How responsible breeders raise Healthy Bulldog Puppies (2024)
Healthy Bulldog Puppies: A Guide for Responsible Breeding
Many wonder how we have been able to stay singularly focused on breeding healthy bulldog puppies for such a long period of time. After 15 years of breeding bulldogs, our answer to this question is deep and meaningful. You simply can’t be great at too many things. We feel the most important problem within the bulldog breed has always been health problems. The breed is fantastic, minus the problematic health issues that raise their ugly head. From our perspective, why not solve the most difficult but important problem for our adopters. Isn’t this what our job is as breeders?
Lazer Focus
To make progress on the ONE BIG PROBLEM, we cannot be distracted. Let’s consider breeding for rare colors. Many breeders lose focus on quality and health because they become infatuated with rare colors. Now, to be clear, we actually believe that many rare color bulldogs are healthier than standard colors. Probably a mix of both rare and standard is the best combination within a bloodline. The problem with rare color breeding is that it becomes one dimensional. Achieving the goal of producing rare colors consumes a breeding program to the point that health and quality are ignored. Obviously this type of outcome would only distract us from ultimately solving the issue of bulldog health, thus at Bruiser Bulldogs we intentionally ignore all color types and only focus on the health attributes of the bulldogs we breed and the healthy bulldog puppies we produce. The following is a social media post from 10 years ago that demonstrates our unchanged singular mindset. A decade later and we still have that lazer focus to simply produce healthy bulldog puppies.
If you are interested in learning more about how we raise healthy bulldog puppies you are welcome to visit the following pages:
– Our complete guide on how to select a bulldog breeder – click here
– Learn how the AKC is destroying the Bulldog Breed –click here
– Selecting the correct English Bulldog for you family -click here
Social Media Post 10 Years Ago
Recently we agreed to partner with a trusted breeder within our network to use their stud, Hollywood (pictured below) in a series of 4 breedings. Hollywood is everything that I believe in and want in our bloodline. From a phenotype standpoint, he breathes better than any bulldog I have been around.
That means he has a huge trach and no palate issues. His snout is extended slightly by about 1/2 inch which gives more room for his palate and reduces entropion issues. He has perfect eyes (no cherry eye or entropion) and is the perfect size (I like my males between 50 and 53 lbs). His hips are tight as are his patella tendons. No allergies to speak of. Basically, he is my dream dog because of his health and is one in a million. He also just so happens to be a rare lilac color which places his value around 10k to 15k, which ironically has nothing to do with his health.
Planning around these breedings, made us realize we could easily get into the rare color game with Hollywood’s offspring. All it would take is another rare color-carrying stud and we would be producing expensive, beautifully colored puppies. We mulled it over, but we were hesitant to act on it. People know us for having the strictest health standards in the industry. We didn’t want to introduce health problems into our bloodlines in the pursuit or rare colors. As we began our search for this stud, we quickly became enamored with all of the beautiful, colored dogs.
The lilacs, the blues, the chocolates..they are all truly beautiful dogs. But, we could never find the dog that fit our health standards AND carried the color we wanted. After stud shopping for several weeks, we eventually came to the frustrating realization that you really can only have one top priority. If you are searching for a rare color-carrying bulldog, that will always be your top priority and health will come after. The selection criteria will instantly become limited and force you to make slight compromises.
If you are into mini bulldogs, that is your first priority. You are looking for bloodlines that are 35 lbs and less. If you are looking for health, then that is your first filter point. The more points of emphasis added to your breeding program, the more diluted it becomes. Breeding healthy bulldogs is complex and every small detail matters. From a 3/16 inch increase in nostril size to 2.5 lbs less weight on the hip structure, every single detail matters in creating the perfect, healthy bulldog.
Rare colors are fun but they add another hurdle in the attempt to rid the bulldog of their health issues. Am I saying I wouldn’t create a color bloodline if the perfect, healthy color-carrying bulldog comes knocking at my door? I certainly would. Until that day comes, I am content working towards creating a bloodline that excels in health within a breeding culture that has somehow forgotten how important that is.
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Bruiser Bulldog’s Reviews
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I've grown up with english bulldogs my whole life. I am familiar with common and uncommon health problems they may face so when my boyfriend and I decided we were ready to adopt our own english puppy finding a reputable breeder that prioritizes health was most important to us. Erica and Mitch of Bruiser Bulldogs are just that. They are experienced, ethical and quality breeders. I was referred to them by my friend that I trust after I saw their gorgeous healthy puppy. Our Puppy Primrose is the light of our lives! Bruisers was there to assist us every step of the way. We would highly recommend Bruisers Bulldogs to anyone looking for their own happy, healthy pup!
Leah H.4/08/2021 -
We, like many of the other people who found Bruisers, did a lot of research to find a responsible breeder, especially since English Bulldogs can have health issues and because there is a trend now for "trendy" bulldogs (blue, etc.) which have even more health issues. We were lucky to have come across Bruiser Bulldogs and even more so the fact that they were near our family and hometown made it even better. We have had Clementine (Callie) for four months now, and she is a wonderful dog. Her personality is amazing, and I think part of it is breeding and the other part is Erika and her family lovingly raising the puppies in their home with plenty of attention and snuggles. I also was impressed that, rather than send the puppies out right at 8 weeks, Erika kept ours for a few extra weeks because she was tiny and not read to leave her mom yet. It's that care that differentiates Bruisers from other breeders.
Emily R.4/08/2021 -
We found Bruiser Bulldogs after researching healthy breeding line for bulldog puppies. Erica was easy to work with thru the entire process from application to adopting and now beyond as we host our new family member, Chief. Her on-call support and willingness to provide open, honest advice to all of our questions and concerns continues to be appreciated. We would highly recommend Bruiser Bulldogs to anyone looking for an English Bulldog to join their family.
Elizabeth W.4/01/2021 - Lady L.3/25/2021
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Bruiser Bulldogs are 5-star breeders! They are experienced, responsive and knowledgeable about all things bulldog related. They went above and beyond for us and are truly dedicated to all of their pups! We love our little girl so much and would recommend Bruiser to anyone looking for a healthy beautiful bully.
Jonathan E.3/22/2021 -
Bruiser Bulldogs is a 5-star breeder in every way. Erica and Mitch are trustworthy, excellent communicators, fair, passionate, and produce the best bulldogs.We were at the top of the waiting list for months and Erica reached out every litter to see if we were finally ready for a bulldog. When we were, she was very easy to work with. Her knowledge on bulldogs is outstanding. We had many questions on the process and she always knew what was best for the puppy.We've had Penny (formerly Blair) for two months and she is very healthy, energetic, playful, and sweet. She is great with other people and dogs. We are so happy with our pup.When we are ready for bulldog #2, we will only consider Bruiser Bulldogs.
Mitch C.2/22/2021 -
We waited a while to write this review so that we had a better sense for the overall health of our Bruiser Bulldog “Bowser”. Bowser was born April 2020 and is an integral part of our family. When we were first exploring English Bulldog breeders our biggest concern was the overall health of the dogs. We decided to work with Erica at Bruiser Bulldogs because we liked their focus on improving the breeds breathing abilities and the fact that the puppies are raised within her family environment before coming home with their new owners.As for Bowsers health, he’s a health energetic English Bulldog that has no problem keeping up with the kids, going on 2 mi walks and camping with us on a regular basis. Bowser also breaths clearly and our vet was impressed with his overall health from the moment we brought him home. All that said we know English Bulldogs have a predisposition to many health issues and that his current health can not predict the future. With that In mind its important to start with a breeder that open to answer any of your questions as Erica has ours, and that strongly believes in improving the breeds overall health profile.
Adam B.2/22/2021 -
After the loss of our first English Bulldog due to health issues it was very important for us to find a breeder who did not breed only for aesthetic but more importantly for health. My sister ended up finding Bruiser Bulldogs and we knew right away that they were the breeder for us.In September we ended up driving 9 hours to pick up two Bruiser bulldog puppies- one for my husband and I and one for my mom. Jackson and Penelope have been nothing but a joy. They are very social and very friendly to everyone they meet including kids and other dogs/animals. They are both very athletic and healthy. They are also HUGE snugglers and always want to be with you. It is an absolute pleasure having these two bullies in our lives! My sister and her fiancé also fell in love with them and now are on the waitlist themselves for a Bruiser bulldog!Erica is very knowledgeable about the breed. She is very hands on throughout the process and is just overall a kind and honest person to work with.With all that being said I cannot recommend Bruiser Bulldogs enough!
Collyn C.2/22/2021 -
We fell in love with our puppy the moment we saw him. One of the reasons we chose Bruiser Bulldogs was due to the claims about breeding for health. During our first visit at our vet's office, he told us that our pup was one of the healthiest English bulldogs he had ever seen. He is healthy, happy and social. Would recommend to anyone.
Christina S.2/22/2021 -
What an awesome experience! We seen our dog on their website and sent them an Email. Mitch called us and personally walked us through the process and made sure we had the right dog for our family. We couldn't be happier when we picked up our dog Ramsey, Erica made sure we had everything we needed and then some. They are truly amazing people who breed truly amazing dogs!
Jim T.2/22/2021
