New Pup Owner Questions - Breeding Styles & Initial Setup Recommendations

[LillyBulldog]

Hi All,

First off I wanted to say thank for for providing such great information! This has been a tremendous resource for me on my journey of owning my own dog.. let alone Bulldog! I have finally found the right breeder and pup, and will be picking up my female puppy on January 2nd. I had made travel plans for the holiday before contacting the breeder, but they were nice enough to keep the dog an extra month.

As a novice guy entering the dog arena.. I have a few questions. I have done a tremendous amount of research but many of the informative sites don't answer my questions, which is why I am reaching out to you experts! The breeder that I have decided with are phenomenal people - on top of being extremely experienced and knowledgeable, they were very welcoming and warm. They had a very nice home and a very professional dog setup. The couple have been raising and breeding dogs for over 30 years, are recommended by both the BCA and AKC, have held leadership positions in the BCA and are BCA Hall of Fame breeders, written a book on a breed of dogs, have judged many, many shows, etc. My only question is in the way they breed their pups. They do line-breeding, and as this is my first pure bred dog that I bought at a breeder, it was the first time hearing this term. They used the grandfather and granddaughter to produce my pup, and described that by skipping a generation, the dog has less chances of getting bad traits and has better chances of getting better traits. When googling line-breeding, there are many sites that are extremely against it.. which actually cause me to stress about it more and more. If someone can provide me information as how normal this type of breeding is and if it is recommended, that would be great.. and honestly, relax me somewhat. I trust what the breeder says.. I guess I am just looking for some piece of mind.

A completely off-topic question is regarding any advice or links to threads that describe recommended equipment and products for new bulldog owners like a crate, beds, toys, harness, etc. I am more than willing to spoil my little girl, so any advice on items that are highly regarded here would be fantastic.

Below are some pictures of Lilly

 

[JAKEISGREAT]

first of all,congrats on being such a wise puppy owner. To search and find out answers before you have a problem is wonderful. Your pup looks awesome. I'm not the one to help you with this question,but we have very knowledgable people who will be here shortly. Let me tag a couple. @desertskybulldogs @Davidh

I have a great resource I used to prepare for bringing home my pup. I'll try and post a link


http://www.canismajor.com/dog/crate2.html#Hsebrk

This is to an online dog magazine that has great tips on housebreaking etc! They don't sell anything.

 

[2BullyMama]

Ms. Lilly is precious!! Welcome to our wonderful world of EBN and Bulldogs -- you will soon be addicted and obsessed as we are.

The is an article on the site -- 'what you need for a new puppy' which will help you. Use stainless steel bowls... good to prevent acne on the chin. As for toys... NO rawhide, bully stick/chews or pig ears, the bully throat is much smaller than most and can be a chocking hazard also rawhide can splinter and if swallowed can cut the intestine lining. Nylabones and Kong toys are great for bully. I do not use a harness so someone else will be along to help with that. Beds -- heck she will love your pillows and bed.. no worries.

Enjoy, have fun and be sure to keep asking questions.

 

[BruceP]

to EBN. We are so glad to have you here and look forward to watching your little sweetie grow. [MENTION=2071]Davidh[/MENTION] will be along shortly to take care of your line breeding questions. Thanx again for signing up to EBN... its a great family of bully nuts.. LOL

 

[Davidh]

OK first welcome to the site, so glad you jointed us and your little baby is just precious. As far as line breeding goes it is common for breeders to line breed, I have 3 females that are line breed and they are beautiful and produce great pups. The benefit is the production of more consistent litters. It must be done carefully as you do not want to in-breed as this can intensify faults, as well as the strong points. Sounds like you have found a wonderful breeder and you should have a great pup.

 

[LillyBulldog]

I appreciate the warm welcome and the information provided! I am looking forward to joining this great community and document Lilly as she grows up Great suggestions on the stainless steel bowl - I will have to relay that message to my family as I'm sure they have already gone shopping for her.

January can't come soon enough - I don't know how I am going to enjoy my vacation with being so anxious to pick her up!


If someone is interested in the breeder I have chosen (Ohio/KY area).. send me a PM

 

[Fontanafox]

Just want to say to you and Lily. She's a real beauty and I love her unique markings. Just wait a bit I'm sure you gets lots of advice. Number one issue with raising a bulldog is food. What kind of food to feed is a kind of trial and error thing as some bulldogs can have allergies. I have a bulldog who is allergic to lamb, pork, venison, oats, wheat, potato and sweet potato and this is only after I had a blood allergy test. He also has allergies to some grasses, weeds and trees. If you read posts on this forum you will see that the "right" dog food can be a vital factor to your dogs health. My other bulldog has only had allergic reactions to yams but she has not displayed allergic reactions to anything else. Allergies may manifest in itchy scabby skin with possible hair loss, itchy runny eyes, red tear stains, paw licking with red yeast stains on paws, itchy yeasty ears which may result in ear infections. There is also the possibility of environmental allergies and please stay away from raw hide treats and pig ears even though you will see plenty of them in supermarkets and pet stores. Too much risk of choking and causing internal problems. Nylabones and deer antlers are safer. Hopefully you never have these issues with lovely Lily but it's best to be aware and as "knowledge" is half the battle. Lucky for you there's time to do lots of reading of our posts on EBN before you get your sweet fur baby and of course we would love for you to post lots of pictures so we can share in her growing up and of course be there for you when you need to ask questions.

 

[LillyBulldog]

Great advice about the food and possible allergic reaction. Could this allergy test be done during the initial vet visit after I take possession of Lilly... or something I should wait to do? I will definitly do research on food during the next month! Also, great advice on the toys - I will definitely stay away from any raw hide treats and toys.. and if I get some under the tree, I will kindly ask for the receipt

 

[Vicaroo1000]

Welcome LillyBulldog! You've gotten some great advice here....nothing I can add... except Welcome!

 

[cali~jenn]

I would think the allergy test couldnt be done as a baby because I assume they are like skin babies where their allergies dont actually develop until after a year or so of age. They have to be around the elements to be allergic so their bodies will have to figure this out over time. Welcome by the way!! cant wait to see pics of your new baby!

 

[bullmama]

My gut says that a grandpa and a granddaughter should not be bred together. I guess I just see the human side of it, it just does not feel right to me, makes me feel uncomfortable. Therefore I would never line breed. To be honest, I know little to nothing about it because it does not interest me. Just my 2 cents

PS: What a dollface! Smooshy and adorable!

 

[LillyBulldog]

My gut says that a grandpa and a granddaughter should not be bred together. I guess I just see the human side of it, it just does not feel right to me, makes me feel uncomfortable. Therefore I would never line breed. To be honest, I know little to nothing about it because it does not interest me. Just my 2 cents

PS: What a dollface! Smooshy and adorable!

I agree... it is not natural by any means but from the research I have done.. it doesn't seem uncommon. There is nothing I can do regarding the breeding style they practice - I guess I am just looking for piece of mind from other owners who have experience with this. If the breeder wasn't so experienced and involved in shows, clubs, events, etc., I would be skeptical.

Also - the breeder has suggested to add a little scoop of plain, vanilla yogurt to the puppy food. They said that this does a great job firming up the poop. Anyone else practice this?

 

[Telly03]

My gut says that a grandpa and a granddaughter should not be bred together. I guess I just see the human side of it, it just does not feel right to me, makes me feel uncomfortable.

I used to feel the same way, until I met my hillbilly wife

Oh I'm so going to hell

 

[bullmama]

I think they sound like wonderful and fine bully peeps and breeders. Especially if they are that involved in the world of bullies I think you have made a fine choice.

The line breeding is something I have not looked into much and I have just chosen not to breed that way because it is how I feel comfortable in it. As long as your breeder is dedicated to the breed, which they definatley are, you have made a fine choice

 

[BruceP]

I used to feel the same way, until I met my hillbilly wife

Oh I'm so going to hell

You are so lucky Peggy doesn't read this site!!!!!