STANDARD THE COAT

"The COAT should be short, flat harsh to the touch with a fine gloss. The dog's skin should fit tightly. The COLOR is white though markings on the dog's head are permissible. Any markings elsewhere are to be severely faulted. Skin pigmentation is not to be penalized."

Discussion

While hair texture is not generally regarded as important in the overall picture of the ideal Bull Terrier, a thin, patchy or dull coat detracts from the impression of a vibrant, healthy animal. Coats marred by bouts with allergies are also a sign of less than ideal health in addition to being unsightly. Ticking, which occurs in the undercoat and is more prevalent in the thicker winter coat, is a fault as described in the standard. The severity of the fault can be minimal, with a few odd ticks in the undercoat, or more heavily penalized if the coat is heavily ticked. Mismarks, involving both the undercoat and the longer guard hairs, are also a fault which carries a penalty under the rules of this Standard. Skin pigmentation, which takes the form of dark spots on the skin which show through the white hair in a thin coat, are not to be penalized. It has been the usual practice, when judging Bull Terriers, to view light ticking and small mismarks as a relatively minor fault in an otherwise worthy animal, and while it is important to be aware of the desirability of a clear coat in our visualization of the ideal Bull Terrier , it is also important not to "throw the baby out with the bathwater" and disregard an otherwise virtuous animal due to minor coat faults.

A correct topline, tailset and carriage. The tail is broad at the base and tapers to a point. It does not reach beyond the hock when held downward against the back of the hind leg.	A short croup with high set-on tail, with a high or "gay" carriage.	An extremely high set "gay" tail set on a flat, shallow croup..