English Bulldog - honest advice from owners!
Discussion
Hello, we have been debating in our little family (me, fiancee & child - 8y/o) which dog to get. We cannot decide on a breed, but my fiancee is dead set on an English Bulldog, and sometimes it's easier to comply than resist.
So I've read up and found out about the usual things - the slobbering, the noises, the flatulence, the stubbornness, the health issues, the cost, and so on. We've also got friends who have an English bulldog and so we've seen a little of their character.
I think they have a good personality - very easy to see the charm! - though the stubbornness worries me as having grown up with (& trained) a couple of labs, the idea of not being able to get a dog up to scratch fairly easily & quickly in obedience seems a bit intimidating.
So can anyone tell me honestly what it's like owning one? Imagine you didn't yet love the dog, would he be a good 'housemate' or an absolute nightmare? What if you never really loved the dog, e.g. the spouse of a bulldog lover!, would the presence of the english bulldog in your home be a real nightmare to put up with even if you didn't have to do the cleaning / maintenance / etc?
Thanks for any advice, would be great to hear from real experiences with them.
So I've read up and found out about the usual things - the slobbering, the noises, the flatulence, the stubbornness, the health issues, the cost, and so on. We've also got friends who have an English bulldog and so we've seen a little of their character.
I think they have a good personality - very easy to see the charm! - though the stubbornness worries me as having grown up with (& trained) a couple of labs, the idea of not being able to get a dog up to scratch fairly easily & quickly in obedience seems a bit intimidating.
So can anyone tell me honestly what it's like owning one? Imagine you didn't yet love the dog, would he be a good 'housemate' or an absolute nightmare? What if you never really loved the dog, e.g. the spouse of a bulldog lover!, would the presence of the english bulldog in your home be a real nightmare to put up with even if you didn't have to do the cleaning / maintenance / etc?
Thanks for any advice, would be great to hear from real experiences with them.
Thanks for sharing, this is very interesting.
We currently have an 8yr old girl and are planning to have a baby in the next 12-18 months, would you be happy brining a new baby into a household where an English Bulldog is already established? Sounds somewhat of a concern if they should be left alone when sleeping, that might be difficult to enforce with a small child...
We currently have an 8yr old girl and are planning to have a baby in the next 12-18 months, would you be happy brining a new baby into a household where an English Bulldog is already established? Sounds somewhat of a concern if they should be left alone when sleeping, that might be difficult to enforce with a small child...
Thank you for all the information, it has been very helpful.
It seems the bulldog may be a good choice for us, with a few ground rules about no dogs upstairs so I can have a slobber free sanctuary! We will take a little time learning more about the breed and go through a KC breeder to actually purchase one.
It seems the bulldog may be a good choice for us, with a few ground rules about no dogs upstairs so I can have a slobber free sanctuary! We will take a little time learning more about the breed and go through a KC breeder to actually purchase one.
RWA441 said:
Wish I hadn't clicked on this section now with seeing this thread title.
Today we have sadly had our eldest put to sleep. Ralph was just over 10 and had cancer. We found a lump only 6 weeks back and the rate at which it grew and spread was quite frankly astonishing. He has been an absolute star of a dog. Very obedient and so friendly and loyal. We got a mate for him at 5 years old - Reggie, no issue whatsoever with introducing a second dog to his home, got on from the first minute. We then 3 years ago had a daughter, again absolutely no problem. She would play games with them, make up stories for them, climb all over them and not once ever have they got grumpy about it. We would have them forever based on our experience, however, today has been one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. Absolutely distraught.
I'm sorry to hear that, very sad news, it sounds like he was absolutely wonderful. All the best. Today we have sadly had our eldest put to sleep. Ralph was just over 10 and had cancer. We found a lump only 6 weeks back and the rate at which it grew and spread was quite frankly astonishing. He has been an absolute star of a dog. Very obedient and so friendly and loyal. We got a mate for him at 5 years old - Reggie, no issue whatsoever with introducing a second dog to his home, got on from the first minute. We then 3 years ago had a daughter, again absolutely no problem. She would play games with them, make up stories for them, climb all over them and not once ever have they got grumpy about it. We would have them forever based on our experience, however, today has been one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. Absolutely distraught.
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