AKC and UKC Miniature Bull Terrier Standards Breed Standards in first side-by-side comparison of the uniquely charming Mini-Bull.

American Kennel Club Terrier Group

Miniature Bull Terrier Breed Standard

Approved May 14, 1991 - Effective Jan. 1, 1992

History

The Miniature Bull Terrier is no newcomer to the world of purebred dogs. As a matter of fact, for over eighty years he has been highly prized as a distinctive small dog noted, among other things, for tenacity and remarkable courage. He is a sturdy chap, muscular, active, and full of fire but withal good tempered and amenable to discipline.

Miniature beginnings date back to the early 19th century when the Bulldog and the now extinct White English Terrier were interbred to produce the "Bull and Terrier" later known as the Bull Terrier.

Possessed of such a heritage, it is small wonder that the earliest specimens came in a wide range of sizes. There were Toys that weighed from four to seven pounds, medium sized ones of some fifteen and sixteen pounds, as well as the more usual sort resembling the full-sized Bull Terrier of this day. The small dog came in various colors; some black-patched, a few blue, and others pure white.

The Toys were exhibited abroad up to about 1914, but they elicited scant response from the fanciers because their type was poor. Dogs of medium or miniature size fared better since particularly in eyes and foreface they more closely approximated the type desired. This has been exactly what the fanciers have been aiming for, namely, a down-faced, smaller dog weighing around sixteen pounds and identical in make and shape and every single feature to the full-sized Bull Terrier.

The Miniature Bull Terrier became eligible to be shown in the Miscellaneous Class in 1963, and was accepted as a breed in 1991.

General Appearance

The Miniature Bull Terrier must be strongly built, symmetrical and active, with a keen, determined and intelligent expression. He should be full of fire, having a courageous, even temperament and be amenable to discipline.

Size, Proportion, Substance - Height 10 inches to 14 inches. Dogs outside these limits should be faulted. Weight in proportion to height. In proportion, the Miniature Bull Terrier should give the appearance of being square.

Head - The head should be long, strong and deep, right to the end of the muzzle, but not coarse. The full face should be oval in outline and be filled completely up, giving the impression of fullness with a surface devoid of hollows or indentations, i.e., egg shaped. The profile should curve gently downwards from the top of the skull to the tip of the nose. The forehead should be flat across from ear to ear. The distance from the tip of the nose to the eyes should be perceptibly greater than that from the eyes to the top of the skull. The underjaw should be deep and well defined.

To achieve a keen, determined and intelligent expression, the eyes should be well sunken and as dark as possible with a piercing glint. They should be small, triangular and obliquely placed, set near together and high up on the dog's head. The ears should be small, thin and placed close together, capable of being held stiffly erect when they point upwards. The nose should be black, with well developed nostrils bent downwards at the tip. The lips should be clean and tight. The teeth should meet in either a level or scissor bite. In the scissor bite, the top teeth should fit in front of and closely against the lower teeth. The teeth should be sound, strong and perfectly regular.

Neck, Topline, Body - The neck should be very muscular, long, and arched; tapering from the shoulders to the head, it should be free from loose skin. The back should be short and strong with a slight arch over the loin. Behind the shoulders there should be no slackness or dip at the withers. The body should be well rounded with marked spring of rib. The back ribs deep. The chest should be broad when viewed from in front. There should be great depth from withers to brisket, so that the latter is nearer to the ground than the belly. The underline, from the brisket to the belly, should form a graceful upward curve. The tail should be short, set on low, fine, and should be carried horizontally. It should be thick where it joins the body, and should taper to a fine point.

Forequarters - The shoulders should be strong and muscular, but without heaviness. The shoulder blades should be wide and flat and there should be a very pronounced backward slope from the bottom edge of the blade to the top edge. The legs should be big boned but not to the point of coarseness. The forelegs should be of moderate length, perfectly straight, and the dog must stand firmly up on them. The elbows must turn neither in nor out, and the pasterns should be strong and upright.

Hindquarters - The hind legs should be parallel when viewed from behind. The thighs are very muscular with hocks well let down. The stifle joint is well bent with a well developed second thigh. The hind pasterns should be short and upright.

Feet - The feet are round and compact with well arched toes like a cat.

Coat - The coat should be short, flat and harsh to the touch with a fine gloss. The dog's skin should fit tightly.

Color - For white, pure white coat. Markings on head and skin pigmentation are not to be penalized. For colored, any color to predominate.

Gait - The dog shall move smoothly, covering the ground with free, easy strides. Fore and hind legs should move parallel to each other when viewed from in front or behind, with the forelegs reaching out well and the hind legs moving smoothly at the hip and flexing well at the stifle and hock. The dog should move compactly and in one piece but with a typical jaunty air that suggests agility and power.

Temperament - The temperament should be full of fire and courageous, but even and amenable to discipline.

Faults - Any departure from the foregoing points shall be considered a fault, and the seriousness of the fault shall be in exact proportion to its degree.

United Kennel Club Terrier Group

Miniature Bull Terrier Breed Standard

Jan. 1, 1993

History

The Miniature Bull Terrier is a direct descendant of the original bull-and-terrier crosses made in England in the early 19th century, specifically to bait bulls and, later, to fight in pits. They are a smaller version of the Bull Terrier, identical to that breed except in size.

General Appearance

The Miniature Bull Terrier is strongly built and muscular, presenting a symmetrical appearance, with a determined and intelligent expression. The breed is active, with a sweet disposition and is responsive to discipline. Dogs should look masculine; bitches should look feminine.

Characteristics - Although their appearance is one of strength and agility, the breed is peaceful and tractable, with a jaunty air. The breed is categorized in two color varieties, white and colored, but is shown as one breed in UKC conformation events. The egg-shaped head, complete with naturally erect ears and small triangular eyes, give the breed a distinctive appearance.

Head - The head is long, strong and deep right to the end of the muzzle. The face is full and oval in outline and filled in completely, giving the impression of fullness, with no hollows or indentations (i.e., egg-shaped), without excessive muscle in the cheeks. In profile, it curves gently downward from the top of the skull to the tip of the nose. The distance from the tip of the nose to the eyes is noticeably greater than the distance from the eyes to the top of the skull.

SKULL - The forehead is flat across, from ear to ear.

MUZZLE - The underjaw is deep and well defined. The lips are clean and tight.

TEETH - A full complement of strong, even, white teeth meet in a scissors bite.

EYES - The eyes are well sunken and small, with a piercing glint. They should be as dark as possible. They are small, triangular in shape, and obliquely placed, set near together and high up on the head.

NOSE - The nose is black and bent downward at the tip. Nostrils are well developed.

EARS - The ears are small and thin. They are placed close together, and should be capable of being held stiffly erect, and should point upward.

Neck - The long, muscular neck is arched and clean, tapering from the shoulders to the head. It is free from loose skin.

Forequarters - The shoulders are strong and muscular, but not heavy. The shoulder blades are wide and flat. There is a very pronounced backward slope from the bottom edge of the blade to the top edge, forming a nearly 90-degree angle with the upper arm.

FORELEGS - The forelegs have strong, round bone and are perfectly straight and parallel, providing a strong base of support. Length of forelegs in mature dogs is approximately equal to the depth at the brisket. The elbows turn neither in nor out. The pasterns are strong and upright.

Body - When viewed from the front, the chest is broad. There is great depth from the withers to the brisket, the brisket being nearer to the ground than the belly. The underline forms a graceful upward curve. Ribs are well sprung and the back is short and level behind the withers. Slight arch over the broad, muscular loin.

Hindquarters - Muscular, with well-developed second thighs and good angulation at the stifle and hock.

HIND LEGS - Parallel when viewed from behind, with short, strong rear pasterns.

Feet - The feet are round and compact. The toes are well arched.

Tail - The tail is short, set on low, and carried horizontally. It is thick at the root, tapering to a fine point.

Coat - The coat is short, flat, glossy and harsh to the touch. The skin fits tightly.

Color - The breed is categorized in two color varieties: White and Colored.

     White: The dog is white, though markings on the head are permissible. Skin pigmentation on the body is permissible.

     Colored: Any color other than white. The preferred color is brindle, but they may also be red, fawn, and tricolor. May have white markings, but color predominates.

Height and Weight - The Miniature Bull Terrier should not exceed 14 inches in height at the withers. There is no weight limit, but there is an impression of maximum substance in relation to the size of the individual dog.

Gait - The Miniature Bull Terrier moves smoothly, exhibiting a free, easy, ground-covering stride. When viewed from front or rear, front and hind legs move parallel to each other. The forelegs reach out well. The head is carried high, and the back remains level. The hind legs move smoothly at the hip, flexing well at the stifle and hock. The dog exhibits a jaunty air, suggesting agility and power.

Faults - Departures from the above standard are judged as faults; their severity determined by the degree of deviation from the ideal.

Disqualifications - Unilateral or bilateral cryptorchid. Viciousness or extreme shyness.