Toy Bulldog

The Toy Bulldog is an extinct dog breed that existed in England at 18th and early 19th centuries. Breeders were working in two different directions to create this breed. One was to downsize the Bulldog. This was not very successful due to complications with breeding sub-regular size dogs of this breed together. The dwarf size Bulldog puppies were and still are occasionally born out of regular size parents, but they were neither the healthiest, nor the most fertile dogs. They often produced regular-size puppies. Thus, this version of the breed had never been established.

Another attempt of creating the Toy Bulldog was via crossbreeding French Bulldogs, English Bulldog, and their offspring to decrease the weight to desirable 20 pounds or so. There were several dogs, and the breed was presented by “The French Toy Bulldog Club of England” to the Kennel Club. However, this version of the breed had not been developed to the point of recognition as well. English breeders and Kennel Club representatives refused to call a mixed breed dog a Bulldog.

Nowadays the term “Toy Bulldog” is occasionally used to describe a small variety of another cross known as a “Miniature Bulldog”. This is not an established breed, but a hybrid, resulting from crossbreeding English Bulldogs, Pugs and/or their offspring.