History of the English Bulldog

The English bulldog of older days is much different than the English bulldogs we know today.  English bulldogs look tough and vicious, but anyone who’s familiar with the breed knows that they’re more lovable cuddlers than attack dogs.  But bulldogs actually used to be bred to attack, centuries ago.

Descendants of the English bulldog have not been universally agreed upon, but it’s probable that the English bulldog came from a Mastiff.  Some say that bulldogs are the product of crossbreeding a Mastiff and Pug.  Either way, the ancestry dates back a long way—Mastiffs date back to Assyria as early as the year 4000 AD.   

During the time of the Phoenician empire, the Mastiffs (and other types of dogs in the same group) were bred as protectors of their people against the invasion of the Romans in the east.  These early dogs were ferocious and strong, bred as fighters, and people tried crossbreeding to make the Mastiffs even more ferocious and vicious. 

Romans were impressed with the strength of these Mastiffs and soon took them into Europe.  The dogs were displayed for their fighting, and this practice soon became more and more popular near the 13th century.

It then became a popular practice for the butchers of this day to have bulldogs on hand to keep dangerous bulls in line.  The bulldogs were perfect for this because their forceful jaws would grab onto the bull and not let go until the bull was drained of blood or suffocated.  This practice was called “bull baiting” and was believed to make the meat more nutritious and tender, if done before the bull was actually slaughtered. 

Shortly after this came into practice, bull baiting actually became a sport that people lined up to watch.  During the 13th century, owners of bulldogs started crossbreeding even more to make their bulldogs perfect for bull baiting.  The characteristics that breeders created were:

• Shorter legs, so that it was harder for the bull’s horns to reach the dog’s legs
• Larger head, so the dog would have an even larger jaw to grab the bull’s nose with and hold on until the bull suffocated
• Larger and heavier body, to make the dog stronger and more on the bull’s level of fighting
• Curving up muzzle, to encourage a stronger jaw and allow the dog to still breathe while grabbing onto the bull’s nose—with a muzzle that curved upward, the dog’s nose was out of the way and the dog could still breathe
• Wrinkles on the muzzle, so that the bull’s blood would run down the dog’s face instead of getting into the eyes

These ancestors of modern bulldogs were literally bred to fight, and only the puppies that showed the strongest characteristics were grown up into dogs.  Bull baiting was one of the highest money betting games, from the 13th all the way to the 19th century, and different variations on the game were played depending on the season. 

Bull baiting in the early days was thought to be for the rich, and a 1272 law actually stated that Mastiffs were only allowed to be owned by those of noble status. 

The term “bulldog” began in the 1600s, but even back then, the bulldog looked very different than it does now.  Bulldogs of the 1600s were more similar to a boxer—their legs were longer, ears were small and upright, but they were still of medium size with short snouts and large lower jaws.  These bulldogs were very agile, muscular and strong, like the Mastiffs of earlier days. 

Bull baiting was banned in 1835 by British parliament.  However, this practice still went on for a while secretly in the suburbs of large cities.  Bulldogs were being crossed with so many different species in these days that by 1840, it was almost impossible to find a purebred English bulldog. 

This is what caused the British to try and bring bulldogs back to their natural state.  Ironically, it wasn’t the noble and rich that started this process, but the humble, lower middle class citizens. 

By 1865, writings showed that people were breeding English bulldogs to be the kind, gentle animals that we know they are today.  Citizens started to realize that the bulldog’s personality depends on how the dog is treated.

A preamble from 1865 stated: 

“If treated with kindness, if you took a lot from him and if he is often in the company of their owner, is a calm and obedient dog. But when you’re tied up and neglected, it becomes less sociable and less docile, and if it causes or is placed in extreme situations, is one of the most dangerous animals.”

In 1875, the Bulldog Club Incorporated was created, which is the oldest of its kind in existence.  They had an excellent track record for maintaining the English bulldog breed and keeping it pure, throughout the world.  When Bulldog Club Incorporated was first founded, their goal was to reduce the health problems of the bulldogs of the time.

These health problems were created because bulldogs were bred to have very large heads and very short noses.   The Bulldog Club sought out to create a more typical bulldog again, and it was these true lovers of the breed that brought the bulldog back to its agile and balanced stature. 

If we look even as far back as the 1960s, these first modern English bulldogs still looked different than the bulldogs that we see today.  The first bulldogs of modern day had more harmonious lines in their body, and some were even smaller than today’s English bulldogs.

English bulldogs have been down a long road of changes, and the breed continues changing to this day.  Breeders will always experiment with crossbreeding, but there will always be bulldog lovers that fight to keep the dogs purebred.  No matter the variation, English bulldogs today are lovable, sweet tempered, loyal companions to their owners and are no longer bred to fight.