Revised standard for The Bulldog

General Appearance Smooth-coated, fairly thick set, rather low in stature, broad, powerful and compact. Head, fairly large in proportion to size but no point so much in excess of others as to destroy the general symmetry, or make the dog appear deformed, or interfere with its powers of motion. Face relatively short, muzzle broad, blunt and inclined slightly upwards. Dogs showing respiratory distress highly undesirable. Body fairly short, well knit, limbs stout, well muscled and in hard condition with no tendency towards obesity. Hindquarters high and strong. [Delete ‘but somewhat lighter in comparison with heavy foreparts’]. Bitches not so grand or well developed as dogs.

Head and Skull Skull relatively large in circumference. Viewed from front appears [delete – very] high from corner of lower jaw to apex of skull; also [Delete ‘very’] broad and square. Cheeks well rounded and extended sideways beyond eyes. Viewed from side, head appears very high and moderately short from back to point of nose. Forehead flat with skin on and about head, slightly loose and may be finely wrinkled, neither prominent nor overhanging face. [Delete ‘Projections of frontal bones prominent, broad, square and high; deep, wide indentation between eyes’]. From defined stop, a furrow [Delete ‘both broad and deep’] extending to middle of skull being traceable to apex. Face from front of cheek bone to nose, relatively short, skin may be slightly wrinkled. Muzzle short, broad, turned upwards and [Delete ‘very’] deep from corner of eye to corner of mouth. Nose and nostrils large, broad and black, under no circumstances liver colour, red or brown; [Delete ‘top set back towards eyes’]. [Delete ‘Distance from inner corner of eye (or from centre of stop between eyes) to extreme tip of nose not exceeding length from tip of nose to edge of underlip’]. Nostrils large, wide and open, with well defined vertical straight line between. Flews (chops) thick, broad, [delete ‘pendant and very’] and deep, covering [delete ‘hanging completely over’] lower jaws at sides, [delete ‘not in front’] but joining underlip in front. [Delete ‘and quite covering’] Teeth not visible. Jaws broad, strong, [delete – massive] and square, lower jaw slightly projecting in front of upper, with moderate turn up. [delete - and turning up]. Over nose wrinkle, if present, whole or broken, must never adversely affect or obscure eyes or nose. Pinched nostrils and heavy over nose wrinkle are unacceptable and should be heavily penalised. [Delete ‘Nose roll must not interfere with the line of layback’]. Viewed from front, the various properties of the face must be equally balanced on either side of an imaginary line down centre.

Eyes Seen from front, situated low down in skull, well away from ears. Eyes and stop in same straight line, at right angles to furrow. Wide apart, but outer corners within the outline of cheeks. Round [delete ‘in shape’], of moderate size, neither sunken nor prominent, in colour very dark – almost black – showing no white when looking directly forward. Free from obvious eye problems.

Neck Moderate in length, [Delete ‘very’] thick, deep and strong. Well arched at back, with some loose [delete ‘thick and wrinkled’] skin about throat, forming slight dewlap on each side. [Delete ‘from lower jaw to chest’].

Forequarters Shoulders broad, sloping and deep, very powerful and muscular giving appearance of being ’tacked on‘ body. Brisket [delete ‘capacious’], round and [delete ‘very’] deep [delete ‘from top of shoulders to lowest part where it joins chest’]. Well let down between forelegs. [Delete ‘Large in diameter, round behind forelegs’]. Ribs not flat-sided but well rounded. Forelegs very stout and strong, well developed, set wide apart, thick, muscular and straight, [Delete ‘presenting rather bowed outline, but’] bones of legs large and straight, not bandy nor curved and short in proportion to hindlegs, but not so short as to make back appear long, or detract from dog’s activity. [Delete ‘and so cripple him’]. Elbows low and standing well away from ribs. Pasterns short, straight and strong.

Body Chest wide, [delete ‘laterally round’] prominent and deep. Back short, strong, broad at shoulders [delete ‘comparatively narrower at loins’]. Slight fall to back close behind shoulders (lowest part) whence spine should rise to loins (top higher than top of shoulder), curving again more suddenly to tail, forming slight arch [delete ‘(termed roach back)’] – a distinctive characteristic of breed. Body well ribbed up behind with belly tucked up and not pendulous.

Hindquarters Legs large and muscular, slightly longer in proportion than forelegs, [delete ‘so as to elevate loins’]. Hocks slightly bent, well let down; legs long and muscular from loins to hock. [delete ‘short, straight, strong lower part’] Stifles [delete ‘round and’] turned very slightly outwards away from body. [Delete ‘Hocks thereby made to approach each other and hind feet to turn outwards’]

Gait/Movement [Delete ‘Peculiarly heavy and constrained’] Appearing to walk with short, quick steps on tips of toes, hind feet not lifted high, appearing to skim ground, running with one or other shoulder rather advanced. Soundness of movement of the utmost importance.

[Characteristics, Temperament, Ears, Mouth, Feet, Tail, Coat Colour Size, Faults, Note - no change.]

A step in the right direction