Dog Breed Guide

Miniature Bull Terrier

Profile

Size

Small

Country of origin

United Kingdom

Origin

19th century

Bred for

Companion (formerly ratting)

Height

35.5cm (14in) and under

Weight

9 - 15kg (20 - 33lb)

Life span

11 - 14 years

It looks just like a shrunken Bull Terrier, with the same egg-shaped head and small triangular eyes. Small as it is, it is solid and muscular and much stronger than it looks. It comes in white and colored.

Cheerful, mischievous and fond of play, it is a natural comedian. It is very affectionate with its family and always wants to be near them. It also has a stubborn side, so training takes patience and creativity.

Its handy size makes it easy to keep indoors, but it has energy to spare, so daily walks and play are a must. Lens luxation (a displacement of the lens of the eye), kidney disease and deafness in white dogs are concerns.

Good to know

In 19th-century Britain there were small dogs among the Bull Terriers, valued as quick and expert ratters. Tiny dogs weighing less than 2kg were recorded at the time. But their numbers plunged during World War I, and by 1918 the Kennel Club had removed them from its register, leaving them all but extinct. The few that remained were registered as Bull Terriers, and a group of fanciers led by Colonel Richard Glyn picked out the small dogs among them and rebuilt the breed.

A breed club was formed in 1938, and in 1939 the Kennel Club recognized it as a breed separate from the Bull Terrier. At that time a height limit of 35.5cm (14in) was set, and that size is still the breed's guideline today.

The only real difference from the Bull Terrier is size. The American Kennel Club also recognized it as a breed in its own right in 1991.