**ANNOUNCEMENT FROM THE BBC President Jamie Sweet**

cc3daf839fd3dd0e8f59edf28106a1a1As president of the BBC and the Founder of Shorty Bull, I do everything within my control to keep our breed on track and moving forward. It seems lately we’ve had a lot of inquiries about foundation breeding’s and accepted Shorty Bull colors, and patterns.

I would like to announce the BBCs stance on Foundation Breeding’s. Foundation Breeding is necessary to build a breed and it should be used to bring in new blood, preserve traits or reinforce traits that are being lost. Foundation breeding is not for beginners, as its purpose must be completely understood along with the risks of involved. Risks can be lessened by the complete dismissal of 1year old’s that do not fit within the requirements set forth in the breed standard. Foundation breeding’s require ample space as puppies will not be officially evaluated until the age of 1 year.

Shorty Bulls are not created by breeding other breeds to a Shorty Bull and calling it such. The reasoning behind the 1 year waiting period is to ensure that the dogs bred, or fitting the breed standard, in type, temperament, and overall soundness. This is also why there must be an approval process of which individual dogs can be used, as dogs may produce 1, or 2 dogs that will be accepted, but their individual type will be lacking and introducing said dogs to the gene pool can be more damaging, than beneficial in the long run.

Any person considering Foundation Breeding must have preapproval BEFORE the breeding is done.

Pictures (Front, Side, Rear, Top) as well as videos moving towards camera, away, and displaying side gait, of Sire and Dam must be presented at time of applying for F1 approval.

Upon completion of approved breeding all pups must be accounted for, via number of pups and pictures. Upon year old physical examination all dogs deemed unworthy of FI status, or meeting necessary requirements will have to be altered (spayed/neutered) these dogs will no longer be eligible to be used in F1 programs. The dogs approved will be eligible to be shown as well as bred.

Anyone considering Foundation Breeding’s MUST SUBMIT A RESUME PRIOR TO BREEDING. Said resume shall be typed and shall include a detailed summary of breeding experience, your personal goals for the foundation breeding you propose and a detailed explanation of your plans with each resulting puppy. Lastly, explain how this particular F1 breeding helps the Shorty Bull breed as a whole.

Resumes will be reviewed by a panel of master breeders and preapproval will be given on an individual basis by BBC. F1 breeding’s that are deemed beneficial to the breed will be monitored and evaluated by BBC and the breeder for the first year and final decision on acceptance will be determined by BBC.

In an effort to protect the integrity of the breed at this time the BBC will not accept foundation breeding’s from any other registry.

Colors- BBC accepts all colors WITH THE EXCEPTION OF Black and Tan, Merle or Tri Markings in any shade

 

UNDERJAW –

What is it? Why is it important? What’s the ideal one supposed to look like?

Underjaw refers to the shape and degree of curve in the lower jaw. There are so many other parts of the dog we pay specific attention to, the underjaw might seem like it has little to no importance.
The underjaw is a very important part of the dog and one of the features that can make or break expression and can even affect the soundness of the dog if it is grossly mishapen.

How does this important part of head type go so unnoticed? Its a deeper level of dog knowledge and one of the parts of the head that can change the entire expression. When we begin learning about type, we learn that expression is one of the five components. We learn that type is what sets breeds apart in defiance breeds amongst other similar breeds. With the shorty bull being a composite breed, made from other established bull breeds, it must have its own definitive type. The under jaw is one of the features unique to the shorty bull and different from the ancestors used in the creation.

If you look at the side profile of the bulldog you should see that the curved under jaw that is very prominent. If you look at the French Bulldog the jaw is not nearly as prominent as the bulldog. And the Staffordshire Bull Terrier is completely different then the French Bulldog and the bulldog with much less upward curve to the lower jaw.

The ideal shorty bull should have a curved under jaw that clamps together when closed and the curve should be visible when looking at a profile of the head. When viewing from the lower jaw should be wide. The curve should be greater than the curve you see in a French Bulldog but less than the curve seen on an English Bulldog. Remember that the underjaw and the underbite are different parts. Too much curve in the underjaw results in a scoop and a lack of underjaw gives the expression of longer lips and when viewed from the front, it appears the dog has ‘no chin’ or just a tiny triangle of underjaw visible when ideally it should round out the bottom of the face when viewed by the profile.

If youve ever looked at a dogs head and said, “Theres something different looking, but i cant put my finger on it, it just looks different”? Its because we need to be looking at the head in parts and as a whole. The underjaw, the eye set, the eye shape, the nose, the fill on either side of the muzzle, the space between the ears, the prominent cheeks all make up the expression. A change in any of these features changes expression. These are the features that dedicated breeders “fine tune”. They are the very things overlooked by new fanciers and the things that affect a judges decision when both dogs are very close overall.

Hope this helps you understand the breed a bit more and gives you another thing to strive for in your breeding programs. The underjaw…one little piece that can make or break the whole dog.

Written by Jamie Sweet – BBC President July 29th 2016

underjaw
Shorty Bull Under-jaw.