The Miniature Bull Terrier is no newcomer to the world of purebred dogs. As a matter of fact, for over eighty years he has been highly prized as a distinctive small dog noted, among other things, for tenacity and remarkable courage. He is a sturdy chap, muscular, active, and full of fire but good tempered and amenable to discipline.

 

The Miniature Bull Terrier is a direct descendant from the Bull Terrier and they share the same history. Bull Terriers were crossed with the old English Bulldog and English White Terrier (now extinct) in the early 19th century. 

 

James Hinks, from Birmingham in Great Britain, originally developed the breed between the 1850s and the 1870s. They are also most certainly mixed with Dalmatian, and are thought to have converged with the Spanish Pointer, Greyhounds and Whippets. (Some authors also suggest the Black-and-Tan)

White being Hinks' favorite color for the breed, the dogs were originally all white. The characteristics chosen from this mixing of the breeds was the egg shape of the head, the white color, and the small triangular eyes. Along with these preferred attributes came frequent deafness, heart disease and skin problems. At this time they were a lighter more agile dog who was used to bait bulls, dog fighting and to tackle vermin.

Color was only added later on in the 1900s when crosses were made with the Staffordshire Bull Terrier. Added as an AKC variety of Bull Terrier, the coloreds were not originally well-received, but soon found their place. The white Bullies were nicknamed the ‘white Cavalier’ because of their ability to discern pit fighting from confrontations outside of work. Some Bull Terriers were known to avoid a fight when they weren't in the pit, and were bred for the ability of not provoking a fight.

 

Bull Terriers were prized for their courage, agility and tenacity. They were rated as the third most suitable breed in wartime achievements by Colonel James Y. Baldwin, Commander of the War Dogs Training Establishment. Originally, the ears had to be cropped, but since 1895 when cropping was outlawed in Britain the breed has since been fixed to have naturally cropped ears.

At one time the smallest white bull terriers were called Coverwood Terriers. Sometime during the 1900s the Miniature Bull Terrier was bred from the smallest of Bull Terriers. At first, the distinction was set on the weight of the breed, this sometimes being no different between the two. This caused a number of Mini Bulls to be bred down so small they looked like Chihuahuas. Because of this, in the 1970s, the breeds' distinctions were set at height, making a Mini Bull to be under fourteen inches, and normally are no less than ten inches.

Possessed of such a heritage, it is small wonder that the earliest specimens came in a wide range of sizes. There were Toys that weighed from four to seven pounds, medium sized ones of some fifteen and sixteen pounds, as well as the more usual sort resembling the full-sized Bull Terrier of this day. The small dog came in various colors; some black-patched, a few blue, and others pure white.

The Toys were exhibited abroad up to about 1914, but they elicited scant response from the fanciers because their type was poor. Dogs of medium or miniature size fared better since particularly in eyes and foreface they more closely approximated the type desired. This has been exactly what the fanciers have been aiming for, namely, a down-faced, smaller dog weighing around sixteen pounds and identical in make and shape and every single feature to the full-sized Bull Terrier.

The Miniature Bull Terrier became eligible to be shown in the Miscellaneous Class in 1963, and was accepted as a breed in 1991. Breed fanciers concentrated on breeding a compact (but not tiny) dog around 16 pounds that otherwise was identical to its larger cousin. The Miniature Bull Terrier was standardized due largely to the efforts of James Hinks. Other coat colors were introduced gradually after breed type was set. Colonel Glyn founded the Miniature Bull Terrier Club in England in 1938.

The Miniature Bull Terrier became eligible to show in the American Kennel Club’s Miscellaneous Class in 1963, and was fully accepted into the Terrier Group in 1991. The Miniature Bull Terrier Club of America was formed in 1966 and is the parent club for this breed.

 

Introduction to Australia

In Australia the first Miniature Bull Terriers were imported into NSW in the latter part of 1965 by the then Vice President of The Bull Terrier Club, Mr Wally Webster in partnership with Mr John Peek. Their appearance created a tremendous amount of interest. Just out of quarantine, all were impressed by the temperament of these dogs. They were exhibited at the Royal Easter Show the following year where they both received a lot of attention from dog exhibitors and the general public alike.

Miniatures were shown at the Royal from 1966 through to 1968. There is no record of any after that until 1987.  Some 13 years later, that the Miniature was to reappear at a Bull Terrier Club show where four were exhibited.  Unfortunately no more were imported and interbreeding of the Miniature and their bigger brethren was not allowed. This, together with a tragic kennel fire resulted in the breed in Australia dying out.

In September / December 1986 the Bull Terrier (Miniature) was reintroduced to Australia with two imports from the UK, the first in twenty years, by Prior & Georgina Oldridge (Minibull Kennels)

At the meeting of the ANKC (Australian National Kennel Council) held in March 1986 the interbreeding of size type to develop the Miniature Bull Terrier was approved as per the English policy (ie: All progeny of Mini / Bull Terrier matings must be registered as MINIATURES regardless of size). Several applications to extend this have been approved.

The Miniature Bull Terrier Club U.K. applied to The Kennel Club to re-open interbreeding once again, due to increasing eye problems they are experiencing in the Breed. This was granted but with many new conditions to be adhered to.

 

by Joy Schafer - for full import history click here