Bulldog breeds. The different types of bulldogs.

Bulldog Breeds
(Different Types of Bulldogs, Bully breeds)

© Researched and written by Catherine Marien-de Luca

The bulldog breeds include a number of breeds, which owe their heritage to Bull and Mastiff type dogs of indefinite origin.

Bulldogs owe their name to the fact that they were once used to guard, control and bait bulls.

The modern bulldog breeds descended from these dogs and those re-created through breeding programs keeping close to the original type and traits of the ancient bulldogs, even when adapting to their local living conditions, include:

The baiting of bulls before slaughtering them was based on the belief that that beef had a superior flavour and was more tender if the bulls were made to exercise before being sacrificed.

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As a result, meat of bulls which had not been baited, was considered unproper for consumption and butcher's who did not comply to the rule received a fine. In this way began the practice of using large dogs to harass the bulls.

Common people, however, were not allowed to possess big dogs. The penalties for transgressors were harsh. With their typical astuteness the common people began to develop a smaller Mastiff, as strong and as ferocious

Bulldogs enjoyed popularity in the early and late middle ages. Queen Elizabeth I was a great admirer of these fights.

Historically the bulldog breeds originate from the fighting dog breeds and molossian dogs of Antiquity. Roman historians described the fierce Greek, Molossian dogs and the "pugnace britannicii" or fighting dogs of Britain used in battles. These British fighting dogs were of two types: the larger Mastiff type guard dogs and the smaller type used for herding and protecting livestock. At the time of the popular bull fights, the bulldog breed was selected for its particularity to attack the nose of the bull and hang on without loosening its grip instead of using the slashing attack from the rear preferred by most dog breeds. Historical pictures proof that these dogs were of the mastiff type, but with their appearance varying.

The word bulldog appears for the first time in 1632 in a letter written from San Sebastian in Spain by Mr P. Eaton to Wellingham, then living in London, in which he asks to be sent " a good Mastire dog, a case of liquor and I beg you to get for me some good bulldoggs", in which, for the first time, the Bulldog is clearly distinguished from the Mastiff. See also: bulldog history.

The genepool of the Bulldog has been modified through the years by selective breeding and judicious outcrosses creating new breeds which through their common background and unique characteristics may be considered as belonging to one and the same group.

They are characterized by a large head, strong, square build, shortened muzzle, strong and undershot jaws, which ensures a strong and efficient bite. Their character is often dominant and tenacious. Their hard and ferocious expression, which makes them disuasive guard dogs, is completely oppositie to their docility and sweet-hearted temperament. Their high tolerance to pain and courageous temper make them patiently tolerant with children, but also has the drawback of making them unsuitable for unexperienced or absent-minded dog owners, as they will often not complain if they are injured, ill or suffering from thirst, hunger or cold. Although they are good guard dogs, they do usually not excell as watch or "alarm" dogs, as they may "ommit" to bark and warn before attacking an intruder.

by Catherine Marien-de Luca © The Bulldog Information Library

See also: bull and terrier breeds, Origin of the Mastiffs, Evolution of the bulldog, Bull Baiting

The original bulldog followed the immigrants and travellers around the world, were they adapted to the local working and living conditions (American Bulldog, Bulldog Campeiro), sometimes being bred down (like the French bulldog, Old Boston Bulldog) to adapt to the cramped living conditions of the working class immigrants, or crossed with local breeds to reinforce specific skills (Catahoula Bulldog).

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Be carefull with more recently published books about bully breeds. Some of these have directly taken their information from our website (without ever mentioning their source, of course), using terms we have coined (as some neologisms used in the Ca de Bou and Brazilian Bulldog descriptions) and conclusions we have drawn. They have used info that is based on OUR first-hand experience we have collected while we lived in and traveled through some of the countries these dogs are native to, and on our knowledge of the local language, something those authors can not possibly claim. The irony is that they mention the very same selection of bulldog breeds we have featured on this website (while there are more than 30 different bulldog breeds out there, some of which more famous than the ones we have selected for this website), but again we have mentioned only the breeds we have personally checked and researched. Just strange they checked and researched exactly the same list of breeds...

Our suggestion is:
Before you buy a dog breed book check who the author is, if their info is first-hand or just a collection of bits and pieces they reproduced from the internet and previously published books. Of course, research is always based on something that has been done or written before, BUT if it is done seriously sources and references are ALWAYS mentioned. So a good hint is to see if the book has a reference list or bibliography (especially for books published after 2003 or 2004) in which case you can be sure that the author did his own in-depth research and thus wants to show you the path he/she followed instead of just copying and pasting some information from the internet.
Older books (as the three ones mentioned hereafter) do not always have a bibliography, but unlike some of the more recent, coffee table books, the three books mentioned here are classics in their field and stem from real dog authors and authorities who really know their subject !
In case of doubt remember the golden rule: for dog books the older the better, because dog authors of the early times were not as influenced by the internet and influential dog clubs, dog shows and dog breeders. The older the book, the higher the chances the info is based on the author's first-hand experience and is not marketing-oriented. Otherwise the books mentioned on this website are usually all reliable sources.

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