All About the Breed: Antebellum Bulldog

Also known as the Altamaha Plantation Dog, the Antebellum Bulldog is an intelligent, friendly, and loyal breed. But how do you know whether you are ready to purchase a pet and if this breed is right for you? This information is absolutely necessary in making the decision to purchase a pet.

History

The origin of the Antebellum Bulldog can be traced back to late 20th century United States, when the Maxwell family began experimenting with crossing various breeds in an effort to recreate the large native working dogs of pre Civil War Times. The Maxwells eventually crossed the American Bulldog, Dogo Argentino, Perro de Presa Canario, Alapaha Blue Blood Bulldog, and the American Staffordshire Terrier, and the Antebellum Bulldog was finally born.

Throughout its history, the Antebellum Bulldog has been most commonly kept as a family pet and companion, proving its superior abilities to provide both entertainment and warm friendship.

Today, while the Antebellum Bulldog has attained an underground popularity as an up-and-coming companion dog, the breed remains extremely rare outside of its native United States.

Personality Traits

Best known for its friendly and outgoing nature, the Antebellum Bulldog is a genuinely happy breed. These dogs thrive on strong and dependable relationships with humans, and love to play the role of guardian. This breed is very intelligent, yet somewhat stubborn and overly confident, creating moderate difficulty in initial training. As a pet, the Antebellum Bulldog is loyal, loving, and very affectionate. The Antebellum Bulldog is not suited for full-time indoor or apartment living, as it enjoys spending time outdoors, playing games such as fetch and tug-of-war, and having plenty of room to roam, run, and play.

Train-ability

Due to its stubborn and overly confident attitude, the Antebellum Bulldog can prove somewhat challenging to train initially. Beyond the beginning stages of training, this breed generally responds very well and has the ability to learn to perform most any task its trainer is willing to take the time to teach.

Establishing immediate dominance, trust, and respect is key to successfully training the Antebellum Bulldog. These dogs require a confident, patient, and caring handler with a stern yet gentle approach to repetitive exercises and tasks.

Benefits and Disadvantages of the Breed

There are many benefits to owning an Antebellum Bulldog, such as its no hassle, low maintenance coat. This active and curious breed is always on the go, and often quite amusing and entertaining to watch while at play. When properly socialized from a young age, the Antebellum Bulldog gets along well with children and other pets, known for its sweet and gentle approach to small children. These dogs are alert, protective, and territorial, making incredible watch and guard dogs by announcing the arrival of guests and unwanted visitors and serving as a deterrent to would-be intruders. The Antebellum Bulldog is loyal, loving, and very affectionate, making an excellent family pet and companion alike.

Unfortunately, there are also disadvantages to owning an Antebellum Bulldog. These athletic dogs require large amounts of daily exercise and room to run and play outdoors, especially when under the age of two years. Anyone wishing to purchase this breed lacking the adequate amount of time and space to dedicate to the dog is strongly advised against doing so. An Antebellum Bulldog not receiving the proper amount of exercise and space will often act out by destroying property, chewing, barking, whining, and ignoring basic training such as housebreaking.

The Antebellum Bulldog is known for being somewhat excitable when greeting humans and while at play. Excessive barking, jumping, and full-body wags can often lead to headaches and accidents. Proper training can reduce these behaviors in the breed.

As previously mentioned, the Antebellum Bulldog remains extremely rare outside of its native United States, and can prove quite difficult to obtain. Individuals seeking to purchase this breed often encounter such challenges as inability to locate a breeder, very high prices, and being placed on long waiting lists.

Common Health Concerns

While the Antebellum Bulldog is typically known as a healthy and hearty breed, they do suffer from a few health problems, including: hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia, patellar luxation – dislocation of the knee, distichiasis – ingrown eye lashes, cherry eye, digestive issues, cryptorchidism – failure of one or both of the testicles to fully descend, obesity, overeating, and bloat.

Now that you know all about the breed, do you think you are ready to own an Antebellum Bulldog? Remember, purchasing a pet is a big decision and should be discussed thoroughly and seriously with your entire family.

Sources:

http://www.antebellumbulldogs.com

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/antebellum_bulldog