# ENGLISH BULL TERRIERS



## g&tanyone? (21 March 2012)

Would be looking into getting a English bull terrier once in new house. 

Never owned a "bullie" before but just wanted some advice and tips have owned dogs all my life- but never a bullie! 

Also advice on blood lines and breeders would go a miss!!

Many Thanks in advance


----------



## MurphysMinder (21 March 2012)

If she doesn't spot this post and reply , pm East Kent, she has bullies.


----------



## lexiedhb (21 March 2012)

Yep EK is the font of knowledge of all things Bullie


----------



## Archiepoo (21 March 2012)

ive got one !  theyre not like any other type of dog and can best be described as " a 3 year old child/clown on acid" great fun and wonderful house dogs ,amazing with children but can be a handful if your not prepared!


----------



## jodie3 (21 March 2012)

I've got one too!  

I've had Dalmatians all my adult life so she was a bit of a shock to the system but wouldn't be without her.

She is brilliant with my young Grandson now but didn't like him much as a baby.  (Unlike number one spotty who has always adored him.)

Nothing is ever her fault (all blame is firmly laid at the spottys' paws) and if she gets found out/told off she does a very good Vicky Pollard 'Am I bovvered' look.

Be prepared to have people cross the road to avoid you though as you will find people will think they are pit bulls and about to savage everything in sight.

Watch out for the bully run, once seen never forgotten!


----------



## lazybee (22 March 2012)

I've had two Bullies. Very entertaining, intelligent stubborn, they do tend to retire early (lazing around, releasing methane), my last one retired at about five and lived to 14yrs. Very family orientated he adopted an orphan foal we had and used to lay in the stable with him. He used to let our Fox terrier pups sleep in his bed. They used to try to suckle from him an made his nipples sore; he didn't mind and loved the attention. He did manage to chew a through a stirrup leather on a western saddle Though. It's true people do cross the street, But a lot will cross the street from the other side to come and see you


----------



## g&tanyone? (22 March 2012)

Thanking you all! I will tootle off to try and find eastkent xx


----------



## EAST KENT (22 March 2012)

Here I am! What do you need to know? As I have become well up on other breeds as well over the years maybe it is easier for me to compare than just bullie only fans.The breed is certainly a one off..even their little brothers the minis are brighter! But ,like most dogs,the more you put in the more you get out ..same as children.They can be totally brilliant ..or abomanibal (?) ..got one returning at the end of March from a nutty lady who got on fine with a Boxer before. Obviously not a strong enough person for that bitch..and bullies suss that quickly. It is so easy to mess them up,and they always,as youngsters,are looking for a chink to pick at in your armour!Certain lines are healthier and calmer than others,and it is essential that both parents are heart/kidney/hearing/patella tested with test sheets viewable.Kidney and heart failure are the big killers in the breed..and skin problems if you try other than BARF I find.A good breeder will sit you down and grill you as to if YOU are suitable for this breed..and then probably expose you to a hooligan to see your reaction.Beware anyone who does`nt do this! ALL god bullie breeders have a contract saying if you need to rehome it can only come back to them..which you`ll sign.Now,some of them ,it is just paper..others of us take it very seriously indeed.
    They are exactly like a 2 year old kid..with teeth.


----------



## Archiepoo (22 March 2012)

well said eastkent! i totally agree just cos youve had dogs before does NOT mean you will manage a bully , unfortunatly the rehoming centres are full of them which are testament to peoples inability to cope with the breed. if i had one piece of advice it would be CRATE TRAINING  and INSURANCE !!!  they are total monkeys and you must be able to put them somewhere safe when friends come around unless you want them never to come again!  they are truly wonderful little dogs but do suffer with heath issues none of which are cheap to fix and very often is a lifetime of medication. however dont be put off i would never have another breed now.x


----------



## whisp&willow (22 March 2012)

if i was going to get an EBT i'd be looking here:

http://www.thunderrockoldtymebullbreeds.co.uk/

i think his dogs are amazing.  very drivey from what i've heard from experienced bulldog people who have been lucky enough to have had their hands on them though. 

Calum would never let me get an EBT though.   he thinks they are ugly?!   

good luck in your search.


----------



## Archiepoo (22 March 2012)

lol my mother in law reckons mine looks like a goat on a lead! http://i1131.photobucket.com/albums/m545/cacoe/Photo0016.jpg


----------



## Clodagh (22 March 2012)

whisp&willow said:



			if i was going to get an EBT i'd be looking here:

http://www.thunderrockoldtymebullbreeds.co.uk/

i think his dogs are amazing.  very drivey from what i've heard from experienced bulldog people who have been lucky enough to have had their hands on them though. 

Calum would never let me get an EBT though.   he thinks they are ugly?!   

good luck in your search. 

Click to expand...

My mother-in-law had a white bitch that looked very much like that, she was probably born in about 1985 so maybe they looked more like that then anyway! She was a lovely dog, stubborn but loyal and very easy to be with.


----------



## s4sugar (22 March 2012)

whisp&willow said:



			if i was going to get an EBT i'd be looking here:

http://www.thunderrockoldtymebullbreeds.co.uk/

i think his dogs are amazing.  very drivey from what i've heard from experienced bulldog people who have been lucky enough to have had their hands on them though. 

Calum would never let me get an EBT though.   he thinks they are ugly?!   

good luck in your search. 

Click to expand...

Why would anyone want one of those? They are mutts and some fall under the DDA not allowed type. 
Nothing on the website about health or ancestry just a for sale page. Bull breed enthusiasts would run a mile.


----------



## EAST KENT (22 March 2012)

EAST KENT said:



			Here I am! What do you need to know? As I have become well up on other breeds as well over the years maybe it is easier for me to compare than just bullie only fans.The breed is certainly a one off..even their little brothers the minis are brighter! But ,like most dogs,the more you put in the more you get out ..same as children.They can be totally brilliant ..or abomanibal (?) ..got one returning at the end of March from a nutty lady who got on fine with a Boxer before. Obviously not a strong enough person for that bitch..and bullies suss that quickly. It is so easy to mess them up,and they always,as youngsters,are looking for a chink to pick at in your armour!Certain lines are healthier and calmer than others,and it is essential that both parents are heart/kidney/hearing/patella tested with test sheets viewable.Kidney and heart failure are the big killers in the breed..and skin problems if you try other than BARF I find.A good breeder will sit you down and grill you as to if YOU are suitable for this breed..and then probably expose you to a hooligan to see your reaction.Beware anyone who does`nt do this! ALL god bullie breeders have a contract saying if you need to rehome it can only come back to them..which you`ll sign.Now,some of them ,it is just paper..others of us take it very seriously indeed.
    They are exactly like a 2 year old kid..with teeth.

Click to expand...

The Ingles type are definitely NOT for a first time bullie owner..high drive spells trouble .A calm well bred one from health tested parents..preferably  where grannie etc are also there to meet is the way to go.Good bullies nowadays are funny couch potatoes once they grow up around three years old.Until then they are all called "Kevin".A crossbred betwen a bull terrier and a "proper" staffie is a charming animal..by proper I mean NOT one of those tall leggy pit imitations.From a god healthy line and fed right your vet bills should not be endless,but insurance is essential;they are  extremely good at devouring objects that get stuck in the gut,and I swear must be  unique in being able to fracture a leg running in a straight line.If you want a clumsy clown ..this is the breed.


----------



## whisp&willow (22 March 2012)

s4sugar said:



			Why would anyone want one of those? They are mutts and some fall under the DDA not allowed type. 
Nothing on the website about health or ancestry just a for sale page. Bull breed enthusiasts would run a mile.
		
Click to expand...

?  what falls under type?  the ingles bull terrier certainly does not fall under type in the DDA.

i have it on good authority in the American bulldog community that these dogs are well bred and healthy example of the breed.  the people i know and respect in the AB community also know the man who has bred these dogs, and if they thought he was an indiscriminate miller they would have no hesitation in saying so.  

East Kent-  yes i agree about the ingles bull terrier not being suitable for a first time bullie owner-  like i said: very drivey!    purely added the link to show the dogs i would want to own, if ever.


----------



## s4sugar (22 March 2012)

Some of the dogs on that website certainly fall into the "type".

I know lots of Bullies, most are clowns and some are a bit "Spechul" and they have the worst terrible twos but they are often the dog or choice for families with cats.


----------



## EAST KENT (22 March 2012)

Since around 1960 or so we have all tried to breed good natured family bullies with low drive.A high drive bull terrier is just plain trouble,not for today`s owners.With a novice it would very quickly get itself into trouble with the DDA act.
  Why ,I ask ,would ANYONE want to own one of these? I have met plenty of them ,mostly in the past when bullies were more often found like this,they are in modern life a pain in the neck.
   That sort of bull terrier,if it finds an open gate ,does a runner and looks for trouble;today`s dog will still escape,not at such a fast pace ..and will not cause grief.
   This is a breed with a poor recall  at the best of times,a fenced property is absolutely essential.Today`s bullies usually don`t bother to jump/climb out  they prefer home comforts.That type however are the ones that strive to escape..I have had them to stay..the first reaction to being turned out in a paddock is to scan the fence heights.Just plain trouble ,if you want the "old type" head get a staffie cross and stay sane.


----------



## whisp&willow (22 March 2012)

i have never had any hands on experience with any bull terriers-  the only ones i have even liked the look of are the ingles bulls.   

they certainly aren't for the feint hearted... (or sane possibly!)  i don't even ever plan on owning one, like i said-  the other half wouldn't have one!  that being said-  if my gate was open my dog would be off and "looking for trouble" too!  

probably should have kept my hands off the keyboard-  it was pretty much off topic anyway as op stated they were a first time bullie owner, and like i said, these were not for first timers.


----------



## siennamum (22 March 2012)

I don't think all bullies are all alike. I've had 4 and bred a dozen and half of them are lazy, cheerful and placid, the other half are 'proper' bullies, full of mischief, really energetic (for half an hour a day) and need more 'considered' management.

Where in the country are you OP. Really most decent bull terrier breeders that I know will happily let you visit mum, hopefully you can meet dad and really understand something about the bloodlines and temperament.

Here is my current bully who frankly is a saint. She is lazy, always cheerful, extremely obedient, never aggressive towards anything, a little dim, never thieving or particularly greedy - and extremely well read:

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?f...4173076199.295019.535976198&type=3&permPage=1


----------



## orionstar (22 March 2012)

This is Blue out of the Aricon line who was born deaf and died last year aged 10 from a heart attack whilst bouncing around the beach with a GSD.







He never did grow up, but was the most loving, faithfully knee warmer we could have owned. True that they are accident prone, and will eat anything! I've had to neee naaa to the vets on more than one occasion - the last was when he ate a fly agric mushroom.  This is my latest Bully Harry, who has at a year old already cost £1500 in vets bills for a broken leg and a broken nose, as once he gets going the brakes dont seem to engage very well.







I've never really had much problem with skin conditions, but know they do suffer, I got Blue for free because of the deafness but had Harry BAER tested for his hearing and had a heart check done before we purchased, and met both parents, who spent half an hour bouncing up and down on top of us on the setee.  Have you tried Bully SOS, they have a number of dogs in foster homes that could do with a cuddle, and they do home checks and matching.


----------



## Ollie's Mum (23 March 2012)

We have a Siamese cat whose breeder has a fabulous Bully called Vinnie (great name!) The kittens meet Vinnie when they're around 3 weeks old and swarm all over him - including using him as a springboard for leaping off their climbing frame onto! They're just my favourite dogs!


----------



## jodie3 (23 March 2012)

I think I must be extremely fortunate (and probably shouldn't say this as it is courting disaster!) but I have never had any injuries or disasters with Precious.  Touching lots of wood she has only ever seen the vet for routine jabs.  

I have just changed her and the two Dalmatians over to a raw diet and she seems to be the one who is least happy on it.  She doesn't seem to manage the bones too well.  

I suppose it just goes to show that all dogs are different!


----------

