The Veterinarian’s Guide to Bulldogs: Facts, Care, and Training Tips

This breed has a distinctive look that can be spotted in any dog park, and has been loved by many since its origin in 1210. The Bulldog, likewise known as the British Bulldog or English Bulldog, was first bred as a bull baiting dog as they are a stocky and strong breed. Since then the sport has been banned, and the Bulldog has been bred for its physical features and its temperament.

• There are more Bulldogs other than the British Bulldog! This loveable breed can be found all over the world with their own unique features from the American Bulldog to the Australian Bulldog. The tiniest of the bulldog family, French Bulldogs are also a part of this bread family.
• Bulldogs are susceptible to many different health conditions, so it is important to look into pet insurance as soon as possible! We recommend taking out pet insurance before bringing your Bulldog home to avoid missing out on cover for pre-existing conditions.

Appearance: Bulldogs have a distinctive look that makes them extremely recognisable. This breed is characterised by their large head, smooth coat, small ears, face wrinkles and stocky build. You can expect your Bulldog to reach anywhere from 18 to 25 kilograms, depending on their gender, along with 31 to 40 centimetres tall.

Temperament: This breed has a gentle temperament, and is known for being a quiet and loveable companion. Whilst they are friendly to other dogs, Bulldogs are a people-oriented breed, making them the perfect family pet.

Activity Level: Bulldogs are the perfect breed for a moderate-to-low energy household, as this breed loves your attention more than it does a long walk. However, we recommend at least 20 minutes of exercise a day to keep them healthy, and preferably in cooler temperatures to avoid overheating.

Health: As a brachycephalic breed, meaning that the dog has a short head and snout, Bulldogs are susceptible to a range of health issues regarding their respiratory system, along with not being able to regulate their body temperature through panting.

Additionally, Bulldogs are susceptible to other health conditions such as hip dysplasia and shoulder luxation. However, we will cover how to detect and manage these concerns throughout this guide.

Lifespan: The average lifespan of a Bulldog is 8 to 10 years of age. Through properly caring for your dog, and remaining consistent with your veterinarian visits, you can spend as long as possible with this loveable pup!

Whilst this breed may look low-maintenance due to their shorter coat, it is important to properly groom your Bulldog daily to avoid any discomfort or possible issues for your dog. Bulldogs are known to have fine, short and smooth hair that is relatively easy to maintain, but it is important to clean their facial wrinkles to avoid your pup becoming uncomfortable.

Shedding patterns: Compared to some other long-haired and shedding-prone breeds, the shedding frequency of a Bulldog is minimal! With their short and fine coat, you can expect moderate-to-minimal shedding from your Bulldog day-to-day. However, when the weather starts to warm up in Spring, you can expect your Bulldog to lose more hair than usual as they are shedding their winter coat.

To maintain the shedding of your Bulldog, and to keep them looking fresh in between bath times, we recommend brushing your dog with a gentle dog brush at least once a week to avoid irritation of the skin, but to still keep any shedding in check.

Bathing tips: Even though you want your dog smelling and looking fresh all-year long, we only recommend bathing your Bulldog once every couple of weeks, or even once every few months. By over-bathing your dog, natural oils that protect their skin and keep their coat healthy can be stripped away.

When you bathe your Bulldog, we recommend a gentle dog shampoo to avoid any irritation of the skin. You can follow this with a gentle dog conditioner to help bring moisture back into your dog’s skin and coat. Whilst you’ve got your dog in the tub, we also recommend gently cleaning their facial wrinkles with this shampoo, and drying them thoroughly.

Nails & teeth: Beyond maintaining their soft coat, it is also important for you to maintain your Bulldog’s nails and teeth. Similar to all dog breeds, it is essential that you keep on top of their nail care to avoid any discomfort for your pup. We recommend using high quality nail trimmers to take care of this at home, or bring your Bulldog into a groomer to maintain them professionally.

Additionally, we recommend paying attention to your dog’s dental health. By investing in a dog toothbrush and dog toothpaste to brush your Bulldog’s teeth a few times a week, you can make sure your pup’s pearly whites are healthy for years to come.

Daily grooming: With their wrinkly faces, it is extremely important to check your Bulldog’s face wrinkles daily to ensure they are clean and free from bacteria. Whilst we only recommend cleaning their face wrinkles at least once a week with a damp cloth, you should get into the habit of checking your dog’s face daily to make sure there is no food or water buildup in their face wrinkles.

Due to the physical features of this breed, Bulldogs are often susceptible to a range of health conditions. It is important to stay informed on these conditions, along with the best way to address and accommodate them to ensure your Bulldog lives a happy and healthy life.

Brachycephalic airway syndrome (BAS): As a result of their short muzzle and “squished” facial structure, Bulldogs are prone to respiratory issues such as Brachycephalic airway syndrome, otherwise known as BAS. This condition leads to the obstruction or collapse of the airways, making it more difficult for your pup to breathe. This condition is often heightened through laboured breathing as a result of high heats or excessive exercise, so be sure to keep your Bulldog cool, and regulate their exercise.

Eye conditions: A very common eye condition for this breed is prolapsed nictitating membrane gland, otherwise known as cherry eye. This condition involves your Bulldog’s third eyelid becoming displaced, resulting in a pink swollen mass in the corner of their eye. Whilst this condition can sometimes resolve itself, we recommend taking your pup to a trusted veterinarian to correct this issue as soon as possible to avoid further irritation.

Skin fold dermatitis: With their facial and skin folds, Bulldogs are more prone to skin irritation and infections. This can be due to water and debris becoming trapped in skin folds, along with potential allergies. This can lead to further infections on your dog’s skin, or excessive irritation leading to itching and discomfort. 

We recommend that you always keep an eye out for excessive itching or uncomfortable behaviour in your Bulldog, along with regularly cleaning their skin folds to avoid any bacteria buildup.

Bulldogs have a well-known reputation for being stubborn and hard-headed when it comes to training them. However, this does not mean they are un-trainable! When matched with their friendly personality, you can train your Bulldog in many basic commands.

Intelligence: Whilst Bulldogs are not known for their intellect, they have a strong emotional intelligence. This means that this breed adapts easily to new situations, and is bound to create a special bond with people in their life.

However, Bulldogs aren’t as natural to obedience intelligence compared to some other breeds. Through persistence and patience, your Bulldog can learn basic commands such as “sit” and “stay”, and can continue to learn more commands with time.

Socialisation: Socialising your dog in their puppy-hood is always recommended to have a well-rounded and happy dog. By introducing your Bulldog to other dogs and new people in a safe environment at an early age, you are giving your dog the best chance at being comfortable and friendly around others.

A great way to introduce your new Bulldog to other dogs and people safely is at your local puppy school. Many veterinary practices run puppy school classes, and they are a secure setting for your dog to not only meet other dogs, but also learn some basic commands.

Common training issues: As your Bulldog grows into adulthood, it can become more difficult to train them. Therefore, we recommend that you introduce your Bulldog puppy to training as soon as possible.

Along with their stubbornness, Bulldog’s can have trouble with toilet-training. If you leave this training long after their puppy-hood, it will become increasingly more difficult to properly toilet train them.

We ultimately recommend starting to train your Bulldog at an early age, and to remain consistent with positive reinforcement practices such as treats or repetitive positive commands.

Whilst some owners may think that their Bulldog doesn’t require exercise during the day due to their lazy and laid back nature, it is still important that your dog receives daily exercise to avoid unhealthy weight gain. However, you need to keep their varying health conditions in mind to ensure they don’t overheat from excessive exercise.

Short walks: To get your Bulldog up from napping on the couch, we recommend taking them on short walks throughout the day. With a recommended total amount of walking time of 30 minutes per day, we recommend splitting this time evenly between two 15 minute walks. By keeping walking time shorter, you can avoid your pup overheating.

Play sessions: As this breed is susceptible to overheating, we recommend spending some time indoors with your Bulldog. This is a great time to encourage frequent play sessions, especially with their favourite game, tug-of-war. Bulldogs are known for loving playing this game with their owners, and we recommend investing in a durable rope toy to ensure that your dog can enjoy playing this with you daily. 

Avoid overheating: When the weather starts to warm up, it is important to understand that your Bulldog is more susceptible to overheating. Due to their facial structure, it is more difficult for them to regulate their body temperature, meaning that it is vital that they have access to a shady spot and water. During walks or play sessions, be on the lookout for excessive panting and lethargy, and take your Bulldog into a cooler spot when needed.

Whilst this loveable breed is the perfect family companion, they can have some trouble with understanding they aren’t the leader of the pack. Bulldogs are well-known for being stubborn, so it is important to tackle this behaviour early on in your pup’s life to ensure it doesn’t lead to progressive unwanted behaviours.

Stubbornness: One of the most prominent personality traits in a Bulldog is that they are very head-strong. This can make them stubborn and unwilling to follow your command, especially when they don’t view you as the leader of the pack.

It is important to establish your authority with your Bulldog from the moment they are brought home. To do this, we recommend remaining consistent with your actions. This includes repetitiveness with commands, along with showing that you mean what you say. However, throughout training your Bulldog’s stubbornness, we emphasise our recommendation to continue positive reinforcement training methods.

Resource guarding: Stemming from their stubborn nature, Bulldogs can be susceptible to resource-guarding tendencies. This involves your dog becoming protective and aggressive over their possessions such as their food, toys and bed. If you have other animals in your home, or small children, it is important to get this under control.

This can be a difficult behaviour to address, so we recommend connecting with a qualified dog trainer to work one-on-one with your Bulldog to help train your dog to no resource guard. However, here are some tips we recommend following to help your Bulldog out of their resource guarding tendencies:

• Control the environment - If your Bulldog begins to resource guard items from around the house, it is important to remove their access to these things. This involves moving shoes and clothing that could be guarded to a higher level, or blocking their access to certain rooms.
  
  
• Create a safe eating environment - For Bulldogs that guard their food, it is important that they are able to eat in a safe space. This involves having dedicated meal times instead of free-feeding your dog, along with allowing a secure environment for them such as a gated-off area or a dog crate large enough for them to move in.
  
  

If your Bulldog is showing signs of further aggression, we recommend reaching out to a qualified trainer to ensure both you and your dog remain safe and happy during this process.

The Bulldog breed is known for thriving off of a protein-rich diet, along with a diet that is balanced to support a healthy weight. Dating back to their original bred purpose, Bulldogs have always been a carnivorous breed that loves their food. However, we recommend balancing these high-protein elements with vegetables, fruits and grains.

High quality food: When looking for what to feed your Bulldog, it is important that it contains all the nutrients they need, but is also food they enjoy. Whilst there has been debate amongst Bulldog owners whether raw food, cooked meat or processed dog food is better for their digestive systems, there is no research on whether one is better than the rest.

We recommend serving your Bulldog high quality dog food that meets all of their health requirements. As it is up to your dog’s preference, you can opt for a wet dog food that contains protein such as chicken or beef, or you can opt for a dry dog food that contains the vital nutrients for their everyday life.

Hydration: Similarly to all dog breeds, it is important that your Bulldog has access to fresh water at all times. Especially during those warmer months or following exercise, your Bulldog needs access to water to help them regulate their body temperature asd to not overheat. 

To encourage your dog to drink more water throughout the day, we recommend placing a dog bowl with fresh water in an easily accessible area for them, and being sure that this water remains clean throughout the day.

Meal frequency: As your Bulldog grows from puppy-hood into their adult years, the amount of calories needed in a day will fluctuate. However, we always recommend feeding your Bulldog in two separate meals a day to discourage excessive overeating or indigestion. 

To additionally avoid overeating for your Bulldog, we recommend investing in a slow-feeder bowl to help them regulate their food intake at meal time. This will allow them to still receive their nutrients, but avoid any health problems or discomfort.

Whether you own a Bulldog or are considering adding one to your family, we trust that our guide has provided you with valuable insights. Whilst this guide is great start to learning about Bulldog ownership, never stop seeking out new information from reputable sources. Engage with other Bulldog owners, share your experiences and continue learning about your dog's breed, characteristics, temperament, and the best ways to care for and cherish them.

This article was written by Dr Jack Ayerbe