I think this photo explains why the modern bulldog isn’t a good water dog.
It may actually border on cruelty to let one swim without a flotation device.
For every story I hear of these dogs swimming, I hear another of one drowning.
Their conformation is all wrong to be good swimmers, and their muzzles and breathing passage are all screwy. These dogs have a hard enough time breathing on land. Just imagine how tough it is for them in the water, when so much of their bodies sink down below the surface?
There are bulldogs that can swim.
These are white English bulldogs in Canada:
Not how they aren’t built like gargoyles or canine caricatures of John Bull.
They are functional bulldogs. Bulldogs that can herd!
While not every bulldog can swim safely, some can, under controlled conditions. I swim a bulldog for his owner. When he started he needed flotation, but over time he has learned to swim without it. He’s actually one of the best dogs I swim at deliberately kicking his back legs harder to get back to a level back when his back end sinks. While I personally wouldn’t want to swim him in natural water, especially if there is any wave action, controlled pool swimming is good for him. Because he is so susceptible to overheating, swimming is one of the few ways his owner can exercise him safely in the summer.
Would I ever get a dog of this breed? No. Do I wonder how their breeders can look themselves in the eye in the mirror? Yes. Do I wonder how the breeders and to some extent the owners can look the dogs in the eye? Yes.
In the meantime, this particular bulldog has an owner who does the best she can to take care of this dog and keep him happy. Swimming safely is a part of that, and it’s my job to keep him safe and happy in the pool.
I’d be very worried about letting one swim in open water without a vest.
And if the water conditions are really rough, I wouldn’t even let a better water dog breed, like a golden retriever, swim without one.
I still don’t get why people continue to buy these dogs and they seem to get more popular all the time. They seem like a total product recall.
I think it’s because they’re pretty close to stuffed dogs. They’re low activity and energy and don’t need much grooming. They’re good-natured with people. I suspect the horrific mouth/teeth structure means they can’t damage as much stuff by chewing. And they look like a cross between Winston Churchill and a baby — what could be cuter???
When we had an in-ground pool, we had a French Bulldog. He wanted to be with us and never learned he couldn’t swim. Into the pool he would go and sink like a rock. He had to ride around on an innertube with somebody’s arms around him. My Bull Terriers also would sink, but I have known of quite a few BTs who could swim like fish.
Well I have a bulldog mix and she is absolutly afraid of water