Origin: ~ England.
Bred for: ~ Companion dogs, Fighting dogs, Show dogs (see History).
Coat: ~ Harsh to touch, smooth and short.
Colour: ~ White with various markings allowed on the head; Any other colour with white markings; Brindle.
Height: ~ 21 to 22 inches or 53 to 56cms.
Weight: ~ 50 to 70lbs or 23 to 32kgs.
AKC Group – Terrier Group.
History of the Miniature Bull Terrier
Back in the 1800’s the “Bull and Terrier” as this dog was known was considerably different in stature and temperament to todays Bull Terriers. The bull and Terrier was known as the ultimate pit fighting dog, having been a sport for centuries, however with the abolition of pit fighting due to the Cruelty to Animals Act 1835 owners of these dogs began to to “show” their dogs which led to breeding for appearance.
Around the 1860’s the breed was crossed with White English Terriers and Dalmatians. This produced an all-white strain which was then called the Bull Terrier.
This new all-white strain became the the fashionable companion for well to do young Englishmen. Importantly the breed gained a reputation for defending themselves – But NOT provoking any fights and were then dubbed “The White Cavalier”.
Sometime around 1900 This amiable friendly breed was crossed with Staffordshire Bull Terriers which reintroduced colour back into the breed. Not everyone accepted this at first as it was considered to have weakened the natural good white colour.
Eventually though it gained equal status as a separate AKC variety of breed in 1936. Its comical nature and expression won many friends and the breed gained much popularity.
Temperament and Upkeep
In many ways it is a shame that this breed still suffers the historic reputation of the pits because this history is so far from the mark of its true character.
These dogs are exuberant, playful, loving, and mischievous little dogs. They can be aggressive with other dogs but this is usually because they feel threatened, they actually interact really well with good natured dogs. Here at Top Lap Dogs we have often had this breed spending time with our Terrier crossbreed and our Shih Tzu and never a cross word between them.
Thy can be stubborn on occasions so training them needs a firm hand every now and then, but with good exercise and stimulation they are actually very good dogs to train, so this will depend upon you. Because these dogs are quite clever they need mental stimulation and a fair amount of exercise.
They have a lifespan of around 11 to 14 years and are generally healthy dogs again subject to the exercise regime. They can suffer some deafness, particularly akin to the all-white or near all-white dogs (this is oddly very common in many All-white breeds).
Kidney and heart problems can appear more so at older ages and patellar luxation can occur in some but once again these are generally minimal if good exercise is part of their daily/weekly rituals.
Whilst the Bull Terrier (American and others) tend to grow to around 22 inches height (56cms) at the withers the miniature bull terrier only grows to between 10 and 14 inches in height (25 to 36cms).
Similarly the weight of an American Bull Terrier is about 50 to 70 lbs (23 to 32kgs, quite heavy) the Miniature Bull Terrier only weighs about 18 to 28 lbs (8 to 13kgs). The reason these dogs appear heavy for their size is that when exercised properly they are quite muscular dogs
Description of a Mini Bull Terrier
They have small erect ears on top of a wedge shape head wide at the top and narrowing sharply toward the nose. The character feature of these dogs are the deep set triangular squint shaped eyes set under a strong deeply curving skull from the top to the nose when viewed side on.
A good strong neck over a broad chest with strong short straight legs and light feet. A short strong back with a narrowing waist to firm hips with short finely muscled legs over small feet and a short to mid length tail often sticking straight out.
