The Bull Terrier Club
TRAINING
This section was written over 40 years ago by Miss Meg Williams of the famous ‘Romany’ kennels and is as relevant today as it was then.
House Training
Your puppy should live in the house with the family, but should have his own bed in the kitchen, where it is warm and out of draughts. Right from the start, take endless trouble to see he doesn’t make any pools in the house during the day. After each meal and as soon as he wakes after a sleep, or is wandering round looking worried, pop him outside, if possible take him to more or less the same place each time, and when he is clean, praise him, always using the same words. It is too much to expect a very young puppy to be clean all night, so put a thick layer of newspaper near the back door; the puppy will eventually use this. If he has, just pick it all up and ignore it, but if he has been clean, make a lot of fuss of him.
Never scold or punish a puppy for being dirty, it will only worry and confuse him and so make matters worse. Always let him out last thing at night and very first thing in the morning, go and let him out the moment there are movements or sounds to waken him. Don’t let him have the run of the house by himself until he is reliable, but if he does have any accident, disinfect the place really well because if there is the trace of a smell, the pup will more than likely think this is the proper place to make a pool. If you are able to have a really good kennel and run, with heat for winter and shade for the summer, it is ideal for a puppy over four months to spend an hour or two each day in it to enjoy a marrow bone or a peaceful sleep, especially if yours is a busy household. Rest is very important for your puppy.
Teach your puppy to stand quietly on a table to be groomed and examined. This will be a great help if he has to be looked at by a veterinary surgeon, or treated for minor ailments. Let him meet as many people and good-tempered dogs as possible. He should wear a light leather collar for a short time each day; when he is used to this, attach to it a short cord or thin lead and let this trail for a few minutes while you play with him. Some puppies learn to walk on a lead with no trouble at all after one or two lessons, but with others care and patience and a certain amount of firmness are needed. I think it is important to have a puppy trained to a lead at an early age, because all forms of training should be done on a lead, especially stopping him from jumping up at strangers and generally getting too tough. Don’t let any bad habits start; it is so much easier to train good behaviour than correct bad. Use a double chain, leather or nylon, check collar, the kind that will not pull too tight.
Most Bull Terriers love riding in a car, but until you are sure he is not going to be car-sick, take him for very short rides in company with another dog or passenger, to a wood or a field where he can have a romp. Don’t take him soon after he has been fed. If he is sick, or if you want him to behave well when left alone in your car, let him spend short periods in it at home, where you can watch to see that he is quite happy and not chewing anything. It is a good idea to leave a marrowbone with him if he is inclined to be destructive.
All dogs love to be talked to, so the more the better. But I don’t think a dog understands every word you say to him. They only understand by associations and have fantastic memories. So for actual command use ‘good’, ‘bad’, ‘no’, ‘leave’, ‘come’, ‘stay’, heel’, ‘sit’ and ‘down’. Always use the dog’s name before any commands. Use your voice i.e. alter your tone to sound ‘very pleased’, ‘very cross’, firm (long drawn out), urgent (high pitched) but don’t shout unless really urgent. An excitable puppy needs very slow, quite handling and a quite one the reverse. Serious obedience should not be expected until the pup is about six months, but at four months or a little before, he can be taught to Sit, Down and Stay, as it is much easier to put them into these positions when they are small. Get him used to walking on the lead without pulling and gradually take him where there is traffic, but give him plenty of free running in the woods or fields. Only call him when necessary, but each time he comes of his own accord, give lots of praise, a titbit, or a little game (a favourite toy, ball or choc-drop, etc., carried in your pocket can work wonders in keeping your dog’s interest in you when out for a walk). Never chase or grab at him if he won’t come when called, rather run in the opposite direction or hide. Don’t just go on calling, or he will soon completely disregard your voice.
Never punish a dog when he comes to you, however naughty he has been. If you have a dog who is naturally disobedient, you must use a long line so that you can keep control
FEEDING
DIET FOR A BULL TERRIER
We assume you may be about to launch into the adventure of acquiring a Bull Terrier puppy, so we’ll start from there.
The first point to make is to find out what your new puppy has been brought up on. Any change from its home diet should be made gradually, and bear in mind that even if you keep it on the same food, in new surroundings it may suffer from a ‘loose tummy’ for a day or two. But don’t let that continue for longer before seeking advice. The next point is not to leave food down for a puppy if it doesn’t clear it. Puppies resemble vacuum cleaners in several respects, and food should disappear in minutes.
If it doesn’t, either the puppy is ill, in which case there will be some other symptoms, or much more likely it is beginning the process known as ‘training the owner’. Most dogs like to do this, and Bull Terriers are very good at it. If the meal is not eaten within minutes, take it up and do not replace it. Wait until the next meal is due and feed as though the last one had not been missed. Often a poor appetite in a dog that is obviously well and in good bodily condition suggests that it is just being overfed.
There are no absolute rules on quantities to feed puppies – follow the breeder’s advice or food pack instructions until a change is obviously necessary. There are broadly two methods of feeding your dog. The ‘Tried and Trusted’ natural method involves a regime for which the breeder will, or certainly should, provide a chart. It will certainly include meat, wholemeal biscuits or puppy meal, possibly an infant cereal with or without milk and usually some form of dietary ‘supplement’. Most breeders of experience have reared many litters successfully using versions of this method. If you are tempted to follow their example, bear in mind that opinions change on such things as the desirable level of protein in a puppy’s diet, and very importantly, how heavy should the puppy be on a ‘weight for age basis’. Many would now consider that maximum growth rates achieved by stuffing in, as much food as the puppy will take is not necessarily the most desirable objective.
The ‘newfangled’ system of using a complete feed has quite a lot to recommend it. Most modern complete feeds are satisfactory, and if you are not confident of your own ‘nutrition’ knowledge, can be used to rear and keep very healthy dogs. These feeds are made by many companies, and selecting one rather than another is often just a matter of your, or the dogs, individual preference. They come in a range from ‘puppy’ through ‘young dog’ to adult – either ‘regular’ or ‘high performance’. Many vets hold a supply of sample packs of two or three brands of complete feed.
Bones
Bull Terriers have very powerful jaws and are able to chew off and swallow pieces of even the toughest bone, which may then cause problems when they cause a blockage in the digestive system. Some breeders may advise that large, raw marrow bones, are safe, but some dogs have been able to destroy even these. The best advice therefore is to avoid giving your Bull Terrier bones altogether. If you must give them something to chew, then experience has shown that the largest “Nylabone” chews seem to resist even the hardest bite, though these should be replaced long before they become small enough to swallow.
Rawhide chews, which are safe for many dogs should NEVER be given to a Bull Terrier. Pieces may be chewed off, which then become swallowed, stuck in the throat and then swell up very quickly with disastrous consequences.
HEALTH
The Bull Terrier Club is committed to ensuring that the Breed remains healthy and active, and as free from disease as is possible.
There are relatively few hereditary diseases that Bull Terriers suffer from. Nevertheless, The BTC is keen to see these diseases eradicated from the gene pool wherever possible and, as a first stage seeks to encourage its members not to breed from any animal affected by disease.
Any member of the Club is urged to support these efforts to improve the physical well-being of the breed and also to participate in a health screening process which may, over a period of time, reduce genetically based disorders. All club members sign a declaration when they join the club stating that they will not knowingly breed from any animal that has a painful hereditary defect.
Bull Terriers have been identified as being susceptible to varying degrees of heart disease. This usually affects the heart valves, which may fail to close properly, or a narrowing of the arteries. Affected animals can suffer from heart attacks, whilst other signs may be lack of activity or shortness of breath. A vet can usually detect these defects with a simple stethoscope, however, it is recommended that animals which are to be bred from, should first be tested by a registered veterinary cardiologist – who will be able to grade a murmur according to its severity, and will issue a certificate to that effect. Some Bull Terriers may carry a heart murmur all their lives without any ill affects being apparent, but it would be unadvisable to breed from an animal with any heart defect. Puppies can often have a murmur in early life that will disappear, as it gets older, and it is recommended that breeding animals should be heart tested when they are at least 1 year old, prior to breeding.
Skin and coat disorders
Possibly the most commonly seen ailment in Bull Terriers, skin problems often appear to be allergy related and can be seasonal. The can vary from small rashes and spots, to mange and other conditions, which in extreme cases and left untreated can cause complete loss of hair and the development of “Rhino” type, hard skin. Though not fatal, affected animals can suffer extreme discomfort and itchiness, and there have been cases of animals that have been put to sleep, to save them from further suffering. Why Bull Terriers are particularly susceptible to skin complaints is not proven, but it is believed that their immune system may not be strong enough to deal with problems that they ought to be able to shrug off quite quickly. Skin rashes can easily become infected and for that reason they should be treated early and veterinary advice sought.
Whilst this is not an exhaustive list of disease’s seen in The Bull Terrier, it does cover those that may been seen most commonly and which are thought likely to be hereditary.
INBREEDING.
ARE BULL TERRIERS ON THEIR WAY TO EXTINCTION?
Inbreeding
Inbreeding is the mating of related animals. All matings within a breed involve matings of dogs which are related to some degree since they are all related ultimately to the limited number of dogs which were used to found the breed. Indeed, in the origins of any breed the desired characteristics were bred for and fixed by inbreeding, without inbreeding no distinctive breeds could have been produced. So why has inbreeding suddenly become undesirable? To try to answer this question I will first look beyond the world of dogs to other species for examples of problems caused by inbreeding before returning to dogs.
Recent research has shown that Tutankhamun, the “boy king” of Egypt was the product of a brother-sister marriage – the Pharaohs considered that no one outside the royal family was good enough to marry a royal, and brother-sister matings were the norm over many generations. As we all know Tutankhamun died young, scientists have now documented some of the serious physical deformities and other illnesses which afflicted him. Perhaps the most famous example of the dangers of inbreeding is King Charles II, the last of the Hapsburg rulers of Spain. The product of 200 years of inbreeding, Charles’ tongue was too large for him to speak properly, his infamous Hapsburg jaw was so pronounced that he was unable to chew, and his intellect was somewhat lacking. The behaviour of his ancestors in choosing close intermarriages to protect the crown ended up terminating their line instead. There are lots of similar examples in other royal families from most parts of the world. In our current human society matings between relatives closer than first cousins are illegal – evidently we have learnt from experience! Problems of close inbreeding are of considerable concern when breeding from the limited stocks of zoological gardens. To take just one feature as an example, a study of mammals of twelve species in zoos showed that juvenile mortality in inbred strains was double that of outbred strains (1). In dogs, Willis quotes two highly inbred colonies in the USA: a Beagle colony where… “very high inbreeding caused the death by ten days of age of some 75 per cent of all pups born” and a Foxhound colony where… “inbreeding led to reduced sperm counts in males which in turn led to reduced litter size at birth.” (2) Returning to Bull Terriers, inbreeding problems were noted several decades ago. In the 1930s and 1940s many of the best ‘pure white’ Bull Terriers, maintained as pure white lines since at least the 1860s, were observed to be lacking in vitality. Raymond Oppenheimer reached the conclusion that “… ceaseless white matings tended to a loss of substance and of pigmentation, as well as of head fill and power.” (3) Tom Horner wrote that “In the early thirties many southern breeders of whites were line breeding pretty heavily, and along with the good heads and quality they were getting signs of deterioration in some of their products, poor bone, lack of substance, poor pigmentation, slipping stifles and general effeteness were quite common.” (4) It seems probable that what Oppenheimer and Horner were observing in the inbred strains of white Bull Terriers was “inbreeding depression”.
Inbreeding depression
As a group of animals becomes increasingly inbred it loses versions of genes (alleles) which have not been selected for, so these alleles gradually disappear from the gene pool. Many of these alleles relate to polygenic factors (factors under the control of many genes) such as conformation, health and general vitality. The gradual loss of alleles from populations is known as “genetic drift”, this is a random process which occurs naturally in all populations; it may not matter much in the large gene pool of a large population, but becomes increasingly serious over time in the small gene pools of smaller populations. Whilst some of the lost alleles may be deleterious versions of genes, the process may at the same time increase the proportion of other, mildly deleterious alleles, in the small gene pool, and thus increase the incidence of some diseases. However we may describe it, the ultimate result of inbreeding depression is a general lack of vitality. Scientists express the degree of inbreeding as a Coefficient of Inbreeding, which involves complex calculations, so it is often expressed in more readily understood measurements such as fertility and mortality. Clearly small gene pools are hazardous to the future of a breed (5). How small is the Bull Terrier gene pool? There may be many dogs but genetic analysis estimates their effective population as a mere 41.9. This is far below the level which is regarded as sustainable, our breed is in real danger of dying out.
What is the answer to the problem of excessive inbreeding?
Since the days of James Hinks, the principal founder of the breed, white Bull Terriers have not merely been predominant, for many years they were virtually the only ones shown. Colour was re-introduced to the breed, mainly from the older style of dog now termed Staffordshire Bull Terrier between 1910 and 1925 (6). The whites had become so different from the old style coloured dogs that the coloureds produced by these crosses were of very inferior type, and were disregarded by most white breeders. Indeed the Bull Terrier Club tried to prevent them being shown, they were however, according to the Kennel Club, Bull Terriers, and could be entered in shows, competing with whites. In the 1940s Oppenheimer had watched the emergence from relative obscurity of coloured Bull Terriers, which were then becoming increasingly successful in the show ring. The Bull Terrier Club’s members were long against the use of coloured or colour-bred white sires on ‘Pure White’ bitches and undertook “not to breed from Brindle-bred Whites as a foundation for a ‘White’ strain, and upon selling Brindle-bred Whites to point out the disadvantages of having ‘Coloured blood’ in a White strain” (7). The Club maintained a ‘Pure White Stud Book’ to protect the purity of the whites (Tom Horner was the last keeper of the ‘Pure White Stud Book’). So we had a situation where the breeders of coloureds could use the best whites but the breeders of whites were unable to use coloureds no matter how good they were. Oppenheimer declared that “…. I could see plainly that coloured blood carried with it factors for sturdiness….. I was now satisfied that the fate of the whites hung in the balance and that I must fight for what I knew to be vital to their ultimate survival” (8). Accordingly he led the move to free the Bull Terrier Club’s members from the pledges cited above, and this was done at the annual general meeting in 1950.
Led by Oppenheimer, breeders of whites began to use coloureds in crosses, and the whites were soon restored to full health. He decided that the “brindle factor” was responsible for this and pushed his theory with vigour “… if breeders here or elsewhere in the world, ever forget the overwhelming importance of the brindle factor they and the breed will suffer severely.” (9) Of course he was right that the coloureds had “saved” the whites but technically wrong in that it had nothing to do with the “brindle factor” it was all due to the outcrosses of the whites with the genetically different coloureds. As this brief excursion through Bull Terrier history illustrates, the answer to inbreeding depression is greater genetic diversity.
As an aside, we may note that the interbreeding between Miniature Bull Terriers and Bull Terriers to save the former breed whilst a DNA test was developed for Primary Lens Luxation, has resulted in such increased genetic diversity in Miniatures that their effective population size is now high enough to be officially described as sustainable. Their show quality has also improved dramatically, the best now look like genuine miniatures of their larger cousin Bull Terriers, which they very rarely did prior to interbreeding.
Effective population sizes and sustainability
The Kennel Club quotes the findings of the Food & Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, “Breeding strategies for sustainable management of animal genetic resources” ( 2010) in expressing the relationship between effective population size and the sustainability of breeds thus:
Effective population sizes which are over 100 are sustainable.
Effective population sizes between 50 and 100 lead to the warning “The rate of loss of genetic diversity within a breed or population increases dramatically when the effective population size is less than 100.
Effective population sizes, which are less than 50, are “considered to be at high risk of detrimental effects of inbreeding.” I will go on to quote the KC’s expansion of this statement: “The breed is at risk of detrimental effects of inbreeding which could increase the chances of the breed being at risk for both known and unknown inherited disorders. The population is also at risk of inbreeding depression, which is an overall decrease in general fitness, or general health, and may reduce litter sizes and fertility across the breed.”
Clearly, with an effective population size of only 41.9, the future of our breed looks bleak!
Breeders’ choices
The future of Bull Terriers depends on breeders’ decisions. The more closely related are the sires and dams of the litters you produce the more likely you are to contribute to the gradual shift towards inbreeding depression in the breed. But you can’t judge the closeness of relationships of possible mates from the ringside, and a layman’s examination of three or even five generation pedigrees will not be much help either. So how can you take into account the extent of inbreeding in mating decisions? Easy, if you make use of the Kennel Club’s Mate Select service you can check the extent of inbreeding involved in any crosses you are contemplating, examine it online on the KC’s web site (10), it is free, easy to use and will help you to produce healthier litters whilst at the same time aiding the genetic diversity of the breed. Remember the old adage “always cross the best with the best” but please, at the same time have in mind the health of the stock which genetic diversity maintains or improves. Beware of the prevalent practice of chasing the current winners to sire your litters, the overuse of popular sires is probably the major factor leading to excessive inbreeding. Selecting sires which have the features you are breeding for but which are not too closely related to your bitch is the way to go.
Wouldn’t it be ironic if inbreeding became so bad in our beloved breed that we had to seek interbreeding with Miniatures to save Bull Terriers!
Dr Brian E Hill (Bull Terrier Breed Health Coordinator)