English Bulldog breeders urged to save dogs by cross-breeding

English Bulldogs are now so inbred that the only way to stop their deteriorating health as a breed is to cross them with another dog, scientists say.

Researchers in the US say the dogs should be cross-bred with a similar animal, such as the American version, the Olde English Bulldogge, to improve their breathing as a breed.

Like all pedigree breeders, English Bulldog owners guard the genetic purity of their pets, so the suggestion may not be well received.

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The dogs suffer from a variety of health problems, however, says the BBC. These include breathing difficulties, skin allergies, arthritis and problems giving birth.

One breeder told the BBC's Today programme this morning that careful breeding from healthier animals has improved the breed's condition in recent years.

But this is exactly what the University of California team believes is no longer possible: it says too many of the dogs are unhealthy in too many ways - and the only solution is new genetic material from cross-breeding.

Study co-author Niels Pederson said: "We tried not to be judgemental in our paper. We just said there's a problem here, and if you are going to decide to do something about it, this is what you've got to work with.

"If you want to re-build the breed, these are the building blocks you have, but they're very few. So if you're using the same old bricks, you're not going to be able to build a new house."

Pederson and his colleagues studied the DNA of 102 registered English Bulldogs to work out if there was enough genetic diversity to breed out harmful traits. They found very low diversity, in part because there have never been very many of the animals.

English Bulldogs are loved because of their "child-like" appearance, according to the BBC, though the jowly breed is often thought to resemble Winston Churchill.

Also known as the British Bulldog, the breed has a "long-standing cultural association with the UK", says the BBC, including its more recent stint, in noddy-dog form, fronting insurance adverts.

The breed was originally used for the now-extinct sport of bull-baiting. The dogs were trained to bring down a tethered bull by biting it on its nose. Wagers would be placed on which dog would manage the feat.