A very well known and popular cousin of the English Bulldog, Victorian Bulldogs are believed to have come to life due to cross breeding four dog breeds together: English Bulldogs, Bull Mastiffs, Bull Terriers and Staffordshire Bull Terriers.
As of this writing, Victorian Bulldogs are officially recognized as a breed by the Dog Registry of America (DRA) as well as the American Canine Association (ACA) [1], so you can be assured that this dog breed is legitimate and not some sort of marketing scam some breeders like to pull on their customers with fads and imaginary breeds that simply just don’t exist.
Victorian Bulldogs Physical Appearance
Size, Height & Weight
Generally speaking, Victorian Bulldogs are medium sized dogs, usually a little bit larger in size than your average English Bulldog [2].
Male Victorian Bulldogs stand at a height of anywhere between 16 to 20 inches tall and a weight of anywhere between 70 to 80 pounds, while female Victorian Bulldogs stand at a height of anywhere between 15 to 19 inches tall and a weight of anywhere between 50 to 65 pounds.
Keep in mind that these are average figures and exceptions do indeed exist, so don’t deem that a dog isn’t a pure Victorian Bulldog just because it’s shorter/taller or lighter/heavier than these figures mentioned above.
Build
Moving on to the build of this dog, the Victorian Bulldog has an athletic build to it because of the nature of its muscular body.
Victorian Bulldogs have a tall, stretched body to them, a wide chest that’s upright and well defined, wide shoulders, thick bones and just everything you would expect to see in a dog with an athletic build to it.
Coat Colors
Some of the most common coat colors that the Victorian Bulldog often tends to come in are solid white, white and black, tan, bright yellow, red, and brindle.
Victorian Bulldog Temperament
Even though the Victorian Bulldog may look like a strong, powerful and mean dog that wants to boss every encounter they’re engaged in, this is not really the case – this is rather a case of “don’t judge a book by its cover”.
In reality, Victorian Bulldogs have some of the sweetest personalities out there, so please don’t fall into this logical fallacy.
Affection & Attention
Seeing that the Victorian Bulldog has such a sweet, gentle and affectionate personality to it, this also means that it needs an owner that has the same personality – an owner that’s also able to provide this dog with the same love, affection and care that it provides them.
So, if you’re not able to give the Victorian Bulldog a significant portion of your time, attention and affection, then this dog is probably not a good fit for you.
Watchdog Ability
Because of how loyal the Victorian Bulldog is to its owners and how well aware it is of the environment around it, the Victorian Bulldog often makes for a very good watchdog if one of the main criteria by which you’ll be making the decision of adding this dog to your household or not is how well it’s able to protect it and your family.
Even though the Victorian Bulldog is known to be good around strangers it meets for the first time, the key here is “meets”.
This dog is smart enough to know the difference between a stranger that’s meeting them for the first time in your presence, their owners, and an intruder that’s lurking around your property to cause potential harm.
You can rest assured that a Victorian Bulldog will do all it has within its capabilities in order to fend off any intruder lurking around your property.
Many Victorian Bulldog owners actually report, after having added this dog to their household and family for a while and experiencing things first hand, that the it’s actually one of the most competent watchdogs when compared to any other breed out there.
Kids At Home
Because of how much of a gentle, sweet and affectionate personality the Victorian Bulldog has to it (again, I know it doesn’t exactly give that impression away when you look at this dog, but don’t judge a book by its cover), the Victorian Bulldog is very good with and around children.
So, if you have kids in the house and are wondering if the Victorian Bulldog will be a good addition or not, then you’ve got the green light as far as that issue is concerned.
Pets At Home
Just like the Victorian Bulldog is known to be good around kids in your household, it’s also known to be good around other pets you may have in your household.
However, for this dog to be the best it can be around both your kids and other pets in the house (especially the latter), the Victorian Bulldog must be properly socialized and trained from a young age.
If the Victorian Bulldog hasn’t been properly socialized and trained from a young age, the risk of them committing foul play with other pets at home is higher than it should be, at least until they spend a significant amount of time with these other pets and become friends with them with time.
Victorian Bulldog Living Conditions
Indoors VS Outdoors
If you’re looking for a dog to add to your household which happens to be an indoor apartment, then the Victorian Bulldog is a perfect choice for you to go with.
Victorian Bulldogs don’t mind spending the majority of their days indoors in an apartment – on the contrary, they actually quite enjoy it and thrive on it. [3]
Exercise Requirements
You should, though, keep in mind that Victorian Bulldogs need to be exercised and given their fair share of physical activity on a daily basis, although they don’t need to be exercised as heavily as some other dog breeds out there which make you feel like you’re training the next Olympic champion in 100 meter sprints.
So, if you’ve got a small backyard your Victorian Bulldog can play around in for a short amount of time in the day or you’re able to take them for a short walk/jog outside the house, that’s all you really need for this dog.
Even though this dog doesn’t need anywhere near the vigorous types of exercise that other dog breeds need from their owners, you should keep in mind that the Victorian Bulldog needs to be exercised on a daily basis in order to remain happy and healthy.
Weather Conditions
The best weather conditions Victorian Bulldogs thrive and do best in are moderate weather conditions.
Victorian Bulldogs don’t do too well in areas where it tends to get either too warm or too cold at times, as they don’t have much ability to keep themselves warm in harshly cold environments, nor do they have the ability to keep themselves cool in harshly hot environments. [4]
Victorian Bulldog Health Issues
At this specific moment in time and with the data currently available about Victorian Bulldogs, this dog breed isn’t known to suffer from any specific health problem that’s unique or higher in chance to it than other dog breeds out there.
One of the most common health problems that comes to mind when talked about Bulldogs in general, and this holds true for Victorian Bulldogs as well since they are a part of this general breed, are skin and coat allergies.
So, do your due diligence on that issue and make sure you’re providing your Victorian Bulldog all they need for an optimal skin and coat condition, be that with specific dog food manufactured for dogs with skin and coat problems, specific shampoo for dogs with skin and coat problems, etc ..
However, the good news is that unlike the English Bulldog, Victorian Bulldogs aren’t known to have a high risk of suffering from health problems that are common to the English Bulldog.
The only annoying issue with breathing difficulties that comes to mind with the Victorian Bulldog, though, is snoring – boy oh boy does this dog like to snore!
So, not exactly a health problem you should be worried about, just a general issue you need to consider and think about where you should let your Victorian Bulldog sleep if you’re easily annoyed because of snoring.
In general, Victorian Bulldogs are believed to have lifespans that last anywhere from 10 to 13 years on average and if provided with the proper care, love and and affection that any dog needs from its owner.
Victorian Bulldog Care
Grooming
Victorian Bulldogs aren’t known to be heavy shedding dogs, so this is a very good option for you to consider in a dog breed if you require a low shedding dog.
Also, and because of the type of coat Victorian Bulldogs have to them, grooming them is often much easier to do than other dog breeds that make this task very hard on their owners.
Victorian Bulldogs have relatively short coats by nature, ones that are smooth and don’t tend to tangle up at all, two prerequisites to fairly easy brushing sessions.
Victorian Bulldogs shouldn’t be given excessive showers as, just as the case is with most dog breeds out there, excessive showering will lead to the damaging of their coat & skin and the degradation of their quality.
Resources
1. American Canine Association (ACA) http://acabreeds.com/breed/victorian-bulldog-499.aspx
2. English Bulldog Profile https://www.petfinder.com/dog-breeds/bulldog/
3. How to exercise your dog indoors https://www.cesarsway.com/how-to-exercise-your-dog-indoors/
4. Safe outdoor temperatures for dogs https://www.healthypawspetinsurance.com/blog/2018/01/02/safe-outdoor-temperature-for-dogs
