The truth and myths about bull Terriers — the most demonized dogs in the world

If you ask a random person what a bull terrier is associated with, then the answer will be quite predictable. A bloodthirsty monster, a shark, a rat - in general, you will not hear anything particularly flattering. But are these dogs really as terrible as they say they are? Maybe they were just slandered because of their specific appearance? Let's figure it out and maybe we can restore the good name of this breed.

Many dog breeds can boast of a centuries-old history. Dachshunds, Great danes and greyhounds can be seen in paintings by masters of the late Middle Ages, and hounds at all in engravings and tapestries of the 10-12 centuries. But the bull terrier is a relatively young breed that appeared only in the 19th century.

These dogs turned out thanks to the crossing of bulldogs and terriers. At the same time, their homeland is not England at all, as many believe, but Ireland. In general, the bull terrier is the embodiment of the dream of the Irish breeder James Hinks. He set out to create an ideal fighting breed that would thunder all over the world. And he did it!

The appearance of a new breed coincided with the composition of the first horror stories about it. That's right - they disliked bull terriers almost immediately after their release into the world. It's easy to explain. From Ireland, the dogs first came to the UK. It's no secret that the English and the Irish don't like each other too much. So the inhabitants of Foggy Albion began to compose various nasty things about dogs from the Emerald Isle.

The strangest fable says that bull terriers have two rows of teeth. This is not so — they have teeth like all dogs and there are 42 of them, like a chihuahua, mastiff and any dog in general, regardless of breed and size. But the legendary bite of these dogs is much more well known. Some people seriously claim that the grip of this breed is the strongest. This is a myth - it has long been established that the jaw compression force of bull terriers and labradors is about the same.

But the "death grip" of these dogs is not a fiction at all. Bull Terriers have incredible patience and can hold prey for hours. This is a responsible, purposeful and brave dog, which, with proper upbringing, makes excellent guards. But this is only one side of this breed.

Surprisingly, bull terriers are wonderful family dogs. If a pet is engaged from an early age, it will grow into a wonderful companion who adores children. Most owners of these dogs consider them ideal friends and very comfortable flatmates. Bull Terriers do not like to bark in vain and rarely create problems for their owners in everyday life. But, in order to raise such a dog, you need a lot of patience, firmness and love.

Unfortunately, like any other breed bred by breeders, bull terriers have their own problems. The physique features of these dogs make them predisposed to kidney and heart diseases. And they often have problems with hearing and bite.