A muscular, well-built terrier best known for its distinctive long, egg-shaped head that slopes down to the nose. This confident breed combines a playful, mischievous personality with a courageous temperament.
Developed in 19th-century England by crossing old English Bulldogs with various terriers, originally for bull-baiting and dog fighting. James Hinks is credited with standardizing the breed and creating the distinctive egg-shaped head, earning them the nickname 'The White Cavalier'.
“Courageous, full of spirit, with a fun loving attitude. Of even temperament and amenable to discipline. Although obstinate is particularly good with people”
Quoted from FCI standard n°11. It describes the breed the registry recognises, not any individual animal.
Breed reference from The Dog API.
Drawn from sources, not opinion: FCI breed standard; Gharahkhani et al. 2011, PLoS One. An empty column means we hold nothing for that side, not that there is nothing to say.
The Bull Terrier standard is published by the FCI (Fédération Cynologique Internationale), the international federation of pedigree-dog clubs, and it is what show judges apply. This section sums up what it says about coat and colour. It does not assess any one animal: use it to know what to ask the breeder.
Short, flat, even and harsh to touch with a fine gloss.
A soft textured undercoat may be present in winter
Base colour
For White, pure white coat
Preferred
Undesirable
Shortened from FCI standard n°11 — each label is the standard’s own wording with the verdict lifted into the tag beside it. Read the full clause at source.
The colours and patterns the standard admits, and what it prefers, discourages or disqualifies in each. An accepted colour says nothing about health. Quotations from the FCI are in English, as the standard publishes them; the headings are ours.
Breed-level information from The Dog API. It describes the Bull Terrier in general; any individual animal can differ.
Known hereditary risks for the Bull Terrier breed, and the specific documentation to request from any breeder before paying a deposit. A responsible breeder will have these readily available; deflection is a red flag.
5 conditions documentedThis is breed-level literature, not veterinary advice about an individual animal — your vet knows the animal.
Health checklist (PDF)Found in more than about one in twenty of the breed's dogs screened, or described as common in the sources.
An inherited disease of Bull Terriers and Miniature Bull Terriers: affected puppies grow poorly, have a weak immune system and develop crusting skin lesions, especially on the paws, and it is fatal. It is recessive, and in a screen of 468 Bull Terriers roughly one in seven carried it.
What to ask for
Lethal acrodermatitis (MKLN1) DNA test result, on both parents
An inherited disease of Bull Terriers and Miniature Bull Terriers: affected puppies grow poorly, have a weak immune system and develop crusting skin lesions, especially on the paws, and it is fatal. It is recessive, and in a screen of 468 Bull Terriers roughly one in seven carried it.
What to ask for
Lethal acrodermatitis (MKLN1) DNA test result, on both parents
Documented in this breed, but no source says how many of its dogs carry or have them. That is a gap in the evidence, not a sign they are rare.
An early-onset paralysis of the larynx described in Miniature Bull Terriers and Bull Terriers: the vocal folds do not open properly when the dog breathes in, so breathing becomes noisy and laboured and severe cases struggle for air. Its inheritance is complex — the RAPGEF6 variant is a major risk factor rather than a certain cause: dogs with two copies have a 10- to 17-fold higher risk, but not all of them are affected. The variant has been found only in these two breeds.
What to ask for
Laryngeal paralysis risk (RAPGEF6) DNA test result, on both parents
An inherited disease in which fluid-filled cysts grow in the kidneys, slowly damaging them and leading to kidney failure in some dogs. It is dominant: one copy from either parent is enough, so an affected parent passes it to about half its puppies. The variant was found in all 47 affected Bull Terriers tested and in none of 102 unaffected adults.
What to ask for
Polycystic kidney disease (PKD1, Bull Terrier type) DNA test result, plus a kidney ultrasound, on both parents
An early-onset paralysis of the larynx described in Miniature Bull Terriers and Bull Terriers: the vocal folds do not open properly when the dog breathes in, so breathing becomes noisy and laboured and severe cases struggle for air. Its inheritance is complex — the RAPGEF6 variant is a major risk factor rather than a certain cause: dogs with two copies have a 10- to 17-fold higher risk, but not all of them are affected. The variant has been found only in these two breeds.
What to ask for
Laryngeal paralysis risk (RAPGEF6) DNA test result, on both parents
Found in roughly one in a hundred to one in twenty of the breed's dogs screened.
The chromosome-12 FGF4 insertion makes the spinal discs degenerate early, which raises the risk of a disc rupture that can cause pain or paralysis, and one copy is enough to raise it. It is uncommon in this breed — in a screen of 468 Bull Terriers, roughly one in forty-seven carried it.
What to ask for
A CDDY/IVDD-risk DNA test on both parents
The chromosome-12 FGF4 insertion makes the spinal discs degenerate early, which raises the risk of a disc rupture that can cause pain or paralysis, and one copy is enough to raise it. It is uncommon in this breed — in a screen of 468 Bull Terriers, roughly one in forty-seven carried it.
What to ask for
A CDDY/IVDD-risk DNA test on both parents
Described in this breed, but found in few or no dogs in recent screening, or only ever in one dog or one family. They are here so a test result makes sense if a breeder mentions one.
A weakness in the fibres that hold the lens of the eye in place, so the lens dislocates, usually in adulthood; it is an emergency, and untreated it can cause glaucoma and blindness. It is recessive. It has been found in this breed but is uncommon — roughly one Bull Terrier in 160 carried it in a screen of 468.
What to ask for
Primary lens luxation (ADAMTS17) DNA test result, on both parents
A weakness in the fibres that hold the lens of the eye in place, so the lens dislocates, usually in adulthood; it is an emergency, and untreated it can cause glaucoma and blindness. It is recessive. It has been found in this breed but is uncommon — roughly one Bull Terrier in 160 carried it in a screen of 468.
What to ask for
Primary lens luxation (ADAMTS17) DNA test result, on both parents
Median survival 12.0 years
95% confidence interval 11.9–12.2 years, from 2,151 recorded deaths among 4,489 dogs
Mortality hazard 1.04 (1, 1.09) relative to crossbred dogs, whose median is 12.0 years.
Measured in the United Kingdom from 584,734 dogs. Median survival is not a prediction for an individual dog.
McMillan, K.M., Bielby, J., Williams, C.L., Upjohn, M.M., Casey, R.A. & Christley, R.M. (2024) Longevity of companion dog breeds: those at risk from early death. Scientific Reports 14, 531.
An inherited disease in which fluid-filled cysts grow in the kidneys, slowly damaging them and leading to kidney failure in some dogs. It is dominant: one copy from either parent is enough, so an affected parent passes it to about half its puppies. The variant was found in all 47 affected Bull Terriers tested and in none of 102 unaffected adults.
What to ask for
Polycystic kidney disease (PKD1, Bull Terrier type) DNA test result, plus a kidney ultrasound, on both parents
