American Bulldog ?

Any of you guys have one? have been looking at them lately. Just want to see what u all think of them?

Thanks for any info.

I had a Scott type, was a great dog, high prey drive he loved to rip apart squirell's, possums, racoons, birds, pretty much anything that came in the backyard he could catch. Downside he liked to chew alot the first couple years when left alone, and after he destroyed the chew toys I'd leavem usually with in a couple hours he'd find something else to chew on. Wouldn't hesitate to get another in the future though.

Love them! But my ex's ate his mattress, and part of a wall IIRC. they're still worth it. Actually pretty laid back if they're getting enough exercise.

I've got an Alapaha Blue Blood Bulldog. Not exactly the same as an American, but pretty damn close.

He is usually really laid-back with people, but can get aggressive enough on occasion that I don't leave him unattended with anyone besides immediate family

He's always bite-to-kill aggressive with strange animals.

They require more effort than most with training and making them obey. They are also incredibly strong and could overpower a weaker person pretty easily.

This has been my experience anyway. I love my dog though. As much of a handful as he is, I wouldn't trade him.

American Bulldogs are descendants of the original 'butcher's dog' before it got warped crossed with local mutts.

There were many indigenous populations of these bulldogs but they started disappearing as urbanization increased and small rural living was altered greatly after WW II.

Many people have set out to collect the 'remnants' of this general purpose southern guard-hunting-livestock dog. Each claims to have discovered/saved the best or truest examples. Some examples of this would be Old English White or the above mentioned Alapha Blue Blood. Also, some people have tried to 'rescue' the screwed up English Showdog Bulldog to something heathier yet still bulldoggie by crossing English Bulldogs with various types of local american bulldog type dogs.

The American Bulldog was the name one individual gave to the 'breed' he created from collecting these local dogs from all over the south. This was J.D. Johnson. Later other people worked with him.

Because of this there are at least 4 distinct 'strains' of American Bulldog.

Johnson: also called 'classic' Biggest bodies, biggest head, most bulldog looking.
Scott: (Another breeder initially working some with Johnson)also called 'standard' or 'performance' Smaller, leaner & meaner, pound-for-pound more potent, taller. More pitbull type head with a longer muzzle
Painter: Took the 'peformance' type and used it for dogfighting. Bred smaller dogs.
JDJ Johnson: Same Johnson as above who started it. Decided he wanted a more performance body with a bulldoggie head. Ended up with something kind of like a boxer.

MOST American Bulldogs are a mix of Johnson and Scott types.

IMHO if someone is interested in American Bulldogs, get a classic or a mix. If you find the 'performance' or 'painter' lines more to your liking, then just go all the way and get an American Pit Bull Terrier, because they are even MORE athletic, MORE agile, and MORE dog pound-for-pound, even if they do tend to be smaller.


Classic type should look like this

Anyone have a recommendation for a good classic Johnson type breeder?

Thx

I have an American Bulldog a little over 1.5 years old... he is awesome. Real good with small dog and pretty good with non aggressive big dogs. Only thing he really hates is birds. I will post a pick of him once I get off duty.

I have a 2yo AB named Kaiah. I love her to death but wish we had a bigger yard sometimes so she can wear herself down. She's a Johnson breed.

Here is mine.. name is Jameson.

Rescue or Breeder.

I want your dag.

I have a highly human and dog aggressive Johnson type male that is nearly 5 years old. I'm about the only person on the planet that he tolerates, and that is questionable at times (I have the scars to prove it)

Beautiful dog. Your experience mirrors mine almost exactly. There is no bite and release with mine. He fully intends to kill anything he engages or to die in the attempt.

Some good looking dogs in this thread.

Thanks. I think our dogs could be brothers!

i have 1 and plan on getting another when funds allow. Mine s 1yr old and great with kids, although big and stupid. he knocks over my 1 yr old kid all the time. He would never hurt my kids intintionally, but with that having been said, never get an animal that you can't take in a fight. This dog is a beast and when tugging, he is strong. But I have no problem taking him out if he ever bit one of my children. So get them young and socialize them with other dogs and people as early as possible just to be safe. And be prepared for retards to tell you how good looking your "pit" is. lol

referring to the part in bold, you just have to be willing and prepaired to call them idiots and correct them.i have to do that with my boxer all the time.

the phrase "he's a boxer not a pitbull you idiot!" gets used when we go for walks.


ETA: there are the pictures of some some gorgeous dogs in this thread!

This my Lilu! She is the biggest love bunny in the world .she 2y/o and is 88 pounds. She loves to sneak into bed with me and the miss ! If you catch her in the act she will just sit there with her big old head on the bed working the biggest puppy dog eyes ! She loves catching rats with her 2 older boxer sisters !she is still a pup! She food driven and her last showdown with my alph female boxer( Lola ) ended with lola head inside of Lilu mouth,! I had a wtf moment there .Lola had a few cuts and puncture wounds and Lilu got the cookie. Lilu is maturing and I believe she going to be lead bitch in my house soon Lola is getting old

Love mine she is the best dog I have ever had...she is so adaptable and loyal. She gets treated just like a human.

Here she is watching tv with us.

Thats so wiered! My dog does that to!

Why get 2? Are you hog hunting with them and need a pack?

While Am Bulldogs are not nearly as bad as American Pitbull Terriers, these dogs HAVE been selectively bred to be dog-fighters in the past. They have a higher dog-aggression than your average dog. Getting two is asking for trouble unless you have a very strong reason to need two. Even the breed founder lost some of his dogs to dog vs dog aggression, and for the most part kept his dogs separated. The local farmers who were raising and keeping the foundation stock from which this breed was developed ALSO would say 'this has got to be your only dog'

So I ask again, why two? are you really ready for the potential fight and death of one of them? And yes, dog-aggressive dogs that seem fine together for months can snap and one will end up dead. Is it a sure thing? no, but with Am Bulldogs, Amstaffs, Ambullys, and ABPT this is a very real concern and a very elevated risk.

I have a 6 year old who's name is mopar. I needed a protection/security dog to guard my shop. I bought him strictly for that, then we all fell in love with him because of his personality. As much of a softy as he is, he is serious about protecting the homestead. He sleeps during the day and stands guard at the corners of the house at night. It is the wierdest thing. He actually has dirt areas where he stands watch.

Mopar is of the Johnson breed, and is a direct decendent of Johnson mean machine, one of Mr Johnson original dogs. They are identical in markings. He is the only dog I have had and ill never own another breed.

As far as dog or animal aggresion I'm a firm believer its how the dog is raised. My girl pictured above was specifically introduced to young children, other dogs, food training and she is very socialized. I have no issue with her being out with other dogs or kids. She is still very protective of her property but generally only when its dark outside.

That's what I thought too.

As a puppy we went to dog parks, group training classes, played with the neighbors dog a lot, etc.

When he grew out of the pup stage, he started hating every strange dog.

ETA:

I didn't get my dog fixed. That probably has a pretty big influence on his dog aggression.

Do you believe that through selective breeding we successfully created sight-hounds (like the greyhound and saluki) who relied more on their eyes than their nose? Who even today are VERY predispositioned to chase any fast and small object that catches their attention?

Do you believe that through selective breeding we successfully created dogs that love water and love to carry things in their mouths back to humans (ala the retriever?) Do you believe we created dogs that are very interested in sheep, much more-so than any other animal? Do you believe we created dogs that are much more interested in game-birds than any other animal? (after all, a bird-dog that is distracted by field-mouse or a rabbit isn't going to win an event and/or isn't going to make the wing-shooter who owns him happy) Do you believe we created dogs that love to dig, burrow, and fiercely fight rodents, foxes, woodchucks and other burrow-dwellers but isn't interested even half as much in investigating the smell of a feathered quarry?

If we have pointers, setters, retrievers, hounds, terriers, sight-hounds, sled dogs, herding dogs, etc etc then yo DO believe in 'animal aggression' being based in the genes thanks to selective breeding.

If that is the case then it shouldn't be much of a stretch to think that dog aggression could also have been bred for.


Yes, a normal dog that is improperly socialized may have dog aggression. BUT with certain dogs that have had dog aggression bred into them, no amount of socialization can turn it off. And yet these dogs as they have a genetic predisposition towards just ONE animal type can be very loving with humans and very tolerant of the pet cat, pet horse, pet duck, pet whatever.

We looked at them but settled on the English Bully.

I found this excerpt from 1854. Pretty sure my dog is a time traveler

Copyright © 1996 - 2013 :: AR15.Com LLC :: All Rights Reserved.
Any use of this content without express written consent is prohibited.