English Bulldog

What is an English Bulldog?

A broad, low, heavy-headed dog of 18-25kg with a very short muzzle, an undershot jaw and a distinctive rolling gait. The temperament is one of the best in dogs: calm, tolerant, deeply attached to its family and endlessly patient with children.

The rest of this guide is difficult reading, and it should be. There is no honest way to write about this breed without saying that the shape people love is the shape that shortens its life.

History and origins

Descended from the dogs used for bull-baiting, banned in 1835. Without the job the breed would have disappeared; instead Victorian fanciers reinvented it as a companion, selecting for an exaggerated head, a shorter face and a wider chest. Every decade of that selection went further. Photographs from 1900 show a recognisably athletic dog with a visible muzzle.

This matters practically. The health problems below are not bad luck. They are the direct consequence of a hundred and fifty years of choosing a shape, and they can be reversed by choosing differently, which some breeders are now doing.

Appearance and size

31-40cm tall and very heavy for the height. Massive head, pronounced facial folds, undershot jaw, short screwed or straight tail, wide-set front legs. Colours: brindle, fawn, red, pied, white. "Blue", "lilac", "merle" and "tri" are not recognised and are frequently associated with dilution alopecia and, for merle, deafness and eye defects.

Temperament and personality

Placid, affectionate and stubborn. They do not do very much and they do it slowly. They are excellent with children and largely unbothered by other animals. Indoors they are one of the easiest dogs to live with.

Intelligence and trainability

Bright enough, entirely unhurried. They will learn what you ask and then decide the timing. Food works. Repetition does not. House training is average. Nothing about training a Bulldog is hard; the difficulty in owning one is medical.

Children and other pets

One of the best breeds with children: patient, sturdy, unflappable, and not remotely mouthy. Generally fine with other dogs and with cats.

Health problems

The Royal Veterinary College's VetCompass work found English Bulldogs are around twice as likely as other dogs to have one or more recorded disorders. Median lifespan is roughly eight years. Read this section before the price.

BOAS. Severe brachycephalic airway obstruction is the norm. Ask for the parents' BOAS functional grade and listen to them at rest. Many need corrective surgery on the nostrils and soft palate.

Heat. Bulldogs cannot cool themselves. Warm days are dangerous, and they cannot swim - the chest is too heavy and the legs too short. Deaths from overheating are common and preventable.

Skin. Fold dermatitis in the facial rope, the tail pocket and the vulval fold. Daily cleaning and drying, for life.

Eyes. Cherry eye, entropion, dry eye.

Joints and spine. Hip dysplasia rates are among the highest of any breed. Hemivertebrae are common, particularly with a screw tail, and can cause hind-limb weakness.

Reproduction. Most bitches cannot whelp naturally: the puppies' heads do not fit through the pelvis. Elective caesarean is routine, which is one reason litters are small and prices high, and it is a serious welfare question about the breed as a whole.

A note on type. A growing number of breeders are deliberately selecting for a longer muzzle, open nostrils, a natural tail and a narrower chest, sometimes outcrossing to do it. Dogs from those programmes breathe, run and whelp. If you want this breed, those are the breeders to buy from, and the difference in the dog's life is not marginal.

Daily care routine

Two short walks in the cool of the day. Folds and tail pocket cleaned and dried daily. Weight kept down: every extra kilo is more work for an airway that is already compromised. Never leave one in a car.

Grooming and coat care

The coat is a weekly mitt. The folds are the job, and they are a daily one.

Exercise needs

20-30 minutes, twice, on the flat, never in heat. They will lie down when they have had enough and you should take that literally.

Feeding and diet

Two measured meals, £35-£55 a month. They gain weight easily and food sensitivities are common.

Price

£1,800-£3,500, driven by the caesarean rate and small litters. Setup £400-£700; ongoing £120-£220 a month, and insurance is among the most expensive of any breed - many policies exclude BOAS surgery as conformational, so read the wording before you buy the dog, not after.

Buying advice

Ask for the BOAS grade, the hip score, the eye certificate and any spinal screening. Look at the parents: can they walk briskly without distress? Are the nostrils open? Is there a visible muzzle? Is the tail natural rather than screwed?

If the honest answer to those is no, consider whether the version of this breed you want is the one being sold to you, or the one photographed in 1910.