Breeds / Small
Miniature Bull Terrier puppies
Playful, clownish and very physical, a small dog with a strong will that thrives on constant involvement with its people.
The facts
- Size class Small
- Country of origin Great Britain
- Adult weight 8.2 to 12.7 kg
- Adult weight in pounds 18 to 28 lb
- Adult height 25 to 36 cm
- Energy level High
- Grooming Low
- Coat type Short smooth
- Typical lifespan 11 to 13 years
- Good with children Fine with supervision
- Good with other dogs Fine with supervision
Where these come from:
About the Miniature Bull Terrier
The Miniature Bull Terrier is the small version of the Bull Terrier, bred down in Britain from the same bull and terrier stock and kept as a distinct breed. It carries the same egg shaped head, small triangular eyes and short smooth coat on a dense muscular frame, standing 25 to 36 cm and weighing 8.2 to 12.7 kg. Temperament is comic and stubborn in equal measure: playful, physical, endlessly interested in whatever people are doing, and rarely willing to be ignored for long.
Grooming is simple, a weekly once over with a soft brush or hound glove plus regular nail trimming, since the nails grow fast and hard. Exercise needs care while the dog is growing, because the breed is prone to sudden lameness, so no jumping down from height and no hard stops at speed until it matures. Adults are boisterous and want daily activity and games. Ratings with children and other dogs are middling, so supervise and socialise from the start. Most new owners underestimate how much company this breed needs.
What to expect at eight weeks
At eight weeks a Miniature Bull Terrier puppy is sleeping around 18 to 20 hours a day, is not house trained, and cannot hold on for more than an hour or two at a stretch. A small breed puppy at eight weeks is light enough to carry everywhere, which is exactly how you get it socialised before the vaccination course finishes. It will still need four meals a day. This is a high energy breed. At eight weeks that shows up as intensity rather than stamina, and it will need a job to do long before it needs long walks. Grooming is straightforward, but start handling the coat, feet and ears in week one anyway so it is never a fight later. The socialisation window is open and closing: everything it meets calmly now, from vacuum cleaners to men in hats, is easier for the rest of its life.
Health worth knowing about
Conditions this breed is reported to be predisposed to. Predisposed does not mean inevitable, it means ask about it.
- Primary lens luxation, detectable by DNA test on both parents
- Congenital deafness, detectable by BAER hearing testing
- Hereditary kidney disease, screened by a urine protein to creatinine ratio and blood testing
- Heart disease including mitral valve problems, found on cardiac examination and echocardiogram
- Patellar luxation, graded on veterinary orthopaedic examination
- Sudden lameness in growing puppies, diagnosed by veterinary examination and managed by restricting exercise
From Miniature Bull Terrier breed information at https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/miniature-bull-terrier/. Discuss any of these with your own vet.
Your Miniature Bull Terrier puppy's first six months
- Vaccination schedule, dated for your country.
- Worming and parasite schedule.
- Feeding calculator. Set expected adult size to Small for a Miniature Bull Terrier.
- Adult size predictor, to check growth against the 8.2 to 12.7 kg adult range.
- Puppy names and the first week checklist.
Other small breeds
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Not veterinary advice. Breed information is general. Your own dog, and your own vet, always win.