No other dog has this head: long and strong, egg-shaped from the front without hollows, with a profile gently curving downwards. The FCI standard calls the egg-shaped, down-faced head a unique feature. Equally striking is what it deliberately leaves open: the Bull Terrier has no height or weight limit.
| FCI | Group 3 (Terriers), Section 3 Bull type Terriers, Standard No. 11, without compulsory working trial (optional according to the standard) |
|---|---|
| Country of origin | Great Britain |
| Size (height at the withers) | deliberately not specified in the FCI standard; maximum substance for size is required |
| Weight | not specified in the FCI standard |
| Life expectancy | median 12,0 years in a British analysis of 584.734 dogs (McMillan et al. 2024) |
| Coat | short, flat, even and harsh with a fine gloss; sometimes a soft winter undercoat |
| Colours in the standard | white (pure white, with head pigmentation and markings permitted), or coloured with colour predominating, brindle preferred; black brindle, red, fawn and tricolour permitted; blue and liver highly undesirable |
Origins
According to the standard, James Hinks established breed type in the 1850s, selecting for the egg-shaped head. The Bull Terrier first appeared in its current form in Birmingham in 1862; the Bull Terrier Club formed in 1887. The same standard applies to the smaller Miniature Bull Terrier, recognised by the FCI as separate breed No. 359, except for a height limit.
Temperament
Courageous, spirited, playful, even-tempered and trainable, particularly good with people despite stubbornness: that is the standard. In everyday life, this is a powerful clown. Calm meetings with other dogs should be practised from an early age.
Exercise and activities
Walks, tug and search games, and trick training are enjoyable. Strong and quick to get excited, this dog needs impulse-control training from day one.
Grooming
The short, harsh coat is easy to maintain: use a rubber grooming glove weekly and check nails and ears.
Health
Congenital deafness is the main issue in white Bull Terriers. BAER hearing tests on 1.060 puppies in England found deafness in 10,19 per cent, mostly in one ear. Of the deaf puppies, 96,3 per cent were white, and almost one in five white puppies was affected (De Risio et al. 2016). Inheritance goes beyond coat colour. Ask to see BAER hearing results for the puppy and both parents. In McMillan and colleagues’ British analysis, median life expectancy was 12,0 years, equal to crossbreeds.
Who is a Bull Terrier right for?
Experienced owners with humour and consistency, seeking a powerful, people-oriented dog and with time for training and play together.
Who is it less suitable for?
First-time owners and anyone expecting an easily directed dog. Some German federal states impose special requirements for Bull Terriers. Ask your state or municipality before buying.
Our breed quiz helps establish whether a terrier with this much strength and humour suits you, with more detail in our book “Welcher Hund passt WIRKLICH zu dir?” (book in German). For the first weeks with a puppy, there is the free Puppy Starter Pack. If your Bull Terrier already lives with you, find it as wall art in our dog portraits or as a digital artwork for immediate download.
Further reading
- Jack Russell Terrier: a working dog that happens to be small
- Puppy biting: teaching bite inhibition without spoiling the fun
- The socialisation period: why “as much as possible” is the wrong advice
Sources, accessed on 20.10.2026: FCI-Standard Nr. 11 Bull Terrier (fci.be, English version dated 06.10.2026; no German version published); De Risio L et al., Prevalence, heritability and genetic correlations of congenital sensorineural deafness and coat pigmentation phenotype in the English bull terrier, BMC Veterinary Research 2016; McMillan KM et al., Longevity of companion dog breeds: those at risk from early death, Scientific Reports 2024.
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