How to Care for a Bulldog

The bulldog is a medium-maintenance breed. Follow these steps to ensure the health of your family pet.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Dental Kits (for Dogs)
• Dog Bones
• Dog Brushes
• Dog Carriers
• Dog Collars
• Dog Dishes
• Dog Food
• Dog Leashes
• Dog Shampoo
• Dog Tags
• Dog Toys
• Dog Treats
• Nail Clippers For Dogs
• Reduced-calorie Dog Food
• Dog Shampoo
• Vitamin E

1. Vaccinate your bulldog when you first get him and see that he gets yearly booster vaccinations. Consult with your veterinarian about flea control products and worming your adult dog.

2. Give your bulldog high-grade dog food. The first ingredient should be meat.

3. Bathe your bulldog infrequently; he doesn't require special grooming and can be washed at home.

4. Brush your bulldog occasionally. All bulldogs shed, with double-coated dogs shedding more than others.

5. Wipe a little vitamin E on his nose occasionally. Because of the shape of their faces, bulldogs tend to have dry noses.

6. Trim this dog's nails every month to prevent foot problems.

7. Remember that bulldogs tend to be very stubborn, which means that you must be consistent and patient while training them.

8. Keep your bulldog's weight down. Overweight dogs will have more health problems, including heart trouble and arthritis.

9. Learn what health problems are associated with this breed. Look for eye problems such as cherry eye (swelling of a gland in the inner eyelid), entropia and dry eye. Hereditary throat problems, mange, allergies and other skin ailments are also common. Clean your bulldog's wrinkles frequently to avoid skin problems.

10. Be prepared to enjoy a good 8 to 10 years with your dog, as this is the average life expectancy of a bulldog.

Tips & Warnings

• Make sure you or someone in your home is willing to spend 30 to 60 minutes a day playing with and exercising the dog.
• Keep your bulldog indoors. They are prone to overheating in warm weather.
• Note that bulldogs are prone to a lot of skin problems.
• The main reason people give up bulldogs is because they are too hard to care for. (The second reason is flatulence.)
• Bulldogs are prone to heat stroke, so provide your bulldog with shade, fans, wading pools and plenty of cool water and ice in hot weather.

[toninoname]

on 7/21/2009 I didn’t know that English bulldogs can get so fat. I read this article and saw a picture of a fat dog. Don’t let this happen to you dog. The write up is found here:
http://www.englishbulldogpuppyblog.com/english-bulldog-puppy/is-your-english-bulldog-overweight

[thalvor]

on 10/19/2007 Bulldogkisses.blogspot.com

on 8/8/2006 The best thing you can do for your Bulldog is feed them a raw food diet. Commercial brand dog foods are associated with most of the problems with the breed, and they have poison in them. Research how to do so first. If you can't do that at least feed a fresh food, Innova is the best. You should also do some research on vaccinations, as the veterinarians give way too many, and this can seriously harm your dog.

on 8/8/2006 Our Bulldog, like most, can tend to have sore face wrinkles. Our remedy is to clean them with a warm, wet wash cloth and then apply a good layer of Desatin cream (used for diaper rash) and some Gold Bond Powder. We follow this up with some Vaseline on her nose to keep it moist and she's good as new!

on 3/29/2006 I find the best way to clean my bulldogs wrinkle and eye furrows is to first wipe it out with a moist baby wipe, then dab with a dry tissue and then carefully rub about a pea size of Johnson's baby cream (any zinc based baby cream will do) in the problem area's. Avoid getting the cream on there nose, they hate that. I have used Vaseline, talc, and almond oil, but this way has definitely been the best.