We will be in touch soon to confirm.
Breed guide · Dogs
She drools on my work trousers. I keep a towel by the door.
Last updated 14 October 2026
We will be in touch soon to confirm.
What they brought with them.
Tap a card to see what is going on.
At home
Soft with the family, and watchful the moment someone new arrives.
What's going onA farm guard had to be both. A mat a few metres from the door, with a treat there every time the bell goes, gives them a job they can get right.
At home
Straight up to your face, from a standing start.
What's going onThose landings load the knees and hips. Reward four paws on the floor, and keep sprints on marble to a minimum.
At home
Your sleeve, the lead, the towel: anything that can be gripped and pulled.
What's going onCatch dogs were bred to grip. A tug toy with clear rules, start and stop on your word, keeps that mouth on the toy and off your sleeve.
At home
Licking paws, rubbing their face on the carpet, shaking their head.
What's going onFace folds hold heat and damp, and itchy skin and sore ears are on their record from six months. A daily wipe of the folds and a look inside the ears takes a minute.
At home
A puppy who sleeps through the doorbell, or never turns to their name.
What's going onDeafness in mostly white puppies is on their record. Ask about a BAER hearing test (a painless test of how the brain responds to sound) before you decide they are ignoring you.
At home
A back leg held up after play, or sitting with one leg stuck out to the side.
What's going onA torn ligament in the knee is on their record from the teenage months. A back-leg limp that has not cleared in a day or two is a reason to contact your vet the same day.
The bit nobody tells you.
Their day
Built for: Outdoors on a farm, from dawn to dusk.
In Dubai: Often a flat, all day.
Their job
Built for: Running down cattle and keeping watch over the house.
In Dubai: Keeping watch over a corridor.
Their summer
Built for: A body made for running.
In Dubai: A summer outside too hot for it.
The jumping, the chewing and the barking at the corridor mostly come from that gap.
You cannot give them a farm. You can give them cool hours and a job for their mouth, and the ten things below are how.
Your plan is built around their breed: the risks on an American Bulldog's record at every age, and the care that goes with each one.
Join the founding families. AED 1,999 of essential care for AED 199.
Ten things that make their life better.
They will tell you someone is there either way. A rule keeps them out of the doorway.
Every age, most of all from 6 months to 2 years
Why
They will tell you someone is there either way. A rule keeps them out of the doorway.
What to do
Long before any visitor, teach them that a mat a few metres from the door pays. When the bell goes, thank them once and send them there. While they learn, have deliveries left outside. If they have lunged or snapped at anyone, contact your vet instead.
They judge strangers by the people they have already met.
Every age, most of all the first two years
Why
They judge strangers by the people they have already met.
What to do
In their first months, let them watch all kinds of people from a distance they are happy at, with a treat for each. Keep going through the teenage months, as they grow more watchful.
The lift is a small box where strangers walk straight at them.
Every age, most carefully from 6 months to 2 years
Why
The lift is a small box where strangers walk straight at them.
What to do
Wait for an empty lift, or stand them in the back corner with you in front. Step aside in corridors, keep the lead short and loose near entrances, and ask building staff not to reach for them.
They were bred to work all day, and a bored American Bulldog finds their own work.
Every age, most of all from 6 months to 2 years
Why
They were bred to work all day, and a bored American Bulldog finds their own work.
What to do
Short training sessions, part of their dinner in a puzzle feeder, and a tug game with a clear start and a clear "drop". If their grip turns hard or their body goes stiff, end the game.
Heat-related illness is on their record from the teenage months, and shorter-muzzled dogs feel it sooner.
Every age, most of all from 6 months
Why
Heat-related illness is on their record from the teenage months, and shorter-muzzled dogs feel it sooner.
What to do
From May to September, walk before sunrise and after dark. Put the back of your hand on the pavement for five seconds first, and carry water. Loud, fast panting that will not settle in the shade means stop, cool them and contact your vet now.
A basket muzzle they are used to keeps a stressful moment calm.
Every age, easiest before 2 years
Why
A basket muzzle they are used to keeps a stressful moment calm.
What to do
Teach it young and slowly: show it, treat, nose in, treat, a second longer each day. Choose a basket roomy enough to pant in. Never put it on for the first time in a hurry.
Their ears, eyes and skin folds will be looked at often. Make it easy for them.
Every age
Why
Their ears, eyes and skin folds will be looked at often. Make it easy for them.
What to do
A few minutes, a few times a week: lift an ear, look at their eyes, wipe a fold, run a hand down each leg, and reward each one. Stop before they get uneasy.
New guarding often shows between one and three years, and they are very strong by then.
Most of all from 6 months to 3 years
Why
New guarding often shows between one and three years, and they are very strong by then.
What to do
Reward calm, every time. Teach a loose lead while they are small. Use a flat collar or a harness, never tools that hurt or frighten, and never punish a growl. If new guarding appears, contact your vet early.
Hip Dysplasia (a poorly fitting hip joint), Elbow Dysplasia (a poorly fitting elbow joint) and cranial cruciate ligament disease (a torn ligament in the knee) are all on their record.
Every age, most of all while they grow
Why
Hip Dysplasia (a poorly fitting hip joint), Elbow Dysplasia (a poorly fitting elbow joint) and cranial cruciate ligament disease (a torn ligament in the knee) are all on their record.
What to do
Rugs where they turn on marble, a ramp for the car, no repeated jumping while they grow, and a lean, muscular body. If a back-leg limp has not cleared in a day or two, contact your vet. Ask your vet for an orthopaedic evaluation (joint and bone exam) at each puppy vaccine visit, and hip and elbow X-rays if signs appear.
You see them every day, so you are the first to notice a change. Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM, an enlarged, weakened heart) is on their record from two years.
Every age, and weekly from 7 years
Why
You see them every day, so you are the first to notice a change. Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM, an enlarged, weakened heart) is on their record from two years.
What to do
Once a week, run your hands over their ribs, spine, legs and folds, and look in their ears and eyes. Weigh them monthly.
Four of these are in your plan. The rest you can do at home.
Join the founding families. AED 1,999 of essential care for AED 199.
Their health, at every age.
How old are they?
Their age
the first six months
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
6 months to 2 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
2 to 4 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
4 to 7 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
7 to 10 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
10 years and over
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Breed predispositions indicate an increased risk rather than certainty of disease. What is right for them always comes from their own history and an evaluation.
Before they come home.
Bully or standard American Bulldog
After the Second World War, two breeders rebuilt the breed in different directions. The bully type is heavier, with a shorter muzzle, and feels the heat sooner. The standard type is lighter, with a longer muzzle, and usually needs more running and more to do. Ask the breeder which you are looking at.
Colours
An American Bulldog can wear one solid colour, white with patches of colour, or a brindle coat of dark stripes. A mostly white puppy is worth a hearing test, because deafness in mostly white dogs is on their record.
The first six months
Their full vaccination course, microchip and Dubai Municipality registration come first, with a joint evaluation at each vaccine visit. Feed a large-breed growth diet, and keep them lean while they grow.
Puppy health, 0 to 6 months
Getting the home ready
Put rugs down where they turn on marble, and a ramp or step for the car. Choose a mat a few metres from the front door for the doorbell rule, and leave them a cool spot out of the sun.
Ten things that make their life better
Before you commit
Ask the breeder for both parents' hip and elbow results, and for a hearing test on a mostly white puppy. Their joints and their hearing are where their health record starts.
Before the clinics open
AED 1,999 of essential care for AED 199. No payment now.
For a new puppy: First 30 days with a new puppy · Puppy vaccinations in the UAE · Heatstroke in dogs
When it is not behaviour.
She'll keep drooling on your trousers. If her knees stop letting her jump up to do it, call your vet.
Before they were yours.
On the farms
Working bulldogs came to the American South with settlers from Britain. They were farm dogs, not show dogs, and nobody kept a pedigree.
What they still carryA broad body, a strong mouth and a working dog's mind.
Catch dog and guard
They caught loose cattle and half-wild hogs, kept predators away from the animals and guarded the family's house.
What they still carryThe spring in their legs, the guarding, and a love of a tug game.
After the war
After the Second World War the type nearly died out, until John D. Johnson and Alan Scott went looking for the dogs still working on Southern farms.
What they still carryTwo types today: the heavier bully and the lighter standard.
1999
The United Kennel Club recognised the breed on 1 January 1999.
What they still carryA young breed on paper, with a lot of variation between dogs.
Today
Today they have no cattle to catch. They have a family to watch over and a sofa they think is theirs.
What they still carryA farm athlete, living through 45°C summers.
The ones you type at midnight.
If the American Bulldog suits you, so might these.
BoxerThe same kind of dog: a muscular, short-coated guardian, in fawn or brindle with a black mask.
RottweilerAnother strong guardian breed, and a heavier one, in black with rust to mahogany markings.
Chow ChowA close match on temperament and energy: just as reserved with people they don't know, with a thick double coat that needs brushing every day.
Golden RetrieverA similar size and the same need for cool-hour walks in summer, with a longer coat that sheds far more.
