Why are Terriers more game then other breeds

Hey guys, according to Wikipedia the old english Bulldog was crossed with the black and tan Terrier to improve the bulldogs gameness.
Now im asking myself why did Terrier breeds have more gameness then the old english Bulldogs? I mean those dogs where used for bullbaiting for many centuries, but despite that they where bred for fighting, they dont seem to have developed the level of gameness as the Terriers did. Otherwise they wouldnt have crossed them with Terriers right?
So is it because of the different type of work that Terriers did, or is it maybe some genetical thing?

Would be thankful for explenations

 

It's naive to think that gameness could only be found in one breed, try telling anyone that's been around working terriers that their dogs aren't game. Many have took their death whilst working underground.

The question is, can gameness be bred in or does it have to be there from the start, I think it's both, the trait had to be there in certain individuals that were opted to breed from. Gameness in these dogs is a classic case of nature & nurture.

 

I dont think the terrier was crossed with the bulldog to improve its gameness, but more its speed.

 

So you think the gameness was already there?

 

yeah,i mean they must have been pretty game to tackle something so big in the first place.I think the terrier was added to improve speed tenacity, etc .a bit of refinement.Most of the old books seem to concur with that anyway,i dont understand why they would say that on wikapedia. anyway its just my understanding.

 

If you want to go deep into this sort of stuff, try to get hold of Mike Homans books.

 

Thanks a lot, that could be very usefull

 

Makes sense to me

 

Anyone can put nonsense on Wikipedia. There are many good books about the dogs out there as @stedz said.