The English Bulldog (also known as Bull, Bulldog) is an ancient breed of British dog. The English Bulldog is believed to have descended from the ancient Romans’ legendary Colossus dogs (Italian War Mastiff).
Today, the English Bulldog is one of the most loved dog breeds, kept as pets in most countries.
Origin and history of the English Bulldog breed
Like its close relative, the Pitbull, the English Bulldog has a bloody history. However, the history of the Bulldog begins thousands of years earlier than the Pitbull. The English Bulldogs were originally a cross between a Molossus war dog in the Roman army and a native English dog during the island’s exploration. Due to his aggressive and combative ancestors, the Bulldog quickly showed his muscular strength and innate aggression.
Because of their aggressive nature in their early days, English Bulldogs are often used to participate in the “sport” of Bull Baiting, a bloody game where dogs will fight with large bulls. This is a “game of life and death, the winner is rarely the cow, but the Bulldogs rarely return healthy.
The game only ends when one of the two sides can no longer fight. Bull Baiting was a fashionable sport in Europe in the Middle Ages, contributing to the popularity of the English Bulldog throughout Europe.
To serve the fierce battles, the ancient Bulldogs had a much larger and fiercer body hundreds of years ago than today. After much controversy, it was only in 1835 that Bull Baiting was officially banned in England and many European countries.
The war dogs no longer available in the UK have followed dog owners to America, a promised land of war dogs, which was still very “wild” then, and bull baiting was in its infancy peak period. The English Bulldog was bred with other large breeds to give birth to the famous Pitbull breed.
After bloody sports with dogs were banned in the UK, Bulldogs were “converted for use” to become ornamental dogs and began to be bred to have a small, beautiful body with a more gentle and friendly personality. The English Bulldogs we see today are only two-thirds the size and much more gentle and friendly than their ancestors before 1835.
In 1875, the first Bulldog Club was born in England, officially set standards for purebred Bulldogs, and began to breed the breed widely. In 1894, similar standards were introduced in the United States for the American Bulldog English Bulldog breed (called the American Bulldog Hybrid). From 1940 to 1950, the period of the peak development of the Bulldog breed, they ranked 12th out of 155 most popular dog breeds worldwide.
Characteristics of the English Bulldog
Physical characteristics of English Bulldog dog
The English Bulldog looks very aggressive, has short legs, a wide “frame,” and is very muscular. The English Bull breed is usually 30-40cm tall and weighs 20-25kg at maturity. The head is big and round; the wings are wide, and the wider it is, the more beautiful it is considered.
The Bulldog’s face is very characteristic; the skin is wrinkled, saggy, and layered. Eyes round and dark brown, eyes far apart, eyelids thick and drooping. The nose is short but large, and the nostrils are wide and always upturned. The Bulldog’s ears are small and thin and always hang down.
The coat color of the English Bulldog breed:
English Bulldog coats come in many colors, mostly light, including light brown, sepia, yellow, white or tan–white, sepia–white, and yellow–white. There are also dark English Bulldogs, like black and white, but very rare. Bulldog coat is short, thin, and naturally smooth, requiring very little grooming.
However, there are common colors, the standard English Bulldog color recognized by the breed club and the unrecognized color:
- Recognized colors: fawn, red, white. Combining standard colors such as red and white is considered a standard color.
- Unrecognized colors: black, blue, lilac
Bulldogs considered beautiful must have a muscular body, short legs, and wide right shoulder; the wider, the better. The British Bulldog himself was born with very developed muscles. Still, to achieve the ideal “muscular body,” it must undergo a long training process with tire pulling exercises, weightlifting, running, etc. biting tires, and jumping high, …
English Bulldog personality traits
Unlike their fierce ancestors, the modern English Bulldog is gentle and friendly with people (despite their fierce appearance). The Bulldog is a very affectionate dog, happy to be gentle with children, and loves to be cared for, petted, praised, or patted on the head.
Although gentle, they can also show aggression when necessary, especially when someone trespasses into “territory.” The English Bull is also a very reliable watchdog; they are highly alert with extremely keen senses.
English Bulldogs are generally obedient and easy to train, but many Bulls are stubborn and need a tough owner who knows how to show leadership. The training should be done from the baby, when about 2 to 3 months old, for the best effect.
One trait that dog owners love is that the English Bulldog is very lazy. This makes them easy to keep in small city apartments because they don’t need much space to exercise; they can stay in one place all day and only run around when necessary. They will not destroy, drag furniture, or bite shoes if kept in the house for long.
Bulldog is also very voracious, so it’s easy to feed, whatever to eat, not picky. However, because of these properties, they are very prone to obesity; you should feed them in moderation and make them exercise a lot to improve their health.
How to take care of the British Bulldog
Bulldog’s Habitat
The Bulldog is native to England, which has a mild climate. Therefore, the Bulldog should be kept in a cool place for the dog to live a healthy life.
Do not take your dog out in hot weather. If the weather is hot, only let the Bulldog out in the early morning or evening when the sun is mild.
Most dog breeds love plenty of space to play, run and jump and the Bulldog is no exception. The Bulldog breed has an abundant source of energy that requires exercise to release. If your house has a large garden, you can let your dog play freely all day. Otherwise, you can spend 30-45 minutes a day walking your dog in the park or a public place. This helps the dog to be active, happy, and closer to the owner.
Bulldog Food
Besides the living environment, exercise and nutrition are important to the dog’s health. Like other dogs, the English Bulldog can only develop comprehensively and healthily if provided with a full range of essential nutritional groups, including protein (protein), starch, vitamins and minerals, fat, protein, and fiber. If using prepackaged grain products from reputable manufacturers in the grain composition, the nutritional content has been fully calculated. When using, follow the directions exactly.
If you have time, you can cook English Bulldog dog food. English Bulldogs can eat meat and ground vegetables mixed with rice, porridge, or shredded pork, beef, and chicken. While feeding the English Bulldog, you can observe the level of food and taste to adjust the menu accordingly.
What should Bulldogs eat?
Protein (protein) & fat: available in pork, chicken, beef…
The English Bulldog is a rather gluttonous dog, so it is prone to obesity; you should limit the fat (fat) moderately. The fat content available in the meat is enough for the dog’s needs.
Fiber: available in vegetables such as pumpkin, broccoli, carrots, cabbage… Occasionally, you can train your dog to eat more fruits, such as bananas, apples, and pears, which are also very good for your health. Dog’s health
Starch: available in rice (rice, porridge), potatoes, sweet potatoes, cassava…
In addition, you can supplement your dog with vitamins, Omega 369 fish oil, and calcium for small dogs and old dogs under the guidance of your veterinarian.
Menu for English Bulldogs by age:
From 1-2 months: at this stage, the dog is still very young, and the digestive system of the British Bulldog puppy has not been fully developed. You should give your dog soft, pureed foods such as puppy seeds for soft-soaked puppies, thin meat porridge, or mashed potatoes… Feed 3-4 times a day. In addition, you can supplement specialized milk for puppies 3-4 times a day (absolutely not using human milk).
3-6 months: This is an important period of Bulldog dog development. You can feed your dog rice mixed with meat and vegetables. Add 2-3 servings of milk daily in combination with nano calcium. Feed your dog 2-3 meals a day.
Over six months old: This is the period when Bulldogs thrive to become adults. You can feed the diet with a variety of foods, more complete. Feed your dog 2-3 meals a day. In addition to nano calcium, you can add multivitamins, Omega 369 fish oil to support the development of bones and coats of dogs. In addition, you can feed your dog 2-3 duck eggs per week.
Notes when taking care of Bulldog
- Always keep your dog’s utensils and dishes clean.
- Do not leave leftovers all day. After the Bulldog eats for about 20 minutes, if there is still excess food, take it out and adjust the next meal to be reasonable.
- Provide clean boiled water 24/24 for dogs.
- Feed your Bulldog the right amount of food. Do not feed the dog too much, leading to obesity, which harms the dog’s health.
- Do not feed hard, sharp bones that can damage the dog’s digestive system.
Reasons you should adopt an English Bulldog
Gentle personality compared to the appearance
The English Bulldog is now gentler, much more friendly, despite having a rather fierce appearance. They live happily and always love to be cared for, praised, and caressed. In addition, they also love children and can wrap their owners all day without getting bored.
Easy to train
The English Bull is also very obedient, so the training is easy. However, sometimes you will find them a bit stubborn and naughty. So the British Bull needs a tough owner. The ideal time to train an English Bulldog is when they are 2-3 months old.
Trusted house guard
The British Bulldog knows when to be aggressive, especially when an intruder is detected. Therefore, the English Bulldog is considered a reliable guard dog with keen senses. They are always on high alert and ready to attack if the bad guys do bad things.
Easy to care for, easy to adapt
Bulldogs are easy to care for and not picky eaters like other dog breeds. Probably due to this characteristic, they are among the top breeds at risk of obesity. However, don’t overindulge them just because of this trait. Instead, it’s important to establish a balanced diet and encourage them to engage in regular exercise.
