Bulldog

The Bulldog, also called the English or British Bulldog, is a British dog of mastiff type. It is stocky, muscular and of medium size, with a large head, thick folds of skin on the face and shoulders, and a flat face with a jutting lower jaw. The modern breed was developed as a companion from the Old English Bulldog, a bull-baiting dog that is now extinct.

History

The word “Bulldog” first appears in a letter of 1631 or 1632. The “bull” comes from bull-baiting, in which dogs were set on a tethered bull to seize it by the nose and pin it down. Over the centuries the dogs used for this work developed stocky bodies, massive heads and jaws, and a savage temper.

The Cruelty to Animals Act of 1835 outlawed bull-baiting in England and left the old Bulldog without a job. A first Bulldog Club, founded in 1864, lasted only three years but left a detailed description of the breed.

Bulldogs were in the first volume of the Kennel Club Stud Book in 1874. The Bulldog Club that still exists was founded in London in March 1875 and published a new standard that May. It is the oldest single-breed club in the world. The American Kennel Club recognized the Bulldog in 1886, and the Bulldog Club of America was formed in 1890.

Appearance

The Bulldog has a wide head and shoulders and an undershot, upturned jaw. Thick folds of skin lie on the brow, and a fold called the rope or nose roll sits above the short muzzle. The eyes are round, dark and set wide apart, and the lips droop. The tail is short, straight or corkscrewed.

The coat is short, flat and sleek, in red, fawn, white, brindle or piebald. Males weigh about 25 kg (55 lb) and females about 23 kg (50 lb). Standard weights in the United States are lower.

Temperament

Though it is used as a symbol of ferocity, the modern Bulldog is generally friendly and amiable. The AKC asks for a disposition that is equable, kind, resolute and courageous, never vicious, with a calm and dignified manner. Bulldogs are known for getting along with children, other dogs and other pets.

Care and health

Breeding for looks has left the Bulldog prone to many health problems. UK studies have put its life expectancy at 7.39 years (2022) and 9.8 years (2024), against an average of 12.7 for purebred dogs.

The flat face, known as brachycephaly, deforms the upper airway and obstructs breathing. Bulldogs overheat easily because they cannot cool themselves well by panting, and they face extra risk under anesthesia.

Other conditions recorded in the breed include hip dysplasia (73.9 percent of dogs tested by the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals between 1979 and 2009, the highest of any breed), patellar luxation, skin fold dermatitis, atopic dermatitis, demodicosis and hiatal hernia. More than 80 percent of litters are delivered by Caesarean section because of the puppies’ large heads.

The Netherlands forbids breeding dogs with a snout shorter than a third of the skull, which includes Bulldogs.

Facts on this page were checked against Wikipedia and may have changed since.