Bulldogs: Skateboards or Dog Beds

I have been a dedicated bulldog fan since I was a kid, and I finally got my first puppy when I was in my mid 20s. I learned quickly that bulldogs are a unique breed, nothing that someone unfamiliar with the breed might expect. They look like they would be tough guard dogs and potentially aggressive. They aren't. But I was surprised about how agile they can be.

We've all seen videos of bulldogs on skateboards. I wonder why it's almost always a bulldog versus more typically active, trainable breeds.

When my husband and I decided to get a bulldog, his first bulldog, he had plans from the start to get a skateboard because our pup would learn to ride one. What he should have bought was a dog bed. Merry Jane Monroe, our pup, had no interest in learning to ride a skateboard. She played a lot, and definitely got the zoomies with bursts of energy that shot her around the room playfully. But she lacked any interest in learning to ride a skateboard.

Likewise, our next bulldog, Hazel Higgins, also had no interest in the skateboard. She preferred to lay in the sunny spots of the room and bask in warmth.

Now, both pups are 3 years old and still neither want the skateboard. But both like our golf cart. Merry Jane will jump up on the cart and climb onto the seat as soon as she sees you are getting into the cart. Hazel doesn't want to ride on the cart, she prefers to run along side of it and bark at it. The two are so similar and yet so different. In fact, Merry Jane prefers to stay close to the house. Hazel wants to go out and explore the yard, visit the neighbors, even head up the road if we let her.

As active as they can be, most of their days are spent napping. Hazel wants to nap in a comfy chair or nestled into a blanket somewhere. Merry Jane wants to nap under my chair or on either my or my husband's lap (she's way to big to be a lapdog - her nickname is Moose.)

So while it's fun to think of a bulldog skating down the street - and some do, I suppose - be prepared for your bulldog to prefer to climb into your lap on the sofa and leave the skateboard in the closet.