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If you are looking to breed your English Bulldog, then there are many things that you should consider - and A LOT of things that you need to understand before rushing into breeding, what is considered one of the most difficult dogs to breed.
Are English Bulldogs difficult to breed?
English Bulldogs are considered one of the most difficult dogs to breed, not only because of their own health problems, but also due to the difficulties that they have conceiving and birthing puppies.
English Bulldogs are one of the hardest dogs to breed. Due to their short body and large puppies, bulldogs are often unable to breed naturally,
English Bulldog puppies have large heads and shoulders which can result in the puppies getting stuck, and an emergency c-section being required.
If you are looking to breed your English Bulldog, then it's likely that the costs are going to exceed £3,000.
English Bulldog puppies are one of the most expensive puppies on the market due to the difficulties that are faced when breeding a bulldog, which will also result in it being much more expensive to breed a bulldog.
How long does breeding an English Bulldog take?
Once your English Bulldog has conceived, the birthing process generally takes around 2 months or 63 days. English Bulldogs, like other dog breeds, have three trimesters, with each one lasting approximately 21 days.
Read our in-depth guide on English Bulldog pregnancy stages to find out more.
How do I know my English Bulldog is pregnant?
Knowing that your English Bulldog is pregnant may be difficult to start out with, but there are some key signs that you should look out for, which are:
A change in apatite
Reduced activity
Breast tissue growth
Vomiting
Change in mood
Your bulldog will also begin nesting. Nesting behaviour will generally occur around a week before your dog is ready to birth its litter. The below behaviours are extremely common in dogs who are nesting.
Excessive Grooming
Gathering Toys
Ripping Blankets
Does my English Bulldog need a c-section?
It is always recommended that a natural pregnancy is avoided with English Bulldogs and that a c-section is opted for.
An English Bulldog giving birth naturally has a high risk to both the mothers and the puppies health and wellbeing.
During a c-section, the mother will be placed under an anaesthetic. Once your bulldog is asleep, her belly will be shaved in the place that the incision will be made. An incision is made in the abdomen, the puppies, along with their placentas, are then taken out of the first then second horn, cranial first, and then handed to the resuscitation team.
How to know your English Bulldog is ready to mate
An English Bulldog is generally ready to mate at around the 18-month mark.
It's important that you don't breed your bulldog before it has had it's first heat. If you do breed your dog too early, you are increasing the already high chances of something going wrong with the pregnancy.
The cost of breeding an English Bulldog
English Bulldogs are one of the most expensive dogs to breed, and when thinking about the cost of breeding a bulldog, we aren't factoring your own personal time in, which will be many hours.
The main costs of breeding include the dogs c-section, paying for a stud dog, puppy immunisations, health screenings, registration & health guarantees.
Breeding an English Bulldog will cost you more than £3,000, which will be at the lower end of the cost. This amount also doesn't factor in your own time that you'll spend caring for your dame, the puppies and everything else you need to arrange when breeding an English Bulldog.
English Bulldog Litter Sizes
The average English Bulldog litter size is around 4 puppies. It's often unlikely that a bulldog will have more than 4 puppies, and if they do, it will often result in complications for the puppies.
English Bulldogs are a smaller dog breed with a small frame, due to this, their body can only hold a small amount of puppies compared to a larger dog breed.
Artificial Insemination for English Bulldogs
Because of the English Bulldogs build, it makes it difficult and dangerous for them to mate. Their stocky, front-end heavy bodies can mean that the males are unable to mount the females, and even if they are able to mount the female, they are at risk of injuring the female with their heavy bodies. This is why an English Bulldog should be artificially inseminated.
There are three different types of artificial insemination, which are:
Surgical implantation
Transcervical Insemination
Transvaginal Insemination
The success rates of artificial insemination of English Bulldogs does vary, mainly dependant on the quality of the sperm and the artificial insemination technique used.