Bull Terrier
Learn about the temperament and personality of the Bull Terrier. Discover what he's like to live with, his traits and characteristics and how he generally behaves. And look at lots of Bull Terrier photos.

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Shedding | ![]() |
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Watchdog | ![]() |
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Guard Dog | ![]() |
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Size | ![]() |
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Bull Terrier Temperament
The Bull Terrier is known as the "three-year-old child in a dog suit." These dogs are active, happy, clownish, and extremely attached to their owners and family. They love people unconditionally, and are friendly, sweet, and fun-loving. They are cuddly, and will try to curl up in your lap, even though they don't really fit. When you cuddle them, they have a sort of snort-purr that Bull Terrier parents find irresistible. While they are incredibly charming, they are also stubborn and conniving. They certainly think for themselves. You will need to obedience train your Bull Terrier, because they are a strong dog, both physically and mentally, and you do not want to end up wrestling your Bull Terrier for control. They are very high energy and highly active and they need lots and lots (and lots) of exercise. A bored Bull Terrier will search, chew, and destroy. They can chew through a bulletproof vest. The Bull Terrier can be difficult to housetrain. They love children, but their rough and tumble style of play can easily flatten a young child. They like to join in the family fun and are tireless playmates, chasing balls for hours. They seem to thrive on your laughter and they will certainly get you chuckling with their antics. When they walk under something that tickles their back, such as a tablecloth, or a bush, their eyes will glaze over and they will slow their walk down, and look like they are sleepwalking. They also practice something called "hucklebutting." The dog will take off at full speed and sprint all over the house, through table legs, around corners, as fast as they possibly can. Sometimes they run into walls, but this doesn't slow them down. They will also play chicken and run right at you as fast as they can, swerving to miss you at the last second. If you lose your nerve and step to the side, you could be seriously injured! They can do well with other animals, but are often aggressive toward same-sex dogs. They also have a prey instinct and often chase small animals. They can also be food aggressive. They make good watch dogs and have natural guard dog instincts. You will need to train a Bull Terrier to ensure that his natural instincts don't turn into aggression. So, if you like to laugh and are the easy-going type, you are sure to love the independent, energetic, challenging, and sometimes downright silly Bull Terrier. Just be aware that they act like a puppy, with a puppy's energy level, until they're about three years old. And if you put a coat on him in the wintertime, he will probably eat it.
Bull Terrier Training
The Bull Terrier is harder to train than most other dog breeds. He learns new commands more slowly than the majority of other breeds. You will need to be extra patient when Training him.
Bull Terrier Shedding
The Bull Terrier sheds a fair amount of hair. You'll find hair stuck to your couch, carpets, clothes and everything else in your home.
Bull Terrier Grooming
The short coat of the Bull Terrier only requires an occasional brushing. But because he sheds you may find yourself brushing him once or twice a week to remove loose hair. (What you get out with a brush doesn't fall out in your home!)
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Bull Terrier Photos
Rating: Ease of training
Tells you how easy or difficult a breed is to train.
A higher rating means the breed is easier to train, a lower rating means the breed is harder to train.
An easy to train breed require less time and patience to train.
Rating: Intelligence
Tells you how intelligent a breed is in terms of how quickly it can learn commands from humans. A higher rating means the breed will learn your commands faster (and is therefore generally considered to be more intelligent), while a lower rating means the breed will learn your commands more slowly (and is therefore generally considered to be less intelligent).
Keep in mind that this is only one way to measure a dog's intelligence and a low rating might still mean the breed is highly intelligent in other ways.
Rating: Shedding
Tells you how much hair the breed sheds. The higher the rating the more hair the breed sheds.
Rating: Watchdog
Tells you how good the breed is at being a watchdog and raising the alarm when a stranger approaches. A higher rating means the breed will bark vigorously to warn you of a stranger's presence on your property. A low rating means the breed probably won't bark much if a stranger enters your property.
Rating: Guard dog
Tells you how good the breed is at being a guard dog due to the appearance, size, and strength of the breed. A breed with a high guard dog rating will make an intruder think twice before stepping foot on your property.
Rating: Popularity
Tells you how popular the breed is in terms of ownership. A higher rating means that more people own the breed. The more popular a breed is the easier it is to find and purchase one because there are more breeders breeding it.
Rating: Size
Tells you how large or small the breed is. A lower rating means the breed is smaller and a higher rating means the breed is larger. It gives you a quick idea of how physically large or small the breed is compared with all the other breeds.
Rating: Agility
Tells you how agile the breed is. A higher rating means the breed is fast and nimble on its feet while a lower rating means the breed is heavier and slower on its feet.
Rating: Good with kids
Tells you how good the breed is with children. A higher rating means the breed is good with children. Note: all breeds are generally good with kids when they're raised with them.