New English Bulldog Mommy: Expecting

[BruceP]

to EBN. Keep your camera at the ready cuz we all love seeing bully (and piglet) pix. They are so similar shaped... LOL.. Thanx for joining and hope you have fun and learn a lot here.

 

[Audra]

All this advice has been very helpful. I was concerned about the doggie door. My husband doesn't want our piggy using the doggie door either unless we are home cuz they are expensive like bulldogs and i think we would die if they were stolen. What Brands of health insurance should i look into? I think that is probably the best idea. It makes me sad to even consider my puppy having to have surgery down the road and i hope he is healthy but i guess you never know. Scary though.

When it comes to crate training, is your puppy supposed to learn not to potty in his crate? Or is it supposed to be where he potties until he is using the outdoors? i imagine he will have to potty in there if we are gone at work for hours.

I have a cute video i will share a link for when i have enough posts

 

[aprilemari]

i wouldnt put puppy pads in the crate either, just make sure to be home every couple hours to let puppy out for the first few weeks or so. you never want him to get used to peeing in the crate! i look forward to seeing piggie and puppy pics....your house is going to be so full of love!

 

[Fontanafox]

OMG!!! I've can only imagine the wonderfulness of living with these two babies! What great BFF's they're gonna be. Wonder if piggies need shots too. Well you know pictures and video will be a must now. Do pigs snore like bulldogs? LOL

 

[Audra]

Ha ha, my piggy snores a little. He sounds like a baby when he sleeps and has little piggie dreams so he twitches and runs, just like dogs do. He gets really snorty here and there but mostly when awake and wants something. From everything ive learned about pigs, they really only need shots if around other pigs because they can share sickness with each other (livestock) but not dogs or cats or furry animals. The only thing i will give him is a wormer, but even that is optional. He is super easy to take care of, fully indoor pet. He uses a litter box and hardly chews things. He nibbles but doesnt really do damage. He is sloppy when he eats and sometimes drives me nuts going potty right next to his litter box. but other than that i have a feeling he will be my healthy easy pet compared to my bulldog puppy.

 

[TheLost]

All this advice has been very helpful. I was concerned about the doggie door. My husband doesn't want our piggy using the doggie door either unless we are home cuz they are expensive like bulldogs and i think we would die if they were stolen. What Brands of health insurance should i look into? I think that is probably the best idea. It makes me sad to even consider my puppy having to have surgery down the road and i hope he is healthy but i guess you never know. Scary though. When it comes to crate training, is your puppy supposed to learn not to potty in his crate? Or is it supposed to be where he potties until he is using the outdoors? i imagine he will have to potty in there if we are gone at work for hours.I have a cute video i will share a link for when i have enough posts

Shout-out to another Utah Bulldog!!! Whoooooo!

1) Not sure what part of utah you are in... and not to scare you... but in the SLC burb's, Bullies are stolen quite often. I wouldn't do the doggie door thing but then i'm paranoid.

2) We use Trupanion (http://trupanion.com/). Here is a tip for another Utahn.. If you pick 'Bulldog' instead of 'English Bulldog' your rate will be lower! Just make sure your Vet has him down as a Bulldog. Since there is no difference between the two, our vet didn't have a problem with this.

3) Make sure you pick a Vet that knows about Bulldogs.. My wife grilled ours for about 15 minutes before she decided she liked him

4) Crate training, Crate training, Crate training!

5) Good luck finding high quality pet food in Utah! Read the posts on this site about the best Bully foods. We started with Avoderm puppy then moved to 'internet order' for Fromm.

6) Make sure you read up on Bulldogs. Too much heat is bad for them (and, well.. utah is a desert).

We had a HARD time waiting for our puppy to come home... GOOD LUCK!

 

[Audra]

thank you for that! i will definitely be looking into this insurance thing, someone at work also recommended VPI so i will research both that and Trupanion. I had a feeling if i specified EB it would be more but it is good to know it is legal to do that.

Yes utah! i am in the west jordan area are you near by? we would love to have bulldog friends when Bologna is older.

I have a feeling that Bologna is going to be inside a lot. I guess my next idea is to buy a play pen and put his crate and puppy pads inside that way he doesnt get in the habit of using the crate to potty if we aren't home and he can have a little more freedom.

Does anyone think there is a problem with that idea?

 

[Alice Kable]

Hello and welcome to EBN!
You've had some good advice from other responders. I will add that I've had pet doors for over 30 yrs. and only once did I have to haul my Bulldog in because I was concerned about overheating. That was when our neighbors got a new puppy and Sherman was running the fence line with the puppy. They like to sunbathe but when they get hot they move to shade or come in the house. I love having a pet door, it makes potty training so easy and no UTIs! Also, we have always lived in rural, low crime areas and haven't had to worry about our dogs getting stolen.

 

[TheLost]

Yes utah! i am in the west jordan area are you near by? we would love to have bulldog friends when Bologna is older.

I have a feeling that Bologna is going to be inside a lot. I guess my next idea is to buy a play pen and put his crate and puppy pads inside that way he doesnt get in the habit of using the crate to potty if we aren't home and he can have a little more freedom.

Does anyone think there is a problem with that idea?

My wife works from home and for her, the play pen was a must have (we got this one .. which is surprisingly big). You'd be surprised how crappy (ha! pun!) things can get if you take your eyes of the puppy for a few seconds.

I've done the puppy pad things before with other dogs.. It worked but its a bit tricky to ween them off the pads. There are some good resources online on the best way to do it. Bulldogs might be incredibly stubborn... but they are very smart. If you are consistent with the potty training you shouldn't have any problems.

 

[Audra]

I am torn on the Doggie door at this point. I am so glad Alice, to hear that someone out there has had a good experience with having one. My hubby is paranoid about it being used by our pets while we are away (we live in a nice quiet neighborhood but i guess you never know) plus he thinks if our rolly polly bull dog can fit through the door so could somebody. And he doesnt think its worth the expense to have it installed if they can only use the door while we are home. I on the other hand think it would be nice to not have to let them in and out constantly while we are home. So i am sure we will see what works for our babies and maybe get one when they are out of babyhood. Unfortunately our neighborhood is newer so our trees don't provide shade.

At least i know now that it isnt out of the question! I was starting to think it shouldnt even be an option.

 

[Alice Kable]

Honestly, I wouldn't have pets without one, and you can put the block in if and when you don't want them using it. We have always had an older dog or cat that showed the puppy(s) how to use the door. It eliminates potty "accidents" in the house, and you don't have to worry about them holding it all day while you're at work. The door I like the best comes from Pet Doors USA and is the 2 door PlexiDor with upgraded hinges. Our 5 yr. old Ruggles comes thru the door at what seems like 50 mph. They make a wall mount door, too!
Regarding neutering, we have been pleased with doing it at 6 mos. It is easier on the dog, they recover faster and still get as big and develop the same. Whether they hike their leg (Mack does, Ruggles doesn't) seems to me to be more connected to temperment than what age neutered.

 

[2BullyMama]

Thanks everyone! Here are pics of Bologna our baby to be :View attachment 18731

And Lincoln Casanova our piggie: View attachment 18732

Love the pics..... your Lincoln looks a little like my Frecnh Bulldogs - Cheli

 

[Sherry]

things that make you go awwweeeeee, the piggy is so darn cute and Bologna is adorabull. How do you stand it? One concern not mentioned...... Bologna picking out snacks from the litter box.....

 

[Audra]

Do puppies generally eat poo? Will it hurt them? We use the non toxic wood chips for litter.

 

[laurendoodler]

First off: awww! Both your piggy and your bulldog are adorable. Also, I love the name Bologna.

As far as eating poop..I guess it just depends on the dog. When Delilah was a puppy, she used to pick the turds out of the cat's litter box. It was gross, lol. I would walk down there and just find her digging in there for cat crap. I eventually trained her out of it and she has no interest what so ever in it anymore. She's never been interested in other dog's poop, just cats.

Also..just curious, how big will your little piggy get??