Conformation standard for XL Bully Type Dogs
Date published:
ContentsIntroduction Advice for owners of XL Bully type dogs Conformation standard: XL Bully type dogs Glossary Examples of XL Bully type dogs
Introduction
Safeguarding measures for XL Bully type dogs are being introduced in Northern Ireland.
From 5 July 2024, XL Bully owners are required to have their dog muzzled and on a lead when in public.
From 31 December 2024, it will be a criminal offence under The Dangerous Dogs (Designated Types) Order (Northern Ireland) 2024 to be in possession of an XL Bully breed type without a valid Certificate of Exemption.
This document sets out the physical conformation standard for the XL Bully type dog in Northern Ireland. It is the same conformation standard that operates in England and Wales. It was developed by Defra in consultation with the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) dangerous dogs working group, local authorities, vets and other animal welfare experts.
In particular, this document can be used as a guide for dog owners to help them consider whether their dog may be within scope of the new XL Bully safeguarding rules which come into effect in Northern Ireland on 5 July 2024.
Advice for owners of XL Bully type dogs
Owners must comply with the relevant requirements and restrictions as they come into force if they think their dog could be identified as an XL Bully type. Up-to-date advice on what action dog owners are required to take and when is provided at the following link:
If you think your dog could be an XL Bully type dog, you should take steps now to be ready for the new requirements coming into effect.
Owners should refer to the conformation standard to help them determine whether their dog may be within scope of the prohibition.
A glossary is provided, alongside the conformation standard, to aid interpretation. It is important to clarify that the assessment of whether an individual dog is prohibited is strictly based on ‘breed type’, rather than breed or crossbreed. This means that whether your dog is a restricted type depends on whether it meets the physical characteristics of a restricted breed type, rather than its breed name or any DNA test results.
A suspected XL Bully type dog does not need to fit the physical description perfectly. If it meets a substantial number of the characteristics set out in the conformation standard below, it could be considered an XL Bully type dog.
If you think your dog has a substantial amount of the physical characteristics set out in the conformation standard, your dog may be in scope of the restrictions whether or not it was sold as an ‘XL Bully.’
Conformation standard: XL Bully type
The XL Bully type dog is a variant of the wider American Bully breed type. The XL Bully type is typically larger (both in terms of height and body shape) and more muscular than other American Bully breed types such as the ‘Micro’, ‘Pocket’, ‘Standard’ and ‘Classic’.
Characteristics | Description |
General Impression | Large dog with a muscular body and blocky head, suggesting great strength and power for its size. Powerfully built individual. |
Height |
|
Head | Heavy, large and broad. The length from the tip of the nose to a well-defined stop (indentation between muzzle and the head) is equal to around a 1/3 of the length from the stop to the back of the head. Muzzle blocky or slightly squared to fall away below the eyes. Topline of muzzle straight. Prominent cheek muscles with strong, well-defined jaws and lips semi-close. Often having prominent wrinkles on face. Nose is large with well opened nostrils. |
Teeth | Level or scissor bite. |
Neck | Heavy, muscular, slightly arched, tapering from the shoulders to the base of the skull. Medium in length. |
Forequarters | Shoulder blades are long, well-muscled and well laid back. Upper arm length is about equal to the length of the shoulder blades and joined at a 35-45 angle to the ground. Front legs straight, strong and very muscular with dog standing high on the pasterns. (area between feet and ankles). Elbows set close to the body. Distance from the withers to elbows about the same as the distance from the elbow to the bottom of the feet. |
Characteristics | Description |
Body | Heavily-muscled. Large, blocky body giving impression of great power for size. Broad, deep chest with well sprung ribs. Chest may be wider than deep. Topline level and straight. Loin short and firm. Generally appears square shaped from point of the shoulder to the point of the buttocks compared with the withers (tallest point on the dogs body excluding head and shoulders) to the ground. |
Hindquarters | Strong, muscular and broad. Thighs well developed with thick musculature. From behind, both pasterns are typically straight and parallel to each other. Muscular development, angulation and width in balance with forequarters. |
Feet | Rounded, medium in size and in proportion to body. Compact and well arched. |
Tail | Medium length and low set. Tapers to a point to end at about the level of the hocks. Generally assumes a straight or pump handle shape when dog relaxed. |
Coat | Glossy, smooth, close, single. |
Glossary
Description | |
Bite | The relative position of the upper and lower teeth when the mouth is closed. |
Coat | The hairy outer covering of the skin. |
Croup | Part of the back from the front of the pelvis to root of the tail. |
Forequarters | The front part of dog excluding head and neck. |
Hindquarters | Rear part of dog from behind the loin. |
Loin | The region between the last rib and the beginning of the pelvis. |
Musculature | The muscles on an animal’s body. |
Muzzle | The length from the tip of the nose to the stop. |
Pasterns | The pastern is the lower part of the foreleg, just above the foot and below the wrist. Similarly, in the hind leg, the pastern is the portion located above the foot and below the heel (also known as the hock). Every canine possesses a pair of front and rear pasterns. |
Scissor Bite | The upper front teeth closely overlapping the lower teeth and set square to the jaws. |
Spring of rib | Degree of curvature of rib cage. |
Tail set | The position of the tail on the croup. |
Tapering | Becomes progressively smaller towards one end. |
Top Line | An outline after the withers to the tail set. Viewed from the side of the dog or from above. |
Withers | The highest point of body immediately behind the neck where height is measured. |
Examples of XL Bully type dogs
These pictures are indicative of what an XL Bully type looks like. A dog does not have to look exactly like this to conform with the standard above.
Reader note: Some of the dogs below have cropped ears. The cropping of a dog’s ears is an offence under the Welfare of Animals Act (Northern Ireland) 2011.