General Information About the American Bulldog

The American Bulldog can make a good working dog or a family dog. These dogs, if socialized properly, do pretty well with kids. They tend to be protective of their families, and need to have an owner who will make it clear who is the boss in order to limit any possible behavior problems. They might be aggressive with other dogs or small animals, especially if not well trained.

The appearance of American Bulldogs can vary. They tend to weigh between 60 and 125 pounds and be between 20 and 28 inches high. In coloring, they can be white, or they can be multi-colored with any mix of brown, black, red, brindle, or fawn. Undesirable colors include merle and blue. The nose and eye rims should be dark in color, preferrably black, and brown is preferred for the eye color. The hair on their coat is short, and they are usually light or moderate shedders.

American Bulldogs are fairly easy to care for. As mentioned above, they need to be well socialized and trained at an early age. This will get harder to do as they get older, so it is best to take care of it as soon as possible. They require brushing from time to time, and baths on rare occasions. Although they can get by in an apartment, it is best that they live somewhere with at least a medium sized yard. They should also have a nice long walk each day so that they get plenty of exercise. This might also help to expose them to other dogs so that they get used to being around other dogs and are less likely to get aggressive with them.

In general these dogs tend to live for about ten to sixteen years. They are usually pretty healthy as well. They have litters of around eleven puppies should you decide to breed your dog. Some issues that should be considered include the fact that American Bulldogs tend to drool a lot. They are also prone to certain genetic conditions, including hip displasia, bone cancer, elbow displasia, enlarged hearts, problems with the liver and kidneys, ectropion, entropion, and neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis (NCL).