Acquiring/Buying an Aussie Bulldog Puppy-What to Look For
There are a few ways of acquiring an Aussie Bulldog puppy, some of which are not recommended, but it all depends on what your purpose is.
Newpapers-Trading Post, Telergaph etc
We don’t recommend buying a puppy through any newpaper advertisements. Often these puppies are not registered with the recognised bodies, the Australian Bulldog Society or UABA and if they are, they may not be reputable breeders. Most breeders have extensive waiting lists for their puppies and only rehome their progeny into approved homes. Beware of puppies that are not registered, as their lineage may not be known, and you may be purchasing a puppy sired by a Pit Bull or some other breed, your not likely to get a true Aussie Bulldog.
Pet Shops
We certainly don’t condone the selling of Aussie Bulldogs in pet shops, and your unlikely to find any puppies registered by the Australian Bulldog society in such places. These puppies are likely to be cross-breeds, being sold as Aussie Bulldogs, such dogs may look cute now, but many of them will not resemble Bulldogs when fully mature. Puppies sold in pet shops are often from Puppy Farms, where the puppies are not reared in a family environment and receive little human contact, reducing their chances of growing into stable family companions. The price of puppies in pet shops is also alot more than you’d would expect to pay getting your puppy from a reputable breeder. Furthermore, when buying from a pet shop you don’t get to view the parents of your puppy, something all reputable breeders are more than willing and should do.
Websites-online
Beware of breeders selling puppies online, make sure you see plenty of photos of the parents, and the puppy ofcourse. Also check to see that the puppy has received all his vet checks, microchipped, vaccinated, wormed and that you will receive some information regarding diet, exercise, training etc.
From our experience, we recommend you also check, how many generations of Australian Bulldog to Australian Bulldog breeding
your puppy is from. Many breeders are still using the British Bulldog in their programs, Balerow does not support this nor does the Australian Bulldog Society, who will not register any puppies sired by another breed.
When we first started out we didn’t know that British Bulldogs were still being used, and our first Aussie Bulldog was Zelda, who we were told was 92%? We didn’t know this mean’t she was sired by a British Bulldog, and didn’t think to ask, we assumed both parents were Aussie’s. Zelda is a beautiful girl, and we thank her breeders the Steen’s greatly for allowing us the pleasure of owning her, but I wouldn’t recommend anyone buy a puppy sired by a purebred British, especially when they are built just like the British Bulldog. Zelda’s mother already had many of the features charactertic of the British Bulldog, and a nice Australian Bulldog would have complemented her. Zelda isn’t any better than a purebred British, she suffers in the heat and as a mother she can’t fulfil the role.
On a lighter note, Zelda has produced one of our upcoming youngsters, Matilda, who is much better physically than her mum. However we still feel its important for newcomers to understand that a significant number of the litters produced today are sired by British Bulldogs, and therefore do your homework, so you don’t end up starting off with someone elses attempt at creating an Aussie, get a real Australian Bulldog, that can cope with the hot Australian climate-your going to have your baby for at least 10 years, thats 10 hot Aussie Summers! Please note, that certain bodies do register puppies from British Bulldogs and other breeds, by going through the Australian Bulldog society, you can be assured your puppy is not the direct result of crossbreeding.
Zarah is 3rd generation, 3 generations of Australian Bulldog to Australian Bulldog and you can’t get much better than her build, and her progeny and their progeny just keep getting better!
A little bit of research now will save you alot of heartache later on- be fussy, don’t accept second best, and if your looking for a puppy for breeding, make sure both parents fit the standard, and that the puppy shows promise, look around at other puppies, their littermates, if there isn’t any consistency, your puppy won’t throw consistency either.
We are more than happy to help prospective Aussie owners find a suitable puppy, if we don’t have any puppies, we’ll guide you in the right direction. Some great sites to visit include:
Australia Bulldog Society-Puppy links
Aussie Bulldog Forum - A friendly place, where everyone is welcome to share their photos, experiences and love for this breed. A great bunch of people here, and we highly recommend it!
Australian Bulldog Website - Another great site, fullof info, links to breeders, puppy notices etc.
If anyone has anymore links, please comment! The more info for new owners the better 
September 8th, 2007 at 9:56 pm
We have one of your puppies out of Zarah and Odin, Phoebe has grown into a beautiful girl. She looks very much like Zarah and we will post some pics soon. We couldn’t imagine our lives without her now, she gets on so well with our 1 year old, they are growing up together and we are enjoying every moment.
Thanks again and we’ll have to catch up soon.
Matt and Cherise