Thinking of bulldogs
Discussion
Hi PH's im after some info on bulldogs as im thinking of getting one. Does anyone have any tips what to look for in a bulldog. I belive they can have health issues. What are they like with children as i have a soon to be 1 year old. Do they need lots of walks or are they more of a relaxed type of dog. Iv been looking around and they all seem to be priced around £1500-£2000. So if im going to pay top money i want to know im getting the best, how do i know if the dog is not going to get bad health problems or do all bulldog eventually get the health issues. What sort of dietary requirements do they need.
I have two bulldogs!
Boris and Beau!
And you genuinely couldnt get 2 different Dogs!
Boris was bought from a reputable breeder, who had a fantastic blood line filled with champtions! He needs regular walks throughout the day, and he will happily trundle along for HOURS! and i mean HOURS!Chasing sticks, chasing flies, chasing his toys, chasing anything he can! I swear he thinks hes a greyhound! He is VERY independent, and will only have cuddles on his terms and when he wants ( normally first thing in the morning! ) he will crave attention right up until bed time, and i will sit on the floor with him literally until i go to bed, throwing his toys from one room or the other for him to chase after! Hes very Bolshy and brave and will bark at anyone he thinks is getting in his way! BUT he is a big softy! he is FANTASTIC with other dogs and children, ive never ever felt any mallice from him at all.Ok, he might barge people out of the way, but thats only because he doesnt know his own strength! He has just turned a year old and is already 30kg!! He genuinely is very very healthy, and i have never had a single health issue with him since i brought him home at 11 weeks old!
Beau on the other hand, is 2 years old, only 22kg, and she was 'rescued'. She is very calm, very quiet, and quite a nervous girlie, she adores her cuddles, and would happily let you smother her 24/7 if you could! She HATES walks!! The thought of going outsode when it is wet or cold makes her start to shake, and she will proper dig her heels in!! She has had corrective surgery for Entropia since i have had her which is VERY common in bulldogs, and constantly gets ulcers and eye infections in one eye. She also has an inverted tail, which means it grows back in to her body, which requires daily cleaning in her tail pocket and sudocrem applying. She has curvature of the spine, and bowed back legs too. Which dont seem to bother her, but i have put her on a supplement of Green Lipped Muscle to help her joints and movement. She will always be a poorly girl, but she is the most loving and gentle dog i have ever had. Again she is WONDERFUL with children.
They really are an amazing breed.
Food is massively important with this breed too!! Dont give them anything like bakers complete, or Beta... Bulldogs are prone to food alergies! My two are on a food called Orijen, or Acana, they are quite expensive ( £60 for a 13kg Bag) but it really suits them, and they thrive on it!
If you are seriously considering one DO YOUR HOMEWORK. There are hundreds of rogue breeders out there simply doing it for the money ( beaus breeder was a prime example, and this little girlie will suffer from health issues for the rest of her life. ) Invets in 'The Bulldog Bible' http://www.bulldogrescue.org.uk/epages/es143072.sf... It is a great book written by a lady called Tania who owns and runs Bulldog Rescue. Her knowledge on this breed absolutely blows me away! Its only £10 and the proceeds go to Bulldog Rescue, but it genuinely has proved invaluable for me!
Also, join the forum www.bulldogowners.co.uk they have reputable breeders on there as well as pet owners, and again, the forum has so many knowledgable people on there who have saved me thousands in vets fees!!!
Last but by no means least..... why is it you want a pup? There are SO many adoring bulldogs waiting for new homes http://www.bulldogrescue.org.uk/epages/es143072.sf... And as harsh as it sounds, i will only have bulldogs for the rest of my life, and ill never buy another again.... i will always support bulldog rescue and try to give one of those a forever home!
Good luck with your search, and if you have any questions, dont hesitate to ask!
Just a few pics of my two! Boris is the bigger One!
Boris and Beau!
And you genuinely couldnt get 2 different Dogs!
Boris was bought from a reputable breeder, who had a fantastic blood line filled with champtions! He needs regular walks throughout the day, and he will happily trundle along for HOURS! and i mean HOURS!Chasing sticks, chasing flies, chasing his toys, chasing anything he can! I swear he thinks hes a greyhound! He is VERY independent, and will only have cuddles on his terms and when he wants ( normally first thing in the morning! ) he will crave attention right up until bed time, and i will sit on the floor with him literally until i go to bed, throwing his toys from one room or the other for him to chase after! Hes very Bolshy and brave and will bark at anyone he thinks is getting in his way! BUT he is a big softy! he is FANTASTIC with other dogs and children, ive never ever felt any mallice from him at all.Ok, he might barge people out of the way, but thats only because he doesnt know his own strength! He has just turned a year old and is already 30kg!! He genuinely is very very healthy, and i have never had a single health issue with him since i brought him home at 11 weeks old!
Beau on the other hand, is 2 years old, only 22kg, and she was 'rescued'. She is very calm, very quiet, and quite a nervous girlie, she adores her cuddles, and would happily let you smother her 24/7 if you could! She HATES walks!! The thought of going outsode when it is wet or cold makes her start to shake, and she will proper dig her heels in!! She has had corrective surgery for Entropia since i have had her which is VERY common in bulldogs, and constantly gets ulcers and eye infections in one eye. She also has an inverted tail, which means it grows back in to her body, which requires daily cleaning in her tail pocket and sudocrem applying. She has curvature of the spine, and bowed back legs too. Which dont seem to bother her, but i have put her on a supplement of Green Lipped Muscle to help her joints and movement. She will always be a poorly girl, but she is the most loving and gentle dog i have ever had. Again she is WONDERFUL with children.
They really are an amazing breed.
Food is massively important with this breed too!! Dont give them anything like bakers complete, or Beta... Bulldogs are prone to food alergies! My two are on a food called Orijen, or Acana, they are quite expensive ( £60 for a 13kg Bag) but it really suits them, and they thrive on it!
If you are seriously considering one DO YOUR HOMEWORK. There are hundreds of rogue breeders out there simply doing it for the money ( beaus breeder was a prime example, and this little girlie will suffer from health issues for the rest of her life. ) Invets in 'The Bulldog Bible' http://www.bulldogrescue.org.uk/epages/es143072.sf... It is a great book written by a lady called Tania who owns and runs Bulldog Rescue. Her knowledge on this breed absolutely blows me away! Its only £10 and the proceeds go to Bulldog Rescue, but it genuinely has proved invaluable for me!
Also, join the forum www.bulldogowners.co.uk they have reputable breeders on there as well as pet owners, and again, the forum has so many knowledgable people on there who have saved me thousands in vets fees!!!
Last but by no means least..... why is it you want a pup? There are SO many adoring bulldogs waiting for new homes http://www.bulldogrescue.org.uk/epages/es143072.sf... And as harsh as it sounds, i will only have bulldogs for the rest of my life, and ill never buy another again.... i will always support bulldog rescue and try to give one of those a forever home!
Good luck with your search, and if you have any questions, dont hesitate to ask!
Just a few pics of my two! Boris is the bigger One!
Wow thanks for the info. Im going to do some homework on them tonight.
Your dogs are beautiful by the way. What are they like as pups do they like chewing the house up. I have seen some pups on the inter web for £320 which is dirt cheap for one of these dogs, They are all KC reg and ready to go now. Would it be worth a look at somthing like this as they do seem to cheap
Your dogs are beautiful by the way. What are they like as pups do they like chewing the house up. I have seen some pups on the inter web for £320 which is dirt cheap for one of these dogs, They are all KC reg and ready to go now. Would it be worth a look at somthing like this as they do seem to cheap
Personally, i wouldnt touch ads like this with a barge pole. You may find that they are oldy tyme bulldogs bred with Bulldogs, or Victorian bred aswell. A Genuine breeder will charge you upwards of £1200 for a pup. Boris was just shy of the £2000 Mark.
Touch wood i was very lucky with boris as a pup, he only chewed one pair of flip flops, and absolutely nothing else. I am a firm beliver that if you provide them with enough attention, and the right kind of toys, then they will have np need to chew anything they shouldnt.
If you do go and view any dogs, MAKE SURE you see mum too!! This is vital!!! Seeing the condition of mum will give you a great indication of how well they have all been looked after. And if something doesnt feel right.... walk away... no matter how cute the pups are.
The right breeder should provide you with life long support, and be available on the end of the phone should you have any queries!
Touch wood i was very lucky with boris as a pup, he only chewed one pair of flip flops, and absolutely nothing else. I am a firm beliver that if you provide them with enough attention, and the right kind of toys, then they will have np need to chew anything they shouldnt.
If you do go and view any dogs, MAKE SURE you see mum too!! This is vital!!! Seeing the condition of mum will give you a great indication of how well they have all been looked after. And if something doesnt feel right.... walk away... no matter how cute the pups are.
The right breeder should provide you with life long support, and be available on the end of the phone should you have any queries!
Spartan luke said:
Hi PH's im after some info on bulldogs as im thinking of getting one. Does anyone have any tips what to look for in a bulldog. I belive they can have health issues. What are they like with children as i have a soon to be 1 year old. Do they need lots of walks or are they more of a relaxed type of dog. Iv been looking around and they all seem to be priced around £1500-£2000. So if im going to pay top money i want to know im getting the best, how do i know if the dog is not going to get bad health problems or do all bulldog eventually get the health issues. What sort of dietary requirements do they need.
Bulldogs are brachycephalic, which means that they have been bred to have such a short nose. Unfortunately this incurs a lot of problems with breathing particularly as they have an elongated soft palate. This has the biggest effect in the summer when the dogs get hot and need to pant and can result in the 'roaring' sounds. They are also prone to eye conditions such as chery eye, or dry eye. Infected ears due to the deformed shape trapping bacteria. Dry noses. Skin infections in the wrinkles on their noses.One common mistake is that they can be diagnosed with OCD or hip Dysplasia but in actual fact the breed just has very shallow joints as they rely on the huge muscle mass to hold them together, but due to the shallow nature of the joints they are prone to arthritic changes earlier than other breeds.
Cruciate ligaments are another weak point in bulldogs as the back legs are usually longer than the front and this puts pressure on the stifle joint (knee). A bad landing or a sudden turn can snap one of the cruciate ligaments.
Due to their breathing difficulties they will not want to go for very long walks (or at least will not be very enerjetic on long walks), so perhaps shorter more frequent walks will be better suited to them. Because of this careful feed management should be used to control the weight.
If you go to a good breeder they usually have records of the dogs breed line and from there you can see if there have been any major health problems associated with those relatives that could have been passed down to the one you are looking at purchasing, but unfortunately some of the problems like succeptability to arthritis and breathing diffuculties are just part of the breeding and are very hard to avoid.
Finally how they are with children comes down to the way you train them more than anything.
Hope that helps
Edited by R300will on Sunday 13th November 15:45
We have 2 Bulldogs too!!
Again, 2 very different characters, Ralph is 6 today
and Reggie is 1 at the end of the month.
We've had them both from 9 weeks old and both from reputable breeders. We've had no health issues with either of them and they truly are superb dogs. As for walks, after the initial shaking and running off to their beds to cower at the thought of going out, they actually love going out! They don't go far, we live next to a golf course so go round the outside of it which takes about 45mins.
We don't have children but my niece and nephew come round all the time and love playing with them, as was said above Ralph sometimes 'barges' past and with their weight (he's 28kg) it will move you out the way!
On the whole they are just great! No probs with kids, don't bark, easy to train to do the basics, don't leave your side when out and their snoring is quite theraputic!
You won't regret getting one - you'll fall in love when you see a litter of puppies too!
Again, 2 very different characters, Ralph is 6 today
and Reggie is 1 at the end of the month.We've had them both from 9 weeks old and both from reputable breeders. We've had no health issues with either of them and they truly are superb dogs. As for walks, after the initial shaking and running off to their beds to cower at the thought of going out, they actually love going out! They don't go far, we live next to a golf course so go round the outside of it which takes about 45mins.
We don't have children but my niece and nephew come round all the time and love playing with them, as was said above Ralph sometimes 'barges' past and with their weight (he's 28kg) it will move you out the way!
On the whole they are just great! No probs with kids, don't bark, easy to train to do the basics, don't leave your side when out and their snoring is quite theraputic!
You won't regret getting one - you'll fall in love when you see a litter of puppies too!
Thanks for all the info guys. I went to see the litter of bulldog pups on sat afternoon but when i asked to see the mother he said she was at his mums house so i couldnt see her. So with that in mind i left it and walked away. Im just going to go direct to a breeder like everyone has told me so i can get all the background info on the pup and have the piece of mind. Sometime after chrismas i going to bite the bullet and get my bulldog. Thanks guys
a friend of ours had taken deliver of 11 babies thanks to his b
h, i know he has 3 left,
one of our customers came in with one the other day that they had just picked up and they are over the moon with it and with the breeders for all the info they recieved.
pm me if you would like his details, he is down somerset way.
mrs smokinv8
h, i know he has 3 left,one of our customers came in with one the other day that they had just picked up and they are over the moon with it and with the breeders for all the info they recieved.
pm me if you would like his details, he is down somerset way.
mrs smokinv8
We have a Bulldog, a rescue case. When we first saw him, we thought he wasn't for us. The ugliest thing you've ever seen and he had zero training so was a handful. However, I cannot emphasize what a fantastic diog he had turned out to be,. The most loving dog I have ever known. Both Mrs C, the pug and I love him to bits. He thinks he's human and I wake up most mornings with my arm around him. He tries to be gentle but at 33kgs or so he just barges his way around. He's also got a couple of dodgy teeth at the bottom which are quite sharp, so they sometimes hurt.
I'm babling. Bulldogs are cracking dogs. Short frequent walks, and plenty of belly rubs and they'll be your best friend. Oh, and any burglar will think twice when he hears them bark...reminds me of Barry White with the 'ump.
I'm babling. Bulldogs are cracking dogs. Short frequent walks, and plenty of belly rubs and they'll be your best friend. Oh, and any burglar will think twice when he hears them bark...reminds me of Barry White with the 'ump.
Haven't read the whole thread but I saw somebody wrote 'a genuine breeder will charge £1200'
WHY? Don't you mean alot of puppy peddlers will charge that much? What makes these unhealthy things worth over a grand Is beyond me..
I'd much prefer a 'old tyme bulldog' bred off two proven parents by GOOD breeders, they should be a much more healthy dog..
WHY? Don't you mean alot of puppy peddlers will charge that much? What makes these unhealthy things worth over a grand Is beyond me..
I'd much prefer a 'old tyme bulldog' bred off two proven parents by GOOD breeders, they should be a much more healthy dog..
Little Butch said:
Haven't read the whole thread but I saw somebody wrote 'a genuine breeder will charge £1200'
WHY? Don't you mean alot of puppy peddlers will charge that much? What makes these unhealthy things worth over a grand Is beyond me..
I'd much prefer a 'old tyme bulldog' bred off two proven parents by GOOD breeders, they should be a much more healthy dog..
Couldnt agree more.WHY? Don't you mean alot of puppy peddlers will charge that much? What makes these unhealthy things worth over a grand Is beyond me..
I'd much prefer a 'old tyme bulldog' bred off two proven parents by GOOD breeders, they should be a much more healthy dog..
brad.noble said:
Little Butch said:
Haven't read the whole thread but I saw somebody wrote 'a genuine breeder will charge £1200'
WHY? Don't you mean alot of puppy peddlers will charge that much? What makes these unhealthy things worth over a grand Is beyond me..
I'd much prefer a 'old tyme bulldog' bred off two proven parents by GOOD breeders, they should be a much more healthy dog..
Couldnt agree more.WHY? Don't you mean alot of puppy peddlers will charge that much? What makes these unhealthy things worth over a grand Is beyond me..
I'd much prefer a 'old tyme bulldog' bred off two proven parents by GOOD breeders, they should be a much more healthy dog..
Little Butch said:
Well I'm pretty sure the bulldogs of years ago never had breathing problems, they were bred to be athletic Dogs.. Now ever ytime I see one I just feel sorry for the poor Dog.
Why people purposely breed Dogs that aren't healthy just to achieve a certain look is a mystery to me!
And again +1.Why people purposely breed Dogs that aren't healthy just to achieve a certain look is a mystery to me!
Little Butch said:
Well I'm pretty sure the bulldogs of years ago never had breathing problems, they were bred to be athletic Dogs.. Now ever ytime I see one I just feel sorry for the poor Dog.
Why people purposely breed Dogs that aren't healthy just to achieve a certain look is a mystery to me!
The short nosed nature of the bulldog breed makes them very prone to breathing difficulties, they also need ceserians as they have too narrow a pelvis to give birth to their broad shouldred pups. It is possible that the dogs of years ago weren't quite bred to the extent that they are today and if that is the case i would much rather see the breed go back to those roots. It dissappoints me to see people pushing the breeding of dogs to their limits for the sake of a style. Why people purposely breed Dogs that aren't healthy just to achieve a certain look is a mystery to me!
Why wouldn't I go for a puppy advertised at £350??? Because it won't be a genuine pure bred bulldog that's why! The time, effort and care that goes in to breeding genuine, healthy BULLDOGS is emmence, for the first 14 days they need 24hr supervision for a start, they're not like a 'normal' breed of dog!
The narrow mindness, and general lack of information on this breed astounds me! People think they're unfit, unhealthy, interbred dogs, and yes ok some of them are (ones advertised for the likes of £350!) but the ones that have had specific breeding certainly are not! I've just come back from a two hour walk with boris, all he has done is bomb around like a loon the entire time, we've just got home and he still thinks its playtime! Now in my opinion that's not an example of an unfit... Unhealthy bulldog!
The narrow mindness, and general lack of information on this breed astounds me! People think they're unfit, unhealthy, interbred dogs, and yes ok some of them are (ones advertised for the likes of £350!) but the ones that have had specific breeding certainly are not! I've just come back from a two hour walk with boris, all he has done is bomb around like a loon the entire time, we've just got home and he still thinks its playtime! Now in my opinion that's not an example of an unfit... Unhealthy bulldog!
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