British Bull Dog is a game I actually grew up playing. Given it’s fun and active nature, there’s no surprise it is still a playground favourite today. This is a game that needs a few kids or adults to play, so it could be a good idea to get some other local parents and kids together to join in.
The aim of the game is for the runners to get to the other side of the playing area. In the middle there is a catcher, also known as the bull dog. The bull dog is British. When the bull dog shouts “British Bull Dog, 1, 2, 3”, all the other players run to the other side of the pitch. The bulldog tries to run after them on the way and tag them. If a runner is caught by the bull dog, they also become a bull dog and catch the runners the next round.
Once all of the runners have either made it to the other side or been caught in that round, the bull dog shouts “British Bull Dog, 1, 2, 3” again and the runners run back to the first side. This carries on until there is only one runner left.
The winner is the last person to get caught by the bull dogs. They are the bull dog in the next game.
Rules Of British Bull Dog
Here are the main rules of the British Bull Dog game.
- A runner only has to get tagged by a bull dog to be caught.
- If a runner gets tagged, they are immediately allowed to start catching the other runners. Because of this, all runners need to remain alert to do well.
- An area should be set out and made clear before hand. If a runner runs out of this area, they are out and become a bull dog.
Alternative Rule To British Bulldog
If you want to make the game a bit more competitive, you can use the following rules:
- Instead of calling “British Bulldog, 1, 2, 3”, the bull dog calls an individual runner’s name. This person then has to attempt to run past the bull dogs by themselves.
- If the person who got called out by the bull dog doesn’t want to run alone, at any point they can call “British Bull Dog, one, two, three” and have all the other runners run alongside them.
This adds to the competitiveness to the game, and adds a different angle to things.
British Bull Dog is a fun and active outdoor game for kids, which can be played when you have a small group with you.
