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ARE WE BREEDING WIMPS OR GLADIATORS?
By Steve Liversedge – Stelron Bull Terriers
First Published - March 2005

From the Breed Standard-
General Appearance –
Strongly built, muscular, well balanced and active with a keen, determined and intelligent expression.
Character –
THE BULL TERRIER IS THE GLADIATOR OF THE CANINE RACE, FULL OF FIRE AND COURAGEOUS.

You just have to look at the breed standard, the general appearance and character sections, to realise that a Bull Terrier is a breed that should give the impression of being a prizefighter. It should portray an image of being a gladiator, with the make, shape and athleticism to take on any opponent. Even to the point, that any betting man would put their money on them based on appearance alone.

There are many aspects of a Bull Terrier to consider and a breeding program should take into consideration all aspects of breeding an animal that fits the standard. A big Bull Terrier with no quality and unsound turns me off, as much as a small Bull Terrier that lacks the virtues that makes our breed the gladiator of the canine race. No matter what the size of the Bull Terrier it should have the general appearance and character that makes it stand out from other breeds. 

I have brought the subject up of “wimp or gladiator” based on my thinking of late, as well as a recent visit to the US, comments I have heard about certain dogs, judging at shows and the general standard of exhibits we are seeing in the ring of late. 

At a show less than a year ago, a Judges commented on seeing, Ch. Dajan Skies The Limit at Sandawana for the first time, that he was too big for a Bull Terrier. How ridiculous!

Having taken to active breeding again and now looking at every dog as a potential stud dog, I must say I am concerned that South Africa has lost the art of breeding true heavy weight gladiators and appear to be content with breeding dogs for the lightweight division. The hard work of breeders in the 80s has all but disappeared. When last did you see a thumping heavyweight that made you tingle with excitement?

We need to take a hard look at our dogs and the type of Bull Terriers we are breeding locally. Could you imagine if there were weight divisions in Bull Terriers in addition to the standard? Say for instance, there were three divisions for dogs, lightweight (20-27Kg), medium weight (28-35Kgs) and heavyweight (36-43kgs). Now ask yourself how many locally bred dogs, that are not fat and overweight, (which many breeders and judges mistake for substance) would make the heavyweight division? Very few if any I think. Clearly we are doing something wrong in South Africa.

For me it is the lack of heavyweights and variety in selection that is having the greatest impact on our breeding locally at present. Could you imagine the problem a Springbok rugby coach would have if he had to choose a pack of forwards, and his selection options were players only weighing in at 85Kgs. All of a sudden the whole game plan has to change and you start playing Japanese style rugby realizing that you will never compete against the big guns. 

Well, it is no different in breeding Bull Terriers and trying to compare South Africa to other countries. As long as we do not have heavyweights around and the depth to choose from, we will never be able to compete in the same ring as the English. We might talk about having better heads or better movement, but will we ever proudly say, we have better Bull Terriers. Like you, I look forward to the day when we can thump them at Rugby, Cricket and breeding Bull Terriers.

I believe the problem has been enhanced over the last 15 years through a lack of understanding of type and the fact that many of the newcomers to the breed, do not understand type and how to breed with various types. And don’t give me that &@?* about there is only one type. The fact is, type still exists and plays a major role in breeding. Even in England they still talk about type. The terminology might have changed, but the meaning is still the same.

Instead of talking terrier, dalmation, bull and middle of the road type, you now see in the UK show critiques and hear in conversions, comments such as, tall and up standing (dalmation), a true heavyweight with large bone (bull), terrier style (terrier) and then the picture of perfection or hard to fault (middle of the road). The variation in type is not as dramatic as it was 20 years ago and there is a greater leaning towards middle of the road, however type still exists.

Without an understanding of type, a breeder is significantly hampered in breeding top class animals, with luck playing a far greater role in any success than actual intelligent breeding. Furthermore, when luck does favour them, there is always a struggle to progress beyond that point without an understanding of how they got there in the first place. To emphasize my point let us take a look at the breeding of some top local dogs, in order to get a better understanding as to how breeders can move away from the wimps and breed gladiators. 

We will start with our Supreme Bull Terrier, Ch. Dajan Skies the Limit at Sandawana. He is a tall upstanding dog (I would consider him a middle of the road/ dalmation type). He has bone and substance, but is not a heavyweight (bull type), in the sense that his make, shape, virtues and faults are not typical of Bull Type. He would need heavier bone, more powerful muscling in the hindquarters, a broad, shorter and more powerful head and perhaps be lower set to the ground to be a bull type. Don’t get me wrong; he is a great dog in my opinion and a worthy winner of the Supreme title. Do you get the point though? He is middle of the road/ dalmation type, not true bull type. His power and size says he has bull type in his make up, but he is not bull type.

When you look at his breeding you quickly realise that he is line breed to a dog-named Kilacabar Rolling Thunder who in turn is line breed to Ghabar The Admiral. With both these ancestors leaning more towards middle of the road/ bull type it is not surprising that this alone gives him the foundation to be a substantial dog himself. At the same time his sire Kilacabar Firestarter is equally a substantial dog with adequate bull type in his make up. 
On the other hand when you look at his two grand sires, you note the quality, elegance and leaning to a similar type to CH. Dajan Skies the Limit at Sandawana. In short there is plenty of big, upstanding type, combine with heavyweight type. You do not see a light or medium weight dog in his breeding up close. Clearly, type selection and blending is the foundation of success, with other points such as movement, quality etc playing a role.

Personally, if I were using him I would take a bullish type bitch to him (broad well filled head, good spring of rib, substance and strong thick hindquarters), who if possible, is out of heavier type parents. I would want to make sure that I have the best chance in pulling through the heavier, bull type as possible. By doing this I would like to think that my chances in breeding a middle of the road type are increased. Taking dalmation/ terrier type to him will only further dilute the bull type in his make up. “Skies the Limit” has the quality and finish to suit almost any bitch, what is needed is the right type to go to him.

Let us now look at a local breeding example in Ch. Lubjan Rock and Stone. For me Rock and Stone borders on the medium to heavyweight divisions described above, although to many people who have not see the heavyweights overseas they will tend to think of him as a true heavyweight. Which division he would fit into is not the point to be debated here, but why was he a bigger, more substantial dog than what we general breed in this country? What did his breeders get right, when so many others are struggling to breed that “type” of dog?

His sire is Ch. Sandawana Tommy Hotspur at Kinstonia, a dog I would consider tall and elegant with nowhere near the substance and thuggishness of his son. Then you look at Tommy Hotspurs sire, Frosty Boy, you find a dog that also did not have the power, substance and true heavyweight type found in England. In fact on his sires side there is very little bull type. 

The key to Rock and Stones power and substance lies in his grand sire on his dam’s side, a dog by the name of Rhinestone Remarkable. Remarkable in my opinion, was a more substantial dog than Rock and Stone himself. Broader and deeper in the chest, massive spring of rib, thick heavy bone and the muscling typically of the true heavy weights found in England. He is one of a limited few in this country that had enough bull type to have an impact on the breed.

What Rock and Stone’s breeders got right was the combination of type in the male lines. Take a look at photos and you will see that Rock and Stone is closer in type to Remarkable than Tommy Hotspur or Frosty Boy. Yes, he has virtues from both sides of the pedigree, but it is the bull type inherited from Remarkable that makes him a gladiator. Rock and Stone was a better dog than Remarkable when compared to the standard and although he displayed many of the bull type virtues of Remarkable, he was a dilution of Remarkable’s type. I mention this, as much of the breeding I have seen out of Rock and Stone in South Africa to date has been a further dilution of the bull type. It is the same old story. We find a good sized dog and we take our small terrier/ dalmation type bitches who are out of small terrier type parents hoping to breed bigger type dogs, when in reality all we are doing is diluting the size and type, particularly in the male line of the pedigree.


What we should be doing is making sure that we balanced type on both sides of the pedigree. Based on our current situation I would recommend that breeders place more emphasis on the bull type on both sides of the pedigree, but please do not forget the rest of the dog and look at the whole picture. Achieving this is always a challenge.

Look for dogs and bitches that display bull type virtues and use them cleverly in your breeding program. At the recent SABTC Championship show I saw a young bitch handled by Rina Prinsloo. Take a look at this bitch, as well as her breeding. She is a big bitch, teaming with power, substance and other bull type virtues. When you look at her breeding you notice she is a Ch. Booksale Harry Hotspur daughter. Now, a bitch like this I would mate to Dajan Skies the Limit at Sandawana or a substantial son out of him, (I am sure he will produce them) knowing that they compliment one another in type and virtues and that I have bull type on both sides of the pedigree.

Other matings I would recommend is putting Rock and Stone daughters to Skies the Limit, or half brother/ sister mating on Rock and Stone and at a later point, doubling up on Skies the Limit through half brother/ sister mating and grand daughters back to Skies the Limit. By doing this we have a chance to build a foundation of good animals, based on correct and balanced type. If you take this advice please make sure the breeding pairs compliment each other. Do not breed just for one virtue or aspect of a Bull Terrier take the whole dog into consideration, remembering that middle of the road (the picture of perfection or almost faultless) is the ideal. We do not want big lumps of nothing.

I am sure we will see more imports arrive in South Africa over the coming years, however, when considering these animals as mating partners evaluate them with the same set of eyes and evaluate their type and decide whether their type is going to build on the foundation or dilute it for you.

Lastly, do not make the mistake of only looking at the two animals you plan on mating, as their parents are just as important. Look for the bull type in both the dogs and the bitches on both sides of the pedigree. If it is not there you are reducing your chances of pulling it through in the puppies. Line breeding to a dog or bloodline can bring great rewards but over the years I have found that breeding to maintain a balance of type is even more important, particularly as we do not have big kennels in South Africa. Work with other people to achieve consistency and co-operation in bloodline develop.

Go back in time and look at the breeding of some of our good heavyweight dogs. Look at the male line on both sides of the pedigree and you will see that success was achieved by balancing type, as well as other aspects on both sides of the pedigree and in the males close up.