A Gorgeous Breed (Bull Terriers)

Member Name: CheekyCharlie08

Product:	Bull Terriers
Date:	13/10/09 (181 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Loyal; Friendly; A change from other breeds that are so popular

Disadvantages: Deafness; Very stubborn dogs

For years we had an English Bull Terrier called Leo, I loved him because he used to terrify the neighbours! He never barked or anything at them but they were still scared of him because English Bull Terriers look so much different to other dogs. I was so sad when Leo died 2 years ago because he was a wicked companion and never any trouble, at the time my mum was pregnant with my little sister so her and my dad decided not to get another dog until my sister has grown a bit but then they plan to buy 2 English Bull Terriers and breed them.

English Bull Terriers are very muscular dogs so they need plenty of protein in their diets, we used to feed Leo a mixture of dog food and fresh meat that we would only cook a bit so it was still a bit bloody and he could have a good chew on it. English Bull Terriers have massive appetites and you have to be careful not to over feed them because the breed can get very fat very quickly, we took Leo to see his sister from the same litter occasionally and even though they were the same age you wouldn't believe it because the owner of the other dog had overfed her so much that she looked 5 years older and just used to sit watching and begging for scraps while Leo was running around like a mad thing.

Leo was majorly excitable and so are most other English Bull Terriers I've met. They need loads of exercise whether it's a walk on a lead or a huge massive back garden for them to run about it, you couldn't keep one in a flat and even if you've got a small garden I reckon you'd be hard pushed to look after one properly because they have mad fits of tearing round the garden sometimes and that helps the dog keep itself calm during the rest of the time when you call him into your house.

There's 2 health problems that you need to look out for with English Bull Terriers, one is that the pure white ones have a tendancy to deafness and even though a deaf dog can still have a full and happy life I don't think the average family could cope with a deaf English Bull Terrier because they are so wilfull anyway that I reckon it would be a big time struggle to care for it and train it. I know if Leo didn't want to do something he would act deaf anyway and if he really was deaf there would have been no telling him anything! lol The other health problem is one Leo suffered from but it's easily sorted and that's that they can have bad reactions to insect bites, I remember our vet telling us that the only way to stop it was to stop the dog going into the long grass but he's obviously never kept an English Bull because they thrive on going into places they're not supposed to be! We just used to treat the bites rather than try to prevent them because that's deffo a losing battle with this breed.

Another thing to watch is that they don't get sunburn because of the short white coat most of the breed have, Leo was white and brindle but we still had to be careful in the summer in case the UV rays worked their way under his fur. He got sunburnt one time that I can remember and he was proper upset about it! lol That taught him to come in when he's called! I know that sounds sad but English Bull Terriers are majorly stubborn and he did learn a lesson that day and from then on he would do as he was told a bit better, even if you had to tell him 5 times!

I reckon English Bulls are like toddlers. You know they understand what you're telling them but they look at you like you're stupid half the time, this breed will try to rule the house because they are very terratorial but you mustn't let them because they'll never come out of it. My dad took on training Leo when we first got him because he's got a deep voice and the dog took more notice of him than the rest of us, I just asked him because I was too young at the time and he rolled his eyes and muttered something that sounded like "trucking animal" so I take it they're hard work to get trained! lol

This breed can live between 10 and 14 years, Leo was only 8 when he died but it was a tumour that killed him and it could have struck at any time. As far as I know this breed isn't suseptible to tumours so Leo was just unlucky that he got a very aggressive one that killed him just a couple of weeks after he was diagnosed.

I recommend this breed to anyone because they're really not as terrifying as they look, if you have kids then it's your own decision but I don't think an English Bull would hurt a child but they are very boisterous so the dog might accidentally knock them over.

Summary: A Wicked Dog That I Will Deffo Have Again In My Lifetime