Miniature Bull Terrier

They can get along with other dogs their size or bigger, but toy dogs and cats are likely to set off their prey drive. They will chase and kill them if given the chance. Confine him to your yard with a solid fence. An underground electronic fence will not deter the Mini Bull Terrier if he sees something he wants to chase.

The Miniature Bull Terrier is a strongly built, square-proportioned dog, big-boned but not coarse. It should reflect those attributes that made the standard-sized bull terrier a formidable foe in the fighting ring with its sturdy bone and muscle and strong jaws. Its gait is free and easy. Its skin is tight and its coat is short, flat and harsh. It wears a keen and determined expression on its characteristic clown face.

Very much like the larger bull terrier, the mini is comical, lively, playful and mischievous. Despite its smaller size, it is not a lap dog. It is every bit as tough as the larger version and apt to want to prove itself even more. It is a sweet clown, devoted but not fawning. It is stubborn and independent and needs to be trained with a firm yet gentle hand — and a good sense of humor. It likes to play and investigate. It likes to dig, and it needs ample exercise.

The Bull Terrier (also known as an ‘English Bull Terrier’) was bred in England in the 1830’s by crossing a Bulldog with an English Terrier in an effort to build the ultimate fighting dog. The ‘Bull’ in ‘Bull Terrier’ derives from the popular practice of ‘bull-baiting’, in which several dogs were matched up against a chained bull. The Bull Terrier was later bred with the Spanish Pointer to increase its size, resulting in a highly successful, powerful, persistent fighter. After dog fighting was abolished, Bull Terriers were bred with the Dalmatian to produce a white colored strain, then again with the Staffordshire Bull Terrier to reintroduce color. Both the white and colored types increased in popularity as pets, and both strains remain today. Famous Bull Terriers include the Target mascot ‘Bullseye’, Spuds MacKenzie, who was used in Bud Light commercials (and later discovered to secretly be a female!), and Patsy Ann, a Bull Terrier from Juneau, Alaska famous for unfailingly predicting the impending arrival of ships to port. The Miniature Bull Terrier was first recognized by the American Kennel Club in 1991.