Pet Healthipedia

Other names/Nicknames:

• English Bulldog

Country/Date of origin:

• Great Britain
• 1800’s

Height:

• 12 to 14 inches at shoulder

Weight:

• 40 to 50 pounds

Personality:

• Beneath the sour mug lies a heart of gold.
• An excellent breed with children.
• Snores up a storm.
• Not suited to hot climates.
• Loyal, steadfast, courageous, determined—and all those other good things you think a Bulldog stands for.  Great intelligence is not one of those qualities.
• A Bulldog is willing to please and it will do your bidding, as soon as it figures out what it is that you want it to do.

History:

A member of the Mastiff family, the distinctive shape of the Bulldog enabled this butchers’ dog to control unruly oxen.  Later, the Bulldogs’ skill was used in the so-called sports of bull baiting, bear baiting and dog fighting, where they exhibited the qualities of courage, tenacity, and ferocity.  The dogs’ courage and tenacity remain, but the ferocity has long been bred out.  In fact, the sterling attributes of the breed were legend and it was used to give pluck and staying power to many other breeds such as Boxers, Bullmastiffs, Bull Terriers, and even the Airedale Terrier.  It has been popular as a show dog since these contests began in the United States.

Body Type:

• Heavy, thick, low build with short forelegs set wide apart.
• The head is massive with a short face, round cheeks and an enormous, undershot lower jaw.
• Short, straight tail is not altered.  It is described as a pump handle.  A screw tail is also acceptable.
• The rose ears are small, set wide apart, and are held tightly against the neck.  They are not altered.  This tiny, tightly held ear was bred so that the ears would not be ripped in combats.
• Because the Bulldog is so wide and short, it has a four-track gait.  This movement, with each foot never overlapping on another footfall, is unique among dogs.

Coat:

• Short, smooth coat lies flat and close to the body.
• There may not be much hair but there is plenty of extra skin on a Bulldog.
• Wrinkles, as with most of us, are a fact of life with Bulldogs.
• Coat colors in order of preference are:  red brindle, all other brindles, solid white, solid red, fawn or fallow, and piebald.
• Minimal grooming required.

Health and Wellness:

• Hip dysplasia.
• Pulmonic stenosis.
• Ventricular septal defect.
• Mitral dysplasia.
• Brachycephalic airway obstruction syndrome.
• Cleft lip and palate.
• Cryptorchidism.
• Ectopic ureter.
• Pyloric stenosis.
• Hiatal hernia.
• Congenital deafness.
• Tracheal hypoplasia.
• Fecal incontinence.
• Mast cell tumor.
• Follicular dysplasia.
• Muzzle pyoderma.
• Atopy.
• Skin fold pyodrema (facial and tail).
• Demodicosis.
• Keratitis.
• Urolithiasis (cystine and urate).
• Central nervous system (CNS) tumors (glial cell)
• Lymphoma.
• Keratoconjunctivitis sicca.

What you should know:

• The bulldog is more than a dog—it is the symbol of fidelity, strength, and solid values.
• The Bulldog stands for the British Empire, wears the Eli blue and white, rides the hood of every Mack truck, and lately, a red one has been seen around breweries.
• Bulldogs have been the mascots of the Yale University Football Team for almost a century.  They are all named Handsome Dan and the current one is fourteenth in the line of Handsome Dans.
• The United States Marines have a devil dog mascot for the Corps.  The current devil dog, is the first female in the long blue line.
• Want to rile up a Bulldog?  Bother him while he is eating.  This breed is very possessive about food.
• Should be watched around other pets when there are snacks being offered.