Bulldog

A powerful and compactly built British breed with its origins going back to a dog bred for Bullbaiting.

Bulldogs have a large head, short face and fierce appearance but responsible breeders have long since eradicated the temperaments bred for when the breed was used for sport. The modern Bulldog has a reliable and friendly temperament, loving attention and affection!

Not inclined towards exercise or fighting, but needs to be kept active or very easily cam become extremely overweight and unhealthy. A good walk, a mile or so a day, is sufficient but when sensibly bred and fed will be happy to go for a short run.

Bulldogs can be rather obstinate, they aren’t built to be pushed around – so patience is important with a Bulldog as they can take some time to comply to orders.

They have a short and fine coat which is easy to clean, but main point of care is to a Bulldog’s wrinkles. Their nose and face wrinkles should be cleaned and dried on a daily.

The biggest health concern for a Bulldog, much like any flat-faced or short muzzled breed is in relation to their airway; these are refereed to as Brachycephalic breeds. The Universities Federation for Animal Welfare describes the health concerns as: “The short-nosed shape of the Bulldog skull causes breathing difficulties and ‘knock-on’ effects which cause chronic discomfort and prevent it exercising normally.”

The condition is most commonly refereed to as Brachycephalic Airway Obstruction Syndrome (BAOS), but can also be found as Brachycephalic Onstructive Airway Syndrome (BOAS), Brachycephalic Airway Syndrome (BAS), Brachycephalic Airway Disease (BAD) or Brachycephalic disease.

Breeds with short noses have a tendency to suffer from malformations caused by an excessive of of both skin and soft tissue for their skull and skeleton. The excess skin you can see on the outside (wrinkles and folds) may be present internally too.

Find out more information on causes and common conditions associated with Brachycephalic breeds and Bulldogs.

Weight: Dogs 25 kgs (55 lbs); Bitches 22.7 kgs (50 lbs)

Colour: Whole or smut, (eg. whole colour with black mask or muzzle). Solid brindles, reds of various shades, fawns, white and pied.

Dudley, blue, black and black with tan highly undesirable.

A Bulldog should never be Tri/ Black and White /Black /Blue/Lilac /Chocolate/Merle, these are all Unrecognised Colours by the Kennel Club. These colours are often marketed as RARE, don’t fall into the trap.

Grooming:

Exercise:

Availability:

Kennel Club group: Utility

The expert view

In this interview with Chris Thomas, breeder or Kingrock Bulldogs, once he got going we were gripped. Fascinating interview with someone whose knowledge of his breed is vast!
Chris takes is through the history of the breed, from Bull bating and bandog, to friendly family pet and iconic British breed.