If you’ve ever had a dog that has carried the canine parvovirus there are a number of steps you must take to ensure your new family member isn’t at risk of contracting this deadly and highly contagious virus. The virus can live in your soil for many years after the incidence.
Blues, Harlequins, blue eyes the list goes on, but one thing is for certain they tend to be all the craze in the 20th century. The average price for a blue English staffordsire Bull terrier is upwards of $1500, and the average price of your good old brindles and reds is roughly $600. We have observed friends go through nothing but trouble with endless skin problems associated with owning blue staffordshires. We ourselves
Flea control
Revolution, Advantage and Frontline work well enough and fast enough that even if you have a heavy flea infestation, you won’t need to fumigate your house or spray the yard. Simply treat your your pets. Fleas jump on pets, fleas die. As simple as that.
Dogs bites will often become infected. This is particularly the case when the bite causes a puncture wound.
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Internal roundworms affect dogs of all ages and it is certainly a wise precaution to maintain a regular worming regime throughout the whole kennel. We worm our dogs every 3 months, for intestinal worms and once monthly to prevent heart worm. Bitches which have not been kept sufficiently wormed during pregnancy will often pass roundworm on to the newborn puppies, through the females blood supply, and the damage that this can cause to the newborn puppies, can be quite devastating, to the extent that in some cases
The skin on the nose of the bulldog can become dry, especially during the summer months. This can be prevented by
One trap often fallen into by the newcomer is that of trying to correct one fault by introducing another: for example, mating a bitch which is rather long on the leg with a male that is very short on the leg, in the belief that one will counteract the other. Genetics doesn’t work this way, instead you will expect to see puppies which exhibit the fault of each parent- some too stumpy some too tall. Furthermore it should also be remembered that all the puppies will still carry the faults of both parents even if you were lucky enough to produce one of correct leg length from this mating.
All reputable breeders understand and have vast experience with canine genetics. Therefore once again we do not cross our aussie bulldog females with British Bulldogs.
Our kennel was formed on the basis of recruiting only the best bloodlines-
You should expect the average Australian Bulldog to have a lifespan of at least 10 years, providing they are well cared for. Receiving adequate veterinary attention (vaccinations, worming, surgery if required), good quality food, and ofcourse your love and company is vital to his survival.
The Australian Bulldog Society has compiled a gallery of some of the more senior Aussie’s in the population- its not a huge gallery but as you will see these dogs are very hardy and just get more and more beautiful with age.
In severe cases, the elevated body temperature triggers chemical reactions in the cells of the body… highly active cells such as brain, intestinal and liver cells are at greatest risk for heat trauma. The metabolic disturbances brought on by excessive heat instigate the release of chemicals within the cells that cause the ultimate destruction a breakage of the cell.
Outlined below are some of the steps owners can take to ensure their beloved pets do not suffer the irreversible effects of heat stroke.
This topic is of particular significance for all owners of short faced breeds including bulldogs and our very own Australian bulldogs who are also prone to suffer from heat related stresses. However this need not be an issue if owners are cautious and follow some simple steps:
Dogs need both physical and mental stimulation provided by their owners by daily exercise. Exercises give a dog a natural outlet for energy. They create strong bodies and good muscle tone for the pet. Lack of sufficient exercise, will result in boredom and behavioral problems. A well-known yard or a house is often boring for a dog. Even if the dog is in a big yard, few exercise on their own, so it will presumably sleep all day without the interaction of exercise by the owner.Just letting your dog out to the backyard is not enough and does not give the exercise the dog needs. And again a brief daily walk sometimes is not enough either. Then how do you decide how much exercise your dog needs? The type of exercise you choose for your dog should depend on the age, weight, health and breed of the dog. Is your dog eating a lot? If it is, is it eating out of boredom? Is your dog a hunter or a retriever who likes to run or is it a small breed who likes to sit on the couch? These are some of the questions you have to ask before you provide your dog the proper daily workout.
Your Bulldog should be thoroughly brushed at least three times a week. Most Bulldogs love to be brushed. Use a soft bristle or rubber brush. Start at the rear and brush against the hair. After you’ve brushed the entire dog against the grain, brush it with the grain. Follow this with a good rub down. This will keep his hair shiny and his skin healthy. During shedding time, spring and fall, you may need to brush more often, give more frequent rubdowns. The idea is to remove the dead hair and distribute the natural oils.
A Bulldog should eat out of a pan which has a flat bottom and straight sides. Most Bulldoggers use stainless steel because it lasts longer. Do not use plastic either for his food or his water.
Most breeders feed a two to four month old puppy four times a day. At this age the kibble is usually softened with warm water. Some add cottage cheese and/or yogurt. There are several good brands of puppy kibble. If you are not satisfied with the kibble he is eating, try another. You want a kibble the puppy likes and which produces a nice coat, keeps the puppy round but not obese, and produces solid stools. Most breeders in this area use Nutro’s, Iam’s, Eukanuba, Purina Puppy Chow or Science Diet. Check the list of ingredients on the sack. Do not feed your Bulldog a kibble which contains soybeans.
A Bulldog that receives frequent brushings and rubdowns does not need frequent bathing. Most Bulldoggers bathe their dogs when the dog is dirty - when it obviously needs a bath. Of course, if you are exhibiting your Bulldog he needs a bath before he goes 10 the show. A show dog in the ring should be a squeaky clean dog in the ring.
Sometimes we don’t have time to rush our beloved pets to the vet, so its a good idea to have a few bits an pieces handy around the home. Some are for use in an emergency or to carry your pet over till your veterinarian is next available.
Vaseline. Use this on his nose, on his eye wrinkles, any place you need to soothe and waterproof but don’t need to medicate. Use it also on the thermometer when you take his temperature.
Plastic RealLemon. If he gets phlegm in his throat and chokes on it, a couple squirts of juice from the plastic lemon will help clear it out.
A good rectal thermometer. Temperature should be between 37 and 39 degrees celcius.
WHEN TO BREED: The best advice seems to be not breeding your dogs before 18 months of age. Both the bitch and the sire should have been examined by a veterinarian to be certain they are free and clear of hip dysplasia, cataracts, cherry eye, palate problems, heart conditions and other congenital diseases.
This is an article written by Terry Symonds, on the benefits of giving vitamin supplements to your dogs. We have considered supplements, but find our dogs thrive on a diet rich in natural foods like vegetables, fresh chicken (human consumption only -wings, drumsticks etc) and good quality beef mince. Aussie bulldogs are great eaters and because of this we have found them to also be very healthy dogs, eating all their veges, fruit, and meat. We find no need to supplement their diet.
This is one of our most frequently asked questions regarding the breed. What are the major differences between the Aussie Bulldog and the British Bulldog?
We are going to attempt to answer this in this blog post, however we are certain that other breeders and lovers of the breed will have varying opinions, which they can feel free to also share with everyone.
We believe the major differences can be summed up as those relating to:
Here is a list of conditions that all bulldogs can be prone to, being more common in the British Bulldog. This highlights the importance of moving away from the introduction of more British Bulldog blood into our breeding programs. For those not aware and looking to purchase an Aussie Bulldog puppy, the Australian Bulldog Society is the only registering body that doesn’t allow the introduction of British Bulldog into the breeding program, concentrating on increasing the generations of Australian to Australian Bulldog matings, thereby attempting to irradicate these health problems, by breeding from healthy stock that meet the breed standard, outlined on our website.
Please note that not all of these health problems are genetic, some of those listed are the result of birth defects inflicted during development of the foetus. If the mode of inheritance is undetermined it means just that, there hasn’t been any significant evidence to suggest that the disorder may be passed on, however this doesn’t rule out the corresponding nature of the disorder with the style of dog.
We recently had our first experience with a deaf puppy and were faced with the predicament of whether to put him to sleep or attempt to find him a home. We couldn’t put him to sleep- his personality still shone through despite his impairment, and he loved nothing more than to follow us around the house and fall asleep at our feet. We didn’t know Barney was deaf until he was away from his littermates, as he tended to sleep near them and woke up from the vibrations, however it wasn’t till he was alone and we called him, he didn’t wake up…
Barney has since found a loving and understanding home where he will live out a happy life, however we thought it might be helpful for others out there in the process of training and perhaps just pondering on the possibility of acquiring a deaf puppy to know what to expect.
Bulldogs carry the gene for deafness.
If you are going to live with a deaf dog, you will have to learn a new way to communicate with that dog. You will have to tune into the world of movement, vibration and light. You must use some type of sign language system, either American Sign Language or signs you invent yourself. It will seem strange at first, but both you and your dog will adapt quickly. All that’s required is a willingness to learn.