American Bulldog

[Cissy48]

Has anyone used an Am Bulldog as Flock Guardian?

 

[blefky]

All dogs are individuals, and you do, of course, have to judge any dog for who it is, but I am biased toward a good American Bulldog - I simply love them. I don't leave Gracie out over night with the animals - she's always slept at the foot of my bed, but she is wonderful with them during the day. She mothers any chicks who will tolerate it for as long as they tolerate it. She chases (and sometimes catches

) squirrels, chipmunks, etc. that are in the yard but has never shown anything but concern for the birds. She loves to sit at the highest point in the yard and survey her kingdom, while keeping an eye out for anything unwelcome. But, a picture's worth a thousand words:

 

[Longhorns&Chickens]

I have American bulldogs, but they were here befor the chickens! They are great dogs and leave the birds alone. Maggie is free in the yard along with the chickens and leaves them alone. She runs off strays, catches varmits, but is great house pet. The others bark if there is a problem and have no problem catching varmits. How ever with a bulldog you really need to research their lines, as some are bred for catching hogs, or for a specific job, and without that job they can be a handful. Maggie is a standard/bully mix, she has some of the go from the starndard, but a lot of the bully features. Mya my other female is a Mufasa bred bully type. These are typically weight pull or show type dogs. She is fine with the chickens, but scared to death of cattle. My male Dude is old, but in his younger days would catch anything with hair. He wouldn't harm it intentionally, but 90 lbs of dog smashes somethings. He worked cattle really well, but liked to catch stray dogs and hold them. He was a hog catching dog through and through. I love them and probably will always have one around.
If your serious about bullies I'll answer any questions to the best of my ability.

The brindle and white is Maggie. She is about a 60 pound dog. Mya is the fawn and white female. She is a huge female at about 85 pounds.

 

[al6517]

So you mean pitbulls guarding chickens.

 

[Oregon Blues]

If you are thinking about buying an American Bulldog, be very careful whom you buy from. Find a serious breeder who breeds for temperament.

Some American Bulldogs are really dangerous. Some breeders are breeding them to be man fighters, and they are a huge strong dog. If one of them goes after you, you don't stand a chance.

You want a breeder who understands that they were developed to be a livestock catch dog and should be very reliable with people. You don't want a line specially bred to guard marijuana fields.

Because they are supposed to be a livestock catch dog, they wouldn't be my first choice for chicken guarding. However, if you get a well bred one, they are wicked smart and eager to please and you should be able to train him to do whatever you want

 

[Longhorns&Chickens]

Quote:
no I don't mean pitbulls!!

I do hear that with my dogs, but they are very different from a pitbull. They are UKC, NKC, and ARBA registered American Bulldogs. As I understand it pitbulls are descended from terriers, where American bulldogs are the 'original bulldog'. When bull and bear baiting were outlawed the breed was bred down to what we know as the English bulldog, but a man by the name of Johnson who was from down south wanted them back the way they were. He wanted a loyal dog, that was strong, and courageous, but understood friend from foe, and would defend the owners property. He was one of the first to begin breeding American bulldogs as they later became known. I love my dogs, I understand the bad name given to pitbulls, but I don't agree with degrading the whole breed as bad! I am not criticizing you, but this is a pet peeve of mine, my dogs may be brindle or resemble pits but that doesn't mean they are bad!

 

[carolinagirl58]

Pit bulls were created by crossing American bull dogs with terriers. They are very, very similar. Pit bulls are more game though, just as terriers are. There is a size difference in them, with the pit bulls being smaller.

 

[blefky]

I did quite a lot of research before I bought Gracie. I have other animals, kids in and out of my home, and a four year old granddaughter who visits frequently. I wanted a dog who would watch the yard, be somewhat intimidating in appearance (some times that's all it takes to make a potential "bad guy" think twice), but would not be aggressive. The history of the breed is very interesting and there are books available on the subject. It is my understanding that the pit breeds were developed by crossing American Bulldogs with various terrier breeds. Terriers tend toward aggression whereas the American Bulldog tends toward protection. Individuals looking to develop fighting dogs found that the strength of the bulldog crossed with the fire of the terrier breeds produced a formidable fighter. I love bulldogs - pits, American, whatever. It's important to understand the breed, to purchase from a reputable breeder (so very important), and to understand the importance of proper training and socialization. Gracie's breeder bred dogs for weight pull competition. Her father weighs 120 pounds and his weight pull record is 6000 pounds - that's a lot of strength to handle if poorly trained. The breeder summed up his dogs this way. He told me that he breeds for strength, endurance, and temperament, and that properly raised, one of his dogs won't start a fight, but if needed will certainly finish one. Gracie has never in almost four years shown an ounce of aggression, but she will alert and let me know when something doesn't appear right to her. She's loving, and bright, and would do anything to please us. What more could you ask from a dog.

 

[Ole rooster]

Is the American Bulldog you're refering to also the Staffordshire Terrier, or is that the pit?

 

[nickie]

You guys all have great looking bulls! I have two pits myself who are amazing with my children and birds. American bulldog, stafordshire terrier and American pit bull terrier are all separate breeds. Bull terriers are a another seperate breed. All bull breeds, but not the same thing.