Origin of the Continental Bulldog
The Continental Bulldog is a relatively new breed of dog from Switzerland, which was bred with the thought of creating a Bulldog that meets the required criteria of the European Convention on the Breeding and Keeping of Pets and the Swiss Animal Welfare Act (Article 10). In the year 2000, voices were raised there to stop the breeding of the English Bulldog for animal welfare reasons, because they were getting more and more overbred. In order not to lose the popular breed of the Bulldog completely, there were efforts to create a new breeding direction, which should create a Bulldog with a healthy body. This idea quickly gained a lot of supporters in Switzerland and especially in Germany. Under strict supervision of the responsible societies the English Bulldog was crossed with the Old English Bulldog. After only a few years and various breeding successes, a dog was achieved that came very close to the original type of the Bulldog. In order to establish a clear distinction to the English Bulldog, the new breed was given the name "Continental Bulldog" and has enjoyed great popularity ever since.
FCI
The Continental Bulldog is a young dog breed from Switzerland, which has not yet been recognised by the FCI. Nationally, however, it has already been recognised in Germany by the VDH and a standard (VDH Standard No. 993) has been defined for them. In Switzerland too there exists a national standard for the still young breed.
The Continental Bulldog is a medium sized, athletic dog. It is a well-built Bulldog that is very agile and enduring despite its almost square build. The adorable Swiss is supposed to remind of the English Bulldog in character, which it does in the best possible way. In contrast to the English Bulldog, however, it has a healthy body that allows him to run and breathe freely. Physical activity does not present a problem to the agile four-legged friend, generally he compares more to the original Bulldog of the 19th century than to animals that win prizes at exhibitions. The tail of the Continental Bulldog is not crippled, but set low, it is strong and reaches about to the ankle. It can be straight or slightly curved, but is not carried curled-up over the back.