Quick Facts
Origin: England
Height: 10”-14”
Weight: 18-28 lbs
Color: One or more of the following: black, brindle, fawn, red, white, tan
Lifespan: 11-13 years
Temperament: Clownish, friendly, playful, loyal
Overview
Miniature Bull Terriers were originally bred for ratting. Today they are incredible family dog, that will make you laugh by making everything they encounter into a game. They are best known for their egg-shaped head and muscular frame. Although much too small for the job, MBTs make great watchdogs and will always be wary of strangers.
They do not make good house companions with other smaller animals as their terrier instinct will tell them to chase. If you can keep a cool head for silly puppy antics throughout your pup’s life, this may be the right dog for you.
Celebrity Owners
Cesar Millan, Tom Hardy, Marc Jacobs, Kirk Hammett, Jane Birkin & Serge Gainsbourg, Max Hall, Jake McGee, Princess Anne, Josh Bishop, Lily Allen, Taylor Swift, Alfie Allen, Don Cherry, Michael Jackson, General Patton, Dolores del Rio
Fun Facts
- These pups aren’t just a small version of Bull Terriers. They are also hypoallergenic and shed much less than their larger family members.
Health
MBTs have the following hereditary issues to be aware of:
- Deafness: Deafness can be hereditary or can happen through infection, trama, or a degenerative cochlea.
- Skin allergies: Histamine, which is a chemical in the body associated with immune responses, is released during allergic reactions.
- Heart murmur: With a murmur, one can hear the irregular blood flow through the heart, be that from exercise or some kind of irregularity or valve in the heart.
- Kidney disease: Either acute or cronic, kidney problems and failure can arise from a number of reasons. Problems with the kidneys can create serious problems elsewhere in the body.
- Patella luxation: Luxating simply means out of place or dislocated. Patella is a kneecap. A Luxating patella is a kneecap that chronically moves out of its normal position.
- Glaucoma: Glaucoma is caused by when the intraocular pressure (IOP) in the eye is increased.
- Cataracts: A dog develops a cataract when the lens in its eye clouds. The clouding is caused by changes in the water balance or proteins in the lens.
- Primary lens luxation: Here, the tiny fibers that hold the lens suspended in the eye begin to degrade. Eventually, the lens can fall out of place.
- Corneal opacities: This condition is the scarring of the cornea, which is the front layer of the eye. This scarring can effect how light passes though the eye, which can blur vision and create loss of vision.
- Persistent pupillary membrane: This benign condition is caused by fetal membrane that crosses the pupil. While visually it looks painful, it is not.
Always ask your breeder to screening tests on all common ailments on both parents and the puppy.
While you always hope your pet will live a long and healthy life, it is always a good idea to invest in pet health insurance.
Keeping your dog’s mouth clean and problem free goes a long way to your pup’s overall health. Dental hygiene can be the cause or can be the byproduct of other serious health issues.
Visual inspections can be performed to keep track of the signs of potentially waning oral health. These signs can be anything from bad breath to abnormal chewing to loss of appetite.
Keeping ahead of these warning signs can pay dividends. A preventative approach can delay and stop many of the common dental problems from arising.
Oral health can be tackled in five basic steps:
- Brushing your dog’s teeth to prevent an undesirable buildup of plaque
- Feed your dog a diet where the high quality dog food has dental benefits
- Regularly give your dog dental toys and treats
- Use mouthwash, to help where brushing misses
- At the sign of any abnormalities, consult a vet. You can even do it virtually, from the convenience of your home.
Dogs are just like humans in that they can experience anxiety. The degree to which they are susceptible to anxiety and how they deal with anxiety is breed specific. Left unchecked, initial signs of anxiety could give way to an anxiety disorder. The symptoms of anxiety disorders can lead to a myriad of behavior issues.
Knowing the signs and symptoms will best equip you to keep ahead of it and to nip it in the bud at the earliest signs. There are options available to help with anxiety.
Grooming
MBTs should be brushed with a hound glove of soft brush once a week to remove dead hairs and redistribute naturally occurring oils. Twice a year your pup will go through a shedding period. Daily brushing will keep you from having hair all over the house.
You should bathe your pup whenever it begins to smelly funky. MBTs nails grow quickly, keep them clipped. Make sure your pup’s eyes and ears are clean and clear of debris. Brush your dog’s teeth several times a week.
Cost
$1,500 – $3,000
Exercise
Before they are fully grown, exercising your puppy should be monitored closely and kept somewhat minimal. Their joints cannot handle the strain and they can suffer from “sudden lameness”. Your pup will already be bouncing around enough without extra playing and running you will later want to incorporate into their regimen. Additionally, do not let them jump off furniture and run up and down stairs.
Once matured, your pup will need about 60 minutes of activity per day. Jogging, brisk walks and playing fetch should keep your pup happy. When playing with your pup, always do so in a secure area. The terrier instinct to find and catch prey is strong.
Nutrition
Your MBT will eat around 3 cup of food per day. The exact requirements for your dog will vary with age and activity level.
Be mindful that little dogs that receive lots of treats and or table scraps end up overweight. A little dog that is overweight is significantly more likely to develop other health issues. MBT can also bloat. Be sure to feed your pup in two separate meals to avoid any complications.
We’ve taken a look at some premium dog foods, high in nutrition here.
Training
As with all pups, early socialization with humans and other pups is essential. Training your MBT may test your patience while simultaneously amusing you. Keep a level head, the best form of training will be firmness and lots of positive reinforcement. These pups have a stubborn streak and have been known to completely lose interest mid training session. Do your best to keep training mentally stimulating versus monotonous.
Some owners swear by clicker training. Using the clicker specifically to mark the moment your pup does something positive followed immediately with a treat. This helps your pup understand which actions are desired and will be rewarded.
Proper training is essential to ensuring the safety of your dog and those around you. Having your dog come when they should, and in general having them listen is something you want to address early in your pup’s life, as it will pay dividends down the line. There are many tried and true training programs to accomplish this training – faster and better than you might think!
Unless you’re living on a farm, or have the space, a yipping dog, or one that barks all day when you are gone could be an issue with the neighbors and/or landlord. Historically, dogs would bark to communicate with the rest of the pack when hunting and bark as a warning shot to predators eyeing up their flock. Barking is deep rooted in dogs and manifests itself in many ways and for a variety of reasons.
Just like any habit or instinct, there are effective ways you can train this issue away.
Supplements
A solid Glucosamine Supplement for hips and joints will go a long way to helping your furry friend.
Other helpful supplements include full-spectrum hemp oil or CBD oil. Fish oil skin and coat supplement.
Ensuring a comprehensive preventative vitamin and mineral plan is essential to keeping your dog healthy. Truth is, there are vitamins and minerals that your dog needs, but doesn’t produce naturally. While many of these vitamins and minerals can be found in your dog’s current diet and dog food, the question becomes, are there enough vitamins to ensure they aren’t deficient.
Poor nutrition can lead to some of the most common health issues, such as weak joints, compromised immunity, increased allergies, and low energy.
Vitamins play a vital role in your pet’s health and overall life expectancy. Here are some multivitamin and joint relief options.
As regulations around marijuana have eased, the emergence of CBD oils for humans and dogs have sprung up.
Just to begin to dispel the negative stigma, CBD extract comes from Hemp, marijuana’s cousin. Unlike its cousin, there are no psychoactive qualities in CBD oil. An emerging number of clinical and institutional studies have shown the wide variety of healing qualities in CBD, including pain management, and the containment of seizures and epileptic episodes.
Explore this remedy further to see all the health benefits that have transformed the lives of so many dogs to date.
The Good
Funny and sweet
Great with families
Low tendency to bark
The "Ruff"
Prone to bloat
Can be frustrating to train