English Bulldog Breed Standard
What Is It?
The English Bulldog breed standard is a set of guidelines designed by the Kennel Club to ensure the integrity and heritage of the breed. Points are assigned to various physical and temperamental categories. The total points possible is 100 and any Bulldog achieving this mark, would be considered a perfect specimen, at least in terms of conforming to the breed standard. The English Bulldog breed standard is primarily used by judges in dog show competitions and by responsible, reputable breeders looking to breed as close to the standard as possible.
Winston's Words of Wisdom
There are tons of places where you can find the full text of the "exact" standards that the judges look for, so we're not going to copy them here. If you're at all interested in the dull and wordy technical details you can read the English Bulldog breed standard on either the American Kennel Club site or the British Kennel Club. They do vary slightly, so you'll need to read the one for the country you live in.
How Does Your Pet Compare?
On this page, we're going to discuss a few of the things these judges want to see and talk about how that would look, both on your bulldog and more particularly how it looks on ME!.
Everyone knows of course that ALL English Bulldogs are VERY handsome, regardless of whether or not they meet the Kennel Club's idea of the English Bulldog standard or not. We bulldogs know a thing or two about smooth coats and sturdy limbs. We're descended from a long line of brave dogs who used to fight huge bulls in the olden days (before it became illegal).
To fight with bulls we needed to have a bit of weight behind us, so something in the region of 45lbs to 50lbs for the girls and around 55lbs for us boys when we're fully grown. Because we needed to get a good grip on the bulls, so that they didn't trample us, we have big, square faces, which are kind of flat on the front.
Gorgeous dark eyes and wide apart ears finish off the effect and give us that strong and handsome look that you find so irresistible.
The most aristocratic of us have a short nose with wide black nostrils and a fine mouth with beautiful strong even teeth.
I hate to brag about my appearance, but being a rather handsome specimen of bulldog, I'd like you to notice my lovely broad shoulders and fine front legs. I have excellent muscles, even if I do say so myself and a silhouette like a Queen Anne chair with a lovely curve out and then in again towards my feet.
Being extremely well looked after by my human my coat is amazing. It's soft and short and very glossy. (To get their hair to shine like my coat does, my human has to put this gel stuff on their hair and then it turns the hair very stiff - most peculiar! I'm glad that I don't have to bother with that sort of thing.)
Unlike my human my hair doesn't fall out all over the place either and is an amazing shade of fawn with brilliant white patches. My cousin Herbert is white all over and my friend Margot is a fabulous brindle color, just ravishingly beautiful. Makes me drool to just think of her
Of course, being pedigree animals we are naturally even tempered and very kind, not at all vicious. We are always very refined and dignified, as befits the descendants of a long line of aristocrats.
