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English Bulldogs are known for their cute wrinkly faces, and this is often a feature that attracts people to the breed, however you might have a different opinion and be thinking, can you get an English Bulldog with less wrinkles?
The answer is yes, you can get an English Bulldog with less wrinkles. Many English Bulldogs do have heavy droopy faces however their is plenty of bulldogs which don't, and it's mainly to do with their genetic makeup, and the features that are passed down from their parents.
Why do English Bulldogs have loose skin & wrinkles?
English Bulldogs have loose skin and wrinkles due to their original breeding purpose. They were originally bred to be bull baiting dogs, and the loose skin and wrinkles helped to protect them during the fighting, and provided channels for the blood to run through and off their face, away from their eyes.
English Bulldogs are of course no longer bred for the purpose of bull baiting, but breeders have ensured that they keep this physical characteristic due to it being the main feature that all people know and love about bulldogs.
The continued inbreeding of English Bulldogs has lead to bulldogs wrinkles becoming more and more prominent over the years.
What is an overdone English Bulldog?
An overdone English Bulldog is an English Bulldog which has been purposely bred to have extremely exaggerated bulldog features, which includes excessive wrinkles, short stumpy legs and an extremely wide frame.
They are often extremely inbred to try and ensure that set genetic physical characteristics are bred into them and often have a multitude of health issues to go along with the already pre-existing English Bulldog health issues.
Overdone English Bulldogs have become somewhat of a fashion accessory and their increasing demand has seen an increase in them being bred, and the price that they are sold for sky rocketing.
How to spot the signs of an English Bulldog with less wrinkles
English Bulldogs are not born with wrinkles, they do however grow their wrinkles as they age, with them starting to develop once the puppy reaching 4-5 weeks in age. Once an English Bulldog reaches 12-months of age, their wrinkles will likely be fully developed and this will be how they'll look for the dogs life.
Wrinkles vary from bulldog to bulldog, but if you are looking. to spot an English Bulldog with less wrinkles then the best way to do this is by looking at its parents. Wrinkles are often passed on genetically by the bulldogs parents.
The weight of a bulldog can also play a large part in the extent of their wrinkles, skinnier bulldogs often have less wrinkles than bigger bulldogs.
The health risk of an English Bulldog with lots of wrinkles
The main health risk of an English Bulldog with lots of wrinkles is infection. Bulldog wrinkles are prone to getting infected.
Cleaning your bulldogs wrinkle is an essential daily activity. If you don't routinely clean your bulldogs wrinkle, it can lead to it becoming extremely uncomfortable for your dog, and even cause serious skin conditions or infections.
For more information, please read our in-depth guide on cleaning your bulldogs wrinkle.
The advantages of an English Bulldogs wrinkles
The advantage of an English Bulldogs wrinkles was purely to help them during their bull baiting and dog fighting days. Their face wrinkles would make it hard for their opponents to grab onto their face and it would also mean that any blood would run through the wrinkles and off of the dogs face, rather than into its eyes which would impair its vision.
Conclusion
Trying to establish whether your English Bulldog will have less wrinkles before its 12 months old will be extremely difficult. Try to do as much research into your dogs lineage and this should hopefully help you ensure that you find a bulldog that isn't overly wrinkly if that is what you are looking for.