American Bulldog

Loyal and watchful; quick to learn but can be headstrong.
An American Bulldog
Photo: Frikkii
Adult male
34–45 kg
75–100 lb
Adult female
27–36 kg
60–80 lb
Lifespan
10–15 yrs
Class · Watchdog
also Family

What it's like

In temperament it is confident and loyal, friendly with its own people and naturally watchful, and often reserved with strangers. It is energetic and quick to learn but can be headstrong, and its strength and determination reflect its past as a catch dog. Chance, the young dog in the film Homeward Bound, was played by an American Bulldog.

Day to day
Activity
A good daily walk and play
Intelligence
Learns readily, likes games
Handler demand
Needs an experienced owner
With people
Affection
A lap or leaning dog
Loyalty
Sticks close to its people
Independence
Cooperative, with its own ideas
Around the home
Sensitivity
Hardy, takes a busy home in its stride
Voice
Barks to alert, then settles
Prey drive
Chases; needs managing
Breed explains only about 9% of how individual dogs differ in behaviour1. Meet the dog. A good breeder breeds for temperament as well as health, and matches each puppy's personality to the right home2,3.
Is an American Bulldog right for you?
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Size and growth

An American Bulldog is a large dog, about the weight of a grown German Shepherd. Males end up clearly heavier than females.

It is a muscular, powerfully built dog with a broad chest, strong jaws and a short, close coat. The coat is usually white or largely white, with patches of brindle, red, fawn or brown.

Puppy growth

Reference curve · community data appears as owners log
By about 3 months, a male American Bulldog puppy is already as heavy as a grown Pug. They grow fastest between 3 and 4 months old. Most males grow into the size large-breed puppy foods are made for.
Fully grown
12 mo
Both sexes, at 99% of adult weight8
Male
Female
Shaded: expected range
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Age
Male
Female
2 months
7.1–9.5 kg 15.7–20.9 lb
6.3–8.4 kg 13.9–18.5 lb
3 months
10.7–14.3 kg 23.6–31.5 lb
9.0–12.1 kg 19.8–26.7 lb
4 months
15.9–21.2 kg 35.1–46.7 lb
13.1–17.5 kg 28.9–38.6 lb
5 months
20.4–27.2 kg 45.0–60.0 lb
16.7–22.3 kg 36.8–49.2 lb
6 months
24.3–32.5 kg 53.6–71.7 lb
19.6–26.2 kg 43.2–57.8 lb
7 months
27.4–36.6 kg 60.4–80.7 lb
21.7–29.0 kg 47.8–63.9 lb
8 months
29.7–39.7 kg 65.5–87.5 lb
23.2–31.0 kg 51.1–68.3 lb
9 months
31.2–41.7 kg 68.8–91.9 lb
24.3–32.5 kg 53.6–71.7 lb
10 months
32.2–43.0 kg 71.0–94.8 lb
25.1–33.5 kg 55.3–73.9 lb
11 months
32.7–43.7 kg 72.1–96.3 lb
25.6–34.2 kg 56.4–75.4 lb
12 months
33.1–44.2 kg 73.0–97.4 lb
26.1–34.8 kg 57.5–76.7 lb
15 months
33.6–44.9 kg 74.1–99.0 lb
26.8–35.8 kg 59.1–78.9 lb

Health and lifespan

In UK vet records, the conditions below turn up more often in American Bulldogs than in crossbreeds. Dry eye stands out as much more likely. None of them is rated serious. These are figures for the breed as a whole, not a prediction for your dog.
Listed by likelihood level, highest first, then by how serious it is, then by name.
  • Dry eye
    Much more likely
    Impact: moderate
  • Blood blister in the ear flap
    More likely
    Impact: moderate
  • Inward-rolling eyelid
    More likely
    Impact: moderate
  • Ear canal inflammation
    More likely
    Impact: minor

Flat face and breathing

The American Bulldog is one of the flat-faced breeds. In UK vet records, flat-faced dogs were more likely to have breathing and airway problems than dogs with a medium-length muzzle, and lived shorter lives on average. Noisy breathing at rest is worth raising with a vet.

Lifespan

No vet study has measured how long American Bulldogs live yet. The 10–15 years shown is a reference range, not a measured one.

Where it comes from

The American Bulldog is, in the UKC's account, the old working Bulldog of England, kept in the American South by working-class immigrants while the type vanished from Britain once bull-baiting was outlawed. It caught feral cattle and pigs, nearly died out around the world wars, and was revived by the returning veteran John D. Johnson with Alan Scott and others, whose names its Johnson and Scott types carry16,17.

The American Bulldog took its present shape in the decades after its mid-twentieth-century revival, largely along two lines. Dogs from John D. Johnson's breeding tend to be heavier, with a broad, rounded head and a shorter muzzle. Those from Alan Scott's are lighter and more athletic, with a longer face. Many modern dogs blend the two. The United Kennel Club recognised the breed in the late nineteen-nineties, but the Kennel Club in Britain does not. It was bred as an all-round farm dog that caught and held semi-wild stock, guarded the homestead and kept down vermin. Some now take part in weight pulling and protection sports.

Breed standard

No FCI standard covers it; its group here is AKC Working group.

Questions people ask

General guidance for dogs rather than a measured American Bulldog figure: most females have a first season somewhere between six and fifteen months, and cycles then settle to roughly every 180 days. Smaller breeds tend to start earlier and larger ones later, so a large breed is most likely at the later end.

Compare with related

Bulldog
Pinschers & molossoids · Medium
American Pit Bull Terrier
Terrier · Medium
American Bully
Terrier · Large
American Staffordshire Terrier
Terriers · Medium
Or compare the American Bulldog with any breed you choose
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Sources

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Parts of this page were written by AI ·