 
The Bulldog: a Monograph by Edgar Farman
yours
as a bonus when you
purchase The Healthy Bulldog Guide.
It
comes from the chapter titled The
Historical Sketch of the Bulldog
This
part talks about the specialized breeding of the bulldog and
for
what purpose.
This is just a short exerpt from the over 200 page book,
but
it gives you an idea of the great content of this rare book.
Click
here to go back to the Bulldog Health Information page

"From the
descriptions given by early writers,
we gather then that
the Bulldog possessed
the characteristics
of a short muzzle, a large
and massive head,
and a broad mouth. The
necessity for these
qualifications, having in
mind the work he was
called to perform, is
obvious. The under
jaw projects beyond
the upper, to enable
the dog when running
directly to the
front to grasp the bull, and,
when fixed, to give
him a firmer hold. The
lower jaw being very
thick and strong gives
to
the mouth an appearance
of curving
upwards across the
middle of the face. The
top of the nose
inclines backwards, so as to
allow free passage
of the air into the nostrils
whilst " holding " on to the bull. It is evident
that did the mouth
not project beyond the
nose, and had both
jaws and nose been level,
the nostrils would
be flat against the part to
which the dog was
fixed, and the breathing
would be stopped. "When modern Bulldogs,
as is sometimes the
case, have this defective
formation, they are "frog faced" as it is
termed.
Another subject
which has caused much
discussion and
division of opinion is the
matter of size, one
side placing its faith in a
large and lumbering
dog, the other advocating
the claims of a
large skulled dog, but of
medium size, from
forty to fifty pounds in
weight, with the
short head approved by the
author of the "
Mayster of Game." Here
again the original
purpose for which the Bull-
dog was bred should
be borne in mind. In
bull-baiting, not
only could a smaller dog do
the work as well,
probably much better
than a large one,
but, as in attacking the
dog usually
approached the bull crawling
upon his belly along
the ground, the
result would be that
a large dog would
be infinitely more
likely to fall a victim
to the bull's horns
than would a smaller one."
If you'd just like to order the digital download of this book,
it's available at this link for only $9.95:
Bulldog History and Old Photos Order Information
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