meet the... American Bullnese

Head

• General Appearance: A rather brachycephalic skull type is moderate in size, square in shape, and in proportion to the rest of the body. From the front, the topskull is flat, or nearly flat, between the ears. In profile, the topskull appears long and slightly rounded and should not appear short or flat. It should be free from excess skin and wrinkles. The muscles, including those of the cheeks and the temporal areas, are well-developed. The superciliary arches and a furrow at the stop are prominent. The occiput is not prominent. The head is clean-cut and without excess skin or wrinkles.
• Expression: Charming, friendly, intelligent, lively, inquisitive, and slightly mischievous.
• Stop: The stop is definite, preferably forming a 90-degree angle between the topskull and muzzle. A median furrow exists at the stop.
• Skull: The ideal muzzle-to-skull ratio is between 1:6 to 1:5, with the topskull being longer than the muzzle.
  The ideal muzzle-to-skull axis is convergent.
• Muzzle: The muzzle is broad, deep, full, well-developed, and may be somewhat laid back. It should never be so short as to appear flat in the profile. The upper and lower jaws are wide, have good bone substance, and are strong and well-developed, never appearing snipey or weak. The lower jaw and chin are just slightly upturned, well-developed, and visible from the front or in profile; however, they should never protrude beyond the break of the lips when the mouth is shut. A very slight roll of skin is permissible on the top of the muzzle; however, a roll-free muzzle is preferred for hygienic reasons.
• Lips or Flews: The lips are broad and thick but clean and fit tightly over the teeth and jaws. The upper lip should not extend below the plane of the lower jaw.
• Nose: The nose is well-pigmented, black, or self-colored, according to the coat. The nostrils are well-opened.
• Cheeks: The cheeks are well-developed and well-muscled. They should never appear chiseled or flat.
• Dentition and Bite: Forty-two strong, clean, and white teeth. The bite may be level, reverse-scissor, or slightly undershot with less than 1/8 inch of space between the upper and lower incisors. Contact preferred between the top and bottom incisors.
• Eyes: The eyes are moderate in size, open-oval to round in shape, set rather far apart from one another and from the ears, and as dark in color as possible or self-colored according to the coat in lighter dogs. The eyes are never bulging. There should be sufficient bone in the surrounding orbital sockets to protect the eyes. Eye rims are darkly pigmented and tight-fitting. There should be no looseness, and the whites of the eyes should not be visible when looking forward. Any signs of entropion or ectropion are incorrect for this breed.
• Ears: Small to medium in size, set high on the edge of the skull, and drop. The break of the ear should be level with, or just above, the plane of the topskull when viewed from the front. The ears are never long, overly large, or fully erect.

Body and Tail

• General Description: Compact, solid, somewhat cobby, and of 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 allows for a proud head carriage, strongly muscled, with a slight arch. The neck tapers smoothly from the deeper and broader body toward the head. The neck is fairly clean-cut. However, a small amount of loose skin at the throat is permissible, never with excess skin, throatiness, or dewlap.
• Chest: Deep and broad but never wider than deep. The brisket extends to the point of the elbows.
• Topline: Straight and level from withers to croup. A gentle arch at the loin area is tolerated. The back is broad, strongly muscled, and straight, yet supple. The loin is short, taut, and may be flat, level, or slightly arched, yet supportive. The back is never swayed or roached, and the croup should never rise higher than the withers.
• Croup: Broad but may be somewhat flat and level with the back or gently sloped.
• Underline: A slight tuck-up is present, or the underline may run 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 a natural extension of the topline. It is thick at the base and tapering toward the tip. The tail is carried in accordance with the dog’s mood and energy level but never tucked or carried up over the back. The tail is left natural and never docked short. The tail is of a moderate length, with the tip of the last vertebrae extending to the hock joints when held down. The tail may be straight, gently curved, or sickled.
  
  Set somewhat low on the croup, thick at the base, and tapering toward the tip. Carried in accordance with the dog’s mood and energy level, usually level with the topline, but never tucked or carried up over the back. The tail may be left natural (preferred) or docked short. Natural tails are of a short to medium length, with the tip of the last vertebrae extending to the hock joints, or less, when held down. The tail may be straight or gently curved. Inverted tails, corkscrew tails, and kinked tails are extremely undesirable and potentially unhealthy.

Forequarters and Hindquarters

• Forequarters: The forequarters are always balanced with the hindquarters and well-angulated with well-laid-back shoulder blades. Shoulder blades are long and may be approximately equal in length to the upper arm or somewhat longer than the upper arm and forearm.
• Elbows: The elbows are close to the body. The distance from the withers to the brisket may be equal to or greater than the distance from the elbows to the ground.
• Forelegs: Frontal View: Straight, somewhat short, of good muscle, of moderate (yet sturdy) bone, and parallel to one another.
  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, of moderate (yet sturdy) 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 and 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: The coat is short, smooth, soft, glossy, and close to the body throughout. No fringe or feather is permissible.
• Coat Color or Pattern: All coat colors and patterns are equally permissible.

Movement

Energetic, effortless, and efficient, 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 moving neither 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 centerline 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

Generally happy, lively, full of personality, even-tempered, intelligent, and alert, making excellent companions and watchdogs. They bond strongly with their families, proving to be affection, loyal, and people-oriented. They enjoy activities with their people, including outings and training (with the proper motivation). 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.