New Bulldog, need advice

[gatethekeeper]

Well tonight i decided i would be getting a bulldog and not a rottie. Bull dogs are my all time favorite dog and our family has had them for years. Plus with our limited out door space i figured it would be best to have a "lazy dog" that preffers lounging around the house and going for walks, then a dog who wants to just run all day.

Now my question is, sence i am just looking for a pet and not a show dog, is there any reason to spend 1500-2000 dollars on a puppy? Would it be alright to buy from a breeder who has puppies for 500-1000 that are not bred for there show qualities? Or should i stray away from those breeders?

Please do not recomend adoption. I have done it before, and have talking many of my friends and family into adoption instead of buying. But i really want a purebred and they are few and far between in my area.

Thanks for the help.

 

[SummerRiot]

Hmm Alrighty first of all.. DONT support Backyard Breeders.

Make SURE your pup comes with a liable contract, especially about breeding it. Like when i bought Riot.. he came with a breeding contract. if he did not complete his CH title he MUST be fixed.

Make sure you meet the parents. If not the dad, then obviously the mom. make sure Mom is the gentle one!! Remember if you dont like moms temperment, DONT get the pup. they Grow up WITH her.. so they learn her behaviours.

Bulldogs ARE an expensive breed. so yes it is quite normal to be paying $1000+ for one even if it ISN"T show quality. I think what I'd do in your case and for the pup.
Look for Bulldogs that have their CH or at least some form of titling on them. Usually they have litters have may have a "non-showable" pup in it. That dog you MAY be able to get a discount on because its not show worthy and you'd get a nonbreeding contract with it.

 

[zoe08]

I dont think you have to spend big bucks on a dog. You might be able to find a dog from a breeder that has disqualifications, or you may be able to find a good breeder that doesnt charge that much for pets. I think as long as you do your research on the breeder and make sure they arent a backyard breeder or puppy mill, it doesn't have to cost a ton.

 

[gatethekeeper]

Now by backyard breeder do you mean someone who isnt actually a breeder but maybe has a male and female bulldog that they have bred themselves?

If thats the case i have been looking at professional places that were recommended to me but was thinking about looking locally. In the city(Buffalo NY) there are always puppies for sale. And i have never seen a problem with buying from someone whos dogs had puppies as long as they have records and are registered. But if you guys have a problem with that please explain it to me. I am very open to whatever you have to say.

Bulldogs ARE an expensive breed. so yes it is quite normal to be paying $1000+ for one even if it ISN"T show quality. I think what I'd do in your case and for the pup.
Look for Bulldogs that have their CH or at least some form of titling on them. Usually they have litters have may have a "non-showable" pup in it. That dog you MAY be able to get a discount on because its not show worthy and you'd get a nonbreeding contract with it.

Thanks for the info i will look into that

 

[zoe08]

Make sure that the dogs were health tested before they were bred. And the both parents are registered. Also make sure they dont have too many dogs or litters and that they are well kept.

 

[SummerRiot]

Now by backyard breeder do you mean someone who isnt actually a breeder but maybe has a male and female bulldog that they have bred themselves?

Yuppers.. BackYard Breeders are people who breed their dogs because they can. Its basically people who think that because its a male and because its a female of the same breed.. they will make FABULOUS puppies and go on to be great looking.. DEFINATELY NOT the case.
They are also the type of people who will breed for money and NOT the love of the breed.

If you are looking at registered kennels that you have no worries Personally.. I'd rather buy a dog froma reg'd kennel from from a pet store or BYB. I wouldn't mind a mutt from the pound though, but you want a purebred

A friend of mine was looking into Bulldog and the cheapest one she found from a respectible breeder was $1500

 

[Cassiepeia]

Since bulldogs aren't a working breed you'll want to find a breeder who does show their dogs. The reason for showing a dog is not just for fun...it's to test the dogs conformation...."evaluate breeding stock" as they say.
There is no reason to breed dogs that aren't perfect in health, temperament and type/conformation (and this includes dogs bred for working...I can't remember who said it but I have heard it over and over again "form follows function" meaning that a dog who is good at the job they were bred for will have good type).
After all, a breeder should want to give the pups the best start in life they can and also contribute something (good genes) to their breed.

One of the big things backyard breeders (and puppymills) go on about is that they breed for people who just want 'pets'. Well, almost every single dog breed nowdays is bred as a pet first. People who show their dogs always have "pet quality" pups in their litters, along side show potential ones.

Also, just because someone is "registered" or has "AKC registered" dogs doesn't mean they're ethical or reputable. You have to really scrutinize the breeder.
There is a great post in the 'Breeding Ground' forum to help you find a reputable breeder. http://www.chazhound.com/forums/showthread.php?t=787

Good luck in your search! I hope you'll post pictures of your pup when you get him/her. I adore bulldogs.

Cass.

 

[casablanca1]

Now my question is, sence i am just looking for a pet and not a show dog, is there any reason to spend 1500-2000 dollars on a puppy? Would it be alright to buy from a breeder who has puppies for 500-1000 that are not bred for there show qualities? Or should i stray away from those breeders?

I think I'd be very careful of a breeder who was charging much less than average for their puppies. Bulldogs are particularly expensive because of their whelping issues, and because their relative scarcity allows breeders to charge closer to what the puppies cost them to produce than, say, a Lab breeder.

I feel your pain, though. My favorite breed is unusual too, and if I wanted a puppy I'd be have to pay at least $800 and probably more like $1000. It seems nuts when you think of the 'free dog' ads in the newspaper or the cost of a shelter dog, and that's the reason you should scrutinize the breeder. You're not really paying for a dog, you're paying for the breeder's wealth of knowledge about the dog's genetic background, including temperament and health issues. If the breeder tries to just plop a puppy in your lap and shut the door once he's got his money, you're being cheated no matter how much cheaper that pup is.

 

[brock23]

The average Bulldog price here in Las Vegas is $2200-$3000. If I ever got one I would probably drive back to the midwest to get one. I love bulldogs ( I have a tattoo of one) but they definetly come with their share of health issues.

 

[Dreeza]

i just wanted to ask someone to elaborate on WHY it is important for all those health tests to be done. When i first came on these boards, it was hard for me to understand the importance...since i didnt understand why someone with no intention of showing would need this info. I just think sometimes even knowing how bad BYBs are arent going to stop one from buying from one, cause it is "just one dog". I think it is important to point out possible future health problems of bulldogs (i personally know nothing about them) that may become very costly, and end up costing MUCH more money in the end


good luck in your search

 

[brock23]

i just wanted to ask someone to elaborate on WHY it is important for all those health tests to be done. When i first came on these boards, it was hard for me to understand the importance...since i didnt understand why someone with no intention of showing would need this info. I just think sometimes even knowing how bad BYBs are arent going to stop one from buying from one, cause it is "just one dog". I think it is important to point out possible future health problems of bulldogs (i personally know nothing about them) that may become very costly, and end up costing MUCH more money in the end


good luck in your search

I am not saying test for health for show reasons because, I don't show dogs, but Bulldogs have lots of breathing problems and a few other issues that need to be considered before buying. If we are talking about a English Bulldog they have very short life spans.

 

[joce]

English bulldogs are very expensive to breed. Artificail insemination,check ups all the time because they don;t show when they go into labor and a c section. Not to mention many bulldogs are not good at parenting and the breeder will pull many all nighters and possibly miss a lot of work. My frined sold her pups for 1,500 and with all the costs there still wasn't a profit.You jsut can't find a cheap pup unless it has some severe issues like spina bifida. There are so many problems these dogs can get that you want health testing done. Its hard to find a good breeder but its all worth it in the end. this is english bulldogs but I think regular ones have a lot of the same issues.

 

[lpollockandrsn]

Bulldogs are hard to breed and often have trouble with whelping so a lot of the costs represent the AI and Cesarean and health testing that most of them go through as well as just the rarity of the breed and the bloodlines of course. You should expect to spend over $1000 for this breed, probably closer to $2000. But I feel you, I love them and will look into it myself some day.

 

[gatethekeeper]

We decided to go all out and just spend the money. We had set aside 1800 dollars for a new TV that I have wanted for ever. But after talking to my fiancee we decided to spend most of it on the bulldog. I found a breeder very close to me that typically sells there pups for 2000-2700 and plans on having a litter in late summer. I hate to wait that long but i like the fact that i can drive out and meet the breeded instead of ordering one off the internet.

Thanks for all the help

 

[Fran27]

Just make sure they do health testings on the parents, or you might end up with a pup with lots of problems. Price itself isn't a good indicator of the quality of the pups, way too many breeders charge way too much for low quality dogs.

 

[gatethekeeper]

Hence why i want to go out and meet the breeder..and not order one off the internet. They have a bunch of garantees and whatnot...

 

[brock23]

Congrats, my next dog will probably be a English Bulldog. I was in the process of looking for one when Otto kind of just fell in my lap. At least you have a few months before it is born to become a bulldog expert.