Why the breed exists
The Bull Terrier's ancestry is in the bull-baiting and fighting dogs of early nineteenth-century England, and there is no point writing around it. What makes the breed interesting is what happened next. From the 1860s James Hinks and the breeders who followed him worked deliberately in the other direction — crossing in terrier and other stock and selecting for a companion dog, a showy, good-natured animal for a household rather than a pit. The breed that resulted is muscular and stubborn and famously clownish, with the distinctive egg-shaped head that came later in its development. Its ears stand naturally today — British show rings stopped accepting cropped ears well over a century ago, and the breed was bred toward the erect ear it has now — so no cropping question arises for it.
That is the whole argument for deliberate breeding, told by one breed: selection changed what the dog was for. It also comes with health responsibilities that good breeders take seriously. BAER testing for deafness is standard practice, and kidney disease in the breed means monitoring through adult life rather than one clearance as a puppy. Ask any breeder what they test, what they found, and where it is published. The Bull Terrier Club of America's recommendations are the floor, not the ceiling, and the breeders worth your time treat them that way.
The official written standard belongs to the breed's parent club.Read the official Bull Terrier standard →
Choosing a Bull Terrier on purpose
Every breed has its own list of required health screenings, kept by its parent club and published through OFA. A preservation breeder working in this breed tests to that list and shows you the results — including the ones that didn't go their way.
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