A Bulldog with the soul of an English Shepherd
When one invokes “the herding breeds” the mental image that comes to mind is usually the medium to medium-large shaggy collie types and their short-haired cousins the cattle and heeler dogs. Perhaps a thought to the sheltie and corgi types for specialized work. There are so many herding breeds that fall in the BC/Aussie/English Shepherd family plus the type that clusters around the Belgian breeds and the GSD, and you might even think to the livestock guardian dogs. But I doubt your mind pulls up a super short haired dog that’s blocky, muscled, and firmly associated with the terrier family.
But apparently there’s a bulldog with the soul of an English Shepherd. Fascinating.
* * *
Comments and disagreements are welcome, but be sure to read the Comment Policy. If this post made you think and you'd like to read more like it, consider a donation to my 4 Border Collies' Treat and Toy Fund. They'll be glad you did. You can subscribe to the feed or enter your e-mail in the field on the left to receive notice of new content. You can also like BorderWars on Facebook for more frequent musings and curiosities.
* * *
Anton
Christopher
Lawrence Dillard
Lech
Stephanie
Essere
You would be right (for the most part) i purchased a WEB last fall they are not a large dog my guy is 11 months old and is 81lbs and was the biggest in the litter.At 8 months old i took him for his herding instinc test at first he wanted to play so the sheep though they had it over him(there was a dozen sheep and not dog sour at all)then he finally figured out why we were there and started doing his thing.What amazed me was that he never once used his mouth he would pressure them using his chest ramming them and at one point used his paws and would bounce back and forth but all the time pressuring them.Bulldogs are hard wired to catch and expecting anything else would be wrong but this guy is very respectful towards live stock but don’t fool yourself he could be taught or it would be my guess told and it would be on.In this day and age farmers in my area have no need for a bulldog of the past but i have seen some farm dog’s just bark as the wolf makes of with the chicken and i think this lad would fit the bill for an all around utility dog.He fears nothing is friendly towards people and other dog’s has good protective instincs he makes an excellent deterrant but is not a lillibility and boy can he track he loves it.Now i do not claim to be an expert as this is my first true bulldog but it wont be my last and the fact that i have no experence with the breed before hand i am not saying that they are all like this.So to wrap this up i do not believe they are in any way shape or form associated with the terrier family as stated above( they are all BULLDOG) i have nothing against any other bulldog line or any other dog for that matter i love them all but if i am wrong in this statement i would like to here from you.
Regards Steve.
Where’d you buy your WEB steve? that’s a fascinating dog to boot you got there…
Olde Boston Bulldogge first time with sheep:
I have never heard of bulldogs herding before! Like you said, when I think of a collie or a corgi, or something along those lines. Never have I thought about a bulldog herding. What do they herd best? This has me very intrigued.
Addie I believe to best understand early history of American immigrants who needed a dog that could hunt and herd. Multiple dogs for varies purposes was not practical or possible. Let us consider the Catahoula which some claim to be a cross of Catahoula Cur and American Bulldog. The dog has the American Bulldog’s muscular build with tight skin and a very short, smooth coat. Normally it does not have an undercoat but usually develops one when living in seasonal or colder climates. Catahoula Bulldogs come in a wide variety of colors. They can be white, black and white, black, brown, brown and white and sometimes even black and brown and due to the Catahoula Leopard genes. Both pure white and merled coats white with grey, black and tan patches and blotches; some have very large areas of color and smaller patches and tips or spots are common.