American Bulldog Grooming

About the American Bulldog

The English Bulldog page is largely about folds and breathing, because that breed has a very short muzzle and deep facial wrinkles that need daily work.

An American Bulldog is a different proposition. It was kept as a working farm dog rather than bred toward the show bulldog look, so it retains a functional muzzle, an athletic build and far fewer wrinkles.

That means it is not brachycephalic in the way an English Bulldog is, the cage dryer rules are less absolute, and the fold routine is much lighter.

The coat is short, smooth and close, needing a curry mitt once a week and nothing cut.

What does need attention is skin: allergies are common in the bull breeds, many American Bulldogs are largely white with pink skin that burns, and the folds that do exist still want checking.

Not an English Bulldog, and why it matters

The two breeds share a name and very little else at a grooming table.

An English Bulldog has an extremely short muzzle, a heavy nose roll, deep facial folds and a tail pocket, and it cools itself so poorly that a cage dryer is genuinely dangerous. The folds are a daily job.

An American Bulldog retains a proper muzzle, usually with a modest amount of wrinkling on the head and none of the nose roll. It is an athletic dog that can run and work.

Two types exist: the Johnson or bully type, heavier and more bulldog-like with a shorter muzzle and more wrinkle, and the Scott or standard type, leaner and more athletic with a longer muzzle. Most dogs are somewhere between.

The more Johnson the dog, the more the English Bulldog cautions apply: keep it cool, no cage dryer, watch the breathing, and clean any folds that exist.

The more Scott, the more it can be treated like any other short coated working dog.

Say which yours is closer to when booking, since it changes what a groomer should be careful about.

Skin, folds and the tail

Whatever the type, there are places where skin sits against skin and they need checking rather than assuming.

The folds on the head and around the muzzle, if the dog has them, want wiping with a soft damp cloth and then drying. The drying is the half people skip, and a fold cleaned and left damp is worse than one left alone.

Check under the jaw and the loose skin at the throat.

Some American Bulldogs have a tail set that creates a pocket at the base, and if yours does, it needs the same treatment: wipe and dry weekly, and any smell or soreness means a veterinarian.

Allergic skin disease is common in the bull breeds generally, and the pattern is the same as on the American Staffordshire Terrier page: feet, belly, armpits, groin, face and ears, with rusty staining where the dog licks.

Grooming helps and does not fix it. Bathing with a prescribed shampoo removes allergens and calms skin, but allergy is managed with veterinary treatment.

Bathe every eight weeks or so, and less if the skin is sensitive, since over-bathing an itchy dog makes it worse.

White dogs and sun

Most American Bulldogs are largely white, often with patches, and white areas usually have pink skin underneath with very little coat over it.

That skin burns. The nose, the ear tips, the belly and the groin are the usual places, and this is an outdoor working dog.

Use a dog formulated sunscreen on exposed pink areas before extended sun, never a human product containing zinc oxide, which is toxic if licked off, and provide shade in the middle of the day.

Repeated burning over a life of ten to fifteen years is a real skin cancer risk.

Deafness is worth mentioning too. Largely white dogs of several breeds carry an association between white pigment and congenital deafness, and it turns up in American Bulldogs. A dog that is unusually unresponsive, or that startles badly when touched from behind, is worth having tested.

At a salon that means the same rule as any merle or white dog: approach where the dog can see you and do not start a dryer behind it.

Elbows callus on a heavy dog that lies on hard floors, and soft bedding is the fix.

The coat, and booking a big powerful dog

Go over the dog once a week with a rubber curry mitt, working against the lie of the coat and then with it. It lifts the dead hair and doubles as the skin check.

American Bulldogs shed more than the coat length suggests, steadily rather than seasonally, and the short stiff white hairs show on everything.

There is no clipping, trimming or styling at all.

Nails every three to four weeks, and expect them to need two people on a dog this strong unless it was taught young.

Some salons and boarding facilities have breed restrictions covering bull breeds, often for insurance reasons. Say what the dog is when you book rather than at the door.

Be honest about how the dog is with other dogs, since many are dog selective.

Muzzle training taught calmly as an ordinary skill is worth doing for any large powerful dog. It makes veterinary care easier and removes the argument.

Deep chested, so bloat is a risk: no large meal around an appointment.

What to tell your groomer

Say it is an American and not an English Bulldog, since the fold and breathing rules are much lighter here.

Say whether the dog is closer to the heavier Johnson type or the leaner Scott type, because that changes the cautions.

Say the breed when you book, since some salons have bull breed restrictions.

Ask for a plain unscented shampoo and a skin check: feet, belly, armpits, groin, ears and any folds.

Say if the dog is largely white with pink skin, and if it may be deaf.

Ask for nails every three to four weeks and be honest about other dogs.

Keeping the coat between grooms

Common Questions About the American Bulldog