Newbie Questions

[Jenni23]

Oh goodness where shall I start? Lol. I am completely lost when it comes to bully breeds and I'm sure that they are all different from each other. I can tell you, Gigi is so VERY different from my Shih Tzus, except they have that smushed face thing in common. Here's what I know so far:

Her birthday is 12-6-15, so that makes her about 12 weeks old. She weighs 12lbs. I have her on Acana pork and squash. She has her breakfast with a spoonful of plain yogurt, and her dinner with a scoop of pumpkin, and she eats like a horse. I guess my first question would be, is that an ok diet and is that a normal weight at 12 weeks for her? How can you tell how big she might get?

I see on the forum that rawhides are a big no no, are bully sticks ok? Are there anymore absolute no no foods or products that I should be aware of? I mean I know all the no no foods dogs shouldn't have, chocolate, onions etc., but for their breed specifically?

This is all I can think of at the moment, but I'm sure there will be more!

Thanks!
Jenn

 

[TyTysmom]

Oh my word, just look at that little face! Love little Gigi.

Ok so.... food wise - Acana is an excellent food. Yogurt & pumpkin also great. How much are you feeding her, and how often? They need to eat more at that age. Are her stools pretty consistent and firm?

Rawhides are a huge NO for sure. I would stick to things that aren't easily destructed, because bullies are notorious for just swallowing things whole or semi-whole and this leads to obstructions. Antlers, nylabones all good. On Antler, moose or elk.

A decent amount of bullies need grain free, chicken free. Which you are already doing perfect on. For snacks or treats - you can do fruit, blueberries, bananas, apples, green beans, etc. Just make sure you cut them into bite size pieces You probably won't be able to gauge her size until she reaches closer to a year old.

One thing that's important with bullies is their daily cleaning. You need to keep the wrinkles, ears, paws, and tail (under) clean. Daily is best to avoid any infections, etc. You can use plain jane baby wipes, witch hazel. Just a quick wipe in all those areas daily... we do it twice daily, but whatever you can manage will help keep her in tip top notch

Also, if you dont have this on hand at home, buy some plain benadryl to have on hand for allergic reactions and some plain pepcid for belly issues.

 

[Davidh]

[MENTION=13133]TyTysmom[/MENTION] has you covered pretty well. I feed pups that age three times a day. I want them to have plenty of food for that growing body. You can tell if they are getting too much food, because their poop will get soft, if that happens, just cut back a little on the food. We feed them three times a day until around 6 months of age, then go to twice a day. Definitely no rawhides, bully sticks, pig ears, or anything like that. We stick with Nylabones, Kong toys, and elk or moose antlers. There is no telling how big she will get at this age, as they are all different.

 

[Jenni23]

I am feeding her 3 times per day, morning, noon, and evening and then a little snack right at bedtime when she goes into her crate, right next to my bed.

I have not tried antlers, some people said they will break their teeth on those, true or not true? I did try a Kong stuffed with goodies, and she licked it twice and got frustrated and gave up, lol. I have a Benebone, which is a wishbone shaped nylabone, bacon flavored, but she mostly likes her bully stick. If y'all say that bully sticks are not good, I will certainly throw it away! Her most prized possession is a tennis ball that she chases and carries around in her mouth.

I have Benadryl. I have Pepcid too. For her wipes, is plain witch hazel on a cotton ball acceptable?

Can y'all tell I'm in over my head? Lol.

 

[Jenni23]

Oh yeah, I forgot! Is it acceptable to play tug with her with her tug toys? Or should you not play tug with a bulldog? She really likes to play tug of war, but I don't want to encourage any bad behavior, if that's what it leads to....

Her very best friend is my 8yr old daughter and I want to make sure she plays with her appropriately.

 

[TyTysmom]

I am feeding her 3 times per day, morning, noon, and evening and then a little snack right at bedtime when she goes into her crate, right next to my bed.

I have not tried antlers, some people said they will break their teeth on those, true or not true? I did try a Kong stuffed with goodies, and she licked it twice and got frustrated and gave up, lol. I have a Benebone, which is a wishbone shaped nylabone, bacon flavored, but she mostly likes her bully stick. If y'all say that bully sticks are not good, I will certainly throw it away! Her most prized possession is a tennis ball that she chases and carries around in her mouth.

I have Benadryl. I have Pepcid too. For her wipes, is plain witch hazel on a cotton ball acceptable?

Can y'all tell I'm in over my head? Lol.

Before you know its, you'll have it all down pat! And you're doing great already by the way

Yes, plain witch hazel on cotton ball perfect! The antlers shouldn't break their teeth. She will lose teeth since she's a baby. @2BullyMama around what age do they typically start to lose them? I would also only stick to the moose or elk. Any others could splinter. I would get rid of the bully stick, I know he may love it, but not worth the risk. Once you see that any toy, bone, etc is starting to break off pieces or anything throw it away. Tennis ball - perfect

 

[TyTysmom]

Oh yeah, I forgot! Is it acceptable to play tug with her with her tug toys? Or should you not play tug with a bulldog? She really likes to play tug of war, but I don't want to encourage any bad behavior, if that's what it leads to....

Her very best friend is my 8yr old daughter and I want to make sure she plays with her appropriately.

Wouldn't say its a bad idea as long as you keep it fun. Meaning if she starts to bite or become aggressive while playing - correct it immediately. May take a couple of times with correcting since they are pretty stubborn (not sure if you've picked that up yet, but oh you will

 

[Jenni23]

Speaking of losing teeth......my children just ran in the kitchen to tell me she lost her first tooth! And then she ate it! My 8 year old asked how the tooth fairy will get that tooth, lol

 

[2BullyMama]

Oh my goodness look at that freckled ear!!! [emoji7][emoji7][emoji7]

Baby teeth are usually gone by 6 mths.

Also with playing tug, it is fine but make sure you monitor and you daughter should always 'win' .

Have your daughter participate in feedings so Gigi will see her as 'above' her in the pack


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[Jenni23]

False alarm, just a little bloody gum from chewing on her nylabone

 

[2BullyMama]

That will happen... No big deal


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[oscarmayer]

Not much I can add here except, (you may already know this)no Grapes/raisins! They can cause renal failure.
Also make sure you and your little one never let your hand/fingers get caught between the tug and any Bully's chops. The result will be very uncomfortable

 

[Jenni23]

ok 2 new questions.....

Is it ok that she drinks from a water bottle? Also, how can I calm her down during feeding time? She's over the top crazy. Jumping and really excited, like she hasn't been fed in years. Is this just a bulldog thing or is it possible to calm her down a few notches when I am preparing and delivering her bowl?

 

[TyTysmom]

ok 2 new questions.....

Is it ok that she drinks from a water bottle? Also, how can I calm her down during feeding time? She's over the top crazy. Jumping and really excited, like she hasn't been fed in years. Is this just a bulldog thing or is it possible to calm her down a few notches when I am preparing and delivering her bowl?

Will she not drink from a bowl? I think that if she's able to get enough water out of the bottle should be okay? You just don't want her dehydrated. AND...
for your second question. - LOL

Welcome to the bulldog way of life.... they are all like this. Tyson does circle, drools, jumps... just like you said you'd think we hadn't fed the boy in days, LOL

 

[2BullyMama]

Water bottle us fine as long as , like Jessica stated, she is getting enough. I think [MENTION=2071]Davidh[/MENTION] uses them in crates.

Feeding time for us is very calm, we trained them to do a sit/stay until they are released to their bowl when it is their turn to eat.
I have a video i'll dig up and post for you-- Lambeau was about 10 weeks old i. It


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