Breed characteristics of bulldogs

Bulldogs are often portrayed as angry, aggressive dogs in modern-day media. Remember the cartoons where the bulldog with the spiked collar sits in his lone doghouse, waiting for an unsuspecting and fragile animal to bully? This image may weigh on your mind when selecting a dog, but the truth is that the nature of bulldogs is quite the opposite. Bulldogs are friendly, loving pets that require a good amount of attention from their owners.

This stereotype stems from the historical perspective of bulldogs; they were bred into exisitence to attack bulls in arena combat in the early 19th century. While bulldogs were once aggressive, the trait that made them this way was literally “bred out;” bulldogs are now a common pet that gets along well with both its masters and its fellow dogs.

The Beauty of Bulldogs

Aesthetically, the bulldog breed is handsome and cutely tough. The general appearance and attitude of a bulldog is one of stability, vigor and strength, accentuated by their thick and muscular bodies. They are short but wide and solid. Most bulldogs have thick, massive heads. (The broader the head, the more monetary value in breeding circles.) A bulldog’s cheeks extend to the sides of their eyes. The skin on a bulldog’s head falls in dense folds, giving it a pug-like, serious-looking quality.

A bulldog’s muzzle is short its nose is broad and black. Bulldogs also have rather large nostrils. Their ears are thin, small, and folded back. Their tail is short and low. A bulldog’s stocky legs support its muscular body, creating a sort of waddle as it walks.

Bulldogs come in various colors. Some of the more common color variants are red, light brown, dark brown, pale yellow , bright red, or white. Bulldogs are rarely born with a black coat; breeders consider this color “unacceptable”. They do, however, come in a combination of any of these standard colors and their muzzles tend to be darker toned than the rest of their body.

The English Bulldog is an American Kennel Club and Federation Cynologique International recognized dog breed.

The Character of Bulldogs

Bulldogs are generally kind and amiable, slightly stubborn but also courageous. They are not vicious or aggressive, and the generally carry themselves with a dignified and passive demeanor. Bulldogs are very expressive when they want to be and tend to have a sense of humor; of course, as their owner, the things they find humorous may not be the same things you do. Because bulldogs are “naughty” sometimes, they may tend to find amusement in tearing up trash from cans, chewing on shoes and furniture, and other mischeivous indoor adventures. This can be remedied by proper training and a clear understanding of behavior that the dog will be rewarded for.

When Bulldogs are young, they are full of energy and mischeif, but they calm down and get a bit slower as they age.

Although bulldogs are quaint and dignified for the most part, they also have some cute bad habits that are a direct effect of their breeding; because of their large nostrils and small windpipes, they snore very loudly and tend to drool and slobber a lot.

The Bulldog’s Companions

Bulldogs require a lot of attention and TLC from their human companions; and they don’t mind spreading the love to people other than their primary owners. Bulldogs feel comfortable and at home with almost all humans. They are very friendly with children and get along with other pets if they’re brought up with them. However, bulldogs may try to bicker with your neighbor’s pets if you don’t socialize them early in life.

Some English Bulldogs can try to dominate their owners at first; however, when properly trained by an owner who displays strong leadership they will settle into their place in the household.

The Bulldog’s Ideal Environment

Bulldogs are good “house dogs”; they don’t require a lot of outdoor exercise and can quickly settle into household life. Because of their compact size, they also usually meet the requirements for apartment dwellers. They enjoy sitting on chairs and burrowing themselves in warm blankets and couches.

Bulldogs do best in stable, normal climates and cope moderately well with seasonal changes. They tend to be adverse to both cold weather and have trouble getting cool in hot weather.

Grooming the Bulldog

Bulldogs have fine, short hair that is easy to maintain and clean. They shed moderately, more so in the summer than the winter. They don’t require many baths and only need to be groomed with a firm bristle brush. They should have the wrinkles in their face cleaned with a plain, wet cloth on a daily basis.

The Bulldog’s Health

Bulldogs are a breed created by humans dating back to the 18th century. Unfortunately, they do suffer from health conditions that we, as humans, still have to find solutions to.

Not every bulldog is born with these conditions and not every bulldog develops them later in life; however, they are quite common, and if veterinary bills are an issue, you’ll probably want to take this fact into consideration.

Bulldogs have smaller windpipe than other dogs, and because of their heave heads and long muzzles many of them have breathing problems in addition to their loud snoring. Because of their large heads, in fact, almost all bulldogs are born through a caesarian with veterinary assistance.

They are also prone to poor eyesight. As mentioned earlier, bulldogs have both an aversion to extreme heat and cold weather. They are very suspectable to heat stroke. Because of their muscled, stout bodies they are also prone to hip and knee problems and the folds of skin on their face is suspecitble to infection if not cared for properly.

Bulldogs also tend to have an active gastrointestinal system; this doesn’t hurt them, but may offend you as they tend to be gassy!