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The Standard was developed when bull-bating was outlawed in England and designed to permit the continuation of the breed. A Bulldog should not be vicious or aggressive, but rather resolute and courageous. Its attitude should be pacific, dignified, equable and kind. Its coat should be gloss and with brilliant color. The forelegs, although having the appearance of being curved because of it musculature, should be straight and heavy boned.
The Standard of the Breed, which has existed for over 100 years, describes a dog that is healthy and strong, able to move in an unrestrained, free and vigorous manner. Its nose should be large with wide nostrils to ensure its ability to breathe. Bulldogs perform in both conformation and performance activities where they could not compete successfully if they were not a healthy breed. Here is one example of healthy bulldogs having fun.
As with any species, even closely related individuals may vary from the ideal description. However, the conscientious breeder strives to produce dogs that come most closely to this ideal. There are breeders who are not members of BCA who do not adhere to the standards of the conscientious breeder. BCA can only educate breeders to follow best practices; it cannot control their actions. To find a breeder who strives for healthy Bulldogs, be sure to consider a breeder on our Breeder Referral List or who participates in our Ambassador of Health Program.
The Bulldog Club of America is dedicated to preserving the breed and to continuing to work to improve the health of the dogs our members breed. BCA has implemented several approaches to achieve this end. We support health research to find and remedy the underlying causes of diseases found in the breed and we have established a foundation to provide funds to support this vital research. BCA also encourages health testing of the sires and dams used in breeding future generations.
We provide opportunities for owners and members to health test their dogs in a variety of ways and have established recognition programs for those who participate in research health studies and who perform regular health testing on the dogs they own.
The pages on the submenu will provide more detail on these efforts, information for the dog owner on canine health care and a number of Podcasts from the American Kennel Club Canine Health Foundation. If you are interested in other topics in the series, all of the Podcasts from the AKC-CHF can be found HERE.
Please Note: The subpages in this section may be accessed by clicking on the + sign before Bulldog Health.
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