Bulldog

Generic

In the Middle Ages, these heavy and tall enough animals with powerful bodies were used for bull baiting. Dogs were notable for very broad chests and stong heads with short snouts and specific undershot. The weight of Bulldog was almost the same as the height at the withers.

More than a century ago, in 1835, in England, bull baiting was prohibited by law, but fans of the spectacular exterior and the former glory of these dogs have retained a part of its population. The first Club of breeders of English Bulldogs was opened in 1875 in the UK. So the Bulldogs have become popular both at home and in other countries again.

In the 20th century further direction of increasing the bizarre features was held. English Bulldog was the original caricature on the British John Bull: good-natured and stubborn, thick-set and snub-nosed.

The main in exterior of English bulldog is eurhythmy, athleticism and temper. The difference with the standard height of 2-3 cm is not a vice. There are certain criteria that define the breed:
- Wide, moderately short and snub-nosed head with high cheekbones and strong jaws. The snout is upturned and short.
- Thick lips, droop and form flews.
- Strong undershot - of bulldog, a full set of 42 teeth isn't obligatory.
- Ears, pink inside, large and heavy, semi-erect and low set. Disadvantages: hanging. Ears aren't cropped.
- The eyes, set wide apart and deep-set, dark and round. Disadvantages: Terriers (triangular) eyes and pink eyelids.
- Nose: only lobe is black. Disadvantages: light shade.
- The body is long and compact, well-balanced with a powerful big deep chest. Fethers require good flexibility for bigger lung volume. Disadvantages: too muscular hind legs, short shoulder, which prevents the right swing of fore leg.
- Legs and chest: shoulder is swept backwards, the front part is rough. Elbows are turned outwards, earthy pin-joint of the leg is well developed, the metatarse is short. Shoulders are muscular, strong, with wide and obliquely spaced shoulderblades.
- Tucked up belly.
- The color is brindle, solid, red-brown, white, partikolor, spotted or dapple. A "mask" or "muzzle" is suitable. - The hair is short and stiff, shiny and fitting.
- Sizes: males don't exceed 36 cm and 25 kg, height of the lady-dog is 33-34 cm and weight is up to 22,5 kg.
- The tail is curled up, like a pig's tail and tight.

Appointment

Modern English Bulldog has lost many fighting qualities of the illustrious ancestors. However, the dog kept its nature and surprises with limitless persistence. For friends the English bulldog is good humor and joy, it is very fond of children and allows them all sorts of antics. But the enemy can experience the hard snatch. The courage of English Bulldog has nothing to do with the concept of aggression, on the contrary, this dog has the ability to properly assess the situation. Bulldog will always protect the owner without any special training for this. In the history of breed - independent fighting and intelligence is above average. Bulldog is hard to put out of balance, so it is an extremely pleasant companion.

Health

English Bulldog in modern world has got a lot of problems that are associated with a barrel-shaped structure of the chest and a very short upturned snout. English bulldogs are subject to overheating, they can have vascular heart disease. They suffer from short wind so do not make them to long and tense work, don't play with them in hot weather and don't subject them to rapid transition. They snore during sleep because of gasp. Puppies often are born by caesarean section, because their heads are large enough to be born by natural way.

Training

Training of dogs of this breed is quite difficult, as the Bulldogs are independent and incredibly persistent. Thanks to the strong and quiet character, insane bravery, a high pain threshold, with special training Bulldogs can serve as guard dogs.

Needless to say, the bulldog should not be regarded as a guard, but don't enter the apartment without the owner where the dog with iron jaws and funny tail lives. A typical undershot makes an incredibly strong snatch and allows to capture with jaws to strangehold.