Bulldog Exercise
Bulldogs and exercise are not expected to be synonymous terms.
But maybe they should be.
The thing is, Bulldogs SHOULD exercise. It has substantial benefits that can help your bully with their health – and even increase their span of life.
There isn’t a singular statistic that shows the life expectancy of Bulldogs that exercise vs. ones that don’t (trust me, I searched high and low for that one) But, there is overwhelming evidence of issues that can be avoided by simply exercising your Bully.
We’ll get into the particular exercises you can perform later, but for now, here are some symptoms that you can avoid by exercising your Bulldog, and are commonly seen in many Bulldogs:
-Obesity & Obesity Related Issues
-Heart Disease
-Hip Dysplasia
-Breathing Problems
-Digestive Problems
-Constipation
Texas A&M University even proclaimed that exercise can even help your Bulldog with:
-Improved Bone Health
-Improved Organ Function
-Improved Brain Function
Additional physical benefits include:
-Higher Strength
-Improved Dexterity
-Overall Improved Health
-Improved Sleep
But exercise for Bulldogs doesn’t just stop at physical aspects. There are several mental benefits as well that Bulldog owners may not initially be thinking about. The ASPCA also claims that exercising your Bulldog may limit some issues commonly seen in any dog breed:
-Unruliness
-Hyperactivity
-Play biting
-Barking & Whining
-Predatory Behavior
-Excessive Sexual Urges
-Depression
-Chewing
Exercise for your Bulldog will keep him or her confident, more independent, and less scared when you are not around. It keeps them feeling more secure in general which leads to a happier pup!
So now that we know about the benefits, let’s take a look at good activities and exercises you can perform with your Bully, and for how long.
Notice, these are all LIGHT exercises. We know that Bulldogs are a Brachycephalic breed, so they tend to become overheated easily.
These exercises will keep it light on your Bully:
–Walking: This is an obvious exercise but it is perfect to get your Bulldog up and moving. There are many Bulldogs that get tired out just walking, which will lead to increase cases of hip dysplasia and other health issues. Make sure to use a Bullymake Harness for this one!
–Exercise with a ball: Check out this video of a bulldog on a ball. It may be cute, but it does exercise them! Some Bulldogs love to run around and chase balls, and push it with their nose! This can be a great workout.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bdj9cViOEuc
–Fetch: Some bulldog even love to play fetch when they are younger (and sometimes older), and it can help tire them out.
–Meet with other Dogs: Bulldogs love to wrestle, especially at younger ages. Socializing with other dogs helps them stimulate their mind and body. It also teaches your Bully correct social skills.
There is no rule of thumb for the longevity of each exercise, but remember to keep an eye on your Bulldog and watch for signs of overheating or breathing problems.
If your Bulldog is already overweight, you’ll need to slowly work them back into an exercise routine.
Start with very brief walks (5 minutes or so) and work your way up with increments of a few minutes each week. This will help build their strength and stamina. Very similar to how you would train a human being.
So get up, and go take your Bully for a walk! it will benefit their mind, body, and soul (and might benefit you too)! And always remember: don’t work them too hard!
7 Comments
Living in Southeastern Texas in the hot months is tricky for exercising our Bully!! Luckily we have another pup the same age (1 year) with about the same energy level, so they keep each other running around the house playing and wrestling. We humans also interact by playing fetch down the hallway.
The cooler months (and occasional days) are great for dog parks and walks.
No matter where we are or what the weather, it is key, of course, to have plenty of fresh water available. I keep ice cubes in the water bowl. My fur babies love ice!
Yes, you are completely right Nikki. It is definitely important to keep an eye on Bullies in the summer months. Especially in Texas (Myself and our Bullies live in Texas, too). They tend to overheat very easily.
It definitely helps to have another dog so they can take energy out on one another! And if you have some space in your house, an exercise ball can do wonders!
We live in South Carolina and by the end of May, it's too hot to take my bully for an outside walk. At least once a week, I take her to a large pet store (PetSmart, Petco) and walk her around the store, up and down every aisle, in air-conditioned comfort. At home, she has a ball that dispenses treats when she rolls it around. She loves it. All year long, I put part of her regular meal in it and after she eats her kibble from her food bowl, I give her the treat ball with the rest of her meal and she will roll and chase the ball until all the "treats" are gone.
I like the idea of walking your Bully in the pet store. Pretty smart! Also those kinds of toys are great for Bulldogs!
My 4month old bulldog gets two walks every day. After work I take her for a 30 min walk in a leash, and we walk up and down the streets and train how to walk nicely. She would love to greet everyone, but we have made progress and now she takes eye contact with me almost every time we walk past someone :) Before bedtime we go to the forest for an hour, and she can run off leash. She propably walks twice the distance I do, while sniffing and exploring :) She's the bestcompany for walks ever!
Love the old English bullies, but my latest rescue, gained some weight after fixing some problems in her hind quarters.she has been oked, by vet, but she just doesn't want to walk, don't get me wrong, when she wants to she can be all over a soccerfield, but when it comes to going for a walk, we sit. , walk a few feet and sit.I'm sure it's the leash.any suggestions.All my other, bullies, loved their walks
How much energy do bulldogs have?
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