General Appearance: In forming a judgement on any specimen of the breed,the general appearance ,which is the first

impression the dog makes as a whole on the eye of the judge,should be first considered. Secondly

should be noticed it's size,shape and make,or rather it's proportions in the relation they bear to each other.

No point should be so much in excess of the others as to destroy the general symmetry,or make the dog

appear deformed,or interfere with it's powers of motion,etc. Thirdly it's style,carriage,gait,temper and it's

several points should be considered seperately in detail,due allowance being made for the bitch,which

is not so grand nor as well developed as the dog.

The genreal appearance of the Bulldog is that of a smooth coated ,thickset dog,rather low in stature

,but broad,powerful and compact. The head strikingly masssive and large in proportion

to the dog's size.The face extremely short.The muzzle very broad,blunt and inclined upwards.

The body short and well knit:the limbs stout and muscular.The hindquarters high

and strong but rather lightly made in comparison with it's heavily made foreparts.The dog should convey an

impression of determination ,strength and activity,similar to that suggested by the appearance

of a thick set Ayrshire bull.

Characteristics: (See under general appearance/Gait).

Temperament: Should convey an impression of determination.

Head And Skull:  The skull shold be very large-the larger the better-and in circumference should measure

(round in front of the ears)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.The cheeks should be well rounded and extended sideways beyond the eyes.Viewed at the

side,the ehad should appear very high,and very short from it's back to the point of the nose.

The forehead should be flat,neither prominent nor overhanging the face:the skin upon it and about the head

very loose and well wrinkled.The projections of the frontal bones should be very prominent,broad,

square and high,causing a deep and wide indentation between the eyes termed the "stop".

From the "stop" a furrow both broad and deep should extend up to the middle of the skull

,being traceable to the apex.The face,measured from the front of the cheek-bone

to the nose,should be as short as possible,and it's skin should be deeply and

closely wrinkled.The muzzle should be short,broad,turned upwards and very deep from the corner

of the eye to the corner of the mouth.The nose should be large,broad and black,

and under no circumstances should it be liver coloured or brown:it's top should be deeply set

bacl almost between the eyes. The distance from the inner corner of the eye(or from the

centre of the stop between the eyes)to the extreme tip of the nose should not

exceed the length from the tip of the nose to the edge of the under lip.

The nostrils should be large,wide and black,woth a well-defined vertical straight line between

them. The flews,called the "chop" should be thick,broad pendant,and very deep,hanging completely

over the lower jaw at the sides(not in front).They should join the under lip in front and quite cover

the teeth. The jaws should be broad,massive and square,the lower jaw should project

considerably in front of the upper and turn up. Viewed from the front,the various properties of the face must

be equally balanced on either side of an imaginary line down the centre of the face.

Eyes: The eyes seen from the front,should be situated low down in the skull,as far from

the ears as possible.The eyes and "stop" should be in the same straight line,which should be at

right angles to the furrow.They should be as wide apart as possible,provided their outer corners are within

the outline of the cheeks.They should be quite round in shape,of moderate size,neither

sunken nor prominent,and in colour should be very dark-almost,if not quite black-showing

no white when looking directly forward.

Ears:  The ears should be set high on the head-i.e. the front inner edge of each ear should(as viewed

from the front) join the outline of the skull at the top corner of such outline,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 correct ,and folds inwards at it's back,the upper or front

edge curving over outwards and backwards,showing part of the inside of the burr.

Mouth: The jaw should be broad and square and have six front teeth between the

canines in an even row. The canine teeth or tusks wide apart. The teeth

should not be seen when the mouth is closed.The teeth should be large and strong.When

viewed from the front,the underjaw should be centerally under the upper jaw to which

it should also be parellel.

Neck: Should be moderate inlength (rather than long),very thick,deep and strong.

It should be well arched at the back,with much loose,thick and wrinkled skin about the throat,

forming a dewlap on each side,from the lower jaw to the chest.

Forequarters: The shoulders should be broad,sloping and deep,very powerful and

muscular,and giving the appearance of having been "tacked on" to the

body.The brisket should be capacious,round and very deep from the top of the

shoulders to the lowest part where it joins the chest,and be well let down between forelegs.

It should be large in diameter and round behind the forelegs(bot flat-sided,the ribs being well

rounded).The forelegs should be very stout and strong,set wide apart,thick,muscular and straight,with

well-developed forearms,presenting a rather bowed outline,but the bones of the legs should

be large ,not bandy or curved. They should be rather short in proportion  to the hind legs,

but not so short as to make the back appear long,or detract from the dog's activity,and so

cripple him. The elbows should be low,and stand well away from the ribs. The

pasterns should be short,straight and strong.

Body: The chest should be very wide,laterally round,prominent,and deep,making the

dog appear very broad and short-legged in front.The body shold be well ribbed up

behind,with the belly tucked up and not pendulous. The back should be short and strong,very broad

at the shoulders,and comparatively narrow at the loins.There should be a slight fall to the

back close behind the shoulders(it's lowest part),whence the spine should rise to the

loins(the top of which should ne higher then the top of the shoulders),thence curving

again more suddenly to the tail,forming an arch-a distinctive characteristic of the

breed-termed "roach back".

Hindquarters: The legs should be large and muscular,and longer in proportion

than the forelegs,so as to elevate the loins.The hocks should be slightly bent and well let

down,so as to be long and muscualr from the loins to the point of the hock. The lower part of the leg

should be short,straight and strong.The stifles should be round and turned slightly outwards away

from the body.The hocks are thereby made to approach each other,and the hind feet to turn outwards.

Feet: The hind feet, like the forefeet,should be round and compact,with the toes well split

up and the knuckles prominent.The forefeet should be straight and turn very slightly outward,of

medium size and moderately round.The toes compact and thick,being well split up,making the knuckles

prominent and high.

Tail: The tail termed  the "stern",should be set on low,jut out rather straight,then turn downwards.

It should be round,smooth and devoid of fringe or coarse hair.It should be moderate in length-rather short

than long-thick at the root,and tapering quickly to a fine point.It should have a downward

carriage(not having a decided curve at the end),and the dog should not be able to raise

it over it's back.

Gait/Appearance: From it's formation the dog has a peculiar heavy and constrained

gait,appearing to walk with short,quick steps on the tips of it's toes,it's hindfeet not being

lifted high,but appearing to skim the ground,and running with the right shoulder rather advanced,

similar to the manner of horse in cantering.

Coat: Should be fine in texture,short,close and smooth(hard only from the shortness

and closeness ,not wiry).

Colour: The colour should be whole or smut(that is, a whole colour with a black mask or muzzle).

The only colours(which should be brilliant and pure of their sort) are whole colours-viz,brindles,

reds,with their varieties,fawns,fallows etc., white and also pied(ie. a combination of

white with any other of the foregoing colours). Dudley,black and black with tan are

extremely undesirable colours.

Sizes: The most desirable weight for the bulldog is:

Dogs : 25 kilos (55 lbs)

Bitches : 23 kilos (50 lbs)

Faults: Any departure  from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness

with which the fault should be in exact proportion to it's degree and it's effect upon the health

andwelfare of the dog.

Notes: Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into

the scrotum.

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