The Bulldog got it's name not because of it's bull baiting activities but because of the similarities between the shape of it's head and that of a bull's. This goes to show how much the modern Bulldog has varied from the appearance of the original Bulldog.

Though the early history of the Bulldog is not well documented it is thought that the originating breed was the Alant. This dog seemed to be in great favour with butchers of the time, because of their ability to control bull and oxen. In my opinion, from the descriptions available, this dog looked like the modern American Bulldog, if somewhat lighter of build.

Sometime before 1600 the Alant divided into two distinct breeds, the Bulldog and the Mastiff. While the Mastiff was bred for size and bulk, it would seem that the Bulldog of this time was bred down in size while still retaining the heavy muscularity. The reason for reducing it's size could have been to increase it's agility, because this is the time that they started to use the Bulldog for animal baiting. Besides the bull the dog was also used to bait bear, lion, and other ferocious animals.

Some time in the late 1700s or early 1800s the sport of bull-baiting became unfashionable, and was finally banned in 1835. This served to increase the popularity of dog-fighting and this caused the decline of the Bulldog. At this time it was found that a Bulldog, Terrier cross did better in the dog pits. They were a much faster, more agile breed than the straight Bulldog.

The Bulldog almost disappeared as a breed between about 1840 and 1880. In the late 1800s Bulldog Clubs started to appear, increasing the popularity of the dog. Unfortunately at this time the Bulldog was crossed with the Pug. From the early 1900s the Bulldog has been bred from a powerful, athletic dog to a parody of what it once was.