Talk:Bull Terrier
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My question pertains to why this article is written as if by a member of the Victorian gentry. The question is: Why is this article written as if by a 19th century aristocrat?
My question would be like why would the comment that 'Bull Terriers have a great sense of humour' in a factual encyclopedia? --BrandonR 20:00, 21 April 2006 (UTC)
- Agreed- removing; put it back when you come up with a source though of course. Thedoorhinge 02:29, 23 September 2006 (UTC)
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[edit] Dogs and Bitches
"The Bull Terrier is one of several breeds in which the dog (male) and bitch (female) must have distinctly different appearances."
Is it just size differences between the dogs and bitches, or something more distinctive? could it be put in the article to help clerify? Tekana 17:58, 11 August 2005 (UTC)
- Good question, Tekana. In some dog breeds, the standard specifies that the male and female have differing appearances, sometimes it is written as distinctly 'feminine' or 'masculine' or words to that effect; so no, it is not just size. See Best of Breed. (I'll try to remember to look up the standard and clarify; if anyone else cares to in the meantime, be my guest!) Quill 07:35, 12 August 2005 (UTC)
[edit] Fighting Breed?
This article is included in the List of Fighting Breeds "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_dog_fighting_breeds" and yet at the end of the second paragraph it states: "Bull terriers are not a dog fighting breed." What gives? Have updated site, the original English Bull Terrier was a pit dog designed to fight.
Bull Terriers were used as fighting dogs SirIsaacBrock 09:42, 10 May 2006 (UTC)
But the article contradicts itself on this part doesn't it? First it says that they were bred as fighting dogs, followed by the statement in parentheses where it states that this is a misconception. 14:50, 21 October 2006 (UTC)
Have updated site, the original English Bull Terrier was a pit dog designed to fight.
[edit] Video
Bull Terrier saves human SirIsaacBrock 09:42, 10 May 2006 (UTC)
[edit] One Grammar Error, Other Bull Terriers, and a Title
I have just joined, so please be kind with any criticism of this post.
I noticed that this line: "(Although Blue and liver highly undesirable)" is missing a verb. I assume "are".
Also, I want to ask how famous a Bull Terrier has to be to get included on the list. For example there is a famous greeting card character named Maxine. She seems to have a white Bull Terrier. The character Monica in the well-known web comic Wapsi Square also has a white Bull Terrier named Dietzel. And of course Target stores has had a white Bull Terrier in its marketing campaigns for quite some time.
Finally, I originally looked for the search term "English Bull Terrier" and that was in no way connected to this article. Given that it's the breed's proper name, I think it should be linked.
As I said, I am new. Also, I am not ready to delve in just yet - it's a little intimidating. Because of that, feel free to use anything I've said here as a possible change/addition to this article.
[edit] about the meal
Is that real? A homemade meal of rice and pasta and vegetables? Hell, I don't eat that well regularly. That can't be real. Furthermore, who makes their own dog food anyway? Doesn't the bagged stuff provide all the proper nutrients or whatever? 207.224.125.243 11:13, 30 July 2006 (UTC)
[edit] Dangerous Breed?
The article doesn't seem to talk much about the potential violent nature of bull terriers. They are prone to bouts of extreme violence, especially with other larger dogs. There are frequent instances in the news of bull terriers mauling people, much more then I see in other legal breeds.
In fact the breed has been banned in germany German customs
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- Unsigned message response. This issue is much larger than simply one breed of dog, any dog can be violent. Frequent instances maybe - you'd need to back that up with a citation.
Maybe you should try looking for an article other than this one to choose - the "media scares" and folklore about a whole range of breeds (and the derivative cross breeds) as being endemically violent is as intriguing as the threat. Joanna Bourke's "Fear a Cultural History" would be a good start on that issue. However all that said, some strains of some dogs have been recognised as having problematic behaviours, but bullies arent the only breed with that issue! SatuSuro 01:08, 23 August 2006 (UTC)
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- Following up on this try Dog attack and breed-specific legislation neither of which are comprehensive articles, but nevertheless a start on this issue SatuSuro
According to Dog Bite Law the Pit Bull type (which includes the 3 main bull terrier breeds) is responsible to the most fatalities of any breed yet according to the American Kennel Club They're the the 62nd most popular breed. Although they're not statistics from the same date range it's indicative that this is a significantly high risk breed.
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- Again another unsigned message from 172.207.174.32 - please consider joining wikipedia, or at least signing with 4 tildes SatuSuro 22:47, 23 August 2006 (UTC)
I am a fervent lover of this breed. However I think that the potential for violence of the breed IS entirely relevant to this article. Whilst there is a lot of folklore and media hype associated with such things, it is an INDISPUTABLE FACT that this breed has been classified as a dangerous dog in both Italy and Germany. Mention should be made of this in the article irrespective of the wrongs or rights of these actions in these countries. The subject also warrants mention because the breed is thought to be particularly susceptible to a neurological condition called sudden onset aggression (SOA) and is the subject of at least one study in the US. see http://critterweb.com/btneuro/ .
As regards suitability with children, I think this article is downright irresponsible. Whilst this breed is one of the most loving and human centric you could find, other characteristics make them one of the LESS suitable breeds to have around children. These other characteristics include:
- extremey strong,
- one of the most powerful canine jaws,
- extraordinarily dangerous teeth,
- highly maneuverable,
- notoriously headstrong, determined and difficult to train for recall,
- intolerance to teasing,
- reaction to being challenged.
I have NEVER seen a recommendation for households with small children. Indeed they are recommended only for adults with much experience of dogs or of BTs.
Ask a vet
Anyone who owns a bully will know the make a good pet with young children around. BUT with all dogs you need to keep an eye on the child and dog.
- The above line is not mine and is anonymous. The author is probably referring to their own experience. My experience with the breed is that they are unusually intolerant to teasing, even if there may be individuals that can tolerate it Myredroom 10:45, 27 June 2007 (UTC)
I have reverted my original comments to how they were originally entered. An annonymous editor has responded (confusingly) to all my points (probably) with their own opinions experiences. This is very poor wiki eticate. Myredroom (talk) 17:51, 21 April 2008 (UTC)
None of this should detract from their INTENSELY loving nature; they just need to be in the right hands.
Myredroom 15:55, 14 February 2007 (UTC)
[edit] Contradiction
There seems to be a contradiction in this article. "they were originally bred as fighting dogs therefore they will react if challenged but they will not normally make the first move.(It is a misconception that they were bred for fighting. Dog fighting was common at the time, but they were bred to be companions. Also they were bred for comformation to create a dog that was pleasing to the eye.)
I'm just wondering which one it is.Could someone tell me?Serenaacw 00:27, 25 September 2006 (UTC)
Bull Terriers were bred as a pit dog, that would not turn on its owner after the fight.
[edit] About the article
Um. 1. Pictures. Specifically, the eyes, a close-up; and showing the appearance difference between genders. 2. In general, given the (inevitable) comparison with American Pit Bulls, some treatment of the different breeding should appear in the History section; and the fighting/companion dog bit needs clarification. 3. This breed is international -- maybe an Oz section?
This article is what I would place in the "Start" class -- most of the info is there, it needs building, but it also needs to be made interesting -- it's lacking that "human" touch. I would remove the, er, "order" "Also, be sure to check ears, eyes, nose and mouth every day for signs of infection." as being very depressing and possibly POV. Much of the Temperament and Health sections are generic to all dogs -- this should be mentioned, but kept in. Should that be "kept in but qualified"? Whatever.
They are lovely dogs. I know a couple of them quite well, unfortunately they are the White variety and suffer badly from sunburn. Australians would do well to change to the Coloured variety, as even a Tan skin will better handle our summer skies. See if some genetic background to Bully colours can be found (see Australian Kelpie *Genetic basis of Kelpie coat colours).
Hope this helps! Gordon | Talk, 12:16, 9 November 2006 (UTC)
[edit] General comments on the quality of this article
The "History" section of this article does not concur with anything I have ever read about the breed, and I believe it is inaccurate. (for example no mention of Dalmatian or White English Terrier in the lineage)
I have made comments above about the suitablilty with children; the article is expressing an individual opinion on this subject and does not concur with the general advice on the subject.
The full breed name (i.e. English Bull Terrier) is never even mentioned.
Whilst there is a link to the article for minis, I think they should at least be mentioned in this article because the category into which any example falls is determined by the height. It is therefore possible for a full sized pair to parent a mini. Indeed some breeding examples are categorised as suitable for breeding in both categories (whilst most fall into one category or the other).
The health problems section is not as extensive as it could be. A good resource can be found here: http://www.thebullterrier.com/btgendis.shtml
Additionally many (particularly minis) suffer from luxating lenses of the eye, which untreated can result in Blindness.
I can understand the removal of the sense of humor reference, but I think it is fair to say that owners may get this impression as a consequence of their desire for persistent and close human contact and involvement.
At least one book I have read on the subject mentions four sub-categories within the breed, which are not mentioned here: the bull, the terrier, the dalmation and the middle-of-the-road. The categories effectively describes attributes such as stance, muscularity, neck length head size and so on. (I will post a reference when I can find the book again).
Myredroom 16:35, 14 February 2007 (UTC)
Regarding a sense of humor reference, Own one and you will see. Too many people are making silly points without ever owning a bully.
- again an anonymous edit!! The sense of humour refenerence is contentious not because it is not true, but because it is not verifiable or scientifically proven - anecdotal. Many owners of many breeds will say the same about their dog - but a sample of one is a bit small. Myredroom 10:50, 27 June 2007 (UTC)
Please only put Famous Bull terriers down. Not because the owner is famous.
[edit] Pete The Pup
He was a dual-registered Amstaff/APBT, not a Bull Terrier. I just thought I'd point that out. —Preceding unsigned comment added by RiotMonday (talk • contribs) 21:51, 30 October 2007 (UTC)
[edit] Willie
How could anyone make up a list of famous Bull Terriers and not include Willie, General George S. Patton's dog? And I'm throwing in Abraxas Aaran, the Bull Terrier who played Willie in the 1970 movie for good measure!
69.72.2.71 01:33, 9 November 2007 (UTC)
[edit] Purring
"A little known fact regarding Bull Terriers is their ability to "purr" like a cat. Unlike a cat though, the noise is believed to be produced in the nose and not the throat. It does however, produce the same noise, to a louder degree than a domestic cat."
At best this sounds anecdotal to me, and at worst an urban myth. I have certainly never encountered a purring bullie (and I have encountered many). I suggest this addition is removed. Myredroom (talk) 16:29, 30 April 2008 (UTC)
