Bull-Pei

Breed Rating

Breed Details

General

The Bull-Pei is the result of a cross between two relatively singular pure breeds, the Bulldog and the Chinese Shar Pei.

The Bulldog is a heavyset, low-slung dog, immediately identifiable for its flattened, wrinkly face, massive head, under-bite, and rolling, shuffling gait. Originating in England, it is also known the English Bulldog, as opposed to other breeds such as the French Bulldog and the American Bulldog. Its history is of a fighting dog, used in bull-baiting and bear-fighting. When these sports were outlawed by the Cruelty to Animals Act of 1835, the Bulldog started to be considered as a pet and companion. Selective breeding resulted in the modern dog that is amiable in nature and emotionally attached to its owner.

The Chinese Shar Pei is distinct for its hippopotamus-shaped muzzle, blue-black tongue, and wrinkled face and body. It was named as one of the rarest dog breeds by Time magazine in 1978. The Shar Pei was originally a Chinese fighting dog, and was also used for a variety of chores around the farm, such as hunting, and guarding and herding livestock.

Color

The Bull-Pei's loose, wrinkled coat comes mostly in solid colors, such as fawn, cream, black, brown, blue and white. Piebald and brindle coats will come from the Bulldog parent.

Coat

The Bull-Pei's single coat will either be smooth, flat on the skin, and fine in texture, or rough and prickly, and standing off from the body.

Personality

The Bull-Pei is not a loud, gregarious dog, always looking to outshine all the company in a room and have everyone's attention on itself. It is a quiet, confident, dog, with a placid demeanor, that nevertheless is very loving and utterly loyal to its family. It has also retained its protective instincts, and will not be very welcoming towards strangers, especially strangers who approach it or its family without any introduction. Then, the Bull-Pei can give a loud bark, and untrained, unsocialized Bull-Pei's can even be aggressive towards strangers. The Bull-Pei is drawn to protect children, or members of its family it perceives most vulnerable. It is patient at play, and can sturdily withstand rambunctious activities. It might not do so well with other male dogs, though, and any kept with it should be well-trained and socialized as well.

Care

The Bull-Pei will characteristically shed heavily twice a year, but has average shedding throughout, otherwise. Brushing the coat twice a week will help keep it clean and take out any shed fur caught in it. bathing can be done once a month. This can be more frequent in extremely hot or humid humid weather conditions, to help the Bull-Pei cool off. Its flattened muzzle means some difficulty in respiration, and dogs regulate body heat through respiration. Wrinkles on the face and body, more found on puppies than adults, should be wiped with a clean, damp cloth daily, to lessen the risk of infections forming.

Training

The Bull-Pei needs thorough socialization, from puppyhood until well into adolescence. It will be stubborn at times, and gentle yet firm handling will be needed from an experienced trainer or dog owner. Intelligent as it is, the Bull-Pei, with consistent, rewards-based training, will eventually be a hardworking dog that doesn't need to be shown or told twice what is needed of it.

Activity

Daily exercise of moderate degree and a duration of at least an hour is needed for the Bull-Pei. It is a heavy dog, and predispositioned to quickly gain weight and become obese if left to a sedentary lifestyle. It is not an active indoor dog, and will do with a small living space, but like any other dog, it needs to be taken out for walks, as part of its fitness routine and to let it follow its primal instinct of walking and exploring.