The underjaw projects beyond the upper in order to allow the dog,
when running directly to the front, to grasp the bull, and, when
fixed, to give him a firmer hold. The eyes, seen from the front,
should be situated low down in the skull, as far from the ears, the
nose, and each other as possible, but quite in front of the forehead,
so long as their corners are in a straight line at right angles with
the stop, and in front of the forehead. They should be a little above
the level of the base of the nasal bone, and should be quite round
in shape, of moderate size, neither sunken nor prominent, and be as
black in colour as possible--almost, if not quite, black, showing
no white when looking directly to the front.
A good deal of a Bulldog's appearance depends on the quality, shape,
and carriage of his ears. They should be small and thin, and set high
on the head; that is, 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, as high, and as
far from the eyes as possible. The shape should be that which is known
as "rose," in which the ear folds inward at the back, the upper or
front edge curving over outwards and backwards, showing part of the
inside of the burr. If the ears are placed low on the skull they give
an appleheaded appearance to the dog. If the ear falls in front,
hiding the interior, as is the case with a Fox-terrier, it is said
to "button," and this type is highly objectionable. Unfortunately,
within the last few years the "button" and "semi-tulip" ear have been
rather prevalent amongst the specimens on the show bench.
If the ear is carried erect it is known as a "tulip" ear, and this
form also is objectionable. Nevertheless at the beginning of the
nineteenth century two out of every three dogs possessed ears of this
description.
The neck should be moderate in length, very thick, deep, muscular,
and short, but of sufficient length to allow it to be well arched
at the back, commencing at the junction with the skull. There should
be plenty of loose, thick, and wrinkled skin about the throat, forming
a dewlap on each side from the lower jaw to the chest.
The chest should be very wide laterally, round, prominent, and deep,
making the dog appear very broad and short-legged in front. The
shoulders should be broad, the blades sloping considerably from the
body; they should be deep, very powerful, and muscular, and should
be flat at the top and play loosely from the chest.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account