Breeding Bulldogs

Breeding Bulldogs is not to be taken lightly. A successful breeder of Bulldogs breeds not for the money but for the love the breed, our aim is to breed better specimens than the parents.

Before contemplating breeding, you must consider whether your can reasonably commit yourself to the time and effort involved in rearing the puppies, which included feeding them ever 2 hours for the first 2 weeks of their life (night and day), this shows the intensive care required to raise a litter.

Also the cost due to time off work, stud fee and possibility of a Caesarean as well as the chance of veterinary fees resulting from complications and general care of puppies and their mother.  It's your responsibility for breed dogs as near as the standard as possible. Breeders are the caretakers of this wonderful breed and are hence expected to pass on to future guardians better stock to breed on from than we inherited ourselves.

A responsible breeder will only breed from healthy dogs and must be aware of genetic defects such as eye conditions, respiratory complaints and other defects. Dogs displaying serious symptoms of these defects should not be bred.

Health is the MOST important aspect!
 

Choosing a Stud Dog

First you must remember if takes two to Tango!! - Many consider the bitch's faults and then choose a stud dog with corresponding virtues hoping to do a balancing act, only to find that the litter of say 4, 2 will take after the mother and 2 the sire. This is due to simple genetics! A stud dog should be a good specimen of the breed producing progeny as near to the standard as possible.

When to Mate

Bulldog bitches normally have their first season at roughly 8 months of age and then approx. every 6 months thereafter - BUT there can be EXCEPTIONS! If is possible to mate the bitch after her second season (K.C regulation the bitch must be over 1 year old), but a Bulldog does not mature until 18 months, too young and the bitch is normally too immature to cope, too old (average over 4 years of age) and the whelping progress can be prone to complications.

Plan this event carefully avoiding obvious pitfalls such as the bitch whelping on a day of an important social event! Make sure you check a gestation chart (approx. 61-63 days) for the correct dates. When your bitch is nearing oestrus you will be expected to contact the owner of the stud dogs and book the dog's service. You will also need to agree terms of payment and arrangements for a repeat mating should the bitch miss. When your bitch comes into season inform the stud dog owner also they can ensure he is available. The best days to mate are normally between 10 -12 days but there is not hard and fast rule, it can be earlier or later.

"Silent Seasons" are when there is little indication of the season and you must watch your bitch carefully to know! Vet can carry our fairly accurate blood test and vaginal smears to predict the best time of mating if in doubt.

The Mating - normally requires 3 people.
 

• One person to handle the stud dog
• You to hold your bitch and to comfort her if she gets uncomfortable
• And another person to do the physical handling of the dog and bitch to make sure the job is done!
  When dogs 'tie' during a mating this is the bulb as the base of the penis swelling within the vagina and is clasped by the vaginal muscles, effectively locking them together. Some see this as a reliable type of mating to ensure conception.

Two matings are normally done with a day in between to ensure conception
but one can be sufficient with a fertile stud dog and bitch.