The American bulldog's origin is speculated in three different theories. One is that it is said to be a descendant of the English bulldog and was rumored to have been brought over by settlers to help with the guarding of crops and livestock. This theory also states that the American bulldog is actually the truer type of "English bulldog" than the present English bulldog. Another theory states that the American bulldog is a result of a cross breeding with other dog breeds. The final theory in this triumvirate combines the first and the second theory.
Did you know that American bulldogs are constantly mistaken for pit bulls or the Pit Bull Terrier and as such, in the movie The Little Rascals, Petey, the lovable white "bulldog" that is the companion of one of the central characters in the story is actually a Pit Bull Terrier and not the American Bulldog that it is supposed to portray. Talk about animal acting.
These dogs are unfairly called lazy simply because they are often portrayed as such in a lot of commercials and movies. They are actually a pretty active kind of dog and they can be used as working dogs in farms and other such establishments. These dogs are good hunters of smaller mammals like rabbits and other herbivores that are smaller than they are. This means that American bulldogs have pretty high prey drives which make them good for rabbit and fox hunting.
Present day American bulldogs are mostly hybrids that are descended from a combination of the two top types of American bulldogs, the Standard and the Classic. However, there are people who say the true American bulldog type is the one that is directly descended from the first bulldogs brought over from England by the settlers in the country.
American bulldogs are actually very intelligent dogs although you may mistake them for being otherwise simply because they are stubborn or contrary. They have a pretty high learning ability and are pretty gentle yet also fearless. They can be easily trained but need a firm hand to get them to do what needs to be done and to become obedient.
Like humans, bulldogs are also prone to having behavioral problems. Among the more common behavioral problems that these dogs and humans have in common is the tendency to be destructive if they are uneasy or restless. Another trait that these dogs may manifest when they are not behaving normally is the tendency to be hyperactive due to certain food intakes. These are just some of the more common behavioral problems that American bulldogs can have which can be easily compared to human behavior and what traits they portray in light of these problems.
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