Training English Bulldogs 101 – Most Effective Methods

Training English Bulldogs 101 requires patience and consistency due to their strong-willed nature. As one of the most popular dog breeds worldwide, English Bulldogs make loving companions but can be challenging to train if the proper techniques aren’t used.

This breed tends to be stubborn and easily distracted, so trainers must keep sessions positive, short, and reward-based.

English Bulldogs also aren’t the most active dogs, so gentle exercise is recommended alongside training. Some key things to know about training English Bulldogs include starting young before behaviors are ingrained, using treats and praise to motivate, and addressing any health issues early on that could impact training.

Regular training is important for English Bulldogs to learn good manners and how to behave appropriately in the home and in public.

Key Takeaways

• English Bulldogs can be trainable but require patience and positive reinforcement due to their laid-back nature. It’s important to use motivating rewards and keep training sessions short and fun.
• Consistency is key when training English Bulldogs. Stick to simple commands and a routine, and be consistent in your use of cues and praise. Bully breeds are very food-motivated, so high-value treats work well.
• English Bulldogs thrive on structure and rules. Be the pack leader by establishing house rules and a schedule. Bully breeds do best with positive reinforcement training techniques versus punishment-based methods. Praise and reward good behavior.

Appearance and Personality

English bulldogs have a very dynamic appearance. The heads of the English bulldogs are round and flat. They have huge and broad jaws and wrinkly skin all around their face.

English bulldogs have a short height of about feet. They have thick bodies with broad shoulders and sturdy legs.

English bulldogs come in white, red, brown, and fawn colors with different patterns. The most famous bulldogs are white and brown ones.

Despite their ferocious appearance and their violent history, they are the most loyal and gentle dogs.

The personality of the English bulldogs is very friendly. They love being around the members of the family, especially children.

They are of mixing nature and can mix with any stranger in a short time. So you don’t have to worry about them when introducing new people or animals.

English bulldogs make the best watchdogs. They are very loyal and brave dogs. They don’t get scared easily and can scare away any intruder, my just a bark. They are supposed to be great at taking care of children.   

Different Types of English Bulldogs

There are three types of English bulldogs:

• Blue English Bulldog
• British Bulldog
• Mini Bulldog

Blue English Bulldog

The blue English bulldog is a type of traditional English bulldog with two significant differences. First is the most common difference which is coat color. The blue English bulldogs have a mixture of grey and white colors.

The second difference and most attractive characteristic people show interest in blue bulldogs is their blue eyes. Not every dog has blue eyes; it is very rare to have blue-eyed dogs.

And especially when it comes to English bulldogs, who have brown eyes and black eyes originally, people get attracted.

It may seem like not much of a big deal to most people who want English bulldogs. Due to this one difference, it can be difficult to breed blue English bulldogs.

And because of this, blue English bulldogs are much more expensive than traditional bulldogs.  

British Bulldog

British Bulldogs are the standard and common English Bulldogs that you get to see on the streets most of the time. British bulldogs have dark brown eyes, and their coat is of brown and white color.

British bulldogs are less expensive than any other English Bulldog variations.

Mini Bulldog

Mini bulldogs, also called toy bulldogs by some, are the same variations of English bulldogs, except they are very small. The mini bulldogs also have less wrinkly faces than the original bulldogs.

They have a chubby body build, which attracts many people who like smaller dogs.

The size of a mini bulldog is somewhere between an original English bulldog and a Chihuahua. These mini bulldogs are not as small as you think. So think that they are just smaller and not ones like teacup breeds.

These mini bulldogs were first bred in the 1800s. They were not very famous until the 1970s and 1980s.

They were made by crossbreeding Pugs’ DNA with English bulldogs in a trial to reduce the health issues of the English bulldogs.

This breed gained a lot of popularity from people, but the reduction in health issues has hardly been seen.

Training English Bulldogs 101

Just like other dogs, English bulldogs are eager to learn new things and have a lot of curiosity in them. It can sometimes feel daunting to train your English bulldogs.

English bulldogs grow very fast, and so time-to-time training is very important. Here I bring you training English bulldogs 101 to ease your training sessions.

It would be best if you also kept socializing your English bulldogs; otherwise, they may develop problems interacting with other dogs and new people in the future.

English bulldogs love to chew a lot, and as a result, they will need a lot of chewy toys their entire life. It is also very important to train your bulldogs to obey your commands at once; otherwise, they may end up chewing something harmful to them but important to you.

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English bulldogs love to eat, and as a result, they love their food too. They can be very possessive about their food and become aggressive towards anyone trying to take from their bowl.

This behavior must be stopped, and he must be taught to share his food with others.

This English bulldog training 101 will help you to find solutions for any training-related issues. Do not ever think that training your bulldogs can be difficult.

Just keep reading this English bulldog training 101, and you will know. We must always positively train our bulldogs.   

Positive English Bulldog Training 101

There are many training types, but I think that this positive English bulldog training 101 will be most effective as it contains positivity.

This training includes never forgetting to reward your bulldog when he does something good while ignoring your little one when he does something bad.

This training also involves teaching your bulldogs various things that you might think they already know.  There are various steps in this training, let me start with them.

English Bulldog Training 101 – Step 1

Step one is all about teaching your bulldog the marker word. Dogs can only listen to you for a short period when rewarded or punished, so teaching a marker word is the best thing to do.

A marker word is something that you say to mark a certain moment when your bulldog does something good, followed by a treat. This helps your dog develop better timing and makes your dog understand that he gets his reward fast.

All you need to decide is a marker word for your English bulldog and then give him the treat. The marker word can be:

1. Good boy!
2. Treat!

Just make sure you give the treat after saying the word; otherwise, your bulldog won’t learn it. Practice this with your bulldog several times a day, and you will see a noticeable change, and he will start responding to the word.

English Bulldog Training 101 – Step 2

Your English bulldog must always know his name. You name your bulldog and then forget to teach him his name, thinking he will figure it out on his own.

Then, you assume that he will look whenever you call his name, but he doesn’t. This is a very important thing to teach your bulldog.

It is very easy to teach your bulldogs their name:

1. Call your bulldog’s name
2. Say the marker word, so he looks at you.
3. Give him his treat immediately
4. Repeat this with him, and voila! He will know his name. 

English Bulldog Training 101 – Step 3

The third step is about teaching your bulldog the basic commands that help him become obedient and disciplined. Train your bulldogs to respond to that command, which is such a fun part.

The commands are:

1. Sit
2. Down
3. Stand
4. Come
5. Stay

English Bulldog Training 101 – Step 4

Now when you want your bulldog to obey you, teach him some advanced obedience commands. Not every owner opts for this step, but it will be very easy for you to handle your bulldog. You can teach him some commands like:

1. Leave it
2. Put it down
3. Give it to me

English Bulldog Training 101 – Step 5

If you started with the basic steps and still find that your bulldog is not behaving, you can always opt for a professional trainer.

Professional trainers can solve the most common behavior problems. Also, remember, never show aggression towards your dog. 

Before You Go

While English Bulldogs require dedication and patience to train due to their strong personality, it is very possible to successfully train them with the right methods.

Consistency and positive reinforcement are key to helping them learn new behaviors and unlearn bad ones.

Short training sessions kept fun with praise and rewards can help maximize their attention span. It’s also important to consider things like not scolding them if they lose focus and addressing any health issues that could impact training.

With persistence and the right techniques tailored to their needs, English Bulldogs can learn basic commands like sit, stay, and come, as well as house training.

Regular training builds a strong bond between owner and dog and helps ensure English Bulldogs are well-behaved companions.

Those who put in the work to properly train their English Bulldog will be rewarded with a loving, well-mannered dog.

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