Miniature Bull Terrier 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.
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.