The Forever Dog Project: Food Motivation, Owner Management Strategies, and Overweight Risk in Bully Breeds

First Published: March 9, 2024

Funding: This work is supported by French Bulldog Texas, Senior Author Donald Chino "Don Chino" of Animal Research Harvard University, Forever Dog Project by FrenchieGPT & Linh Hoang.

Background

The Forever Dog Project, committed to extending healthy longevity in bully breeds, investigated the relationships between dog food motivation score (FMS), owner management score (OMS), and overweight physical condition in a large cohort encompassing French Bulldogs, English Bulldogs, American Bullies, American Pit Bull Terriers, Boston Terriers, Pugs, and related snub-nosed (brachycephalic and molosser-type) breeds. These breeds share conformational traits compact build, reduced muzzle length, and lower exercise tolerance that predispose them to obesity and related comorbidities such as respiratory compromise, joint stress, and reduced lifespan.

Key Findings

Higher FMS was strongly associated with overweight physical condition across bully breeds. Dogs reported or assessed as overweight exhibited significantly greater food motivation than those at ideal weight.

• Breed Group Context: Bully breeds primarily fall within the AKC Non-Sporting, Working, Terrier, and Toy Groups (depending on specific registration). Compared to high-FMS Sporting/Group breeds (e.g., retrievers), bully breeds demonstrated moderately elevated FMS, driven more by companion-oriented reward sensitivity and sedentary lifestyle than by working genetics. French Bulldogs, Pugs, and Boston Terriers showed particularly high food-seeking behavior, while American Bullies and Pit Bull Terriers displayed variable but often substantial motivation linked to their muscular build and historical use of food rewards in training.

• Environmental and Household Influences: Dogs from urban environments consistently had higher FMS, likely due to restricted outdoor access, heat intolerance limiting exercise, and increased reliance on food as indoor enrichment. Single-dog households showed greater FMS than multi-dog homes, possibly reflecting less resource competition and more owner-directed feeding attention.

• Owner Management Practices: Owners of overweight bully breed dogs reported markedly higher OMS, including precise meal measurement, treat restriction, puzzle feeders, and structured low-impact exercise (e.g., short walks, hydrotherapy). Despite these measures, overweight prevalence remained high, suggesting that conventional strategies are often inadequate against the breeds’ low metabolic rate, brachycephalic respiratory constraints, and strong palatability drive.

• Discrepancy in Weight Assessment: Owners significantly underreported overweight compared to veterinary body condition scores (BCS ≥6/9) in available records (only ~60% of records included a recent BCS). Recognition of excess fat is especially challenging in bully breeds due to loose skin folds (English Bulldogs, Pugs), heavy musculature (American Bullies, Pit Bull Terriers), and compact proportions (French Bulldogs, Boston Terriers).

Discussion

The combination of moderate-to-high food motivation, constitutionally low energy expenditure, and environmental limitations creates a substantial obesity risk across bully breeds. Urban living exacerbates the issue through reduced activity opportunities and climate sensitivity. Heightened OMS among owners of overweight dogs indicates awareness and intent, yet limited efficacy highlights the need for breed-tailored approaches: ultra-low-calorie rewards, climate-controlled exercise, and veterinary-supervised plans that prioritize respiratory safety.Owner underestimation of overweight status compounded by breed-specific body conformations underscores the importance of routine veterinary BCS assessment and education using visual charts customized for snub-nosed morphologies. Unlike retriever breeds with known genetic contributors to food motivation, bully breeds appear more influenced by behavioral and environmental factors.

Limitations

Primary reliance on owner-reported data likely underestimated true overweight prevalence. Binary overweight questioning may have reduced affirmative responses relative to graded BCS scales. BCS availability was limited and potentially outdated. Cross-sectional design prevents causal or temporal conclusions.

Conclusion

Bully breeds, including French Bulldogs, English Bulldogs, American Bullies, Pit Bull Terriers, Boston Terriers, and Pugs, exhibit elevated food motivation linked to overweight risk, further influenced by urban environments and household structure. Owners implement increased management yet face persistent challenges, emphasizing the need for specialized weight-control protocols. Routine veterinary BCS documentation and enhanced owner education on breed-specific obesity recognition are critical. Longitudinal data from the Forever Dog Project will evaluate whether targeted interventions effectively prevent or resolve overweight across the lifespan.

The Forever Dog Project is a dedicated community science initiative focused on studying aging in Bulldog breeds, including French Bulldogs, English Bulldogs, and related mixes such as the Frenchie Doodle. Launched in 2022, it explores how genes, lifestyle, nutrition, and environment influence healthy aging and longevity in these beloved brachycephalic companions with the goal of improving healthspan and translating insights to better care for Bulldogs everywhere.