How to Breed Bulldogs for Beginners

Consider why you want to breed your bulldog. If you are unfamiliar with the breed and its needs, want to breed for the cash or simply like the idea of having puppies in the house, you are breeding for the wrong reasons. The only goal of breeding should be to ultimately improve the breed. If your bulldog is flawed or if you are uninterested in doing the work required to improve the breed, it's best not to breed your bulldog.

Research the standards of the breed. Even if you are familiar with bulldogs, you need to know exactly what the ideal bulldog looks like and how it should behave to consider whether your bulldog is worth breeding. A complete physical exam by a veterinarian is essential to determine if your bulldog is healthy enough to breed. You must also be able to consider what your bulldog̵7;s weaknesses are and be able to identify a mate that will help to eradicate those differences in the puppy. American, English and French bulldogs, while similar, have slightly different standards.

Find a good breeding pair. Study pedigrees carefully to ensure that you will help to improve the breed by mating certain dogs. These dogs should compliment each other and produce a better-quality puppy. Go and see several candidates for a sire or a bitch before choosing one.

Take both the bitch and the dam to a veterinarian to be examined to make sure there are no problems. They must be clear of any genetic disorders or transferable diseases before mating takes place.

Decide when to breed your bulldog after the dogs pass veterinary exams. Make sure you take into consideration the bitch̵7;s heat cycle. Bitch bulldogs come into heat between six and nine months of age, but they should not be bred before 18 months. Heat cycles are generally three weeks long and four to seven months between. Start tracking the bitch̵7;s heat cycles so you can find a pattern and set up a date to mate with the other dog to coincide with these cycles.

Mating isn't always successful when you put the bitch and stud together. Bulldogs are notoriously difficult when it comes to conceiving, and artificial insemination is common in this breed. Even if mating is successful, take care when the dogs enter the "tie." The tie is where the stud's penis swells and gets "stuck" inside of the bitch. This tie will last between 20 minutes and an hour. Dogs new to breeding may panic when they can't get unattached from each other. Reassure them and do your best to calm them down during this process so they don't injure each other.

Count 60 to 63 days after mating for the due date if you own and will be taking care of the bitch. Use this time to prepare for the pregnant dog̵7;s delivery, and be sure to keep your veterinarian in the loop. You will need to get the bitch a whelping box to ̶0;nest̶1; or shred paper in as it gets closer to labor. It's highly likely that you will need to set up a C-section with the veterinarian. Ninety-five percent of bulldogs have to have a C-section due to the breed̵7;s large head. While some experienced breeders prefer to start labor at home and use the veterinarian for emergencies, it̵7;s better to not risk labor at home for beginners. The vet will determine when the dog needs to come in for the operation.

Change your pregnant dog̵7;s diet gradually to a puppy formula. Start mixing a little puppy formula into the dog̵7;s normal food on the 35th day of pregnancy, and gradually increase the ratio to favor the puppy formula side. Keep her on this diet until the puppies are weaned at about six weeks of age.

After surgery, make sure the bitch nurses her puppies for at least the first couple of days. The mother̵7;s natural milk is a powerful food for healthy puppy growth.