Frequently Asked Questions about Olde English Bulldogges

“Do you “X-ray” your puppies’ hips”?

No. Radiographs on growing puppies are almost meaningless. Diagnostic radiographs can be done on older puppies if a puppy shows problems or deformity, but radiographs on young puppies will not distinguish a potentially dysplastic puppy from a healthy puppy. Instead, radiographs are performed on the parent dogs at or after the parent dog’s second birthday. These films can then be reviewed by impartial persons to determine if the parent dogs have “good”, “fair”, “poor”, or in rare cases, “excellent” hips. There is a procedure called “Penn Hip Certification” that can judge a puppy’s hips as early as 4 months. However, at this time it is cost prohibitive for the average person. PennHip Certication is currently about $450, compared to preliminary radiographs which cost around $60 to $80. Both procedures can tell if a puppy may be prone to hip dysplasia but not until the puppy has achieved a little age. There is currently no way to determine hip dysplasia in infant (under 12 weeks old) puppies.

“My wife/husband is allergic to some dogs but not to others. Do you think s/he’ll be allergic to Olde English Bulldogges”?

Often times, people who have allergic reactions to dogs are not as allergic to Olde English Bulldogges. However, before committing to a puppy, make sure you’re one of these people! Because the Olde English Bulldogge has only one type of hair (instead of two or three, like most dogs) they shed less. They are very easy to keep clean and most, with an early and frequent start, accept baths and bathing without a problem I happen to be one of those people who is allergic to some dogs but not my bulldogges. I can’t be in the same room with a German Shepherd (a breed I love), yet I can live with five bulldogges without a problem. And, yes, they’re in the house, on the couch, etc. I do four things that I think make the difference. I feed a high quality dog food which promotes a healthy coat. In this case, I feed Nutro Natural. It really does make a HUGE difference in the quality of a dog’s coat and I recommend it to anyone with dogs and allergies. (Regardless if the allergy is the owner’s or the dog’s. It works both ways). This dog food is available in pet stores. Many vets also carry it. I’ve been using Nutro for about 25 years and it has consistently been a great performer. Another thing I do is put an egg yolk in their food everyday. No whites, just yolk. Egg whites may interfere with the absorption of certain nutrients, so we stick to just the yolk. And, finally, I give LOTS of baths. And vacuum A LOT. Because of the severity of my allergies (I lived with two German Shepherds, a border collie, an Australian Cattledog and two Pomeranians) (And wasn’t going to part with any of them come Hell or high water) I ripped all the carpet out of my house. That helped A LOT. Eventually, age took the other dogs and now I just have the Pom and “a bunch” of bulldogges. So far, so good, allergy wise.

“Can Bulldogges live outside?”

Only in very warm climates can bulldogges live out side. Generally speaking, if you are comfortable in jeans and a “t” shirt, your bulldogge is probably warm enough. If you need a sweater to go outside, your bulldogge can’t live out there. They have only one type of hair, not two or three like most other breeds, and it’s very short. They get cold very easily. Also, they are much too people oriented to be outside all the time. They need human companionship, and lots of it. “Outside” bulldogges become aggressive, unruly, and unpredictable. Don’t do it to them.

“How early can you ship our puppy. Do you ship overseas?”

We do not ship puppies outside of the continental United States. It’s too hard on them. Too long a trip. We will only consider selling a puppy overseas if the buyer flies into Denver and picks the puppy up flying back with the puppy in the cabin. We will ship puppies (with no more than one SHORT lay over and NO change of planes) after the puppy is nine weeks old. This gives us a week or more to acquaint the puppy with the crate he or she will be shipped in. Puppies can not be shipped in extreme temperatures and all shipping costs are the responsibility of the buyer. (For more on shipping puppies see “Buying Your Puppy”)

“Are your dogs used in weight pulls? How much can they pull?”

I’ll never know how much my dogs can pull because I will never ask them to pull anything. I have horses and a good Ford truck if I need something moved. I would no more ask my dogs to pull heavy weights than I would ask my horse to come sit on the couch with me to watch football. I’ve seen too many good, devoted, dogs become cripples because of the “sport” of weight pulling. Dogs will want to please you. They will pull far too heavy a load if they think that’s what you want them to do. They will tear muscle, snap ligaments and ruin joints in the process. To me, weight pulls are a potential for animal cruelty.

“How do Olde English Bulldogges do with other animals?”

When raised with cats and small dogs, bulldogges will usually not be a threat to these small companion animals. However, puppies need to be taught from the very start not to be too rough with the cats or the little dogs. This is frequently accomplished by the cat and small dogs themselves and the owner should allow it. Go ahead and let Fifi and Fluffy terrorize your puppy. They have a limited amount of time in order to instill respect. Let them. Not allowing them to teach the puppy to respect these other creatures could cause problems at a later time.

As adults, chance encounters with other dogs while on the trail and in the park are generally not a problem IF your bulldogge is properly socialized by plenty of play time with other dogs while growing up. Dog training classes and dog day care are excellent ways to socialize your puppy. If not properly socialized, your dog could become unfriendly toward other dogs. Because of your bulldogge’s size and “never give up” nature which is part of what makes a bulldogge a bulldogge, we heartily recommend socializing your puppy. Not doing so could cause problems as your dog may mature into a bully with other dogs (no pun intended!)

Bringing a puppy into a house with an established bulldogge is usually fine. Just don’t let the two play unsupervised. Bulldogges are very big and sometimes don’t pull their punches. They aren’t trying to be mean, it’s just the way they play. They play very rough with each other and might not tone it down all the time with a puppy. Don’t let them hurt the puppy, however unintentionally it may be.

As far as cats are concerned, a bulldogge raised properly with cats will not be a problem should you desire to add another cat in the future. Make sure your bulldogge understands that chasing the cat is a BIG mistake and start introductions with the dog securely tied to a large, stationary piece of furniture.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS