What You Should Know Before Adopting a Bulldog

Few dogs are as iconic as the bulldog. The stout frame and wide stance, the droopy face, the muscular build; these canines are powerful, and they know it. Descended from mastiffs, they carry the demeanor of a large dog in the frame of a small dog, and they're absolute friends while they do it.

As one of the most popular dog breeds around the world, there's a pretty good chance you're interested in adopting a bulldog, so what should you know about the breed before you begin?

What is the History of the Bulldog?

The term "bulldog" dates at least as far back as the 1600s, where it referred to a stocky mid-sized dog that was primarily used for bull-baiting. Dogs bred for the sport developed as much strength as they could to fight animals so much larger than they were, as well as some other characteristics, like jaw strength, to make it easier to win those skirmishes.

When bull-baiting was thankfully outlawed, bulldogs were left without a clear role, and their popularity as a breed dropped. Some emigrated to North America, where they helped wrangle wild cattle; others were promoted as pets. Those pets have been the dominant kind of bulldog for centuries now, and with good reason. They make for fantastic companions.

Bulldogs as a breed were part of the very first Kennel Club rosters, and have been a staple of canine lists ever since.

There are also several different kinds of bulldogs. The one most commonly known as just a "bulldog" is the English or British Bulldog. There's also the French Bulldog, a more popular (and smaller) breed I've covered before, which is a crossbreed between toy bulldogs and French rat dogs. There are also American Bulldogs, which are larger, less stocky, and derived from separate lines.

Primary Breed Characteristics of Bulldogs

What makes a bulldog a bulldog? They have certain iconic characteristics and a personality to match.

The Physical Characteristics

English bulldogs are a larger breed than French bulldogs, but somewhat smaller than American bulldogs. They stand a little over a foot (14-15 inches) at the shoulder, and weigh around 40-50 pounds.

Though small, the bulldog is generally a very dense kind of dog. They're wide and broad-shouldered, and very muscular for what they are. If you think about the dog from the old Tom and Jerry cartoons, with the very wide stance and front paws turned inward, the burly build, and the jowls on the face, that's a bulldog in cartoon form.

In addition to their build, bulldogs have wrinkly skin and droopy faces, along with a flat muzzle that leaves them nearly as brachycephalic as pugs. Many of them have pronounced underbites, with a lower jaw that protrudes and leaves their front lower teeth exposed.

Unlike some other dog breeds, bulldogs don't have a standardized color or coat pattern. They can be found in a variety of colors and patterns, from fawn to red to brindle, with patterns including masks, piebald, ticked, and brindle. With a bulldog, it's more about the shape than the color making them what they are.

They're also short-haired with smooth, glossy fur; they shed a moderate amount, so you aren't going to need a lint roller everywhere you go, but it doesn't hurt to keep one on hand.

Health and Wellness

As a brachycephalic breed, bulldogs face a lot of challenges in life, and their average life expectancy is only 8-10 years. While they're around, they're deeply affectionate and caring dogs, in their own dignified ways, but they might not last as long as some other breeds.

Unfortunately, there are a lot of potential health issues that can affect our baby bullys.

• Airway problems. Brachycephalic Obstructive Airway Syndrome, or BOAS, is the veterinary term for various breathing problems caused by their smushed faces. Because of this, they can overheat, and illnesses that cause breathing difficulties are worse than normal for a bulldog.

• Skin problems. Any dog breed with wrinkly skin can run into skin problems in the folds and wrinkles, where moisture, dirt, bacteria, and allergens can get stuck. They frequently develop bacterial and yeast infections and require constant cleaning and drying to keep the skin healthy in those folds.

• Hip Dysplasia. The wide stance and muscular build mean that bulldogs are more prone than average to developing hip issues where their joints don't work properly. This can lead to arthritis and fractures over time, and requires care, medications, and possibly surgery in the future.

• Entropion. This is a condition where the eyelids curl inwards, leaving eyelashes to abrade the eyeball and irritate it. This generally requires a minor surgery to correct.

• Obesity. Bulldogs are prone to putting on weight, and can have a hard time shedding pounds because they're prone to overheating and can't sustain physical activity for too long.

Also, it's less likely to be relevant to someone adopting a bulldog, but breeders find that they generally need to deliver puppies via c-section because their heads can get stuck in the birth canal and cause problems for both puppy and mother.

One good point for bulldogs is that they aren't particularly more prone to canine cancers than other breeds. Cancer is still common in bulldogs, like it is in every dog, but they aren't more likely to develop it than other breeds.

Normally, I would mention that most of the health issues are rare enough that you aren't necessarily going to encounter them with your pooch. With bulldogs, though, almost all of these are both common and relatively minor (at least compared to life-threatening issues like bloat), so most bulldog parents encounter them at some point. On one hand, that's good, because there's a lot of experience and tips for addressing all of them; on the other hand, no one wants to encounter a problem with their pooch.

Mentality and Personality

Centuries ago, bulldogs bred for fighting were aggressive and pretty mean as far as dogs go. They had to be, if they wanted to survive. Fortunately, modern bulldogs are pretty much the exact opposite.

Modern bulldogs can be defined with two key words: stubbornness and affection.

In fact, one of the main reasons people adopt bulldogs today is because of that affection. They're friendly and loving, and will happily bond with a whole family, including other dogs, cats, and other animals in the household. They'll usually pick a favorite person (often the one who feeds them the most), but they'll be happy to hang out with anyone and are always willing to make new friends.

The stubbornness is where things get a little, shall we say, irritating for pet parents. Bulldogs can be stubborn in strange ways, and often have "selective hearing loss" where they simply can't hear commands they don't like at that moment.

There are pros and cons to these personality traits.

Their affection and friendliness mean they don't really make good guard dogs, no matter what those old cartoons might have convinced you to think. They're as likely to go say hi and greet an intruder as they are to alert about it. They're also generally docile, a stark contrast to their fighting ancestors.

The stubbornness, meanwhile, can make them surprisingly hard to train. You really need to find the right motivation and be very consistent and patient with training if you want them to retain what they learn. Be careful with treats as motivation, because the combination of stubbornness and propensity for weight gain means they might take advantage of you to end up distressingly round.

Tips for Caring for a Bulldog

If you've read all of this and you believe a bulldog is the right choice for you, what should you know to prepare yourself for caring for these dignified cuddlebugs?

Be prepared for the maintenance burden.

Bulldogs are considered a very high-maintenance breed. Watching their airways and their weight is one thing, but the skincare is the real burden.

You have to clean and dry the folds in their skin, but that doesn't just mean after a day out playing or when you give them a bath.

• When they get a drink, they get water in their jowls, and you need to dry them.

• When they poo, it can get caught in folds on their rear, so you need to wipe.

• When they walk, they can get grime caught in their toes, and you need to clean it.

Bulldog parents never go anywhere without a supply of cleansing wipes, and with good reason. There's always going to be something to wipe somewhere, and forgetting can lead to a surprisingly rapid skin infection.

Be very careful with food and treats.

Since bulldogs are short, squat, and dense, they're very prone to obesity. Moreover, a lot of their health issues are made worse if they end up overweight, which can put extra pressure on their airways or on their joints. They also have a hard time losing weight, so it's better to avoid letting them put it on in the first place.

This is especially true with training. If your bulldog gets it in their heart that they can ignore commands and be motivated to do it with a treat, you can bet they're going to keep ignoring commands until they get that treat, and it can become a problem in a lot of ways very quickly.

Slow and steady wins the race with training.

Bulldog stubbornness is a well-regarded trait when it comes to popular culture, but when you're facing it down and you're trying to tell your pup not to chew on your pillows for the fifth time today, you're going to wonder why you thought it was a good idea to adopt a dog known for being set in their ways.

Training is possible, but you really need to be willing to spend the time and dedication it takes to pull it off. They aren't slow learners, but they're slow to decide if they care enough to learn, and that's almost the same thing.

Be extra careful with exercise.

Some dogs are fonts of boundless energy and can run or fetch all day without feeling tired. Others don't have the bodies to sustain their minds, and unfortunately, bulldogs are one of that latter category.

They love to run and jump and play, and can be surprisingly agile despite their bulk. The downside is their stamina; they can very quickly overheat and struggle to breathe or cool down, and can succumb to heat stroke very easily. Even when taking them on walks, make sure to bring them to shady places or stop to cool off frequently.

Keep anything precious out of their reach.

One potential issue with bulldogs that I didn't mention yet is that they are voracious chewers. They aren't like food-hounds that will scarf down anything if it even seems vaguely edible, but they do love to chew on things until they've been reduced to their component atoms. That can mean their toys or the chews you get them, but it can also mean your socks and shoes, the table legs, and anything else they can get their jaws around.

Agility can also play a role here; they love to run and jump, but they can often be a little clumsier than they think they are. That's fine if all they're doing is stumbling, but if they run full-tilt into something fragile, well, 50 pounds of dog slamming into something it shouldn't can be pretty damaging.

Adopt, don't shop.

Bulldogs are currently ranked #9 on the most popular dogs list from the American Kennel Club, which means there are a lot of them out there. Unfortunately, from the high maintenance burden to the stubbornness, a lot of people find that the pups they buy aren't right for them and end up surrendering them to shelters.

That means there are a lot of bulldogs in shelters just waiting for a loving parent to pick them up. If you can handle the burden, they're some of the most fiercely loyal and loving dogs you'll ever meet in your life, and it's very much worth it. There's no reason to buy from a breeder with so many available; that's for sure.

Do you have any questions about bulldogs that I haven't covered in this article? If so, be sure to let me know in the comments section, down below, and I'll get back to you as soon as possible!