Banter Bulldogge - History and Breed Standard
Breed History
The Banter Bulldogge was developed by Mr. Tripp of Southeast United States in the late 1990’s. Tripp’s vision was to re-create the Brabanter Bullenbeisser of the 1700’s that was found in the central Belgium province known as Brabant. A strong working dog with a bully build, there legs still underneath them the Banter Bulldogges range from 50-85 lbs with a slight under bite and mostly solid in color with minimal amount of white.
His foundation consisted of dogs that were a combination of boxer and various other working bull breeds. Most importantly of all was the regularity of using a percentage of Boxer in the foundation brood stock. Mr. Tripp was very discriminate in the choosing of dogs to form the foundation of his Banter Bulldogge breeding program. A great deal of research, thought and selective breeding was involved before he reached his final goal.
The Brabanter Bullenbeisser was the small Bullenbeisser that was found as a family and working dog in the 1700’s and early 1800’s. The Brabanter Bullenbeisser was the smaller more bully type of mastiff that was used to create the modern day Boxer in conjunction with other larger Bavarian mastiffs and the obvious infusion of the “Old Time English Bulldogge’s”. It is also widely known that the Brabanter carried very little if any white until the 1830’s when the first English type Bulldogge was first imported into Germany.
Breed Standard
The IOEBA’s official Banter Bulldogge breed standard is a detailed written description of the perfect “type” or “flawless” Banter Bulldogge.
A well written, detailed breed standard is a very effective tool that can be used to assists Banter Bulldogge breeders in the selection process and evaluation of Banter Bulldogge that are being considered for a structured breeding program or as a possible conformation show participant.
It is important that Banter Bulldogge breeders understand and use the IOEBA’s official Olde Banter Bulldogge breed standard, as the offspring they produce will have an impact on the Banter Bulldogge breed in the future for many generations.
The goal of all reputable Banter Bulldogge breeders is to achieve perfection as far as correct breed type, health and temperament.
All IOEBA conformation judges use the IOEBA’s official Banter Bulldogge breed standard as a guide to give themselves a mental picture of breed perfection by which they select future IOEBA conformation champions.
General Description : The Banter Bulldogge should be a powerfully built, athletic, muscular mid-sized dog with minimal white. A strong working dog with a bully build, there legs still underneath them they are 50-85 lbs, this is keeping in a range that the Brabanter Bullenbeisser was believed to be when it was still around. Banter Bulldogges have a slight under bite and are mostly solid in color with minimal white and will compare to the old Molosser dogs of the area of Brabant that were known as the Brabanter Bullenbeisser. Most of all they continue to be a working breed and should be proven at every opportunity.
Head : Square and muscular. The head should have a pronounced stop between skull and muzzle with the top of the skull mostly flat with strong muscular jaws. Fault : Narrow or long.
Ears : Short either drop or rose. Ears may be cropped, of no major importance.
Muzzle : Bite should be slight under bite. Good strong teeth, with impressive canines. The muzzle should not be upturned therefore allowing un-restrained breathing. Fault : Muzzle too long, scissor or even bite
Eyes : Rounded almond eyes that are wide set with a wrinkled brow for a look of heavy concentration. Any color is acceptable.
Nose : Balanced to muzzle, clean and free breathing. Black or dark red. Fault : Completely pink nose (a small amount is acceptable).
Neck : Well-muscled thick high neck blending into very muscular strong forelimbs.
Chest : Impressive strong chest should come down to meet elbows. Should appear square and not overly exaggerated. Chest should have spring to it to allow for heavy intake of air. Fault : Too narrow in the chest.
Back : Should have a slight arch with a high set tail. Well muscled above shoulders.
Legs : Should not be “stubby” or “lanky” but have a nice balance of height compared to the length of the body to keep “Performance” in this breed.
Front legs – Are muscular and well defined.
Rear legs – Are very muscular for strong bouncing leaps and superior pulling power. The leg is slightly shorter than body is long. Rear should appear to be very square. Fault : Bowing or turned out resulting in poor movement.
Feet : Compact, round and the pasterns should be strong. Fault : Down in the pasterns or splayed feet.
Height : Males 21-24 inches; Females 20-23 inches
Weight : Males 50 – 85 lbs; Females 50 – 75 lbs. Fault : Dogs excessively above or below the standard weight.
Color : Fawn, black, red, brindle of all types, with or without black mask. All colors can posses various amounts of white up to 30%.
Coat : The coat should be short and smooth.
Tail : Set high, naturally reaches near the hock. Preferred to be docked, of no major importance.
Temperament : Easy to train and very obedient. The Banter Bulldogge should be excellent with children and always loyal to its family. It is a good watchdog and will bark to alarm of danger or to scare off trespassers. Always ready to protect if necessary. Banter Bulldogges have a lower energy level indoors than out, however Banter Bulldogges do need to get a good workout or their energy can become built up. Banter Bulldogges are a ruff and tuff dog playing and are fine with other dogs as long as they have been properly socialized. A fun dog with its family always eager for play time and is smart enough to know when play time is over.