WAKATANG BULL TERRIERS
Character
The character of the purebred English Bull Terrier is probably the outstanding feature, which draws prospective owners to the breed. A typical purebred English Bull Terrier’s character is very complex. He is active, interested, playful, witty, silly and humorous. At times he is stubborn and conniving. They often display all or most of these characteristics within a ten-minute time span.
The purebred English Bull Terrier is also extremely attached to his owners and family. These all sound like attributes of the perfect dog but there are drawbacks to these characteristics, which do not suit every perspective owner or every situation.
Activity is a characteristic found in nearly every young purebred English Bull Terrier. The young purebred English Bull Terrier is in fact almost indistinguishable from a three-year-old child in a dog suit. All puppies are extremely “busy” and many purebred English Bull Terriers continue to be active and playful well into middle age (5 – 6 years). For this reason they fit very well into active families where they receive a great deal of companionship and supervision. They also adapt well to quieter situations such as active elderly citizens.
Purebred English Bull Terriers do not do well in homes where they are expected to remain alone in the home or yard for extended periods of time or where their physical activity is restricted. In these situations very much like a three-year-old child they become bored and destructive. They will often chew and destroy, are difficult or impossible to housetrain and develop unpleasant habits such as incessant barking and tail chasing. It makes as much sense to leave a purebred English Bull Terrier at home in a house for 8 hours alone as it does for a three-year-old boy to be left alone all day.
Purebred English Bull Terriers become very attached to their owners and family members. Whilst this characteristic is highly desirable, care must be taken that they are not encouraged to become possessive or jealous. It can be a nuisance when a dog cannot distinguish between acceptable strangers and malevolent ones.
Purebred English Bull Terriers can also become involved in rough physical activity displayed between siblings such as children’s fights, where they see no reason not to join in with the “fun”.
Purebred English Bull Terriers are wonderful with children and will follow and watch them play for hours on end. As with all dogs, children should be supervised at all times when playing with the purebred English Bull Terrier.
One of the favourite pastimes of the pure bred English Bull Terrier is racing around the house at full speed for no apparent reason other than – just because. They rarely collide with anything on these occasions and it is almost as if they have radar – they dodge this and dodge that with great agility. Things are safest when you do not interfere; trying to stop them is like trying to catch a greased pig.
The purebred English Bull Terrier’s loyalty can be deceiving. Although they are affectionate and can make you think that you are the only one who really matters, they will go off with anyone who has a treat and a friendly voice and they will not even bother to look back. For this reason ensure that you keep him in a secure back yard as they have been known to be stolen.
Purebred English Bull Terriers can be spiteful and when prevented from doing something that they wish to do, will immediately run off to find one of your most valuable possessions and do their misdeeds. They do not miss a thing even when supposedly asleep and are always in the middle of what is going on.
Being left alone for periods of time for them is totally unacceptable and they will let you know it. They love to chew the cushions of the couch into tiny pieces and spit them all over the floor. In about 5 – 10 minutes they can destroy the entire contents of your house. For them this is your punishment for leaving them alone.
Smacking them accomplishes nothing as they have a high tolerance to pain. However, tell them in a very scornful voice how bad that they have been and that you do not love them anymore and their ears will go back, their tails will wag frantically, they crouch down submissively, their whole body wriggles and they beg to be forgiven. It is very difficult to remain angry with a bully for very long as they will pester your and follow you around with those pathetic little eyes until you tell them that they are forgiven. Be prepared however 10 minutes later they will be right back doing whatever got them in trouble in the first place.
The purebred English Bull Terrier is often stubborn but seldom stupid and seldom dull. Livening things up and making everyone laugh is their specialty. They seem to understand what you are feeling and will do their best to cheer you up and brighten your day when you are down.
In general they are not good watch dogs because to them everyone is a friend. They may bark when someone is outside but as soon as your guest enters inside they are normally greeted with a slurping tongue, a wild thumping tail and the antics of a jumping jack.
Since many people cannot handle such an energetic dog, the purebred Bull Terrier is not for everyone. Purebred English Bull Terriers have been selected and bred largely by responsible caring people who understand the breed and love it dearly. Most breeders try and keep it that way and are very selective when it comes to placing their puppies.
Environment:
Placing a purebred English Bull Terrier into a multi-pet household should be evaluated on an individual basis by someone familiar with the breed. With physically strong bodies and powerful mouths they will defend themselves when faced by a perceived opponent. A confrontation with another animal over food or toys may result in physical damage to one or more of the animals involved.
Training:
Basic obedience for puppies and adults should be considered seriously. Proper training provides not only good manners but also emotional stability and socialization. Although very loving and caring towards people, purebred English Bull Terriers are sensitive to hard corrective training.
The purebred English Bull Terrier must be handled firmly but with patience and lots of positive reinforcement. Young purebred English Bull Terriers can be very rambunctious and must be taught not to jump or nip and grab when playing with small children or elderly people.
Toys:
Because purebred English Bull Terriers have a very strong urge to chew, it is imperative to provide them with chew toys. Appropriate toys are Nylabone and plaque attackers. Rawhides should never be given to a purebred English Bull Terrier nor should any soft toys, which can be swallowed and lodged in their throat.
They will also ingest other “toys” such as socks, underwear, chunks of blanket, various forms of plastic, rubber, metal screenings and stones. Any of these items may cause an obstruction in the lower intestine. If you notice symptoms such as depression, lethargy, vomiting, diarrhoea and lack of interest in food contact your vet immediately – your pet may have a blockage.
Purebred English Bull Terriers have a strong need for human companionship and should be kept strictly as a housedog – never chained or tethered outdoors. They do not tolerate temperature extremes (heat / cold) for long periods of time. If your dog plays outdoors off a leash you must ensure that the area is fenced and secure. Even obedience trained purebred English Bull Terriers should never be taken outside of your property without being leashed. They should be taken on supervised walks using a choker chain. When the walk is over the choker chain should be removed.
Micro chipping:
Your purebred English Bull Terrier purchased from Wakatang Kennels has already been micro chipped for ease of identification should he / she go missing. At this stage this is not a 100% guaranteed process as some pounds have difficulty in reading all brands of microchips.
At your earliest opportunity you should transfer the micro chipping information to be applicable to you, the owners of your pet. There is no fee for this and will save a lot of time in the unfortunate scenario that he should go missing.