pay for a puppy American Bulldog based on the many factors that determine the price of the American Bulldog puppy, check out our calculator that lets you estimate how much you should expect to pay for the American Bulldog puppy based on what you want in the puppy.
When looking to buy a puppy, look at buying a puppy only from well-established breeders that breed puppies primarily for the love of the American Bulldog breed, and secondarily for profit. Do not buy a puppy from a puppy mill. Puppy mills mass-produce puppies in bad living conditions for maximum profit.
You may also consider adopting instead of buying a puppy. Adoption costs are very low compared to the price of a puppy.
Best American Bulldog Breeders
We have researched reputable American Bulldog breeders that you can buy a puppy.
Go to this page for our complete list of reputable American Bulldog breeders in various states in the United States.
On this page, you will see how much these breeders sell their puppies for, and how many puppies they have available.
A few of these breeders are listed below.
American Bulldogs at Think About It Farms
Puppy Price: Check with breeder
Lani Epler
Puppy Price: Check with breeder
Adopting or Rescuing the American Bulldog
You may consider adopting a dog instead of buying a puppy. Many dogs, American Bulldogs included, are currently available for adoption in your local dog shelters.
These helpless but adorable dogs are waiting in dog shelters hoping that someday someone will rescue them. Dog adoption costs are lesser than the cost of a new puppy. Dog adoption costs are usually around $300 or even less.
In addition to your local dog shelter, another good place to find dogs that are available for adoption is petfinder.com.
Below is an adorable Male American Bulldog named Dreamer that is currently available for adoption on Petfinder.com. You can find other lovely American Bulldogs like Dreamer on pefinder.com.
You can find more American Bulldogs that are available for adoption on petfinder.
American Bulldog Growth
New American Bulldog owners need to know about the growth of their American Bulldogs. This will help them plan their living spaces accordingly.
Also, knowing the typical growth pattern of the American Bulldog will help new owners catch the abnormal growth of their American Bulldog early.
See our calculator for predicting how big your American Bulldog puppy will get. You will also learn about the typical weight of the American Bulldog at different ages and how to catch abnormal growth in your American Bulldog
The Temperament of the American Bulldog
The temperament of the American Bulldog based can be summarized as in the table below.
The table shows the scores of the American Bulldog for 13 important dog behavioral factors.
We obtained these scores by analyzing raw data from the C-BARQ dog personality survey tool. The higher the score of a dog for a factor, the worse the temperament of the dog regarding that factor.
The C-BARQ tool was developed by researchers from the University of Pennsylvania, and it is a scientific tool that is used worldwide for reliably measuring the temperament of dog breeds.
See our complete analysis of the temperament of the American Bulldog here.
| Factor | Score |
|---|---|
| Owner Directed Aggression | 8.6 percent |
| Energy Level | 65.2 percent |
| Nonsocial Fear | 62.7 percent |
| Stranger Directed Fear | 61.4 percent |
| Dog Rivalry | 54.4 percent |
| Attachment Attention Seeking | 50.4 percent |
| Separation Related Behavior | 49.9 percent |
| Excitability | 49.3 percent |
| Dog Directed Fear | 41.9 percent |
| Prey Drive | 38.8 percent |
| Dog Directed Aggression | 37.3 percent |
| Stubbornness | 36.9 percent |
| Stranger Directed Aggression | 36.3 percent |
| Touch Sensitivity | 29.8 percent |
How Long American Bulldogs Live
The lifespan of the American Bulldog is typically from 10 to 16 years.
American Bulldogs live long if they eat well, drink well, exercise well, and visit the veterinarian regularly.
How Fast American Bulldogs Can Run
How fast a dog breed can run is a good measure of how athletic the dog breed is.
The American Kennel Club (AKC) regularly conducts dog running competitions. The AKC records the running speed of competing dogs in these competitions. These competitions are open to all dog breeds.
Based on our analysis of the speeds of 4 different American Bulldogs, the average speed of the American Bulldog is 24.4 mph (39.2 kmph).
The fastest speed on AKC record that the American Bulldog ran in a race is 27.91 mph (44.9 kmph) and the minimum speed on record in a race for a American Bulldog is 19.88 mph (32.0 kmph).
Click here to see how the speed of the American Bulldog compares to the speed of other dogs and other mammals such as cats, horses, humans, etc.
Good Names for American Bulldogs
Here are some really good names that are typical for the American Bulldog ranked by popularity:
- Cedric
- Jerry
- Buddy
- Oak
- Blue
- Prince
- Blaze
- Ghost
- Hoss
- Gordon
How Intelligent are American Bulldogs?
| American Bulldog | |
|---|---|
| Intelligence Rank | 77 out of 130 dog breeds |
| Trainability | Tend To Learn New Commands After 80 To 100 Repetitions Or More! |
According to Prof. Stanley Coren, a Canadian psychology professor/dog trainer, the total intelligence that a dog demonstrates is the addition of three types of intelligence. These intelligence types are:
- Instinctive Intelligence: This is the natural intelligence that comes from instinct. For example, dog breeds that have been historically bred to be guard dogs will have a high `guarding` intelligence compared to dogs that were not bred for guarding.
- Adaptive Intelligence (learning and problem-solving ability): This indicates what a dog can learn to do for himself or herself. Adaptive intelligence is specific to each dog, and not breed specific. You can improve your dog`s adaptive intelligence by investing time to train your dog.
- Working/Obedience Intelligence: This type of intelligence is breed-specific. Certain dog breeds tend to have higher working/obedience intelligence than some other breeds. This intelligence is the closest to what we might call school-learning ability and it is based upon what the dog can learn to do when instructed by humans. This type of intelligence can be measured for each dog breed and compared to that of other dog breeds.
Professor Stanley Coren measured and ranked the working intelligence of about 130 different dog breeds.
Prof. Coren found that the American Bulldog has an obedience intelligence rank of 77 out of 130 dog breeds. Thus, Prof. Coren put American Bulldogs in the `Lowest Degree of Working/Obedience Intelligence Dogs` category.
This means that American Bulldogs tend to learn new commands after 80 to 100 repetitions or more!.
However, we should mention that a dog should not be judged based on its intelligence alone. There are other important factors you need to consider when deciding on which dog breed to get. These other factors include sociability, adorability, and compatibility of the dog breed with your lifestyle.
See the intelligence ranking of some other dog breeds below:
| Breed | Intelligence Rank |
|---|---|
| Rottweiler | 9 |
| Pembroke Welsh Corgi | 11 |
| Miniature Schnauzer | 12 |
| Belgian Sheepdog | 15 |
| German Shorthaired Pointer | 17 |
| Vizsla | 25 |
| Chesapeake Bay Retriever | 27 |
| Samoyed | 33 |
| Norwegian Elkhound | 36 |
| Dalmatian | 39 |
| Bedlington Terrier | 40 |
| Kuvasz | 42 |
| Rhodesian Ridgeback | 52 |
| Akita | 54 |
| Skye Terrier | 55 |
| French Bulldog | 58 |
| Maltese | 59 |
| Old English Sheepdog | 63 |
| Shih Tzu | 70 |
| Chow Chow | 76 |
Health Problems in American Bulldogs and How to Prevent Them
Every dog breed has its own set of health problems that it tends to develop. There is nothing like a perfect dog breed.
The American Bulldog is prone to certain genetic health conditions. The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) is an organization that keeps track of genetic health problems in dog breeds.
From the extensive records that the OFA keeps, the OFA knows what health problems each dog breed is naturally prone to develop.
Hence, the OFA recommends which health screening breeders should perform on a dog breed to make sure that the breeders won`t breed `defective` dog parents that can pass down defective genes to their puppy offspring.
If you want a American Bulldog puppy that will grow up to be healthy, make sure that your American Bulldog breeder screens your puppy or your puppy`s parents for the health problems that the OFA recommends for your puppy`s breed. This will increase the chances that your puppy is free from genetic defects.
The following are the health tests that Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) recommends that breeders should screen American Bulldogs for:
- approved laboratory
- Cardiac Evaluation
- Elbow Dysplasia
- Hip Dysplasia
- HYPERURICOSURIA
- Ichthyosis
- LIPOFUSCINOSIS (LAM)
You can find out more about OFA`s recommended tests for American Bulldogs here.
How to Take Care of American Bulldog
To take good care of your American Bulldog, you need to make sure that you groom your American Bulldog regularly.
Secondly, you need to find a veterinarian in your area that will routinely check the health status of your American Bulldog regularly, and give you appropriate recommendations on your American Bulldog`s preventative care.
Thirdly, you need to commit some time to exercise your American Bulldog daily. Regular exercise helps improve the health and quality of life of your American Bulldog.
Also, you need to feed your American Bulldog high-quality dog food, and the food should be of the right amount to prevent your American Bulldog from getting overweight or underweight.
See our recommendations on what to feed the American Bulldog and how much food to feed the American Bulldog at different life stages.
Finally, you need to make sure that your American Bulldog has access to clean water all the time. See our recommendations on how much water your American Bulldog needs to drink at different ages.
Dog Breeds That Are Similar to American Bulldogs
If you have not made up your mind on which dog breed to get, you may also want to consider some other dogs similar to the American Bulldog.
We crunched the numbers and found that the following dog breeds that have similar behavior and temperament as the American Bulldog:
- Dogo Argentino (78 percent match with American Bulldog). Learn more about the Dogo Argentino here.
- Portuguese Pointer (79 percent match with American Bulldog). Learn more about the Portuguese Pointer here.
- Boerboel (75 percent match with American Bulldog). Learn more about the Boerboel here.
Other Things to Know About American Bulldogs
Here are some of the very important characteristics of the American Bulldog that you need to know about the American Bulldog breed: