Realities of Responsible Bulldog Breeding - Ep 09

In this episode, we explore the complexities and risks involved in Bulldog breeding, offering valuable insights and advice for prospective breeders. 

• The Reality of Breeding: Breeding Bulldogs is a significant responsibility that should never be taken lightly. From understanding the biology of ovulation to managing financial risks, prospective breeders must be prepared for the challenges ahead.
• Considerations and Risks: Breeding Bulldogs come with many financial and emotional risks. From the high likelihood of veterinary intervention to the emotional rollercoaster of losing a litter or, worse still, your beloved female, prospective breeders must carefully weigh the pros and cons.
• Alternative Perspectives: While breeding Bulldogs can be rewarding, it's essential to consider alternative, more straightforward options such as buying another puppy or exploring other breeds. Jumping into breeding without adequate preparation can lead to unexpected challenges and heartache.
• Recommended Books: Not Born Yesterday & Doggystyle are recommended if you are planning to breed your dog, available online at www.caninefamilyplanner.com/book or Amazon.

Tune in to discover more about bulldogs and join a supportive community dedicated to these charismatic canines. Remember to visit Bulldogbroadcast.com for show notes, recommendations, and exclusive extras.

📝 Click to read Show Notes

Transcript

[00:00:00] In this episode, I discuss Bulldog breeding, a topic not for the faint-hearted. There's a lot to consider, from financial risk to the emotional roller coaster. So, if you're thinking of breeding your Bulldog, stay tuned for a reality check you won't want to miss. Welcome to the Bulldog Broadcast, the Pure Talk Pedigree podcast. Join me Sara Lamont as we delve beyond the pedigree, propaganda and misinformation surrounding the beloved Bulldog breed. Together, we uncover the real-life realities of Bulldogs, sharing insights with admirers, owners and breeders worldwide. Welcome back and thank you for joining me today. We've got a big conversation to discuss. And this should be well and this is should you breed your dog I see this a lot from my professional business side. And I think it's worth a conversation, that's for sure. I don't have any stud dogs at the moment, so I've probably not had these conversations direct with any female dog owners, but we're going to cover both male and female whether you should breed your dog or not. Yeah. I just want to put a fair reflection on, on the whole aspect, because it might be a little, little seed at the back of your head thinking it might be a possibility, especially how the pet breeding market changed during the pandemic. There were some people that overpaid for a dog, and then in the back of their heads, they probably were happy to overpay because they thought they might be able to do the same in two years time and breed their breed, their dog, and get the same money back.

[00:01:49] So I want to address some of the lesser. Observations and risks that you could be taken when you breed a dog. We'll cover it from a female perspective mainly, but we will touch on from a male perspective as well. Firstly, what you should bear in mind is breeding is a big responsibility. It's not to be taken lightly. At the end of the day, you are creating new life and you're responsible for finding that new life, the perfect home. So it has a life of luxury. I think that's what most Bulldogs want is a life of luxury. It is a really big responsibility and anything that you're responsible for, you should put in some effort that you're doing it correctly to the highest of standards. Some people will say, oh. I just want her to have one litter. It's the right thing for her to have one litter. And maybe when she was in season, she was all really super fruity and she was trying to get the males attention all the time. But that's just hormones. That's that's just her hormones programmed into her to what they should do. Because for the species to carry on in existence, it needs to reproduce. And it is no different to tell you people. It's no different in humans. It's just a chemical reaction. And no more, no less. It's the biology that's programmed into us so that she would behave in that way when she's in season, when she's around males.

[00:03:24] She has never sat there in her life and said, oh, do you know what? I really want a litter of puppies, because I really want to see how they grow and develop and mature. And whether one of them ends up in as a pack dog or one ends up as a show dog, and she's never thinking that is she. Dogs live in the now and all they care about is you. Basically, dogs are narcissistic because they think the whole the whole world revolves around them. You are their number one person. So that's all they really care about is you and them. Any behavioural changes that suggest to you that she wants puppies is just hormonal. Also, you need to check about you might have a female and you might consider breeding her. You need to check whether she's endorsed most responsible breeders. They when they have a litter of puppies, they will endorse that puppy. Not for breeding. There's two endorsements you can put on with the Kennel Club. One is not for breeding and one is not to be not to have an export pedigree. So basically, the dog could technically still be shipped abroad, but it couldn't be shown abroad. Now, the reason that breeders do this and I endorse every single dog, even my own, is endorsed. And anything I plan to keep, I endorse every puppy in every litter.

[00:04:41] The reasons that breeders do this is to safeguard a their bloodline. I don't want to be scrolling through Pets at Home, and I see it all the time from breeders that haven't endorsed, and you'll have someone pop up, and there be some breeding that they probably didn't approve to, and their kennel name gets splattered all over the advert and tell you now, you'll never see that with any of my dogs because I endorse everything. I have no problem with anyone breeding from my dogs, but that's where they have to come back to me and I will educate them, as I am doing now on this podcast, as to what it involves, what my expectations are, what's the quality of the stud that they're using, blah de blah, blah blah. And so I say to people, if you're just breeding because you want another dog, and I get that and I and I get that everybody has to start somewhere. So obviously I started somewhere so equally, I had this conversation with somebody, even when I purchased my Labrador, she was endorsed, you know, and I was thinking, well, I would like to breed from her, but I'll do I'll meet whatever the requirements are of the breeder to ensure that I'm breeding to a level that she is satisfied that she is happy with, which is her own level of what she's doing. To be fair, most breeders would, from my understanding, lift an endorsement as long as you are breeding to the correct standard.

[00:06:11] I have heard some breeders be a little bit cheeky. Not necessarily Bulldogs, to be fair, but in other breeds saying that they lift the endorsements. Basically they're charging a fee for it and they try and lock you into using their stud dogs and all this kind of stuff that should all be highlighted in the sales contract. So that's the importance of a sales contract and having these conversations upfront. And if you're not getting a sales contract and if the lifting endorsement requirements aren't detailed in the sales contract, then and you think you might want to breed, then obviously you need to not buy that puppy. You need to go somewhere else. So that's a little bit of a side, side note if an owner ever comes back to me and says, oh, we love her so much that we just want her to have one litter so we can keep a puppy, the risk is so great that it's probably your it's literally not worth doing. Is that the only reason that you want to breed your dog is because you want one that's related to her? I just always just recommend that person. Just to go back to the breeder and buy another puppy is actually far cheaper and less riskier to do than it is to attempt to breed your own dog. And I've had instances where, you know, well, I'm going to come on to you next, but you can end up being significantly out of pocket and have zero to show for it, where at least when you go and buy a puppy, you know you're definitely getting a puppy in exchange for the money that you give.

[00:07:42] And you don't have to have the sleepless nights. So my opinion, if that's the reason that you want a puppy, go and buy one. It's a lot easier. Also, you need to think about if the breeding was accidental, so it wasn't planned again and slightly controversial, but you don't have to go through with it. You can miss mate. It's called you can miss mate. The female. Technically she would abort the puppies or reabsorbed the puppies and go on with life. So even if the breeding wasn't planned and two dogs had decided to take things into their own situation, into their own hands, into their own paws, because you haven't kept them apart or you haven't managed that situation right. So it's still your problem, still your fault. You don't have to go through with that litter, because the amount of time and investment it's going to take, you need to account for that. And if you don't, you're potentially cutting corners or making a situation unsafe. And that will have repercussions. And with Bulldogs, it definitely will have repercussions, because I've already said in other episodes about Bulldogs and a high pain threshold. So if you are not there fully observing your female to make sure the situation remains safe at all times, that could be costly.

[00:09:08] So let's talk about the levels of risk. You obviously have a financial risk. So I've already said you could end up significantly out of pocket for all your efforts. Because if you're going to do things right, you're going to have to health test her. And I'm sure I'm going to do another episode on Bulldog health testing. But basically, it's not just I took her to the vet's and the vet said, she's a really good example of her breed. No, you need to be testing eyes, heart, breathing, BOAS, overall confirmation. Knees. There's quite a lot to it. Yeah. So even on a basic level, there's quite a lot to it. So it's not just a case of my vet says she's a good dog and that's why I'm breeding her. Then also you need to think about your pre-breeding prep. So what supplements she should be on. So folic acid is a massive one for Bulldogs because that's a I believe it's up to a 48% chance of reducing cleft palates and cleft lips. And then obviously you've got other things such as knowing when to breeder, ovulation testing, paying for your stud fee, potential C-section risks. Bulldogs are definitely of a higher elevated risk of a C-section. In my personal opinion. It's nothing to do with the myth or the puppies are born with such big heads.

[00:10:28] That's a load of rubbish. Their heads no bigger than most other dogs to me, from my experience, is either because of inertia. So as a breed they're just prone to not labouring correctly, which means more chance of a C-section or also because of their body shape. Bulldogs are pear-shaped. They have narrow pelvises for the size of dog that they are compared to other breeds, that their shoulders are as wide as their hips, so their narrow pelvis and they don't have a flat top line never rise to the top line. So technically a puppy has to go in and out and up and down. So my opinion, that's why they're more prone to a C-section. Then obviously the time you need to take off of work to rear these puppies and be under no illusion that you're going to have a Bulldog litter and you're just going to peep over the whelping bed, and she's just going to be there feeding them, licking them, cleaning them. Most Bulldogs, you're getting involved every two hours. You're making sure the pups are latched on milk production and is driven by hormones. And that can generally all kick in slower. If you've had a female that's had a C-section, which means you're getting involved more, you might have to toilet them, make sure they're all latched on, check that her milk has come in, check that she's all fine because she's now had a major operation. And with any operation, there is always risks.

[00:11:50] Any surgery, there's always risks. If you think you're still going to work your 9 to 5 and rear a Bulldog litter equally, that's not going to happen either. Then you need to think about the cost of puppy provisions. And also, do you really want to use your annual leave rear in Bulldog puppies? That's something to bear in mind as well, because I know I wouldn't. I'd rather actually be on holiday and enjoy myself. Then you need to think about puppy provisions, buying your whelping bed, your puppy pens, any puppy food, toys, bedding, wormer and then further more so Kennel Club paper registrations, puppy vet check, vaccinations. The list literally goes on and on and on. As I've said, if you want a new puppy, I would just go and buy one. And obviously if you like the one you've got, then just go back to that breeder and get another one. And I'm sure like 99% of the time they will give you a little bit of a cheeky discount because you're already vetted, they're already happy with the home. You've already proved to them you've looked after the dog really well. Yeah, I just can't. I just can't see how you could go wrong with just sticking to that plan rather than deciding to go this route yourself. What you also need to remember is that breeding does not come without any risks, so you could potentially breed your female, spend all that money, do the C-section if it's required, pay your stud fee, blah de blah de blah and then you lose the whole entire litter.

[00:13:19] It's not a nice thing to think about, but it happens. I've been in that situation. I had to C-section at 57 days because the female was really poorly, and that resulted in eight dead pups and a £3,000 vet bill because it was a bank holiday weekend. And I tell you now, that was a long time ago, so it'd be even more now. That was probably six years ago. It would be a lot more now. And worse still, you could potentially lose your female. So you are you are risking something. It's not risk-free. I've lost a female again, wasn't coping very well with her pregnancy, and she actually passed four hours before her C-section. I just can't emphasise enough how much of a risk that you're taking just to have another puppy. And then also which people don't take into account is the emotional risk. It's hard, bloody work when you're on such an emotional roller coaster and you're tired. It's really hard to remain stable and functioning. So as I've already said, a Bulldog generally needs two hourly feeds for the first two weeks of its life, and that is night and day. If you're ready for that kind of torture, then, then feel free to crack on. Likewise, you can't leave mum unattended with the puppies, and that's generally because other breeds do, and they're still taking a minor risk, like they still have to monitor them, potentially put in rails in the pen so puppies don't get crushed.

[00:14:53] But the thing with Bulldogs is they're short in back. Unlike most dogs, they don't curl up like you'll see them. They're always laying out like a rug. They can't curl up because they're so short in back, so they can't necessarily see where they're sitting. And they're big. They've got big old bums and big old thighs on them, so they can easily crush a puppy. And knowingly, you're going to need to be there to monitor them. And that's going to need a lot of time, care and attention. Like I said, you're not you're not cracking on with your work. At the same time, you're not just popping in and out. You're with her 24 over seven to supervise that. Okay. Yep. You'll get to learn a new skill set. I suppose it might be a highly pressurised one and a condensed one. And I understand some people, some people say, oh, I just want the family to go through this experience. Honestly, I'd, I'd if that's the case, I'd just go to like, the local farm during lambing and have that experience or buy, I don't know, a rabbit and a rabbit have a litter. Not that I even condone that, to be fair. So I don't know by a different breed of dog that's easier to breed like. I cannot emphasise how much that if you decide to breed a Bulldog, you are literally jumping in at the deep end of a swimming pool hoping you can swim.

[00:16:14] That's all I can say. And then obviously, the big responsibility is you need to be able to correctly attract good puppy owners and then have the ability to vet them correctly and be able to place the puppy suitably. And it's all well and good saying, oh, I've got loads of friends and family interested. I know my friends and family and I wouldn't give them most of them. I wouldn't let them have one of my dogs because you know them. You should know how suitable they are as a as a potential dog owner. And sometimes that's not always the case. And then you have to have a hard conversation as to why they're not suitable. Most people, when their friends and family, they expect friends and family rate. So you're up for that. That's fine. But you would have most likely had a significant financial outlay just to get to, to balance your books, just to get to zero. Now, on the flip side, if you have a male and you're thinking, oh yeah, maybe I should stud up my male, he's like super handsome and I know he's from a good pedigree. Like I made the effort myself to find a good breeder, so I know he's really good stuff. Now you need to ask yourself, you need to go down the same route of the dog, needs to be health tested, and you need to think to yourself, why? Why would anyone want to use my dog if he was on a dating app, what would draw anyone to him? Again, you need to do your health testing.

[00:17:40] There's no reason why, well, any dog should be bred without health testing, but there's there's no reason why somebody's going to pay you a stud fee for a dog that isn't health tested. You're going to have to spend some money out on your health testing, and you're not going to know the results until you do it, and then you're not going to know whether it's worth doing or not. So that's a little bit of a chicken and egg situation. You also need to think about what other credentials does he have. Is it it's just a health tested male okay. There's there's plenty of health tested males. But like I said, there is a breed standard that of what the perfect Bulldog should look like. How much of his traits credentials assets fulfil the breed standard. Otherwise, what's the point of breeding a health tested Bulldog that could potentially still look like a boxer? That's still not a Bulldog, is it? He's not carrying the correct traits to to reproduce high quality Bulldogs. So it's not just about health, it is about breed type at the same time. You also need to think about what help and advice and support can you offer the people using your dog so they come and use your dog? It works.

[00:18:53] I mean, you're going to have to learn the ins and outs about ovulation testing, optimal time to breed who can help you ensure that a breeding is done safely, doesn't put your dog at risk. Doesn't put the female at risk about pregnancy scanning where best to get that done, but then even an even vet's potential C-section or I mean, you always just have that need to have that as a backup just in case. Not saying it's imperative. What advice can you offer them if you've never read a litter yourself when they phone you up asking for help, how are you going to support them and help them? Because there's a part you've made this. You've helped them create these puppies, so you're slightly accountable that they do a good job. If you've never read a litter before, helping somebody else rear theirs is probably going to be quite difficult. And again, what about placing the puppies? You know, they've got half of your male's DNA. You should have some concern that they are correctly housed. And again, they live a long and healthy and luxurious life. So how what skill set do you currently have to be able to ensure that that happens? And with males? I've covered it in another episode about the differences between dogs and bitches, but potentially offering your male at stud. It will potentially cause behavioural changes, so he might be more prone to male cocking his leg around the house.

[00:20:18] He might just end up being a bit more dominant, a bit more abrupt in his general persona, particularly when meeting other dogs. And he might be more impacted by females being in season in the same household or, you know, in your area might end up that he goes off his food. He lacks appetite. So all of these things are going to have an impact of you living with your dog day to day, regardless of that. A mating that happened eight months ago. So with all that said. I think I made it pretty clear. If you want another dog, just go buy one. If you want a breeding experience, probably a Bulldog isn't the place to be starting, but there are breeders out there, so it obviously isn't that bad because no one breed Bulldogs. It's not to be taken lightly. I cannot emphasise how they are one of the most difficult breeds to breed. A lot of the time it's because of their high pain threshold that if your observation skills are not on point when it comes to the delivery of those puppies, it can be catastrophic, it can be horrendous, and you only have to scroll through a few Facebook Whelping groups to see that with the breed, so they are not to be taken lightly. There's I can think of a thousand other things I'd rather do than breed a Bulldog litter, but with that said, I will put some links in the show notes because I'm going to recommend some books that you could read and some research that you should do.

[00:21:52] I've written two dog breeding books, and the one that would help you decide whether breeding is for you or not would be doggy style. So I'm going to put a link in the show notes, and I'm also funny enough, have another podcast called The Breeders Brew, and I'm going to put a link to the Breeders Brew in the show notes, because that covers anything and everything about dog breeding in a podcast. And I think you'll realise how nuanced and how complex it could potentially be. Hopefully, you'll make a really well-informed decision off the back of that. So that's it. Like I always keep saying, come and join us, start a conversation in the community. Do you agree with me? How did you find it? If you've already bred a litter, would you do it again? A lot of the time? To be fair, of the clients I see they've never bred before. Different breeds. They go, yeah, I'm never doing that again. I've done it once and I don't want to do it again. So what do they say about wise people? Learn from other people's experiences. I'm going to end it on that one. See you soon. Before you leave, make sure to visit Bulldog Broadcast.com com for immediate access to the show notes, community forum recommendations and episode extras.