Below is given a description of the Bull-terrier as furnished by the Bull-terrier Club : -

General Appearance

The general appearance of the Bull-terrier is that of a symmetrical animal, and the embodiment of agility, grace, elegance, and determination.

Head

The head should be long, flat, and wide between the ears, tapering to the nose, without cheek-muscles. There should be a slight indentation down the face, without a "stop" between the eyes. The jaws should be long and very powerful, with a large black nose and open nostrils. The eyes should be small and very black, almond shape preferred. The lips should meet as tightly as possible, without a fold. The teeth should be regular in shape and should meet exactly; any deviation, such as a pig-jaw, or being under-hung, is a great fault.

Fig. 93. - Mr. H. E. Monk's Bull-terrier Bloomsbury Burge.

Neck

The neck should be long and slightly arched, nicely set into the shoulders, tapering to the head without any loose skin, as found in the Bulldog.

Shoulders

The shoulders should be strong, muscular, and slanting; the chest wide and deep, with ribs well rounded.

Back

This should be short and muscular, but not out of proportion to the general contour of the animal.

Legs

The fore legs should be perfectly straight, with well-developed muscles ; not out "at shoulder," but set on the racing lines, and very strong at the pastern joints. The hind legs are long and, in proportion to the fore legs, muscular, with good, strong, straight hocks, well let down near the ground.

Feet

These should resemble more closely those of a cat than a hare.

Colour

Should be white.

Coat

Short, close, and stiff to the touch, with a fine gloss.

Tail

This should be short in proportion to the size of the dog, set on very low down, thick where it joins the body, and tapering. It should be carried at an angle of about 45 degrees, without curl, and never over the back.

Weight

From 151b. to 501b.

To fit the present-day Bull-terrier for the show in the future will not entail quite as much time as was necessary in the ear-shaving and tail-fining days. As, however, he is a muscular dog, good hand-rubbing with plenty of exercise is advisable. The gloss upon the coat, too, may best be acquired in this way, providing the dog be healthy. The washing should take place on the eve of the show, and the dog must then be turned into a well-ventilated kennel plentifully supplied with clean straw. The use of artificial coat whiteners has grown out of a perfectly legitimate practice. When an owner has carefully washed a white dog that he has taken to a show, it is most annoying to find that in transit the animal has soiled his coat. The quickest way to get him clean is to rub on some French chalk and brush it off again. The practice that obtains with some breeeders of smothering their dogs with white powder is a senseless one, and it does no good in any way.

Of those breeders at present before the public who have done great service in endeavouring to popularise this game British dog, Mr. F. Hinks, Mr. H. E. Monk (one of whose dogs is illustrated at Fig. 93), and Mr. W. J. Pegg, may especially be named. The last-named breeder, however, has of recent years given up his very strong kennel of old loves in favour of Bulldogs, though he continues to exercise a desirable watching brief over the Bull-terrier. In the past we have had the late Mr. Alf. George, Mr. J. Oswell, Messrs. Lea, Mr. J, W. Gibson, Mr. Hartley, Mr. B. Garside, Messrs. Marriott and Green, and many others whose names the Stud Books will reveal.

Besides the parent Society, the Bull-terrier Club, there are the Northern Bull-terrier Club and the Birkenhead and Liverpool Bull-terrier Club.