How to Breed English Bulldogs

Study the breed standard, the blueprint for the ideal example of a dog breed. For every purebred dog breed there is a standard established by the national breed club and supported by registries such as the American Kennel Club. The bulldog standard covers general appearance, size and proportion, eyes, body, fore and hind quarters, skin and coat, gait and temperament.

Educate yourself about health problems common to bulldogs. Every dog breed has its vulnerabilities; bulldogs are prone to skin and coat problems, respiratory disorders and cleft palate, for example. Both your bitch and the dog you pick for her should be free of these issues.

Evaluate your bitch, and be objective. Your prospective brood bitch should be a good example of the English bulldog, according to the breed standard, and be in excellent health.

Assess your resources. Breeding dogs takes time, money, space and equipment. If you are gone from the house for long hours every day, if vet bills are not in your budget, if you don't have a place to set up a whelping box and a puppy pen, then you might want to reconsider breeding.

Prepare for a Caesarean section. Because bulldogs have very large heads and proportionally small hips, they are unable to give birth naturally. A C-section means more veterinary expenses and more post-natal care of the mother and her puppies for you.

Pick a stud dog. The stud dog should cross-fault nicely with your bitch, that is to say both she and her potential stud should have something to contribute to improve on each other. The pedigrees should be compatible, whether you are line-breeding or out-crossing. Study the lines in breed, and know their traits before picking a stud.