Before we start mentioning aspects of the Bull terrier history that are deliberately kept hidden from the general public, I will quote a passage from Dr. Carl Semencic book, “Gladiator Dogs”. A writer I believe has been loved and hated by breeders more than anyone else; Hoping this will shed light on the working bull terrier subject and on why I do what I do.
”I have seen really good working bull terriers, but these dogs are few and far between. In Germany the Bull Terrier is used as protection dog quite often and many have excelled at this task. In England, Bull Terriers are being crossed into Staffordshire Bull Terrier lines to produce an effective working dog for badger hunting.”-”Reports I’ve received claim that the Bull Terrier can be very effective as a working dog even today, when careful attention is paid to selective breeding.” (Dr. Carl Semencic book, “Gladiator Dogs”).
No, I am not the psychopath from next door having delusions, imagining the Bull Terrier has working abilities that we should acknowledge and work to preserve before it is too late – as it has happened with other breeds.
I have dedicated 15 years of my life to the vision of seeing the breed for what it really is – instead of how it is presented- and save the working temperament of the Bull Terrier – instead of sacrificing it by breeding dogs exclusively for shows turning a blind eye to good health and temperament for the sake of making money.
On second thought, I might be just a little bit of a psycho, otherwise how can I explain the fact that I have stayed away from everyone and everything, endured discomfort and dismissed the concept of personal time, in order to dedicate myself to breeding and training the Bull Terrier. And doing so against everyone who saw a certain failure in my endeavour, a sure waste of time.
The outcome justifies my decision. Our dogs perform tasks that were considered impossible, thousands of people follow our work, we get positive feedback every day from all over the world. Not just kind words. People all over the world trust in us to get a working bull terrier for their family and train their dogs with our on-line training program.
My love for the breed and the enthusiasm in the thought of working with them had begun to fade in the face of what I had read and heard about them. Everyone was telling me there is no way to seriously work as a trainer with this breed and I was starting to believe they were right until I read the quoted words in Dr. Carl’s book. It was what I needed to hear, someone other than me saying yes, the breed has potential and we can bring out the working temperament of the Bull Terrier. Time to enter the historical part.
Those who have a Bull Terrier and those who are thinking of getting one have made their research about the breed. They have read about the characteristics, temperament and history of the Bull Terrier. What they do not know is that what they have read is not the whole story, it is the part that should be shared according to some, deliberately keeping important facts hidden from the general public. Just like it is done with reference to the breed’s temperament and needs. And this happens to make it easier for those who profit from the situation to make the bull terrier more marketable. How marketing is involved in this? Well, if you say that the Bull Terrier is not for everyone to have, you lose potential owners/ customers.
Purposely disregarding many historical aspects and pretending that certain characteristics of the breed do not even exist makes it easier to continue “breeding for quality and the development of the breed” from the comfort of your sofa, using studs that would have otherwise be excluded from the breeding program. Producing specimens seemingly in accordance to the breed standards and without limiting the buying audience.
This results in many dogs with serious health and behaviour problems and in many confused owners that cannot understand what went wrong with their dog being not what they expected or what the breeder said it would be like. I refer to the breeders because we are responsible for the information, preservation and evolution of the breed, not the owners.
The ‘New Bull Terrier’ first appeared in its present form at a Birmingham show in May 1862. It was shown by James Hinks, a dog dealer, who is generally accepted as the original breeder of the Bull Terrier. It was the result of mixing old English bulldog to English white terrier and Dalmatian among others. The story goes that the Bull Terrier was tested in the pits and turned out to not be a competent fighter. So, the Bull got out of the pit and into rat pits with some success. In time the breed became more popular and was referred to as “The gentleman’s dog”. With minor alterations, this is the commonly known story of the Bull Terrier.
The information available does not make it easy for most people to see how a dog like that can be a working dog. It sounds so far-fetched that anyone who engages in working with the Bull Terrier is considered of unclear intentions, as if they are trying to prove something, create something new and other likewise stories, people without adequate knowledge cannot evaluate and tend to believe.
There will be mentioning of dog fights in this passage. Even though we are all against this barbarity, we need to remember that we are talking about different times, past times with different living conditions that we are unable to comprehend from where we stand today.
I am absolutely against dog fighting as I am against all kinds of hunting. But even so, a dog that hunts boars is one of excellent physical condition and very brave. Dog fighting offered a spectacle and a way of testing the temperament of the dogs. An inextricable part of the history of the Bull Terrier as of other breeds too, even though some try to forget and erase it. That would be a big mistake because 200 years of breeding is not enough to eliminate the gene.
Let’s start with a small extract from the book “BULL TERRIERS” by Major Count V. C. Hollander, first published 1951.An extract on how the breed gained popularity and with a name you all recognize.
“The popularity of the white Bull Terrier came about in a curious way. Mr. J. Hinks, of Birmingham, produced a white bitch called ”Puss” but many of the old-timers suggested she was soft and could not hold her own. So a meeting was arranged and Puss killed her opponent. After that the white Bull Terrier never looked back. “Continuing with extracts from the same book.
“For the benefit of the novice the modern Bull Terrier, the Gladiator of the canine race and the best built dog in existence, has undoubtedly much mixed blood in the ”witches cauldron” that has produced this great ,game, loyal, brave and extremely sentimental dog.”
Key words absent from contemporary descriptions that play a significant role to a breed’s evolution.
“I make them feel that something is expected of them, and that something is obedience. To get the best out of a dog one must understand his mind. Bull Terriers, I have found, are deep thinkers. At heart they want to please and try to do so. The most important thing is whether they have confidence in you.”
So, what went wrong and how come Bull Terriers today are described as stubborn, untrainable, strong headed and so on? I try to remember how many breeders have I seen spending the required time to train their dogs? Not many. The reasoning goes like this: If I train my dog to perform the “sit” command he might do so during a show and it is unacceptable for a dog to sit in show. As if the dog has no idea how to sit, how to lower his rear to the ground. The dog needs to be taught how to sit but no, you can’t teach a show dog to sit, it would ruin the show.
With no intention to offend anyone I have come to the safe conclusion that the “breeder” suffers severe lack of knowledge. Not on training, on what a dog is. Anyone who thinks a dog does not know how to sit unless somebody teaches them to, needs to give their dogs for adoption, immediately. The dog knows how to sit, no need to teach him that. What you need to teach the dog is that the command “sit” means lower your rear to sit as you already know how to and you will get a reward for doing so! That is as simple as it can be.
Unfortunately, we cannot expect much on the advancement and evolution of the breed from people like that.
“Bull Terriers are the greatest sportsmen of the canine race. They have brains to master any problem capable of being mastered by a dog but we must help them develop their reasoning and training for they cannot be expected to know the difference between right and wrong if their do not enlighten them”
The Bull Terrier capable of problem solving?!The thinking Bull Terrier?! These could be extracts from a fiction book. And a nightmare for a contemporary breeder. I can only imagine the embarrassment when a potential client asks to see the obedience training of the genitors. That would be a lot of work a breeder can escape with a good place in a show and some nice family pictures. I am not against dog shows, I am against them being the sole criteria for breeding.
“Here again is personal attention, excellent Kennels and wonderful feeding and all her personal dogs are magnificent guards, but her article speaks for itself! She has complete control of these dogs, and at a word from her they will retire to their sleeping couches. A real Bull Terrier says nothing but is the quickest animal in the world to attack!”
History is written by the lives of real people with real dogs and real love for the breed. Thankfully some of it is also written in books. Contemporary breeding has a lot to learn and gain from the recorded experience of the pioneers of the breed. Yes, times change, society changes. We will never have to deal with the hardship and cruelty of past times yet we do create our own unfair and cruel conditions for the sake of money.
Breeding good looking dogs with poor health and a short lifespan is not the way to proceed. We need to breed dogs that meet the standards, while being healthy and active. Trainability of the Bull Terrier is a key factor when it comes to selective breeding and yes, they have what it takes to train with excellence and therefore train for all sorts of activities. All we need is a change of mind, our mind, to see Bull Terriers for what they really are even if it means we have to leave our comfort zone to enjoy them in their full potential.
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