Bulldog: Size, Lifespan and Care Basics

The American Kennel Club (AKC) gives the Bulldog a life expectancy of 8 to 10 years. The Royal Kennel Club (RKC) in the UK puts the breed in its “under 10 years” band.

Both figures describe the breed as a whole. They are ranges for typical dogs of the breed, not a forecast for any one dog.

Of the 30 breeds profiled on Pettify, 26 have a longer upper estimate than the Bulldog and 0 a shorter one.

The RKC suggests grooming a Bulldog once a week and describes the coat as short; it lists the breed as one that sheds. On the AKC’s scales the breed rates 3 out of 5 for shedding and 3 out of 5 for how often the coat needs care.

The coat is short, smooth and glossy. The AKC’s routine is a ten-minute going-over with a soft brush, two or three times a week, a little more often than the weekly RKC line. When the coat is dropping more than usual, a rubber curry brush first loosens the dead hair and makes the rest of the job quicker.

The RKC puts the exercise a Bulldog needs at up to 1 hour a day. The AKC rates the breed 3 out of 5 for energy and 3 out of 5 for mental stimulation needs.

A Bulldog’s walks can stay short and unhurried: by the RKC’s account, two of them a day cover what the breed needs. Between outings it is content to rest near its people, though the AKC notes that it still enjoys the odd romp.

The AKC gives the adult weight of the Bulldog as “50 pounds (male), 40 pounds (female)”, which is 22.7 kg for males and 18.1 kg for females. The height at the shoulder is 14–15 inches.

Instead of a range, the AKC gives a single figure for each sex. On a dog only 14–15 inches tall, that much weight makes for a low, wide, heavy build, and the AKC remarks that it does not stop a Bulldog from trying to climb into your lap.

The Bulldog was made for bull-baiting, an English blood sport, run for betting crowds, that pitted dogs against a tethered bull. The RKC traces the sport in Britain to the Normans in the 12th century, and over the centuries the dogs used for it changed from leggy mastiff types to the low, heavy-headed type behind today’s Bulldog. When England banned bull-baiting in 1835, the breed lost its only job.

Companion dogs kept the line going, and breeders spent the next decades taming the old ferocity. The RKC recognized the breed in 1873 and the AKC in 1886. Today the AKC’s words for the Bulldog are friendly, courageous and calm, and its family rating is 4 out of 5 for affection.

Trainability rates 4 out of 5, which is respectable, but the RKC points out that a Bulldog can be strong-willed and easily distracted. Short sessions built on praise get further than strict correction. Pettify’s care plan treats a Bulldog as a puppy until 9 months.

With people outside the family the Bulldog is fairly open, at 4 out of 5, and with other dogs it rates 3 out of 5. Its watchdog rating is 3 out of 5, and the RKC agrees that a Bulldog keeps an eye on its home, though this rarely turns into aggression; early socialising is what the club credits for a dog at ease with visitors and other pets. Barking is low, at 2 out of 5.

The breed also carries a lot of symbolism. The Bulldog stands for England, and during the Second World War it was likened to Winston Churchill. In the United States, Mack Trucks and the U.S. Marine Corps use it as a mascot, as do Yale and the University of Georgia.