# English Bulldog



## notadogowneryet (Nov 7, 2011)

So we are thinking about a dog for our kids - 5, 3, 2. Both parents grew up with a dog, how are english bulldogs? We have wood floors in every room, will an EB tear them up? They seem to be the perfect pet, thoughts?


:rockon:


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## WheatenDaneMom (Nov 4, 2011)

If you're going to pay the money and take the time to find an English Bulldog.. my personal opinion is to opt for an olde english bulldogge... they're bred to be more like the original english bulldog and hence have a lot less medical problems. They can breed naturally (not that you should) and are REALLY beautiful dogs. Check some breeders out!! (because this breed is REALLY hard to find in a shelter)

English bulldogs are beautiful and all - but they are one big black hole of medical expenses.


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## marsha=whitie (Dec 29, 2008)

WheatenDaneMom said:


> English bulldogs are beautiful and all - but they are one big black hole of medical expenses.


^^This.
If you're worried about your floors, keep in mind that whatever dog you do decide to get will need training. Keeping your dog in a crate while your gone will prevent destructive behaviors while you're away.


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## LuckySarah (May 3, 2010)

bulldogs in general are great with kids but I agree with the others, look for an olde english bulldogge/olde victorian bulldogge/Renascence bulldogge, they are healthier. The only issue with them is that different breeders breed different styles. For example Olde's can range from 40 to over 100 pounds so look for a breeder that is breeding the style that is right for you.

Just wanted to add some pics...









Olde english bulldogge









Olde victorian bulldogge









Renascence bulldogge


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## LoveCWCs (Oct 21, 2011)

Here is what I know about EB's: 

1) very few can breed naturally or whelp naturally due to their extreme physical build

2) Most have health problems, and some have very severe health problems ranging from skin issues to gastrointestinal issues to breathing issues

3) some are VERY sensitive to anesthesia

4) you can expect to pay upwards of $3,000.00 for a good one due to the health, whelping, breeding issues

Bearing that in mind, if those things don't turn you off, the ones I've met have been pretty cool. I was in agility with two of them this past class, and while they weren't the fastest dogs on the course, they were the steadiest.


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## InkedMarie (Mar 11, 2009)

I must be the only dog owner with hardwood floors who doesn't care what they do to them. I wanted hardwood to make clean up easier


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## The_Monstors (Oct 1, 2010)

I'm not an owner, I am thinking of becoming an owner and doing my research for quite a while. I also have a lot of bully friends since I own a brachy breed (we have a little club!). 

Question is what do you know about dogs in general? "growing up" with a dog doesn't mean you know how to train or care for a dog on your own as an adult or learned the proper way. Have you done extensive research on bullies? Why do you think they are a fit?

For a successful, well behaved bully you need to bring them to training. They are not biddable dogs, they like to decide if its worth it. We used to always play around with my friends bully and for very cool tricks he wants a high valued treat. I would switch it to something normal like a biscuit and he knew and wasn't having that and would plop himself on the floor. "Stubborn as a bulldog" became a saying because it can be pretty true when you have a bright pup. 

I do think they make a fairly decent family dog, but not a dog you should ever leave with your kids (really you should never leave any dog with your kids- you have a toddler, it's an accident waiting to happen!). They're low to the ground, but a lot are powerhouses and I've been bumped and knocked over by bullies in excitement so you need to be around to curb that in play. Our friends bullies cuddle with her older daughter, but he's also knocker her face into the concrete too so don't think it can't happen. Specially puppies.

Expenses should be in check because they are not cheap dogs to buy or cheap to care for. My friends last bully was $5800 and the other two were somewhere in the $4000 range (his are some champions he flew in from somewhere...I've found $3000-4000 is usual though). Saving money on buying a backyard bred bully will only get you a myriad of vet bills in the long run so research a legit breeder. Healthwise they can be prone to nasal issues since they are brachycephalic (and you cannot leave them outside or bring them out when it is hot), many are sensitive to food allergies (most will benefit from grain free food as they are prone to yeast infections in facial folds, armpits, paws) , many have deep facial folds you must commit to cleaning or else they infect, white bullies have a possibility of being deaf, hip/joint/back problems are pretty common- hip dysplasia occurrences are the highest in bullies among all the breeds, a few develop these interdigital cysts between their toes and some need them removed, cherry eye seems fairly common.

Obviously being a brachy breed they snore, snort, sneeze and suck in air. They aren't a loud breed really but they are noisy. Also some tend to "communicate" with these sounds so they are important. I find it cute and understand my brachy pugs, some people hella annoying trait to have in a dog. I've found people who wanted a bully who hate the sound and tried to "make it stop" (you cant) so now I make it a point to mention this. They shed- alot. Some will drool a little. Not so much as something like a Mastiff, but expect if it's napping on a blanket, it may have a little sleepy drool if their jowl is flapped open.


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## InkedMarie (Mar 11, 2009)

holy cripes Monstors, they had that much for a bulldog? Whew...


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## cshellenberger (Dec 2, 2006)

If you're truely looking for a Good EB, make sure you go to a code of ethics (COE) breeder. There are a LOT of poorly bred EBs and they are the ones that tend to have some devastating health problems. Go here and get a breeder referral http://thebca.org/ Be very careful of ANYONE who isn't a member in good standing of the breed club!


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## Darkmoon (Mar 12, 2007)

I don't own one myself, but I agree with Cshellenberger. I was looking for a friend who was interested in an EB and found a nice breeder in my back yard (like up the road) who was a COE breeder. The girl didn't listen to me and thus far on her puppy has already spent a couple of thousand dollars on treatments that the breeder I told her to go to would have prevented. 

I'm not sure where you are from, but look up the local EB clubs as well and call any of the breeders in the club. I know when I called the woman locally I told her flat out that I wish she was a breeder of my chosen breed of dog because she was simply amazing. We spent 3 hours talking on the phone about her dogs and her breed, my breeds, and everything in between. Most good breeders will help you get the dog you want even if it's not theirs.


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## The_Monstors (Oct 1, 2010)

InkedMarie said:


> holy cripes Monstors, they had that much for a bulldog? Whew...


Some of my friends are ridiculously wealthy. I'm ridiculously broke. 

Apprently they flew in all these dogs from a particular breeder. Not in cargo, inside the plane. 

I just asked one of my highschool friends how much their parents paid for their bully and she was $3100.


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## InkedMarie (Mar 11, 2009)

The_Monstors said:


> Some of my friends are ridiculously wealthy. I'm ridiculously broke.
> 
> Apprently they flew in all these dogs from a particular breeder. Not in cargo, inside the plane.
> 
> I just asked one of my highschool friends how much their parents paid for their bully and she was $3100.


I hear you. We were on the list a year ago for a Clumber Spaniel puppy, they range from $1500-$3000 for a well bred one, which is what I was getting.


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## The_Monstors (Oct 1, 2010)

Are you still getting a Clumber Spaniel? You said was so wasn't sure if it's just a save up for it type thing. I'm planning on looking for a retired bitch, not a puppy bulldog.


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## Miss Bugs (Jul 4, 2011)

like the others said...English Bulldogs are a medical nightmares and because of it they cost a fortune..you are going to have issues good breeder or not just because of the way they are built, but even if you bought one for $100 you will be paying a few grand in medical pretty quick. or pay a few grand for a good breeder, but because of their build you will still have issues with heat tolerence, breathing, and Gastro. 

in my area few people are willing to own an English Bulldog if they have done any research at all, instead Olde English Bulldogs and Bulldog/Boxer X's are far more common.


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## cshellenberger (Dec 2, 2006)

Umm, buying from a good breeder will help avoid many of the worst problems. Any reputable breeder will health test the parent dogs an will exclude dogs that have issues. True EBs have problems with extreme heat due to their short muzzles but most well bred EBs don't have serious issues with gastro or joints.


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## spanielorbust (Jan 3, 2009)

notadogowneryet said:


> So we are thinking about a dog for our kids - 5, 3, 2. Both parents grew up with a dog, how are english bulldogs? We have wood floors in every room, will an EB tear them up? They seem to be the perfect pet, thoughts?
> 
> :rockon:


When my kids were similar ages I was looking for a pup and the first thing I thought about was length of life. 

I recently was collecting longevity information on breeds and came across this Finish site. http://jalostus.kennelliitto.fi/frmTerveystilastot.aspx?R=166

The Fins have set up a self report for owners so that death ages can be reported. English Bulldog stats can be found in the FCI group 2 under "Englanninbulldoggi". If you locate the breed, then click on "_Terveystilastot_" (health statistics) followed by dropping down the bar under the words "Tulostettava tilasto:" to "Kuolinsyytilasto" (cause of death statistics) and then hit "Suorita" . . . you will get to the results for the English Bulldog in Finland.

This link might work for that . . . I'm not sure. http://jalostus.kennelliitto.fi/frmTerveystilastot.aspx?R=149

The following is the translated version of the table that has been produced.



> Respiratory illness 2 years 3 months 3
> Nerve disease 4 years and 3 months 3
> Skin and ear disorders 5 years 7 months 2
> Immunological disease 3 years 11 months 2
> ...


Of the 113 reported deaths, the average age at death was 5 years 6 months. If you eliminated all causes of death but old age only 16 in this group (14%) made it to an old age death of 10 years and 2 months. 

Maybe it is just me but I wouldn't be bringing a dog that had increased chances of passing on at a fairly young age (6 years) into my kids life when they were 5,3, and 2. I know that when I was 7 and my own dog was killed by a car (and my sister was seriously injured as well) I was life affected . . . . not a good age to lose a beloved pet.

I would suggest that a good breeder that does everything possible to give a pup its best chances in this breed is a must.



> I must be the only dog owner with hardwood floors who doesn't care what they do to them. I wanted hardwood to make clean up easier


That's why ours went in (for an allergy relief as well). We scootered on ours chasing the kids about when they were small and the weather too cold to play out. I couldn't imagine worrying about what the damage the dog's might do.

SOB


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## The_Monstors (Oct 1, 2010)

Spaniel- I remember reading that report and also some others from different countries and some largely vary but Finlands stats are some of the most extreme. I mean that low life span could be in effect of the demographics of Finland and their breeding stock. If 14% old age (10years) is true for everywhere else, then all the bulldogs I know should pretty much be all dead or dying as they've hit the 5 years already and my friends whose whole family has had multiple generations of family bullies should have far less ones that passed on 10-12years. I dont think 114 self reported deaths isn't grounds for not getting a bully at all for any family. 

I do think your consideration of kids growing up with the dog is important to think of though. Some kids may be affected by a family pet passing, some dont. Hard to tell if its going to be devastating as we can only speak for our experiences but parents know their kids and should think about what they can handle. For me, it personally wasn't ever an issue I couldn't get over. I was sad for a few weeks and then I was a typical kid again.


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## spanielorbust (Jan 3, 2009)

The_Monstors said:


> Spaniel- I remember reading that report and also some others from different countries and some largely vary but Finlands stats are some of the most extreme..


Just wanted to note that I wasn't referring to a report. I linked directly to self reported statistics tables . . . no report to read there.




The_Monstors said:


> I mean that low life span could be in effect of the demographics of Finland and their breeding stock. If 14% old age (10years) is true for everywhere else, then all the bulldogs I know should pretty much be all dead or dying as they've hit the 5 years already and my friends whose whole family has had multiple generations of family bullies should have far less ones that passed on 10-12years. I dont think 114 self reported deaths isn't grounds for not getting a bully at all for any family.
> 
> I do think your consideration of kids growing up with the dog is important to think of though. Some kids may be affected by a family pet passing, some dont. Hard to tell if its going to be devastating as we can only speak for our experiences but parents know their kids and should think about what they can handle. For me, it personally wasn't ever an issue I couldn't get over. I was sad for a few weeks and then I was a typical kid again.


I like to put info out there that is available, and I know I've seen statistics from other places on English Bulldog longevity that is similar. Of course think what you want in regards to your own experiences compared to those from Finland. I'm glad that the English Bulldogs that you've known have fared better, but anecdotal experiences from a single person's observations don't mean a whole bunch with regards to the big picture as you can never be sure of what they are reflective of. Its in numbers that we can learn things . . . . Mind you, you are correct in noting that the Finish population might show slight differences than the EB population elsewhere. 113 dogs is also a fairly small number to get stats from.

For comparison, the UK survey results (180 dogs) show a median death age at 6 yrs 3 months. http://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/download/1527/hsbulldog.pdf

I do think that you might have missed the part where I mentioned getting a dog of this breed from the best type of breeder . . . . I ddn't suggest not getting one at all . . . point being you want a pup with odds of being amongst those that lives 'til 10+.

You are also very correct in noting that some kids get over the loss of a pet better than others. As you suggest I mentioned the topic because I believe it is sometimes overlooked by parents. I happen to have sensitive kids. I also work with kids. I've worked with kids that had to go through grief counselling over just this issue. It was, in fact, the central issue that caused their schooling to backslide. Many prove to be more easily and deeply impacted than kids are generally purported to be . . . it sometimes just takes a long time for that to show up.

SOB


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## InkedMarie (Mar 11, 2009)

The_Monstors said:


> Are you still getting a Clumber Spaniel? You said was so wasn't sure if it's just a save up for it type thing. I'm planning on looking for a retired bitch, not a puppy bulldog.


We opted not to, mainly because of the money. We just love dogs, we love love love clumbers but couldn't see spending that kind of money on a dog. We will in the future, for sure but it wasn't the right time to spend so much


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## Damon'sMom (Aug 2, 2011)

InkedMarie said:


> I must be the only dog owner with hardwood floors who doesn't care what they do to them. I wanted hardwood to make clean up easier


This is why when I move (the next year or so) I will be getting hardwood floors. 

English Bulldogs are great pets and wonderful with kids if raised with them. If you do decided to get one my suggestion is to buy from a good breeder that does health screenings and test becasue English Bulldogs are prone to health problems.
Good Luck.


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## Abbylynn (Jul 7, 2011)

Please do look for a reputable breeder. Last year my step-brother recieved a bulldog pup as a gift. He has always had them and no other breed. One morning this year he found his beloved pup dead. They have no clue as to what happened. Of course they both were devastated....... I do not believe his wife did her homework before buying this pup. The poor pup seemed fine and passed before he was two years old.


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