Vets can often contribute to this perception by calling these behaviors normal, says Bonnett. According to a large survey of veterinarians, 75 percent of owners were unaware of the health problems of brachycephalic breeds before they chose their dog. A study published in the Journal of Small Animal Practice looked at the data from a UK Kennel Club survey of 13, female dogs who were pregnant to find that the rate of C-sections among the Boston terriers, bulldogs and French bulldogs was greater than 80 percent.
In other words: human intervention was required for the continued propagation of these breeds. Puppies with extra-big heads—as are common to the brachycephalic breeds—are difficult for mother dogs to birth naturally. Additionally, many brachycephalic breed standards, like that of the French bulldog , call for narrow hips, which makes birthing difficult if not impossible. A study published in The Canadian Veterinary Journal found that a whopping 95 percent of Cavalier King Charles Spaniels are at risk of developing the skull-brain size mismatch that can result in syringomyelia, with clinical symptoms of the disease present in about 35 percent of those dogs.
Syringomyelia is also a smaller risk for small dog breeds including brachycephalic breeds like the Chihuahua, Griffon Bruxellois and Papillion. Dogs with the condition experience cerebral fluid leaking into their upper spines, creating cysts.
This can cause them to drool, exhibit neurological symptoms like not being able to walk properly, and — as was dramatically captured in the documentary Pedigree Dogs Exposed— sometimes scream in agony.
These dogs can be treated with seizure medication, with steroids and anti-inflammatories to help bring down swelling and with surgery—but some dogs have to be put down. A study of the Cavalier King Charles Spaniels registered with the Danish Kennel Club found that 20 percent of the dogs showing symptomatic syringomyelia were euthanized as a result of the condition.
Spinal issues also threaten the wellbeing of some brachycephalic breeds. Flat-faced dogs often have a vertebral malformation called hemivertebrae, which causes the oddly-shaped vertebrae that causes the curly tail of pugs and French bulldogs.
Yet despite the fact that tail conformation is directly linked to these conditions, kennel clubs consider curly tails to be a desirable breed characteristic. The breed standard for pugs listed by the Kennel Club stipulates that the tail should be "curled as tightly as possible over hip, double curl highly desirable. I have a hard time picturing how the bulldog did it, even with all its strength.
Its just a testament to how strong the bulldog really is. But when bull-bating was outlawed, a lot of butchers took the dogs homes as pets. Soon it looked as though the bulldog breed was going to going to die out, but thanks to selective breeding, they were bred to be cute companion dogs.
Toy sized companion dogs with small faces think Pekingese and Shih Tzu were highly saught after in Asia since the 1st century. They were a status symbol. Now that bulldogs were out of a job, breeders wanted to keep them around, but less aggressive and apparently they wanted to copy that cute squishy face. The breeders were highly successful. Bulldogs are perfect companion dogs and bulldogs have a squished face, and they are wanted by many families.
Scientists discovered a mutated gene that creates the flattened face and shortened nose. The gene for you scientists out there, is SMOC2. Yes, there wil be a test. This mutation is found in dot with flat faces and shorter noses. The condition is called brachycephaly. Slowly over time, breeders kept selecting the dogs with flatter faces to reproduce and we have the popular English bulldog we have today.
There are of course other bulldogs, such as the American bulldog that looks most like the original bull-bating dog from the 18th century. There is a Johnson type American bulldog and a Scott type bulldog. A breeder named Johnson bred the dog to have longer snouts and has the closets resemblance to the original bull-mastiff.
Another breeder named Scott bred dogs to have the cute under bite, but not as prominent as the English Bulldog. For this reason, the American Bulldog is often mistaken with the Pit Bull.
Despite how cute the bulldogs flat face is, it does cause many unfortunate health problems. The first and foremost being brachycephalic airway syndrome. A dog with brachycephalic airway syndrome can have one more of these problems. All of these things block a lot of airflow, and its all thanks to the flat face in bulldogs. Bulldogs were originally bred to fight bulls. Everything from their under-developed hindquarters to their slightly jutting lower jaw—including their flat snouts—was developed to help them survive the fight and kill the bull.
The flatter snouts of these breeds of dogs not only lead to a less sophisticated sense of smell than many of their brethren, it also leads to a variety of health issues. Flat-faced dogs often have respiratory problems. Their airways can be too short and narrow, which can make effective panting difficult. They often overheat easily.
The wrinkly skin on their faces which endears them to so many people can collect dirt and yeast. It is important that you clean their faces regularly to keep infections from starting.
Short-snouted, dogs like Pugs have been bred with flat faces. Pugs have an inferior sense of smell and their flat noses have been known to cause health complications in the breed. Wolves have been bred into various dog shapes and sizes over countless generations. Those animals that had that trait along with a smaller body size were bred to each other.
That selective breeding eventually became the pugs and Pekingnese dogs we have now. Pug Mixes. There are three main kinds of Pug mixes being bred: the Puggle, a cross between a Pug and a Beagle; the Chug, a cross between and Pug and a Chihuahua; and a Bugg, a cross between a Pug and a Boston Terrier.
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