The English Bulldog puppy is a gentle giant who’s laid back and loves to cuddle.
Once your English Bulldog puppy is settled in and properly trained and socialized, he or she will be a docile, patient and adaptable dog who’s loyal for life. They’re one of the most popular breeds of family dog for all the right reasons.
English Bulldogs don’t make good outside dogs, though. They much prefer to laze around inside, and always prefer to be around their family.
Jump to: Appearance, Breed History, Temperament, Health Issues, or Training an English Bulldog Puppy.
Appearance – English Bulldog Puppy
English Bulldog puppies are “so ugly they’re cute.” They’re probably the most “British-looking” dogs of all, with the drooping, mellow features and even temperament showing through in their eyes.
Their distinctive features include their enormous, lidded eyes and oversized, broad head. Of course there’s also the appearance of a permanent frown, but you’ll forget all about it once you find out what good friends they are.
An adult English Bulldog will grow about a foot or more at the shoulders, and weigh around 55 pounds. They do shed their coat.
Another distinctive trait of the English Bulldog puppy is their overall size. They’re big and strong, broad-shouldered and stocky. Their build gives them a funny shuffling walk that you can’t help but chuckle at.
Breed History – English Bulldogs
The English Bulldog breed got its start in brutal sports that faded from popularity in the modern age. However, today the breed is happily in retirement from its fighting days.
Social Temperament – English Bulldog Puppy
Thankfully, the aggressive tendencies have been bred-out in the past few centuries, producing a very different kind of English Bulldog than the years of yore.
Instead of being scrappy little tanks, today’s English Bulldog puppy is friendly and even-tempered, and loves affection. It might surprise you to learn that an English Bulldog puppy is an ideal pet for families with children. One word of caution, though – their size and strength does inspire some children to play rough with this English Bulldog puppies, which is not good for their puppy socialization.
This positive temperament will be even better if you buy from a reputable English Bulldog puppy breeder. Such a breeder will take care to give the pups the love and attention needed at the crucial first weeks of life.
Some other key notes about the English Bulldog puppy’s temperament:
- An English Bulldog puppy will grow up to be a good watchdog and something of a guard dog.
- An English Bulldog puppy will suffer from separation anxiety if left alone too often.
- Despite their gentle nature, an English Bulldog puppy without socialization may lack confidence and fall back on some of its aggressive tendencies when dealing with other dogs.
- Also, without proper obedience training, you may find your English Bulldog puppy occasionally tests your position as the alpha dog.
- On a related note, some English Bulldogs exhibit food aggression and other signs of canine possession aggression. All the more reason to ensure your obedience training is done kindly.
- This dog breed can remain a puppy for a long time. Early, correct obedience training will help you set expectations and avoid the need to reverse dog behavior problems.
Unique Health Problems – English Bulldog Puppy
The English Bulldog breed lives only about ten years of active life. Make sure that you are careful where you buy this breed from, because there are a lot of health issues to breed-out:
- Extreme climates of hot or cold are very bad for the English Bulldog.
- English Bulldogs can’t swim very well.
- Since this breed is rather lazy, overfeeding to obesity is a big risk. Use good quality food.
- The facial wrinkles of an English Bulldog need to be washed out regularly – every few days, at least. Neglecting this can lead to a risk skin infections.
- Brush your English Bulldog puppy’s teeth and gums frequently, at least twice a month.
- The shape of their faces makes English Bulldogs prone to mild breathing difficulties, resulting in snoring and wheezing. This will be made worse in extreme climates.
- There’s a long list of hereditary health problems that are a bit more serious than these, all of which can be bred-out with careful, diligent breeding. You should speak to a veterinarian to find out exactly what to look for when you select an English Bulldog puppy from a litter.
- Cataracts and other eye problems can develop, especially in old age.
Training an English Bulldog Puppy
First thing to know is that English Bulldog puppies are very willful and stubborn. Everything I’ve said about being patient, firm and kind during training, goes triple for this breed.
Start immediately with obedience training – immediately. You need to show this dog who’s boss, because they’ll assume it’s them. Encourage the right behavior and briefly deprive them of social contact when they get it wrong.
Some specific notes to help you succeed in training your English Bulldog puppy:
- Household etiquette training must start instantly upon bringing them home, unless you want a dog that chews the legs off your tables and steals your food.
- Crate training, done humanely, will teach this breed a lot about both who’s in charge, and how to “contain themselves” during house breaking and potty training.
- Don’t let me scare you off from buying an English Bulldog puppy – they can be trained very successfully for all the basic obedience commands.
- Make sure to teach your English Bulldog puppy how to walk nicely on a leash ASAP, because otherwise they will drag you all over town.
To counteract the willful impatience of this breed, keep training sessions brief and high-energy. Use lots of praise and rewards, and generally show the puppy that training time is a fun bonding experience.
You might have guessed, with a popular dog breed having as many personality quirks as English Bulldog puppies tend to have, there is a specialized program for training this breed. “Raise & Train Your English Bulldog Puppy Like a Professional Dog Trainer.” I can’t recommend this system highly enough. I’ve actually forced that system on one of my friends who’d never trained a dog before, and the end result was fantastic. Please check it out.
Go back to the dog training main page, or learn about other dog breeds.