meet the... Altman White English Bulldog

Head

• General Appearance: The skull is somewhat brachycephalic in type, medium to large in size, broad, and square. It should always be proportionately to the rest of the body, never so large as to hinder natural whelping. In profile, the head should never appear flat-faced. From the stop to the occiput, the head is high and broad with well-muscled temples and cheeks. From the front, the plane of the skull appears flat and not rounded. A median furrow starting at the stop and running toward the occiput may be visible. Extreme brachycephalic skull types lacking a muzzle or dogs with a completely flat facial profile are incorrect. Wrinkling on the head and face should not be excessive to allow for a neat and clean appearance.
• Expression: Capable, dignified, intelligent, watchful, and alert.
• Stop: The stop is definite, preferably forming a 90-degree angle between the topskull and muzzle.
• Skull: The ideal muzzle-to-skull ratio is 1:2, with the topskull being just longer than the muzzle. The ideal muzzle-to-skull axis is convergent.
• Muzzle: Short, broad, deep, and full. The plane, or bridge of the muzzle, is straight. The upper and lower jaws are wide, have good bone substance, and appear strong and well-developed, never snipey or weak. There should be enough muzzle length for the nose to protrude and allow easy breathing and prevention of the soft palate from extending into the airways of the throat. The lower jaw is strongly developed and curved slightly upwards. The underjaw should never appear overly protrusive, and teeth and tongue must be completely concealed when the mouth is closed.
• Lips or Flews: The lips (or flews) are thick, wide, and deep. They conceal the lower jaw without extending well below it.
• Nose: The nose is well-pigmented, black, or self-colored, according to the coat. The nostrils are well-opened.
• Cheeks: The cheeks are well-muscled and broad but never overly protrusive. Flat, smooth, or chiseled cheeks are incorrect.
• Dentition and Bite: Forty-two strong, clean, and white teeth. The bite may be level, reverse-scissor, or slightly undershot with 1/4 of an inch or less of space between the upper and lower incisors. Missing or broken teeth due to routine work are not to be penalized.
• Eyes: Eyes are medium in size and may be somewhat round, open oval, open almond, or lemon-shaped, set wide apart and approximately level with the stop. The eyes exhibit a fair amount of skull above and between one another. The eyes should appear far from the ears in profile and when viewed from the front. Eyelids should be sufficiently tight to avoid exposing haw and whites, rolling inward, outward, or appearing “droopy.” The eyes should never appear sunken, bulged, or overly droopy.
• Ears: Small to medium in size, set high on the skull, and well apart. The ears may be drop-shaped or rose. They are never long, overly large, or broken. The ears may be cropped short, but natural ears are preferred.

Body and Tail

• General Description: Compact, solid, and good substance. The body is never racy or refined. The width at the forequarters is approximately equal to the width at the hindquarters.
• Neck: Moderate length and powerfully muscled with a slight arch. The neck tapers smoothly from the deeper and broader body toward the head. A very slight dewlap may or may not be present.
• Chest: Deep and broad but never wider than deep. The brisket extends to the point of the elbows.
• Topline: Level from slightly prominent withers to croup. The back is broad, strongly muscled, and straight, yet supple. The loin is taut, level, or slightly arched, yet supportive. The topline is never swayed or roached.
• Croup: Gently sloped.
• Underline: It is without tuck-up. The underline runs parallel to the topline. The underline is taut and firm, without any indication of sagging or excess weight.
• Ribs: Long, well-sprung, well-laid back, and oval-shaped, never barrel-chested or slab-sided.
• Tail: Set neither high nor low on the croup but as an elegant extension of the spine. It is thick at the base and tapering toward the tip. Carried in accordance with the dog’s mood, never straight up over the back or tucked. The tail may be left natural (preferred) or docked short. Natural tails are of a medium length, with the tip of the last vertebrae extending to the hock joints when held down. They may be straight, gently curved, or pump-handled. Docked tails are short and only a few vertebrae long.

Forequarters and Hindquarters

• Forequarters: The forequarters are always balanced with the hindquarters and well-angulated with well-laid-back shoulder blades. Shoulder blades are approximately equal in length to the upper arm and forearm.
• Elbows: The elbows are close to the body. The point of the elbows is approximately half the dog’s height at the withers.
• Forelegs: Frontal View: Straight, of good muscle and bone, and parallel to one another. A slight inclination inward is not a fault as long as they are straight.
  Side View: The forelimbs appear straight with strong pasterns.
• Pasterns: Never weak or broken.
• Hindquarters: The upper and lower thighs are equal in length, strong, sturdy, of good bone, and well-muscled.
  Rear View: When viewed from the rear, the rear pasterns are parallel to one another.
  Side View: Good angulation will allow the rear toes to align with the point of the rump or within one to two paw-lengths behind the point of the rump, with the rear pasterns remaining perpendicular to the ground and parallel to one another.
• Stifle Joint: Well-angulated with a good bend to well-let-down rear pasterns.
• Stifle Joint: The angulation of the hindquarters is always in balance with the angulation of the forequarters.
• Feet: Oval to round, compact with well-arched toes and tough pads.

Coat

• Skin: Well-fitted, yet supple. The skin should never obstruct the outline of the dog.
• Coat Type: Short, smooth, close, coarse, gleaming, stiff to the touch, with or without slight feathering on the back of hindlegs.
• Coat Color or Pattern: All coat colors and patterns are equally permissible. Large patches or amounts of white indicating homogenous merle genotype/phenotype is undesirable.

Movement

The Altman White English Bulldog is capable of smooth, effortless, efficient, and energetic movement in all climates and terrain. The characteristics of a healthy structure are evident. When moving away, the forelegs and rear pasterns should remain parallel to one another. When viewing movement from the front, the forelegs should remain parallel, with elbows and paws neither moving in nor out. From the rear, the back pads should be visible when the rear legs are extended. As speed increases, the forelimbs and hindlimbs will converge to the center line of gravity. From the side, the topline should remain firm and level. Good reach of movement in the front allows the forepaw to extend out in line with the nose. When extended, the width between the forefeet should be approximately equal to the width between the hindfeet when extended, indicating balance, good reach, and a good drive. Dogs that exhibit any sign of breathing or locomotive difficulty shall be disqualified from the show ring.

Temperament

The Altman White English Bulldogs are loved by their people for their devotion and their strong attachment to their families. Just like the bulldogs of the Old South, they are protective watchdogs alerting to the slightest disturbance. They are also known to be less tolerant of other dogs, so strict socialization and early training are a requirement for the breed. They are intelligent and capable of learning many tricks and disciplines. They are also quite capable of many physically demanding tasks, such as agility and weight pulling. While friendly, devoted, and great with children, these dogs are known to be indifferent or aloof toward strangers. Any unprovoked aggressive or fearful behavior toward people is incorrect for this breed.

Faults

All dogs should be in proper healthy condition, free from disease or defect. Any departure from this description is considered a fault. Unless altered, all male dogs should have two fully descended testicles.