Why Head Size Is Important To Maintaining Proper Bulldog Aesthetic

Why Head Size Is Important To Maintaining Proper Bulldog Aesthetic

Why Head Size is Important

Author: Mitch Wysong Mitch Wysong 15+ years of Experience Breeding Bulldogs Read Bio

Buddah Stud Review – Buddah = Big head + Clean Breathing

After 15 years breeding English Bulldogs we have learned a thing or two about the breed. We have learned what patience looks like. Diligent dedication to improving one’s craft – which in our case is our bloodlines. Steady improvement made by wise, informed decision making, generation after generation. The improvement of our Bruiser Bulldog genetics is made by stacking one health tested generation on another.

Looking back allows us to see change from what once was. One measurable progress we have made is developing bulldogs that breath clean but also look great. There is an incredible tension in this reality. On one side, you can easily breed an overdone, wrinkled bulldog with a nose flat as a pancake that – self admittedly tugs at my heartstrings. My experience kicks in and tells me that most likely this “overdone” look wont be able to breath. That’s the sad reality.

Most bulldogs with overdone faces suffer their entire lives. Yes, they are fun to look at on Instagram but can never be supported because it’s simply unethical to breed suffering into an animal.

Clean breathing bulldogs are most often a result of a slightly longer nose. A mere 1.5 inches can create enough space to pull the palate out of the larynx area of the throat and open the air passages. Couple these characteristics with a wider trachea and wide open nostrils and you have a bulldog bloodline that usually produces bulldogs that breathe well. Recessive genetics do pull some surprises, but more often than not this is the recipe that consistently creates great breathing English Bulldogs.

Easy Peezy – Right? Not so fast. One more factor that has to be considered is the look. English Bulldog lovers enjoy the breed because Bulldogs are squishy, smooshy faced cuties. As a life long English Bulldog diehard – I prefer not to produce boxer looking English Bulldogs. There is an unsaid tension between clean breathing bulldogs and maintaining that squishy face look. Pulling out the nose sometimes ruins the look if we are being honest with ourselves. This is where experience and the muti-generation decision making comes in.

With patience it turns out you can have both – great looking bulldogs and clean breathing bulldogs if one carefully selects for two characteristics: large heads (we are talking basketball heads) and clean breathing. Because a clean breathing bulldog normally has a slightly elongated nose, a large round head provides the aesthetic balance needed to maintain a great look and great health characteristics. The girth of the head balances out the length of the nose and creates a new reality – a squishy faced bulldog that breathes great. Now this balance is not easy and takes many generations to reduce variability – which is why another 15 years of bulldog breeding will make us even better breeders than we are today 🙂

Buddah really epitomizes this type of balance that we are trying to achieve with our bulldogs. A big head and long nose really is the ideal type of bulldog and provides a way to ethically produce great looking healthy bulldogs.

Have a great day!

Mitch

Check Out our Available Puppies Here

Bruiser Bulldog’s Reviews

I've grown up with english bulldogs my whole life. I am familiar with common and uncommon health problems they may face so when my boyfriend and I decided we were ready to adopt our own english puppy finding a reputable breeder that prioritizes health was most important to us. Erica and Mitch of Bruiser Bulldogs are just that. They are experienced, ethical and quality breeders. I was referred to them by my friend that I trust after I saw their gorgeous healthy puppy. Our Puppy Primrose is the light of our lives! Bruisers was there to assist us every step of the way. We would highly recommend Bruisers Bulldogs to anyone looking for their own happy, healthy pup!

Leah H.
4/08/2021
We, like many of the other people who found Bruisers, did a lot of research to find a responsible breeder, especially since English Bulldogs can have health issues and because there is a trend now for "trendy" bulldogs (blue, etc.) which have even more health issues. We were lucky to have come across Bruiser Bulldogs and even more so the fact that they were near our family and hometown made it even better. We have had Clementine (Callie) for four months now, and she is a wonderful dog. Her personality is amazing, and I think part of it is breeding and the other part is Erika and her family lovingly raising the puppies in their home with plenty of attention and snuggles. I also was impressed that, rather than send the puppies out right at 8 weeks, Erika kept ours for a few extra weeks because she was tiny and not read to leave her mom yet. It's that care that differentiates Bruisers from other breeders.

Emily R.
4/08/2021
We found Bruiser Bulldogs after researching healthy breeding line for bulldog puppies. Erica was easy to work with thru the entire process from application to adopting and now beyond as we host our new family member, Chief. Her on-call support and willingness to provide open, honest advice to all of our questions and concerns continues to be appreciated. We would highly recommend Bruiser Bulldogs to anyone looking for an English Bulldog to join their family.

Elizabeth W.
4/01/2021
Lady L.
3/25/2021
Bruiser Bulldogs are 5-star breeders! They are experienced, responsive and knowledgeable about all things bulldog related. They went above and beyond for us and are truly dedicated to all of their pups! We love our little girl so much and would recommend Bruiser to anyone looking for a healthy beautiful bully.

Jonathan E.
3/22/2021
Bruiser Bulldogs is a 5-star breeder in every way. Erica and Mitch are trustworthy, excellent communicators, fair, passionate, and produce the best bulldogs.We were at the top of the waiting list for months and Erica reached out every litter to see if we were finally ready for a bulldog. When we were, she was very easy to work with. Her knowledge on bulldogs is outstanding. We had many questions on the process and she always knew what was best for the puppy.We've had Penny (formerly Blair) for two months and she is very healthy, energetic, playful, and sweet. She is great with other people and dogs. We are so happy with our pup.When we are ready for bulldog #2, we will only consider Bruiser Bulldogs.

Mitch C.
2/22/2021
We waited a while to write this review so that we had a better sense for the overall health of our Bruiser Bulldog “Bowser”. Bowser was born April 2020 and is an integral part of our family. When we were first exploring English Bulldog breeders our biggest concern was the overall health of the dogs. We decided to work with Erica at Bruiser Bulldogs because we liked their focus on improving the breeds breathing abilities and the fact that the puppies are raised within her family environment before coming home with their new owners.As for Bowsers health, he’s a health energetic English Bulldog that has no problem keeping up with the kids, going on 2 mi walks and camping with us on a regular basis. Bowser also breaths clearly and our vet was impressed with his overall health from the moment we brought him home. All that said we know English Bulldogs have a predisposition to many health issues and that his current health can not predict the future. With that In mind its important to start with a breeder that open to answer any of your questions as Erica has ours, and that strongly believes in improving the breeds overall health profile.

Adam B.
2/22/2021
After the loss of our first English Bulldog due to health issues it was very important for us to find a breeder who did not breed only for aesthetic but more importantly for health. My sister ended up finding Bruiser Bulldogs and we knew right away that they were the breeder for us.In September we ended up driving 9 hours to pick up two Bruiser bulldog puppies- one for my husband and I and one for my mom. Jackson and Penelope have been nothing but a joy. They are very social and very friendly to everyone they meet including kids and other dogs/animals. They are both very athletic and healthy. They are also HUGE snugglers and always want to be with you. It is an absolute pleasure having these two bullies in our lives! My sister and her fiancé also fell in love with them and now are on the waitlist themselves for a Bruiser bulldog!Erica is very knowledgeable about the breed. She is very hands on throughout the process and is just overall a kind and honest person to work with.With all that being said I cannot recommend Bruiser Bulldogs enough!

Collyn C.
2/22/2021
We fell in love with our puppy the moment we saw him. One of the reasons we chose Bruiser Bulldogs was due to the claims about breeding for health. During our first visit at our vet's office, he told us that our pup was one of the healthiest English bulldogs he had ever seen. He is healthy, happy and social. Would recommend to anyone.

Christina S.
2/22/2021
What an awesome experience! We seen our dog on their website and sent them an Email. Mitch called us and personally walked us through the process and made sure we had the right dog for our family. We couldn't be happier when we picked up our dog Ramsey, Erica made sure we had everything we needed and then some. They are truly amazing people who breed truly amazing dogs!

Jim T.
2/22/2021