Breeding an English Bulldog is no easy task. It can be a long, laborious and expensive task to breed a bulldog. However, English Bulldog puppies are one of the most expensive dog breeds to purchase.
The average English Bulldog litter size is around 4 puppies. It's often unlikely that an English Bulldog will have more than 4 puppies, however if they do, it can lead to complications and potential health issues for the puppies once they are born.
Why do English Bulldogs have small litters?
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.
English Bulldog puppies are also quite large, which will limit the amount of puppies that a bulldog mother can hold.
How many times can you breed an English Bulldog?
An English Bulldog shouldn't be bred anymore than once ever 18 - 24 months. The breeding process for an English Bulldog is extremely unforgiving on the mothers.
Over breeding your English Bulldog can present the following issues:
Too many c-sections: Due to their inability to birth naturally, it's recommended that English Bulldogs have a c-section when bred. Too many c-sections can be troublesome for your bulldog, resulting in potential medical issues due to the anesthetic, potentially becoming injured during the process as well as a constant build up of scar tissue which can become painful for your dog.
Time to repair: The birthing process is a stressful and strenuous experience for your dogs body. Your dog will need time to recover, which includes re-building their lost muscle tone, parts of their uterus as well as recovering mentally.
Things to know when breeding an English Bulldog
English Bulldogs struggle to give birth naturally
It's not advised that an English Bulldog should give birth naturally due to the size of the puppies in comparison to the mothers birthing canal.
English Bulldogs are expensive to breed
If you are looking to breed your English Bulldog, then it's likely that the costs are going to exceed £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 Bulldogs are in heat every 6-8 months
As your female English Bulldog matures, she will go into heat. Bulldogs usually start their heat once at between 6 and 8 months old.
Conclusion
If you are breeding your English Bulldog, then you’ll be lucky to have 4 happy & healthy puppies, but the reality is you’ll likely be looking at 2-3 puppies.