Breed library

American Bulldog

American Bulldog photograph.
American Bulldog 600.jpg - Photo by sannse. CC BY-SA 3.0. Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:American_Bulldog_600.jpg. License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/. License: CC BY-SA 3.0.

Breed overview

The American Bulldog is a large, muscular breed of mastiff-type dog. Their ancestors were brought to the British North American colonies where they worked on small farms and ranches.

  • Breed type: dog breedBreed reference breed kind.
  • Country of origin: United StatesBreed reference country of origin.

Breed facts

  • Dog breeds defined to any standard only came into being with the rise of kennel clubs and breed registries.
  • Before this, no records were kept and instead of breeds, there were informal landrace strains that initially depended on where a dog's parent or master originated.
  • Dogs had been used since the 13th century in bull-baiting, but the first known mention of bulldogs by name is not found until a seventeenth-century letter requesting them to be sent from London to St.
  • Different strains of English bulldogs were developed for cattle-droving, bull-baiting, farm dogs, and butcher's dogs.
  • Cynographia Britannica defined the physical and behavioral characteristics of the bulldog in print in 1800.

Size and appearance

The American Bulldog is a stocky and heavily built dog with a large head and a muscular shoulders and forearms. Its coat is short and generally smooth, requiring little maintenance except a bath every few weeks. The breed is a light-to-moderate shedder.

  • Body mass reference: 27 - 41 kgAdult breed reference quantity from the article infobox. Original value 27 - 41 kg. Unit conversion where applicable: 1 inch = 2.54 cm; 1 pound = 0.45359237 kg. Original field and references are retained in the revision-pinned article evidence.
  • Body mass reference: 34 - 52 kgAdult breed reference quantity from the article infobox. Original value 34 - 52 kg. Unit conversion where applicable: 1 inch = 2.54 cm; 1 pound = 0.45359237 kg. Original field and references are retained in the revision-pinned article evidence.
  • Height reference: 51 - 61 cmAdult breed reference quantity from the article infobox. Original value 51 - 61 cm. Unit conversion where applicable: 1 inch = 2.54 cm; 1 pound = 0.45359237 kg. Original field and references are retained in the revision-pinned article evidence.
  • Height reference: 50 - 65 cmAdult breed reference quantity from the article infobox. Original value 50 - 65 cm. Unit conversion where applicable: 1 inch = 2.54 cm; 1 pound = 0.45359237 kg. Original field and references are retained in the revision-pinned article evidence.
  • Coat length: short
  • Coat texture: smooth
  • Height category: tall
  • Height category: medium
  • Weight category: giant
  • Weight category: large

Personality and behavior

Care planning: record what your dog enjoys, how they greet visitors, and how they respond to new places. Add notes after walks and training so you can see their habits over time. Where this profile includes behavior research, use the same named measures when comparing your shortlist.

  • Attachment and attention seeking (C-BARQ mean): 2.08 / 4Owner-reported attachment and attention seeking factor mean for US reference population American Bulldog.
  • Chasing (C-BARQ mean): 1.93 / 4Owner-reported chasing factor mean for US reference population American Bulldog.
  • Dog-directed aggression (C-BARQ mean): 1.29 / 4Owner-reported dog-directed aggression factor mean for US reference population American Bulldog.
  • Dog-directed fear (C-BARQ mean): 0.76 / 4Owner-reported dog-directed fear factor mean for US reference population American Bulldog.
  • Energy (C-BARQ mean): 1.91 / 4Owner-reported energy factor mean for US reference population American Bulldog.
  • Excitability (C-BARQ mean): 2.24 / 4Owner-reported excitability factor mean for US reference population American Bulldog.
  • Familiar-dog aggression (C-BARQ mean): 0.59 / 4Owner-reported familiar-dog aggression factor mean for US reference population American Bulldog.
  • Non-social fear (C-BARQ mean): 0.93 / 4Owner-reported non-social fear factor mean for US reference population American Bulldog.
  • Owner-directed aggression (C-BARQ mean): 0.08 / 4Owner-reported owner-directed aggression factor mean for US reference population American Bulldog.
  • Separation-related problems (C-BARQ mean): 0.54 / 4Owner-reported separation-related problems factor mean for US reference population American Bulldog.
  • Stranger-directed aggression (C-BARQ mean): 0.72 / 4Owner-reported stranger-directed aggression factor mean for US reference population American Bulldog.
  • Stranger-directed fear (C-BARQ mean): 0.63 / 4Owner-reported stranger-directed fear factor mean for US reference population American Bulldog.
  • Touch sensitivity (C-BARQ mean): 0.62 / 4Owner-reported touch sensitivity factor mean for US reference population American Bulldog.
  • Trainability (C-BARQ mean): 2.56 / 4Owner-reported trainability factor mean for US reference population American Bulldog.

Exercise and activities

Care planning: build a weekly routine with walks, play and time to explore. Enter the minutes and sessions that work for your dog, then compare the weekly total with your available time. Keep notes about the activities your dog enjoys and adjust the routine together.

Training and enrichment

Care planning: choose one everyday skill to practice and keep a record of each session. Note the cue, the reward your dog enjoys and what went well. Rotate familiar games and new activities, and use your notes to choose the next small step.

Coat and grooming

Care planning: use the coat details above to discuss a grooming routine with your groomer. Record brushing sessions, baths and appointments in the app. Add the tools you use and your preferred schedule so the whole household can follow the same routine.

  • Coat length: short
  • Coat texture: smooth

Health and lifespan

Care planning: keep your dog's veterinary records, health-check dates and agreed care plan together. Add reminders for appointments and record changes you want to discuss at the next visit. Use the linked breed organizations and original references to explore their current health resources.

  • Lifespan reference: 10 years or moreBreed reference lifespan years.
  • Lifespan reference: Up to 15 yearsBreed reference lifespan years.

Living with this breed

Care planning: compare this profile's adult dimensions, coat care and available activity information with your household's routine. Make a shortlist, plan who will handle daily care and save the questions you want to ask a breed club, rescue or breeder.

Compare breeds

Compare supported adult height and weight ranges, matching research measures and sourced coat and care categories.

Add American Bulldog to a comparison

Breed history

Dog breeds defined to any standard only came into being with the rise of kennel clubs and breed registries. This happened in the United States in 1884. Before this, no records were kept and instead of breeds, there were informal landrace strains that initially depended on where a dog's parent or master originated.

Clubs and further reading

Sources

  1. American Bulldog - WikipediaWikipedia contributors Retrieved 2026-10-14.License: CC BY-SA 4.0. Adapted excerpts from Wikipedia contributors, American Bulldog, revision 1376204556. CC BY-SA 4.0. Formatting, citations and selection changed. Source history: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=American_Bulldog&action=history
  2. Wikidata structured breed dataWikimedia contributors Retrieved 2026-10-14.License: CC0 1.0. Wikidata contributors (CC0).
  3. National C-BARQ breed and all-breed means from USA.PLOS ONE / Figshare Retrieved 2026-10-14.License: CC BY 4.0. Bohland, Kyle R.; Lilly, Meghan Leanne; Herron, Meghan E.; Arruda, Andréia G.; O’Quin, Jeanette M. (2023). National C-BARQ breed and all-breed means from USA.. PLOS ONE. Dataset. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0289356.s003 CC BY 4.0. Selected rows and field names adapted; values unchanged.
  4. File:American Bulldog 600.jpgWikimedia Commons Retrieved 2026-10-14.License: CC BY-SA 3.0. American Bulldog 600.jpg - Photo by sannse. CC BY-SA 3.0. Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:American_Bulldog_600.jpg. License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/.
  5. Palipaws everyday care planningPalipaws Retrieved 2026-10-14.License: Palipaws original factual summaries. Palipaws. Original care-planning text, separate from breed measurements and licensed article summaries.