Ralph and Christine Puetz
Rt 2 Box 249
Mansfield MO 65704
417-924-2049
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Bulldog Breed Standard
General Appearance
The perfect Bulldog must be of medium size and smooth coat; with heavy, thick-set,
low-swung body, massive short-faced head, wide shoulders and sturdy limbs. The general
appearance and attitude should suggest great stability, vigor and strength. The disposition
should be equable and kind, resolute and courageous (not vicious or aggressive), and
demeanor should be pacific and dignified. These attributes should be countenanced by the
expression and behavior.
Size, Proportion, Symmetry
Size--The size for mature dogs is about 50 pounds; for mature bitches about 40 pounds.
Proportion--The circumference of the skull in front of the ears should measure at least the
height of the dog at the shoulders. Symmetry--The "points" should be well distributed and
bear good relation one to the other, no feature being in such prominence from either
excess or lack of quality that the animal appears deformed or ill-proportioned. Influence of
Sex In comparison of specimens of different sex, due allowance should be made in favor of
the bitches, which do not bear the characteristics of the breed to the same degree of
perfection and grandeur as do the dogs.
Head
Eyes and Eyelids--The eyes, seen from the front, should be situated low down in the skull,
as far from the ears as possible, and their corners should be in a straight line at right angles
with the stop. They should be quite in front of the head, as wide apart as possible,
provided their outer corners are within the outline of the cheeks when viewed from the
front. They should be quite round in form, of moderate size, neither sunken nor bulging,
and in color should be very dark. The lids should cover the white of the eyeball, when the
dog is looking directly forward, and the lid should show no "haw." Ears--The ears should
be set high in the head, the front inner edge of each ear joining the outline of the skull at
the top back corner of skull, so as to place them as wide apart, and as high, and as far
from the eyes as possible. In size they should be small and thin. The shape termed "rose
ear" is the most desirable. The rose ear folds inward at its back lower edge, the upper
front edge curving over, outward and backward, showing part of the inside of the burr.
(The ears should not be carried erect or prick-eared or buttoned and should never be
cropped.) Skull--The skull should be very large, and in circumference, in front of the ears,
should measure at least the height of the dog at the shoulders. Viewed from the front, it
should appear very high from the corner of the lower jaw to the apex of the skull, and also
very broad and square. Viewed at the side, the head should appear very high, and very
short from the point of the nose to occiput. The forehead should be flat (not rounded or
domed), neither too prominent nor overhanging the face. Cheeks--The cheeks should be
well rounded, protruding sideways and outward beyond the eyes. Stop--The temples or
frontal bones should be very well defined, broad, square and high, causing a hollow or
groove between the eyes. This indentation, or stop, should be both broad and deep and
extend up the middle of the forehead, dividing the head vertically, being traceable to the
top of the skull. Face and Muzzle--The face, measured from the front of the cheekbone to
the tip of the nose, should be extremely short, the muzzle being very short, broad, turned
upward and very deep from the corner of the eye to the corner of the mouth. Nose--The
nose should be large, broad and black, its tip set back deeply between the eyes. The
distance from bottom of stop, between the eyes, to the tip of nose should be as short as
possible and not exceed the length from the tip of nose to the edge of underlip. The
nostrils should be wide, large and black, with a well-defined line between them. Any nose
other than black is objectionable and a brown or liver-colored nose shall disqualify.
Lips--The chops or "flews" should be thick, broad, pendant and very deep, completely
overhanging the lower jaw at each side. They join the underlip in front and almost or quite
cover the teeth, which should be scarcely noticeable when the mouth is closed.
Bite--Jaws--The jaws should be massive, very broad, square and "undershot," the lower
jaw projecting considerably in front of the upper jaw and turning up. Teeth The teeth
should be large and strong, with the canine teeth or tusks wide apart, and the six small
teeth in front, between the canines, in an even, level row.
Neck, Topline, Body
Neck -- The neck should be short, very thick, deep and strong and well arched at the back.
Topline -- There should be a slight fall in the back, close behind the shoulders (its lowest
part), whence the spine should rise to the loins (the top of which should be higher than the
top of the shoulders), thence curving again more suddenly to the tail, forming an arch (a
very distinctive feature of the breed), termed "roach back" or, more correctly,
"wheel-back." Body--The brisket and body should be very capacious, with full sides,
well-rounded ribs and very deep from the shoulders down to its lowest part, where it joins
the chest. It should be well let down between the shoulders and forelegs, giving the dog a
broad, low, short-legged appearance. Chest--The chest should be very broad, deep and
full. Underline--The body should be well ribbed up behind with the belly tucked up and
not rotund. Back and Loin--The back should be short and strong, very broad at the
shoulders and comparatively narrow at the loins. Tail--The tail may be either straight or
"screwed" (but never curved or curly), and in any case must be short, hung low, with
decided downward carriage, thick root and fine tip. If straight, the tail should be
cylindrical and of uniform taper. If "screwed," the bends or kinks should be well defined,
and they may be abrupt and even knotty, but no portion of the member should be elevated
above the base or root.
Forequarters
Shoulders--The shoulders should be muscular, very heavy, widespread and slanting
outward, giving stability and great power. Forelegs--The forelegs should be short, very
stout, straight and muscular, set wide apart, with well developed calves, presenting a
bowed outline, but the bones of the legs should not be curved or bandy, nor the feet
brought too close together. Elbows--The elbows should be low and stand well out and
loose from the body. Feet-- The feet should be moderate in size, compact and firmly set.
Toes compact, well split up, with high knuckles and very short stubby nails. The front feet
may be straight or slightly out-turned.
Hindquarters
Legs--The hind legs should be strong and muscular and longer than the forelegs, so as to
elevate the loins above the shoulders. Hocks should be slightly bent and well let down, so
as to give length and strength from the loins to hock. The lower leg should be short,
straight and strong, with the stifles turned slightly outward and away from the body. The
hocks are thereby made to approach each other, and the hind feet to turn outward.
Feet--The feet should be moderate in size, compact and firmly set. Toes compact, well
split up, with high knuckles and short stubby nails. The hind feet should be pointed well
outward.
Coat and Skin
Coat--The coat should be straight, short, flat, close, of fine texture, smooth and glossy.
(No fringe, feather or curl.) Skin--The skin should be soft and loose, especially at the
head, neck and shoulders. Wrinkles and Dewlap--The head and face should be covered
with heavy wrinkles, and at the throat, from jaw to chest, there should be two loose
pendulous folds, forming the dewlap.
Color of Coat
The color of coat should be uniform, pure of its kind and brilliant. The various colors
found in the breed are to be preferred in the following order: (1) red brindle, (2) all other
brindles, (3) solid white, (4) solid red, fawn or fallow, (5) piebald, (6) inferior qualities of
all the foregoing. Note: A perfect piebald is preferable to a muddy brindle or defective
solid color. Solid black is very undesirable, but not so objectionable if occurring to a
moderate degree in piebald patches. The brindles to be perfect should have a fine, even
and equal distribution of the composite colors. In brindles and solid colors a small white
patch on the chest is not considered detrimental. In piebalds the color patches should be
well defined, of pure color and symmetrically distributed.
Gait
The style and carriage are peculiar, his gait being a loose-jointed, shuffling, sidewise
motion, giving the characteristic "roll." The action must, however, be unrestrained, free
and vigorous.
Temperament
The disposition should be equable and kind, resolute and courageous (not vicious or
aggressive), and demeanor should be pacific and dignified. These attributes should be
countenanced by the expression and behavior.
From akc.org
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