Bulldog History
Authorities differ completely
about the origin of the Bulldog. They even have differing spelling
of the name. Be it Bondogge, Boldogge, Bandogge, the final spelling
is BULLDOG.
There are even those who dispute why he is called
Bulldog. Is it the shape of the head or because of his use in
the barbaric sports of bull-baiting, bear-baiting and dog fighting?
Whatever the name or the origin, there is little
doubt that centuries ago there was a canine resembling our present day
Bulldog. Lighter boned and higher on leg, but with the courage, tenacity
and determination that still exists today. Over the years, other breeders
have crossed with the Bulldog to give these traits to their breeds, perhaps
the best known being the Greyhound
After bull-baiting, bear-baiting and dog fighting
were prohibited in 1835, a few dedicated fanciers worked diligently to
breed out the aggressive, vicious tendencies and to modify the Bulldog
to look more like we see him today, shorter faced and heavier in structure.
The first Bulldog Standard in England was drafted
in 1864 and adopted in 1875. The Bulldog Club of America was formed in
1890 utilizing the English standard. In 1896 a standard was adopted by
the Bulldog Club of America. It was revised in 1914 to declare the Dudley
nose a disqualification. In 1976 the Dudley nose disqualification was redefined
as a "brown or liver colored nose." The standard was reformatted
in 1990 with no changes in wording.
Official Breed Standard
General Appearance
The perfect Bulldog must be of medium size and smooth
coat; with heavy, thickset, low-swung body, massive short-faced head, wide
shoulders and sturdy limbs. The general appearance and attitude should
suggest great stability, vigor and strength.
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Sound sturdy limbs and the suggestion of great
stability, vigor and strength are as important to the present day's Bulldog
as they were to its ancestors.
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The disposition should be equitable and kind, resolute
and courageous (not vicious or aggressive), and demeanor should be pacific
and dignified. These attributes should be countenanced by the expression
and behavoir.
Size, Proportion, Symmetry
Size -- The size for mature dogs is about
50 pounds; for mature bitches about 40 pounds.
Proportion -- The circumference of the skull
in front of the ears should measure at least the height of the dog at the
shoulders.
Symmetry -- The "points" should
be well distributed and bear good relation one to the other, no feature
being in such prominence from either excess or lack of quality that the
animal appears deformed or ill-proportioned.
Influence of Sex -- In comparison of specimens
of different sex, due allowance should be made in favor of the bitches,
which do not bear the characteristics of the breed to the same degree of
perfection and grandeur as do the dogs.
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The bitch should have equal
qualities, but an allowance shall be made for the femininity that is characteristic
of the bitch. |
Head
Eyes and eyelids -- The eyes, seen from the front should be situated low down in the skull, as far from the ears as possible, and their corners should be in a straight line at right angles with the stop. They should be quite in front of the head, as wide apart as possible, provided their outer corners are within the outline of the cheeks when viewed from the front. They should be quite round in form, of moderate size, neither sunken nor bulging, and in color should be very dark. Blue or green eye(s) or parti-colored eye(s) are a disqualification. The lids should cover the white of the eyeball, when the dog is looking directly forward, and the lid should show no "haw."

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An imaginary horizontal line passing through
the four corners of the eyes should be at a right angle with the stop and
just rest on top of the nose. Though the shape of the eye is round,
the eyelids give a more almond look to the eye.
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Ears -- The ears should be set high in the
head, the front inner edge of each ear joining the outline of the skull
at the top back corner of skull, so as to place them as wide apart, and
as high, and as far from the eyes as possible. In size they should be small
and thin. The shape termed "rose ear" is the most desirable.
The rose ear folds inward at its back lower edge, the upper front edge
curving over, outward and backward, showing part of the inside of the burr.
(The ears should not be carried erect or prick-eared or buttoned and should
never be cropped).
ROSE EARS

When viewed from the front and side, top of
ears should be level with
top outline of the skull with the burr partially exposed and the entire
edge of the ear visible.
PROPER EARS

FAULTY EARS

Skull -- The skull should be very large, and
in circumference, in front of the ears, should measure at least the height
of the dog at the shoulders. Viewed from the front, it should appear very
high from the corner of the lower jaw to the apex of the skull, and also
very broad and square.

Viewed at the side, the head should appear very high,
and very short from the point of the nose to occiput. The forehead should
be flat (not rounded or domed), neither too prominent nor overhanging the
face.

Head very high showing good layback. An
imaginary line should
touch the lower jaw, tip of nose and top of head. LONG, FLAT
forehead.

Cheeks -- The cheeks should be well-rounded,
protruding sideways and outward beyond the eyes.
Stop -- The temples or frontal bones should
be very well defined, broad, square and high, causing a hollow or grove
between the eyes. This indentation, or stop, should be both broad and deep
and extend up the middle of the forehead, dividing the head vertically,
being traceable to the top of the skull.
Indentation in skull, called "the
furrow" extends from between the eyes to top of head. Not to be obscured
by forehead wrinkles.
PROPER HEAD
Face and muzzle -- The face, measured from
the front of the cheekbone to the tip of the nose, should be extremely
short, the muzzle being very short, broad, turned upward and very deep
from the corner of the eye to the corner of the mouth.

Nose -- The nose should be large, broad and
black, its tip set back deeply between the eyes. The distance from bottom
of stop, between the eyes, to the tip of the nose should be as short as
possible and not exceed the length from the tip of nose to the edge of
underlip. The nostrils should be wide, large and black, with a well-defined
line between them. Any nose other than black is objectionable and a brown
or liver-colored nose shall disqualify.
Front of nose slants back closely
following contour of head. Not perpendicular. Large, black, wide nostrils.
In the scale of points, the nose has 6, more than any other feature.
Lips -- The chops or "flews" should
be thick, broad, pendant and very deep, completely overhanging the lower
jaw at each side. They join the underlip in front and almost or quite cover
the teeth, which should be scarcely noticeable when the mouth is closed.

Bite-Jaws -- The jaws should be massive, very
broad, square and "undershot", the lower jaw projecting considerably
in front of the upper jaw and turning up.

Skull formation showing correct swing of jaw.
A wry or crooked jaw is a serious fault.

The correct jaw, so eagerly sought after in
the fancy, with the upward
thrust, retaining the curve throughout.
FAULTY JAWS

Teeth -- The teeth should be large and strong,
with the canine teeth or tusks wide apart, and the six small teeth in front,
between the canines, in an even, level row.

Neck, Topline, Body
Neck -- The neck should be short, very thick,
deep and strong and well arched at the back.

Topline -- There should be a slight fall in
the back, close behind the shoulders (its lowest part), whence the spine
should rise to the loins (the top of which should be higher than the top
of the shoulders), thence curving again more suddenly to the tail, forming
an arch (a very distinctive feature of the breed), termed "roach back"
or, more correctly, "wheel back".
PROPER TOPLINE


Body -- The brisket and body should be very
capacious, with full sides, well rounded ribs and very deep from the shoulders
down to its lowest part, where it joins the chest. It should be well let down
between the shoulders and forelegs, giving the dog a broad, low, short
legged appearance.

Wide shoulders, barrel ribs and a narrow pelvic
area give the
Bulldog a "pear-shaped" body.

Brisket well let down between the forelegs.
Fullness of the brisket
can be observed in front of the forelegs from sideview.
Chest-- The chest should be very broad, deep
and full.
Underline -- The body should be well-ribbed-up
behind with the belly tucked up and not rotund.

Back and Loin -- The back should be short
and strong, very broad at the shoulders and comparatively narrow at the
loins.

A back of correct length creates a balanced
appearance and
facilitates correct Bulldog movement.
Bulldogs appear to be slightly longer in body than their height at the
shoulder.
Tail -- The tail may be either straight or
"screwed" (but never curved or curly), and in any case must be
short, hung low, with decided downward carriage, thick root and fine tip.
If straight, the tail should be cylindrical and of uniform taper. If "screwed",
the bends or kinks should be well-defined, and they may be abrupt and even
knotty, but no portion of the member should be elevated above the base
or root.

Two types of tail are desired in the Standard.
Each are short, hung
low, heading down with thick root and fine tips.

Forequarters
Shoulders -- Should be muscular, very heavy,
widespread and slanting outward, giving stability and great power.
Forelegs -- The forelegs should be short,
very stout, straight and muscular, set wide apart, with well-developed
calves, presenting a bowed outline, but the bones of the legs should not
be curved or bandy, nor the feet brought too close together.

Correct turn of shoulder with proper front
legs showing straight
perpendicular inner forelegs will form a near square from the top of
the legs and across.

Narrow-fronted showing a vertical rectangle
between the front legs.
Undesirable.

An obvious rectangle between the front legs,
indicating legs that
are too short, of shoulders that are too wide or both.
Undesirable.
Elbows -- The elbows should be low and stand
well out and loose from the body.

Well constructed Bulldogs from ground to elbow
should be about 50%
of the distance from ground to height at the withers.
FAULTY ELBOWS -- "Loose from the body"
does NOT mean overly loose elbows. It means that they should
not be directed towards the ribs (tight elbows). Neither should they
be directed outward away from the ribs (overly loose elbows). Overly loose
elbows is a VERY serious structural fault.

Feet -- The feet should be moderate in size,
compact and firmly set. Toes compact, well-split-up, with high knuckles
and very short stubby nails. The front feet may be straight or slightly
out-turned.

Hindquarters
Legs --Hind legs should be strong and muscular
and longer than forelegs, so as to elevate loins above shoulders. Hocks
should be slightly bent and well-let-down, so as to give length and strength
from loins to hock. Lower leg should be short, straight and strong, with
stifles turned slightly outward and away from the body. Hocks are thereby
made to approach each other, and the hind feet to turn outward.

Feet -- Should be moderate in size, compact
and firmly set. Toes compact, well-split-up, with high nuckles and short
stubby nails. Hind feet should be pointed well-outward.
Coat and Skin
Coat -- Should be straight, short, flat, close,
of fine texture, smooth and glossy. (No fringe, feather or curl).
Skin -- The skin should be soft and loose,
especially at the head, neck and shoulders.
Wrinkles and dewlap --
The head and face should be covered with heavy wrinkles, and at the throat,
from jaw to chest, there should be two loose pendulous folds, forming the
dewlap.

Forehead wrinkle should not obscure furrow
in skull.
Wrinkle(s) over the nose to be of moderate size, neither extending
beyond the tip of the nose, obscuring vision in any way nor being too
large and out of proportion.
Color of Coat
The color of coat should be uniform, pure of its kind and brilliant. Colors are red, white, fawn or fallow or any combination of the foregoing. Patterns and markings may include brindle, piebald, ticking, black masks, black tipping, and a minimal amount of black in piebalds. All other colors or markings are a disqualification. The merle pattern is a disqualification.
Gait
The style and carriage are peculiar, his gait being
a loose-jointed, shuffling, sidewise motion, giving the characteristic
"roll". The action must be, however, be unrestrained, free and
vigorous.
The proper Bulldog, with short wide set front
legs and longer narrow set rear legs has a peculiar gait that results in
a side to side motion or "roll". The roll can be observed by
following the "sidewise" motion of the skin over the loin and
the "sidewise" motion at the base of the tail. A Bulldog
gait video, showing the peculiarities of gait, is available from the BCA Education
Committee.
Temperment
The disposition should be equable and kind, resolute
and courageous (not vicious or aggressive), and demeanor should be pacific
and dignified. These attributes should be countenanced by the expression
and behavior.

A friendly outgoing companionable breed which
is readily observed
in its expression and demeanor.
Scale of Points
GENERAL PROPERTIES |
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Proportion and symmetry |
5 |
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Attitude |
3 |
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Expression |
2 |
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Gait. |
3 |
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Size |
3 |
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Coat |
2 |
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Color of coat |
4 |
22 |
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HEAD |
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Skull |
5 |
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Cheeks |
2 |
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Stop |
4 |
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Eyes and eyelids |
3 |
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Ears |
5 |
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Wrinkle |
5 |
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Nose |
6 |
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Chops |
2 |
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Jaws |
5 |
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Teeth |
2 |
39 |
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BODY, LEGS, ETC. |
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Neck |
3 |
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Dewlap |
2 |
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Shoulders |
5 |
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Chest |
3 |
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Ribs |
3 |
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Brisket |
2 |
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Belly |
2 |
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Back |
5 |
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Forelegs and elbows |
4 |
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Hind legs |
3 |
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Feet |
3 |
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Tail |
4 |
39 |
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TOTAL |
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100 |
DISQUALIFICATIONS: Brown or liver colored nose Blue or green eye(s) or parti-colored eye(s) Colors or markings not defined in the standard The merle pattern

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