EBT & Min EBT

[Bullrover]

Reading one of my old books from 1945 I came across a couple of interesting pics of a Bull Terrier and a Miniature Bull Terrier. I like the look of both dogs but the Min BT looks very different from todays dogs. The interesting bit was Bull Terriers at 15lb and Min BTs at 8 - 12lb.

Does anyone know if this is historically correct?

[hogdog]

In 1945 the Bull Terrier was well into it's 'development' by the Kennel club and the heights and weights you see there are just made up to fit certain parameters that the K.C has picked out of the air, they're nothing to do with James Hinks' vision.

The miniature Bull Terrier was always very small and quite different in shape to the standard, it resembled the White Terrier more than the standard Bull Terrier...can't tell you why that is other than fashion.

What I find surprising is the height to weight ratios of the standard dog, Sonny is 22" and most would consider him a lightly built Bull Terrier, he weighs 60 lb and the weight max for a dog of his height would have been 50lbs, that would be a very lightly built dog, much lighter than the dog you see pictured. In fact it's not for far off running dog proportions.

I wouldn't take these proportions as being representative of the breed, they're just parameters dreamed up by the K.C to suit their own wants, the Bull Terrier has always shown diversity of size and I'd personally not split them into two different catagories, a Bull terrier is a Bull Terrier regardless of size.

[orangepeel]

i have seen a preserved dog, white Bull and Terrier which weighed 9lb from i believe 1920. Have to say i dont think these sizes were dreamed up by the KC. The book is not stating this is what they should be rather what they were primarily around this time. The type of the dog dictated the work type of the day.

[hogdog]

I don't think the dog's size was a result of K.C's interference but rather that of fashion or indeed purpose. I'm sure they would have been used for ratting like most other Terriers and that would have meant smaller dogs were required, whether dogs of 8lbs make great ratters I couldn't tell you but I would suspect not and that's why I suspect an element of fashion in the breeding. I don't think Hinks would have recognised them as the dogs he bred anyway.

The K.C's involvement would have been to catagorise them which is what I really dislike, if they're all bred from the same stock then surely they're the same dog, I don't understand how a 14lb and a 15lb dog of the same type could be considered different breeds.

[orangepeel]

reads like a tidy little dog to me, I would love a 12" 12-14lb bully.