About English Bulldogs

Hey English Bulldog Lover,

Let’s take a look at the history of our beloved English Bulldogs and learn a little more about their fabled history.

The English Bulldog first earned it’s name in 1567 by our friends across the pond in England. This next part is surprising and shocking to many people who know how loveable today’s “Bully” is but the English Bulldog was originally breed and used for a pretty gruesome and barbaric sport called “bull baiting.”

This “sport” called “Bull baiting” was a form of entertainment in England (no TV, guess they thought this was a good idea…).

Anyway, here’s the scoop on “Bull Baiting”:  The English Bulldog would bite a ring that was hooked to a bull’s nose and try to suffocate the bull (yikes!). At some point down the road Bull baiting was called a “barbaric sport” (shocker right?) and was banned in 1835.

The great news was that English Bulldog had the aggressiveness breed out of it and breed to be a family pet and a show dog.

English Bulldog Body Type

English Bulldog’s are known to be be short in stature but very stocky (looking like modern day powerlifters!!).  🙂

Another well known characteristic of an English Bulldog is it’s darn cute and extremely wrinkly face – “a face only a mother can love” as the saying goes!  The English Bulldog breed comes in a variety of coat colors from white to brindle.

Some stats about “The Bully” Breed:

A mature English Bulldog male  and female weighs from 55 – 80 pounds and is 12 – 16 inches long.  Although I must say this general stat is not 100% true as my 4 year old female English Bulldog who was the pick of the litter weighs in at only 43 pounds.  She is in really great physical condition though!

English Bulldogs Family Friendly? But of Course!!

English Bulldogs are phenomenal family pets, very loving, trainable, loyal and get along with children very well. As a general rule, English Bulldogs have absolutely no problem being around other pets or environments where there may be a crowd of people. My English Bulldog Noble is VERY social (a regular ‘Social Butterfly’ and she absolutely HAS to say ‘hi’ to every single person we see out walking around the neighborhood and town).  Unlike some other bull breed dogs the English Bulldog is a very playful and charismatic dog with TONS of personality!!!  😉

Bullies Can’t Stand The Heat!  English Bulldog Heat Exhaustion

My bully LOVES laying in the sun BUT let’s just say the breed as a whole are not big fans of prolonged bouts of heat.  The English Bulldog, just like their smaller French Bulldog counterparts, just can’t handle long periods of time in the heat. ‘Bullies’ can easily overheat and get fatigued really quickly in the direct sunlight. The breed tends to prefer cooler climates which makes it a necessity to be an inside dog.  I live in the Northeast in New Hampshie so its a perfect environment with our cooler summers and VERY COOL winters….

Snore, snore, snore…. So English Bulldogs Snore?

If you like quiet nights of sleep this may not be the dog for you….  😉

Bulldogs tend to breathe and snore very heavily (give em a break, they have short snouts!) and this is a trait you will need to just get used to. Along with the snoring English Bulldogs pass gas and some can be prone to drool.  I have personally found keeping my English Bulldog’s food healthy has really helped with this “gas” problem.

Hit the gym for a workout with your English Bulldog!

Just as you should stay physically active and take care of your own body you will need to exercise you English Bulldog to maintain its health and fitness levels (that’s the personal trainer in my coming out). If your “Bully” doesn’t receive regular exercise he/she will gain weight which in turn could lead to serious health problems.  I’ve always been really good about feeding my Bulldog an all organic food diet and walking and/or playing with her every day and the Vet is always amazed at how great her physical condition is!

A healthy Bulldog will live about 10 – 11 happy years that you will treasure! English Bulldog Lifespan

English Bulldogs can potentially suffer from several health problems that may need to be addressed. This is why some Vets recommend that you not consider buying an English Bulldog unless you are absolutely willing to put in the time and care for your Bully.  Two health problems that English Bulldogs are prone to is hip dysplasia and elongated soft palate.

Hip dysplasia is a genetic flaw that is caused from abnormal hip joint development when a puppy. This will cause the Bulldog to walk stiff or almost look like it is bunny hopping when trying to walk. Hip dysplasia can be corrected through a surgical operation that can be expensive.

When a Bulldog has an elongated soft palate this will cause labored breathing. The palate can be corrected by surgery and should be an easy fix if detected early. This is generally an easy fix and is not to expensive when compared to the corrective surgery for hip dysplasia.

Beauty Care for Your Bulldog?

While those face wrinkles are cute as hell one last area that will need attention is the folds on the English Bulldogs face. These folds need to be regularly cleaned and checked for any hot spots or sores. They tend to get filled with dirt and anything else the Bulldog rubs it’s face in.

You Will Love Your English Bulldog

An English Bulldog is a wonderful pet and will bring you many years of happiness if you take great care of it!  I would not recommend a Bulldog for a first time pet owner unless you are ready for the responsibility or a medium – high maintenance pet.  With that said, if you take great care of your ‘Bully’ I think you will come to love this Breed as much as I do!!

Enjoy!!

 

 

PS – What’s your favorite thing about the English Bulldog breed?  Post your comment below!