When Does a Bulldog Head Split? Bulldog Head Growth Stages Explained

Bulldogs tend to grow quite quickly and they turn from a newborn puppy to a fully grown bulldog in just one year, but a lot happens during that one year, and bulldogs go through their growth stages more than other dogs.

Head Splitting is the term used to indicate the age that the Bulldog reaches their full size and is considered fully grown, and many new dog parents become concerned when they don’t see their bulldog reaching this as quickly as they can expect.

So, when Does a Bulldog Head Split? A Bulldog’s Head Splits when they are 12 to 18 months of age, as their heads will start filling and growing when they are 9 months old and will continue growing for a while. A Bulldog reaches their full size in one year, but they may continue growing for 2 or 3 more years.

The main takeaway is that you should not be concerned about your Bulldog’s development too much. Dogs are just like babies, and each individual can have a slightly different growth timeline depending on so many genetic and environmental factors that you just can never estimate with as much accuracy as you would like.

At What Age Does a Bulldog Head Split?

As mentioned at the beginning of the article, a bulldog’s head will start to develop quickly around the age of 9 months old when their bodies are almost fully developed, and they will continue developing for at least 6 more months.

A male bulldog will continue to grow until they are around 16 inches tall and weigh 40 pounds, while the female bulldogs will grow to be lighter and shorter at 40 pounds of weight and 14 inches of height. Male Bulldogs will have larger heads and wider chests, so it’s actually easier to tell the males and females of this breed than with other breeds.

Dogs grow more quickly than we’d like them to, and Bulldogs, in particular, tend to be growing more quickly than we even expect them to. A Newborn Bulldog puppy will turn into a fully grown Bulldog in just one year, and in 3-4 years they are considered adults and are in full size.

Bulldogs Heads is one of their most distinguished features, so it’s easy to notice their growth by their head development and size.

As your bulldog grows, you may notice that their face looks a little bit different than what you may expect, and I’ve made an article about this topic alone since it’s bigger than the space here allows me to explain. You can find out why some bulldogs have different faces here.

When is a Bulldog’s Head Fully Grown?

Your Bulldog’s head will be considered fully grown when they are 3 to 4 years of age, although their heads will take shape Long before that. Your Bulldog’s head will take their adult shape around 9 months of age but it will continue to grow in size until they are 18 months of age. The changes during this period will be small and you may not even notice most of them.

From the ages of 18 months to around 3 or years, their heads will continue changing but the changes are going to be slight and you may not even notice them.

It’s important no note here that “growth” is not linear for all parts of your bulldog. Their head, body, muscle mass, and personality all grow at different stages. Dogs, just like humans, are always growing and changing in different ways.

Let’s explain this a little bit more so you can know what to expect in the first few years of your dog’s growth and living with you.

Bulldog Growth Stages

Bulldogs grow on the following stages:

0-4 Weeks – Newborn Bulldogs

Newborn bulldogs sleep and eat. That’s basically what they do for most of the day.

A healthy newborn bulldog will be around 5 ounces for males and 4 ounces for females, and they will spend these first few weeks with their eyes closed and without reacting to new sounds. They will quickly start growing in size and weight after they’re being born given that they are being fed properly.

In a few weeks, they will open their eyes, make small and weak squealing sounds, and will start trying to communicating with this new world they’re in. Soon, they will start moving around.

4-8 Weeks – Baby Bulldogs

Your Bulldog at this stage will start moving around and trying to explore the world. they will try to move further and further from the safety of their mother, but they are not yet ready to split from their parents.

At this stage, they are still depending on their mother’s milk for sustenance, but their mother will start weaning them off. Their transition from milk to solid foods begins at this stage, so you can start feeding them puppy foods before they’re weaned completely.

They will look like a miniature bulldog by this stage as they won’t have their muscular build yet, but they will have their signature wide stance look. At this stage, they should also start developing social skills, so it’s ideal to leave them in their litters as they will learn a ton from their siblings and their parents.

9-12 Weeks – Early Puppyhood

Your Bulldog puppy will start developing muscles, a sense of independence, and a bit of mischief as well. They will wander further from their parents, pee on your floor a lot, and be running around a lot.

This is the time you start training them. Potty training is crucial, of course, at this stage, as well as leash training. You can also start taking them outside to show them the world and help them grow their leg muscles more. Socialization will also make them more stable and less jumpy.

3-6 Months – Puppyhood

They are growing muscles, getting to know the world, and are starting to wonder what their place in it is. This means dominant traits start showing and they become a bit stubborn as they try to figure out who is the leader or the “alpha” of the house is.

This is when you start teaching them about limits. You have to be patient and strong-willed at this stage to show them that you are the one in charge, not them. Setting them clear boundaries at this stage is critical for their development, and it can make a world of difference in training them for the rest of their lives.

6-18 Months – Teenage Bulldogs

At this stage, their bodies have grown to become full-sized, but emotionally, they are in-between being a puppy and being fully developed, so I just call them teenage Bulldogs at this point.

More socialization and training can help stabilize their personalities here, and teaching them tricks will keep them mentally sharp and help them develop new skills.

From now on, training and socialization should be ongoing things you do for your dog for the remainder of their beautiful lives.

When Does a Bulldog Head Split? Bulldog Head Growth Stages Explained