Choosing a Bulldog Breeder

So you have decided that an English bulldog is for you. You've looked at the facts, myths, care required, and determined you qualify for a bulldog puppy. Now it is time to start looking for your band new Bulldog!

Why is carefully choosing a bulldog breeder important?

Buying a bulldog puppy form the right breeder is one of the most important steps in having a happy and healthy bulldog. Bulldogs are one of the most expensive and popular dog breeds on the market, and therefore offer a huge chance to make money for breeders. Some breeders just try to crank out and sell bulldog puppies as quickly and cheaply as possible. Therefore you wind up with puppies from poor bloodlines and increased risk of health and/or behavioral problems. There are basic things every bulldog breeder should be willing to provide you with:

Pedigree: A pedigree is basically a “family tree” for your puppy showing you several generations of ancestors for your puppy. This is a pretty standard document to accompany your new pet. Any bulldog that is well cared for has a pedigree and is registered, many quality breeders like to show off there pedigrees to show you the quality of puppies they are offering. Often breeder will advertise “champion bloodlines”, and by looking at a pedigree you can check up on their claims. Most dogs have “champion bloodlines”, but in may just be one great, great grandfather of you puppy. By looking at the pedigree you can see how many and how closely related champion dogs are to your bulldog puppy. Also, you can see if there is an excessive inbreeding that have been going on, which of course is not a good thing. Some inbreeding is fairly common, so don’t be scared off is you see that a stud dog show up more than once on a pedigree, but its just something you want be sure hasn’t been happening too much. Any breeder that cannot supply you with a pedigree is ignorant about bulldogs or is just plain trying to hide something. Seeing a pedigree from a breeder is a must.

Health guarantee: Another common document is a 1 year health guarantee from the breeder. It is typically a guarantee that your puppy will not be diagnosed with any genetic health disorders for one year, but they can vary depending on the breeder, so be sure on what it covers. Now understand most of the guarantees do not guarantee you will have a perfectly healthy dog for a year, but rather that there is noting genetically wrong with the dog. So if your dog comes down with parvo or something a month after you buy him, the guarantee will likely not cover that. Conversely, a condition such as hip dysplasia (common disorder in bulldogs), is considered a genetic defect most of the time. Most guarantees are only valid if the buyer takes their puppy to a veterinarian within 48 hours of purchase to check out the puppy. If that vet finds something wrong, then the breeder will want a vet of their choosing to confirm the diagnosis. The catch is that most genetic disorders do not really become evident until a dog is several years old, so barring a rare and severe genetic defect these guarantees will go unused, but it is still a very important safeguard that a bulldog buyer should insist upon. Be sure that you fully understand what the guarantee covers before buying.

Health history: Depending on how old your puppy is they may already have been given vaccines and been dewormed. The breeder should provide you with all the history of vaccines, medications, exams, and any other health related information on official documents from a veterinarian. Furthermore, its always good to know the contact information for that veterinarian in case you need any more information in the future. This is very important because this way you know your puppy has been well taken care of, and will give your veterinarian all the information to property take of your puppy.

Now What?

Ok, so now you have researched a breeder and found that they offer all of the above documents, now what? Well if you haven’t already, you should probably give them a call or shoot them an email. You want to buy from a breeder that is willing to answer all your questions, give you information, and even question you too. I will go over these topics in questions to ask bulldog breeders and questions bulldog breeders should ask you.

Please visit the featured advertisements on my blog to begin you search for you new bulldog!

Basic Bulldog Information and Care

If you are new to the site and looking for information on Bulldogs then please visit my posts including bulldog facts, myths, and 5 things every bulldog owner needs before reading this article.

This article is intended for readers that have dedcided they are ready to seriously look at purchasing a bulldog. I want to further inform readers about basic overall bulldog care

Size- They should range in size form 50-55lbs in females and 55-60lbs in males. Although given the bulldog love for food and sleep it is not uncommon to see bulldogs reach 80lbs+. Obviously, this is very detrimental to their health, so properly feed and exercise your pet.

Shedding- I had always owned dogs that did not shed growing up, so I was nervous about owning a dog that did shed. You will defiantly find little bulldog hairs on your stuff, but it really isn’t too bad. I only notice it on black fabrics, so just be prepared to own and use a lint roller and vacuum. If you are allergic to dogs, then you may have a reaction to bulldogs, so use caution if you are considering one. However, in my experience bulldogs don’t seem to have a dramatic effect on allergy suffers.

Housing requirements: A bulldog does not require a large home or backyard. They can be kept in a apartment setting, as long as they can be taken outside to use the restroom and exercise several times a day.

Exercise requirement: Bulldogs are not high energy breeds, but a daily 20 minute walk (remember not to walk these dogs in hot weather) is recommended to keep them in shape and happy. Also, mine loves a few minutes of indoor fetch everyday.
Heath Concerns: Bulldogs are prone to skin allergies and infections. Also, given their anatomy and heavy build some can have arthritis and joint problems. Also, in warm environments they are prone to over-heating, this is a common cause of death for some bulldogs. Bulldogs are a very unique breed, and finding a veterinarian with bulldog experience is always a good idea.
Maintenance- Cleaning of face wrinkles is essential for keeping yeast infections away. Also, walks and proper diet can greatly reduced other health problems in bulldogs.

Personality- Bulldogs make very good companion dogs, they are far removed from their days of bull fighting. They are good family dogs, even with small children. In my experience they simply love their owners, strangers, and other dogs. I have never had any problems with an aggressive bulldog toward people. Of course proper socialization and training is important with any dog, but the bulldog is NOT an innately “mean” dog by any means. Don’t let their intimidating appearance scare you off, at the end of the day they are gentle giants.

Training- Will never win a trick contest, not because they aren’t smart or difficult, they just prefer to sleep instead of jumping through hoops. Teaching basic obedience is very attainable, but an owner must be consistent as with any other dog. Bulldogs can be stubborn, but they also love to please their owners. With a little time, effort, and proper technique anyone can train a bulldog.

Breeding- Bulldogs can be difficult to breed, which relates to the high prices of puppies. They must be artificially inseminated, and frozen semen can cost $100-$500 or maybe even more depending on the quality of the stud. Also, puppies are born through c-section because of the puppies large heads. Only experienced bulldog owners should consider breeding. For the health of the animal it si always best to get your dog spayed or neutered.


Thanks for reading, in my next post I want to focus on one of the most important decisions you will make: choosing a breeder. I will outline what to look for in a breeder, questions to ask, and other important considerations when making this key decision.

All buldog owners must have....

So far I have gone through some bulldog facts and myths. Now I want to present some key qualities a bulldog owner must have in order to thrive with their bulldog. I hope this may help people trying to decided if a bulldog is right for them.

All bulldog owners need to have:

1. Money- If you have already taken a look at purchasing a bulldog you know they range from $800-$4500, therefore making them one of the most expensive breeds. This may seem outrages to many, but bulldog breeding is not cheap. All bulldogs are artificially inseminated, therefore the breeder typically pays for semen and the associated veterinarian costs. Also, upon giving birth the bitch requires a c-section due to the anatomy of the bulldog. Also, as with all dogs, the owner must be willing to pay for quality veterinarian services.

2. Air-conditioning- Given the unique shape “smushed-face” of the bulldog, they are very sensitive to over-heating. Bulldogs will not do well as outdoors dogs, then need to be able to come inside to relax.

3. Lint roller and washing machine- Although I don’t consider bulldogs to be real heavy shedders, they do shed some. You will find little, short bulldog hair around your house, I really only notice it on black fabric (such as the backseat of my car). Bulldogs do drool, some can create pools of droll where they sleep, but some hardly drool at all. It’s just something owners need to be prepared for. Bulldogs have ugly up those nice new black slacks for have on when they greet you home from work.

4. Time- Bulldogs love people and need to be part of a family. Although they don’t require rigorous exercise, they do need attention and someone’s feet to sleep on. Also, cleaning of face wrinkles is required to prevent infections.

5. A sense of humor- I have heard bulldog’s personality described as being somewhat of a “clown”. All my experiences has lead me to the same conclusion, I’m not sure its on purpose, but I can just watch Milton and it cracks me up. Milton loves to play on my bean bag, chase crickets, and just yesterday he managed to crawl inside a pillowcase and get stuck.

So, now that you have dediced that you have all teh qualities to becoem a great bulldog owner check out basic bulldog information and care to continue learning about how to care for them.

Bulldog Myths

In my previous post I briefly offered up some very common and relativity true qualities of English Bulldogs that most people do not like. Now I want to explain 2 common myths surrounding Bulldogs.

They are unhealthy.
- Bulldogs are prone to skin problems, joint problems, heat stroke, and some other health problems. BUT a well cared for Bulldog from a quality breeder can greatly reduce these risks. Bulldogs are one of the most popular breeds in the world, and unfortunately many breeders abuse this by selling Bulldogs that do not come form the best genetic line or care just to make a quick buck. In the past year, Milton (my bulldog) has only been to the vet once for illness. It was just allergies that were cured quickly and easily. On the other hand I ran into a guy that was walking his bulldog out of a veterinary office and said his dog was having all kinds of joint problems and skin infections. The dog was severely overweight and he mentioned it was an impulse buy from a pet shop. Both of the fallowing qualities are bad for any dog breed, but especially for Bulldogs. Proper healthcare and buying for a reputable source are key to bulldog health. More tips on keeping bulldogs healthy and breeders will be described later.

They are hard to train
-While it is true that a bulldog is no Jack Russel Terrier, and wont do to many very complicated tricks, it really isn’t too hard to teach a bulldog basic obedience. That being said you must be consistent with your training and know how to properly train a dog. Personally, it took me less that 3 weeks to completely housebreak Milton, and even before that he really didn't have too many accidents in the house. Also, I have never had problems of him chewing on inappropriate items (like my shoes). It takes patience and time, but training a Bulldog is not nearly as difficult as many would make it sound. More tips on training will also be discussed later in the Blog.

That’s all for now, but thanks for reading. I hope I have helped some of those potential bulldog owners out there. If you have any suggestions or myths you would like me to discuss please post it. I’ve been pretty busy lately, but hope to continuing blogging as much as possible and to add some pictures of Milton. Thanks!

Also, if you are considering purchasing a bulldog here are 5 things all bulldogs owners must have.

Do you really want a Bulldog?

Bulldogs snore-loudly!

Bulldogs have constant flatulence

Bulldogs are around 55lbs

Bulldogs shed

Bulldogs do create quite a bit of slobber

Bulldogs have allergies- lots of them

Bulldogs have several common problems. It is said they are the one dog breed keeping vets in business.

Bulldogs are very expensive- both to buy and own



Now that we have some of the facts about bulldogs, here are some myths concerning the bred