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General Appearance

The American Bulldog should generate the impression of great strength, agility, endurance and exhibit a well-knit, sturdy, compact frame with the absence of excessive bulk. Males are characteristically larger, heavier boned and more masculine than the bitches. The AB is a white or white and patched (brindle or red) dog. When patched he can range from the traditional pied markings of a patch over one or both eyes or ears, or a patch on the base of the tail, to a large saddle patch and various other patches. For judging purposes, distinctions between an ideal "Standard-type" and an ideal "Johnson-type" are defined in brackets and in bold.

General

Males - 23 to 27 inches at the withers and weigh from 75 to 120 lbs. Females - 21 to 25 inches at the withers, 60 to 90 lbs. The weight should be proportional to size.

Standard-type

male should be 23 to 27 inches at the withers and/ weigh from 75 to 110 lbs., females, 21 to 25 inches, 60 to 85 lbs. The weight should be proportional to size.

Johnson-type

male should be 22 to 26 inches at the withers and weigh from 80 to 120 lbs. Females 20 to 24 inches, 60 to 90 lbs.

Head

Medium in length and broad across skull with pronounced muscular cheeks.

Eyes

Medium in size. Any color. The haw should not be visible. Black eye rims preferred on white dogs. Pink eye rims to be considered a cosmetic fault.

Muzzle

Medium length (2 to 4 in.), square and broad with a strong underjaw. Lips should be full but not pendulous. 42 to 44 teeth. [Standard-type: tight undershot (reverse scissors) preferred. Scissors and even bites are considered a cosmetic fault. Structural faults are a muzzle under 2 inches or longer than 4 inches, pendulous lips, less than 42 teeth, more than 1/4 inch undershot, small teeth or uneven incisors.] [Johnson-type: definite undershot, 1/8 to 1/4 inch preferred. Scissors or even bite is a disqualification. Structural faults are a muzzle under 2 inches or over 4 inches.

Nose color

black or grizzle. On black nosed dogs the lips should be black with some pink allowed. A pink nose to be considered a cosmetic fault.

Ears

Cropped or uncropped. Uncropped preferred.

Neck

Muscular, medium in length, slightly arched, tapering from shoulders to head, with a slight dewlap allowed.

Shoulders

Very muscular with wide sloping blades, shoulders set so elbows are not angled out.

Chest, Back and Loin

The chest should be deep and moderately wide without being excessively wide as to throw the shoulders out. The back should be of medium length, strong and broad. Loins should be slightly tucked which corresponds to a slight roach in the back which slopes to the stern. Faults: sway back, narrow or shallow chest, lack of tuck up.

Hindquarters

Very broad and well muscled and in proportion to the shoulders. Narrow hips are a very serious fault.

Legs

Strong and straight with heavy bone. Front legs should not set too close together or too far apart. Faults: in at the elbows or excessively bowlegged. Rear legs should have a visible angulation of the stifle joint.

Movement

The gait is balanced and smooth, powerful and unhindered suggesting agility with easy, ground covering strides, showing strong driving action in the hind quarters with corresponding reach in front. As speed increases the feet move toward the center line of the body to maintain balance. Ideally the dog should single-track. The top line remains firm and level, parallel to the line of motion. Head and tail carriage should reflect that of a proud, confident and alert animal.

Movement faults

Any suggestion of clumsiness, tossing and/or rolling of the body, crossing or interference of front or rear legs, short or stilted steps, twisting joints, pacing, paddling, or weaving. Similar movement faults are to be penalized according to the degree to which they interfere with the ability of the dog to work.

Feet

Of moderate size, toes of medium length, well arched and close together, not splayed. Pasterns should be strong, straight and upright.

Tail

Set low, thick at the root, tapering to a point. Tail should not curl over back. Docked or undocked.

Coat

Short, close, stiff to the touch, not long and fuzzy.

Color

All white, pied, or up to 90% color [brindle or red patches, (red is defined as any shade of tan, brown or red)], with a portion of the white on the head.