Bulldog Bulldog

The Bulldog is a friendly, comical, docile, and stubborn dog. He interacts superbly with children, well with other dogs, and great with cats if they understand that his food dish is off-limits to them.

It is very important to understand the special needs of the Bulldog. Exercise should be conducted at a slower pace, and discontinued if there is any difficulty in his breathing. It is crucial to keep this breed out of heat and high humidity because they succumb to heart attacks and poor breathing more readily than any other breed.

This is a superb guard dog, though it is not the easiest of breeds to train; consistency in training is important if you are to achieve good results. This is a low needs dog, only requiring his daily food and the simple comforts of home. They are short-lived, and puppies are often delivered by caesarean because of their large heads. Most Bulldogs cannot swim because of their short legs. One more caveat is in order: the Bulldog tends to sleep more contentedly than many other breeds, which may explain their propensity for loud snoring.

The Bulldog's first purpose, as his name may suggest, was in the old sport of bull-baiting. The first Bulldogs were aggressive, ferocious, and blood-thirsty, to the point that the Romans had a decree which forbid people taking a Bulldog through the streets - even on a leash! In bull-baiting, the Bulldog would grab the bull on the nose, and hold on until the bull fell to the ground from sheer exhaustion. Once bull-baiting was outlawed in Great Britian in 1830, the Bulldog was in danger of extinction as he now served no purpose. Bill George took the Bulldog and produced a frienldy version of the original breed, while still keeping the look of the breed that had made it famous.

The Bulldog, or Bandogges as he was refered to in his early days, has been mentioned in many ancient writings. Shakespeare wrote of the Bandogges in Henry VI, Act1: "The time when screech owls and Bandogges howl and spirits walk and ghosts break up their graves.". First appearing in a dog show in 1864, the Bulldog has been a popular show dog around the world. Today the Bulldog is widely recognized as the national dog of England.