General characteristics of the dog, the progenitors of the Australian Bulldog, their features, how the breed was bred, the popularization of the variety at home and abroad. Australian Bulldogs or Australian bulldogs are sturdy, compact, strong and muscular dogs. The breed has a flat back and a wide chest with a well-dropped bosom. The tail can be docked. These bulldogs have a strong, deep, square head with a wide wrinkled muzzle. The stop is pronounced and placed between dark, large and wide eyes. Their short and sleek coat is available in a variety of colors.
The progenitors of the Australian Bulldog and their uses
Although the modern Australian Bulldog was only bred in the early 1990s, the history of the breed can be traced back to its ancestor, the Old English Bulldog, an ancient breed of English dog. The Old English Bulldog was a very different animal than its modern descendant, the Australian bulldog. The ancient English Bulldog, created from ancient "bull" mastiffs, was used to participate in a sport known as bull-baiting. For this "entertainment" the bull was tied to a stake in the middle of a ring or pit. The animal was provoked or infuriated, and then the bulldog was sent to fight it. The dog bit the bull by the nose or muzzle, and held on until the animal became immobilized.
The battle, which sometimes lasted more than an hour, often resulted in the death of one or both of the animals. To serve this purpose, the Old English Bulldog, the ancestor of the Australian Bulldog, was an incredibly powerful and athletic animal as well as unusually cruel and aggressive. Its jaws have become incredibly wide, giving it the maximum bite area. Bull-baiting was one of the most popular sports in England for several centuries until 1835 when it was banned by parliament. For several decades, Old English Bulldogs continued to be bred to participate in illegal bull-baiting competitions, and so that they could be crossed with terriers to reproduce bull terriers, the main participants in the new popular dog fights.
Amateurs saw that the breed's population was in decline, and they decided to save it, turning the pet from a working dog into a companion animal and show dog. They developed several written standards in the mid-1800s and began breeding their dogs closely. Towards the end of the century, the Old English Bulldog, the ancestor of the Australian Bulldog, had become so diverse that modern experts regard it as a very different breed.
It was several inches shorter, but weighed about the same. The dog was much more muscular and bulky, but less athletic. The tail has become short. The always wide jaws have taken on absurdly large outlines. The face has become even more depressed, and the muzzle is shorter and more upturned. Aggression and cruelty were almost eliminated, replaced by a gentle and sweet disposition. At the same time, the work data and activity of the ancestors of the Australian Bulldog was practically ruled out.
Before the Old English Bulldog became extinct, it was used to breed a number of new breeds, most of which continued to be used primarily as working dogs, including the Bullmastiff, Bull Terrier and Staffordshire Bull Terrier in England, American Pit Bull Terrier, American Bulldog in the USA and boxer in Germany. Information about Old English and English Bulldogs is most relevant to the Australian Bulldog.
Features of the progenitors of the Australian Bulldog
The English Bulldog has proven to be an extremely popular pet and show dog, especially in English-speaking countries. The breed continues to be one of the most recognized in the UK, USA and Australia. However, in recent years, the species has faced a growing level of criticism. Once perhaps the most experienced and capable working dog in the world, the modern-day English Bulldog, the ancestor of the Australian Bulldogs, was only fit for companionship. Dog health has been a major concern in recent years.
The dogs' heads became so wide that more than 90% of females were unable to give birth on their own, but only through a cesarean section. The breed also suffers from a myriad of health problems. Bulldogs have the highest rates of hip dysplasia, as well as numerous other skeletal abnormalities, arthritis and bone growth deformities. Due to the extremely unnatural head and muzzle, Bulldogs have difficulty breathing, which leads to shortness of breath, heat intolerance, snoring, flatulence and other problems. Bulldogs, the ancestors of the Australian Bulldog, also suffer from high rates of skin problems, deformities of the jaw, eye diseases, cancer, heart failure, and other conditions.
When European settlers first settled in Australia, they brought their domestic pigs with them. Many of these pigs escaped and went wild. One of the few domestic animals that thrive in the wild, pigs have become a major agricultural pest in Australia, causing severe crop damage and massive material damage. Wild pigs are different from their domestic counterparts. They are fast, highly intelligent, unusually cruel, and possess long and incredibly sharp tusks.
One way to hunt wild pigs, often referred to as "minke whales," is by using special dogs, the ancestors of the Australian Bulldog. To hunt pigs, a dog must be aggressive, determined, tough enough to withstand serious injury, strong to hold on and have powerful jaws. The Australians have not bred a unique breed for catching pigs, as is the case in America and Argentina, and instead prefer the use of mixed canines.
Most of the breeds used for breeding pig hunting dogs in Australia are descendants of the Old English Bulldog, including the Boxer, Bull Terrier, Staffordshire Terrier and American Pit Bull Terrier, although this breed is now banned in Australia. Due to restrictions on American Pit Bull Terriers in Australia, many dogs that are actually members of the breed are referred to as Staffordshire Terriers by their owners as they are difficult to distinguish.
History of the origin of the Australian Bulldog
In the early 1990s, Queensland resident Pip Nobes owned an English Bulldog male. As an experiment, she crossed it with her husband's pet, bred to hunt pigs. The initial transition was made out of curiosity. Nobes already owned two English Bulldogs. However, they were in extremely poor condition, as was common in the breed at the time. Since pig-hunting dogs are usually in excellent health (otherwise they are completely useless as workers), she realized that offspring from them and the English Bulldogs were likely to be significantly better in health than purebred English Bulldogs.
After reading the article "Recreating the Old English Bulldog", about how American Dave Leavitt developed the Olde Englishe Bulldogge, Nobes decided to develop a new breed, which in the future would be called the Australian Bulldog. Initially, she excluded English Bulldogs from breeding bitches because of their dexterity problems, using only males of this breed. And the basis was mainly mixed breeds of hunting dogs.
Nobes wanted to focus on developing a companion breed, so she chose the ones with the friendliest temperament. Three bitches played an important role in the Nobes breeding program, each of which would ultimately be the ancestor of a different lineage: Lady Chipolata - Vingara line, Penny - Hammersley line, Soda - Dukat line. Over time, the amateur abandoned the use of mixed breed specimens for the development of her bulldogs and used only purebred English Bulldogs and Bullmastiffs.
Around the same time that Pip Nobes began breeding for their line of bulldogs, another pair from Queensland began the same process. In 1988, Noel and Tina Greene acquired a mestizo: a male Banjo (Boxer with a Staffordshire Terrier), and a bitch Brindle (a Boxer with a Bullmastiff and a Staffordshire Terrier). They were pig-catching dogs and formed the backbone of Jud's kennel.
In 1993, Nobes decided to breed her canines as companion animals rather than working dogs. To do this, they crossed the bitch Sally, a descendant of Brindla and Banjo, with an Agro male from an English Bulldog and Boxer. Although the resulting puppies did not have enough work ability to be useful, they proved to be extremely useful as companions. One of the descendants of Agro and Sally was a bitch named Disch, who is considered the backbone of the Australian Bulldog line.
Initially, Nobes and Green worked together and crossed their dogs from time to time. They pursued the same goal: to develop a unique breed of Australian Bulldog that would show the same excellent temperament, friendliness and suitability as a companion dog, as the English Bulldog, but with significantly better health, physical and athletic ability. Tina Green began calling her dogs Australian Bulldogs to distinguish them from other breeds of bulldogs, and Pip Nobes supported her. Nobes and Greene produced the first litter of Australian Bulldogs, which as such were officially advertised in the newspaper.
Since both breeders kept meticulous records of crosses, it is known exactly which dogs they used, and there are photographs of many of them. Other breeders became interested in the Australian Bulldog, of which the most notable was the Cauchy line, developed by Joe and Louise Cauchy. This line was the first to use American Bulldog blood for the first time, and soon after, other breeders followed suit. Johnson's line exclusively used American Bulldogs, as they were more similar to modern English Bulldogs and Bullmastiffs than Scott's line, which looked more like the Old English Bulldog and American Pit Bull Terrier.
Recognition of the Australian Bulldog
In 1998, the history of the Australian Bulldog changed dramatically. At that time, the emerging breed was featured on Burke's Backyard's national lifestyle-oriented television and radio program. The idea of a unique Australian Bulldog inspired the Australian people, also because the dogs had better health than the English Bulldogs. There was tremendous national interest and a wide range of breeders to develop other lines based mainly on the Vindar, Hamesli, Dukat, Jud and Cauchy lines.
Although many breeders followed the record keeping methods and practices of the original breeders, some developed less healthy and non-pedigree animals to fuel market demand. In 2003, a number of breeders led by Pip Nobes, Noel and Tina Greene formed the United Australian Bulldog Association (UABA).
For a number of reasons that have not been described in detail, Pip Nobes left the group in 2004 and founded the Australian Bulldog Society (ABS). The ultimate goal of ABS was for the Australian Bulldog to eventually gain full recognition on the Australian National Kennel Council (ANKC). Both organizations, led by Pip Nobes and Tina Green, like Louise Cauchy, maintain separate Australian Bulldog registries. In recent years, many other Australian Bulldog Clubs have also been established, including the Aussie Bulldog Club of Australia (ABCA).
Before the ANKC recognized the Australian Bulldog, it had to become a purebred animal. After several years of experimentation, experts came to an optimal ratio and decided that the ideal Australian Bulldog would have 75-81% of the genes from the English Bulldog and 25-18% of the blood of other breeds.
They came to such norms because dogs that had more English Bulldog blood suffered from similarly high rates of health problems, and specimens with minimal genetics from this breed did not have such problems. Despite the fact that most breeders follow this breeding principle as much as possible, individual Australian Bulldogs differ significantly from the ideal parameters.
Since the Australian Bulldog was recently bred and is the result of crossing between several different breeds, it still does not have a perfect shape. However, rates approaching the developed external data have increased dramatically, and now the species shows more conformity than many of the earlier pedigree individuals.
Currently, there are so many eligible and healthy Australian Bulldogs that the lines are starting to close and any further crosses with English Bulldogs or other breeds are highly undesirable. In fact, ABS now only recognizes purebred Australian Bulldogs. To keep the breed healthy, ABS has issued very strict ethical guidelines to breed breeders.
Popularization of the Australian Bulldog
The ANKC has not received full Australian Bulldog recognition. Nevertheless, in her homeland she is recognized as a unique and purebred dog. The breed continues to conquer hobbyists and breeders throughout Australia, and its numbers are on the rise. In order to comply with ANKC rules, ABS officially voted in 2011 to change the breed's name to Australian Boss Dog. However, ABS expects both names to be interchangeable in the near future. While it is unclear when this will happen, it is widely believed that the Australian Bulldog or Australian Boss Dog will achieve full acceptance with the ANKC anytime soon, and ABS will continue to work towards that goal.
It is unclear what will happen to the ABAA, ABCA and other breed clubs. These organizations may continue to operate independently or eventually merge. Only a very small number of Australian Bulldogs have been exported to other countries and the breed has not yet established itself outside of its homeland. It is unclear if Australian Bulldogs exist in the United States, but they are not recognized by any major canine organization in that country. The breed may not be popular in America, where a number of very similar species already exist, including the American Bulldog, English Bulldog, French Bulldog, Boston Terrier, Bullmastiff, Mastiff, American Bully and American Pit Bull Terrier, which are already well known and quite in demand.
This is not a concern in Australia, where the Australian Bulldog is currently one of the trendiest and most desirable breeds. If the interest and population of these canines continues to grow at the current rate, the breed could eventually become one of the most sought after in its homeland. The Australian Bulldog, being significantly more physically capable and active than the English Bulldog, was bred exclusively as a companion dog, on which his future is based.
