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.
Disqualification
Brown or liver-colored nose.