The bull arab is a mix of several dog breeds, including the bull terrier, greyhound, German shorthaired pointer and English pointer. Other breeds that have also been able to intervene are the Mastiff, the Doberman and the Great Dane.
They are large, strong dogs with powerful hunting instincts, especially wild boar hunting, so they need daily exercise. Keep reading this page of our site to find out the origin, character, characteristics, care, education, he alth and where to adopt the bull arab dog breed.
Origin of the bull arab
Bull arab dogs originated in Australia in the 1970s. His destiny was work and boar hunting. They are also known as the Australian Pig Dog, Aussie Pig dog, BA, or Arab. The breed is mainly characterized by having a great sense of smell that allows it to detect wild boars at a distance of 6 km.
This dog was created by breeder Mike Hodgens who was looking for a large dog with strength, speedy skills and good tracking ability that would be good for hunting. However, he stopped breeding them in the 1980s. From then on, other breeders continued.
Traditionally, the bull arab is considered 50% bull terrier for its bite force, 25% of Greyhound for sight and speed and 25% of German Shorthaired Pointer for smell and intelligence. Other theories say that it is a mix between the Mastiff and the Great Dane or the Bull Terrier and the Doberman.
Characteristics of the bull arab
Bull arabs are large dogs, males ranging from 63 to 69 cm andin height 61 to 66 cm the females. They weigh from 32 to 42 kg It is a strongly proportioned dog, with a strong, straight back and a somewhat arched, strong neck of moderate length. Other physical traits:
- The head is not very big.
- Bright eyes colored to match the fur.
- The ears are droopy and medium in size.
- Hind legs are strong for fast runs on hunts.
- The feet are oval with arched toes.
- The tail is tapered to a point and with a length proportional to the body.
- The bull arab's coat is short and smooth with a light double layer in cold climates.
Bull arab colors
The coat of this breed is predominantly white or cream colored with patches of darker colors but may also have the following:
- Red
- Black
- Liver with red nose
- In view of
- Silver
- Blue
- Tabby
- Toasted
bull arab character
Bull Arabs are dogs Active, loyal, friendly and independent They have a good character and get along well with children and Unknown people. They are calm and balanced dogs, as long as they get their daily ration of exercise and activity, since they are dogs destined for hunting work.
Despite being calm and loyal dogs,they have a certain reputation for aggressiveness in Australia due to certain attacks on people in several states of the country. However, the Mackay Regional Council states that this bad reputation comes from people who have these poorly socialized dogs.
Bull arab education
The education of the bull arab dog should not be very complicated. They are dogs very intelligent and able to learn. Of course, you should try to curb those strong hunting instincts.
Up to 8 weeks after birth, they must get used to people, situations and events during their socialization period, which will be key to the dog's future character. The best training is through positive reinforcement, which seeks the rapid speed of learning through techniques that are not very stressful and pleasant for the dog, which achieves a faster and more effective education.
Bull arab care
Bull arabs are dogs that need a lot of daily activity, so their handlers must be committed to ensuring that they do not lack exercise, daily activity and movement.
The care that bull arab dogs need are:
- Balanced diet, intended for the canine species and sufficient to cover their daily energy needs according to their particular conditions (age, metabolism, environmental conditions, physiological state, etc).
- Internal and external deworming to prevent diseases caused by parasites, which in turn prevents the transmission of other pathogenic organisms that contain the parasites.
- Routine vaccination to prevent infectious diseases that most frequently affect dogs.
- Brushing the coat when required.
- Bath when the coat is dirty or needs a shampoo treatment.
Bull arab he alth
Bull arabs have a life expectancy of 12 to 15 years, being considered a strong breed and he althy as long as a series of care, controls and sanitary prophylaxis are maintained at the veterinarian.
Some problems to highlight in the bull arab are the following:
- Epilepsy: neurological disease consisting of increased electrical activity in the brain, due to spontaneous stimulation of nerve cells. This causes them to depolarize and lead to a short-lasting epileptic seizure in which seizures are produced consisting of tremors and localized or generalized contractions in which you may or may not lose consciousness.
- Cataracts: Occurs when a cloudiness develops in the lens of the eye, the crystalline lens. This opacity can be total or partial and can cause blindness.
- Primary lens dislocation: a disease that consists of the rupture or weakening of the ligaments that support the lens of the eye. This results in the lens not being in its usual optimal position as the lens of the eye, which can cause vision difficulties and even blindness in affected bull Arabs. It usually occurs between 3 and 6 years of age.
- Gastric Dilation: These dogs have a tendency to develop a dilated stomach after ingestion following intense exercise or craving for food, mainly. In addition, a dilated stomach can rotate, causing a dilatation-torsion of the stomach that produces serious clinical signs in dogs, such as increased salivation, respiratory distress, depression, anorexia, unproductive vomiting, severe abdominal pain, pale mucous membranes, malaise, faintness, and shock.
- Cryptorchidism: alteration in the normal descent of the male testicles. Instead, instead of descending into the scrotum, they stay in the abdomen or midway in the groin region. If not fixed, removed, and sterilized, it can cause testicular torsion or testicular cancer.
Where to adopt a bull arab
Bull arabs are dogs native to Australia, being rare in other locations, so it can be quite difficult to get adoption of a copy. Before making the decision, you should think about whether you really have the time that these dogs require daily to exercise and release their great activity.
If this is the case, the next step is to ask at shelters and protectors if they have a dog of the breed for adoption. If this is not the case, sometimes they can inform about the breed or you can investigate the rescue associations of one of its parent breeds and investigate.
