The Bulldog, also called the English Bulldog, is a smooth-coated, thick-set British breed that the FCI describes as one of the oldest indigenous breeds and the national dog of Great Britain.[1]
The breed standard
The FCI standard describes a dog that is “broad, powerful and compact” and rather low in stature, with a broad, blunt muzzle and rose ears. It sets a weight only, not a height: 25 kg for males and 23 kg for females. The coat is short, close and smooth. Colours are whole colours (red, fawn or white), brindle, or pied, with or without a dark mask.[1] The standard says a dog showing respiratory distress or making excessive breathing noise is unacceptable, and that pinched nostrils and a heavy over-nose roll should be heavily penalised.[1] In a study of UK veterinary records, adult Bulldogs averaged 26.0 kg.[2]
Name and origin
According to the FCI, the Bulldog was first classified as such in the 1630s, though similar types called bandogs are mentioned earlier. It was used for bull-baiting and fought in the dog pits, and after 1835 it began to change into the shorter-faced, squatter dog known today. It entered the show ring in 1860.[1] The Royal Kennel Club recognised the breed in 1873.[3]
Health and lifespan
In a study of 1,621 Bulldogs under UK veterinary care in 2013, the median age at death was 7.2 years.[2] A separate life-table study gave a life expectancy at birth of 7.39 years, and the Bulldog was the first of 18 breeds to reach a remaining life expectancy of 1.5 years, at age 9–10.[4] The two figures measure different things in different samples.
The commonest recorded disorders in the first study were ear infection (12.7%), pyoderma (8.8%), overweight (8.7%), skin-fold dermatitis (7.8%), brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome (3.5%) and corneal ulcers (3.1%). The authors link several of the commonest disorders to the dogs’ body shape and judge that large falls in their frequency are unlikely without a change in conformation.[2] The Royal Kennel Club names breathing, skin-fold, dental and eye problems in the breed and runs a respiratory function grading test.[3]
Popularity
The American Kennel Club recognised the Bulldog in 1886.[5] It ranked 10th on the AKC’s list of most popular breeds in 2025.[6]
Sources
- FCI breed standard 149, Bulldog
- O’Neill et al. 2019, PLoS One 14(6): e0217928 (Bulldogs under UK veterinary care in 2013)
- Royal Kennel Club, Bulldog breed page
- Teng et al. 2022, Scientific Reports 12 (life tables by breed, UK veterinary records)
- American Kennel Club, breeds by year recognized
- American Kennel Club, most popular dog breeds of 2025