Hey Guys! My name is Taz and I want to encourage fellow Bulldogs and their owners to make fitness and nutrition one of our top priorities! I know, I know...looks can be deceiving. You would think that because we are shaped like a big fat sausage, or because we are stubborn and would rather be a couch potato, we aren't interested in exercising. No we are not built for long distance walks in the hot
sun or jumping from great heights, but we LOVE to use our broad shoulders to jump high and hang by our strong jaws. Let me start with a little bit of history about English Bulldogs beginning in the 1200's. The English Bulldog's low-slung, heavy, thick-set body, along with its broad shoulders, provides a low center of gravity, allowing the Bulldog to crawl close to the ground, originally useful for staying out of range of a bulls horns. This ability was the difference between life and death, so the trait allowed the Bulldog to stay alive to breed another day, passing the characteristic along. The large circumference of the head is equal to the dog’s height at the shoulder, offering sufficient space for strong, developed muscles in the dog's wide jaw. Its distinctive undershot bite allowed it to hang on to the bull with amazing strength, even as it was violently shaken and pounded by the furious bull, and its scrunched up nose allowed it to breath, as its face pressed close to the bull's body until dog or bull finally fell. Even the loose-jointed, rolling and shuffling gait are a result of this selection, since the dog needed to be able to withstand severe shaking and thumping without having its spine or ribs broken. In addition, the Bulldog needed to have the ability to move swiftly and to make sudden leaps, which accounts for its surprising dexterity. The English Bulldog is a small statured, medium-sized dog, and as its name suggests, it was originally bred for working with bulls. More to the point, the Bulldog was trained and bred to fight bulls for sport, beginning in England in the 1200s and throughout Europe until the mid 1800s. All of the features the modern Bulldog is known and admired for are the result of many long and arduous fights to the finish, with the strongest survivors selected to help create what would become one of the most popular breeds in the dog fancy. This once ferocious and tough dog, through careful and select breeding, has become today's docile and loving pet. The playful and devoted Bulldog is now a cherished member of many families, and has in recent years seen a growth in popularity as more people discover the warmth, charm and affection a Bulldog brings into a home. With this knowledge my owner created a workout for me that is both stimulating and perfect for every bully body.
