In 2007, the English Bulldog cracked the top ten most popular breeds of dog in America for the first time. Part of the reason for their recent popularity in America is due to their temperament. English Bulldogs, like all “bully breeds” were bred to get along well with people, even sometimes acting as babysitters.
Extremely Intelligent
English Bulldogs were originally bred to help people control their livestock, including cows and bulls weighing over one ton. They were also used for the “sport” of bull-baiting. This required an animal to learn quickly and make decisions quickly. When most people stopped farming, the intelligence of the English Bulldog made sure he didn’t go out to pasture, too.
English Bulldogs need to be active and participate in their human’s activities; otherwise they can get bored and find something to do. These activities may not be something you will wind up liking. English Bulldogs possess incredibly powerful mouths and love to chew. Chewing releases calming chemicals in a dog’s brain. Combined with such a powerful jaw, you may come home to a bored Bulldog to find bits of your home scattered about.
Bulldogs are fully capable of learning to do almost activity other, more slender dogs can do. They can fetch, find objects just by sniffing them out, pull carts and even participate in dog sports such as agility.
Some English Bulldogs even come up with their own sports, such as the YouTube sensation Tillman, a red and white male English Bulldog from California. He can skateboard better than most people. He is completely self-taught.
Other Dog’s Reactions
For a while, English Bulldogs were used in dog fighting before it became outlawed in England in 1835. English Bulldogs were also one of the parent breeds of the American Staffordshire Terrier, often used in illegal dog-fighting rings in both Europe and America. But even with this history, most English Bulldogs will not pick a fight with another dog. But they will finish one if a dog starts a fight with them.
Many long-nosed dogs will not recognize that a squashed-nose dog like an English Bulldog is actually a dog. This confusion can often lead to sudden aggression from the longer-nosed dog to the English Bulldog or other squashed nosed breeds.
Not Self Cleaning
One of the reasons that English Bulldogs get along with people so well is that their weird facial construction makes it nearly impossible for them to groom their heads and sometimes other parts of the body. Bulldog owners have to daily monitor the wrinkles in their dog’s faces and clean the folds for the dogs. You need to start this training to get used to being roomed as soon as you can. Be patient and persistent. Make it something the English Bulldog can look forward to and there will be less resistance.
Resources:
“Training Secrets for Bully Dogs”; Bow Tie Press; 2004
“The Encyclopedia of Dog Breeds”; D. Caroline Colie, PhD; 2005
Tillman, the Skateboarding and Snowboarding Bulldog http://www.gotillman.com/Home_Page.php
