I have a 70-pound American Bulldog. Your OP described her very well except my particular dog is not great with kids because I don’t have any and she’s not exposed to them. She’s excellent with little dogs, puppies, cats, most strangers, and old people: cautious, gentle, affectionate. Short-haired, happy to play or be a couch slug, loves long walks, and refuses to fetch. Any problems I have with her are the result of weaknesses in my training. She’s a great dog.
However. American Bulldogs are one of the breeds that are lumped under the umbrella category of dogs referred to as “pitbulls.” You may insert a lively discussion about pitbulls and children here. I believe there are several 20+ page threads on the matter, in fact. The only comment I can make here is that I trust my dog completely and she’s never snapped at anyone. And also I’ve spent a lot of time and effort on obedience training to turn out a secure, stable, happy, *very well behaved beast. *
Myexperience with American Bulldogs is that they are family-loving cuddle bums and they’re great at guarding the house/watching over your babies. Reserved with strangers is a very good description: Curious, but not aggressive, and not snappy. Not barky, except for intruders like the garbage man, the mailman, strangers who walk up on our property, and even then, she just barks a couple times to alert me. They are very family loyal/home pack protective.
When playing with other dogs, she seems to cater to their size/abilities/style of play. Running dogs? Great, let’s run around in circles then. Other bulldogs? Great, let’s wrassle and play tug of war. Tiny baby puppy? Cool, let me just lay down and bat at you with one paw or stand with my body in front of you, protecting you from anyone else who might happen by. Favorite human neighbor with cinnamon roll? Flops over on her back for a belly rub, in the middle of the street, with traffic driving by. She actually visits people and dogs she’s met before on our walks. If you’ve petted my dog once, and she sees you again in the neighborhood, she will straight up drag me right up on your porch so she can say hi to you and offer a little belly.
Invest in good obedience training. I’m describing a very powerful, strong, smart dog who knows she is well qualified to lead the activities in my house. I had to learn how to be her leader and build trust between us and that took some work, which is always being reinforced. I have to be strong, firm, consistent, calm, and confident, and control my voice and body language. This can be too much dog for people whose attitude is “if the dog doesn’t pee in the house, that’s all the training we need.” Nope. American Bulldogs must be taught their manners or be given a job. They’re big, slobbery babies if they feel safe and secure and are well trained. If you can’t get the entire family on board with consistent obedience training, then look for a different kind of dog.
