BRINGING HOME YOUR NEW PUPPY

THE TWO BIGGEST   KILLERS   OF FLAT FACED (OR BRACHECEPHALIC) DOGS IN FLORIDA ARE THE HEAT AND WATER.  AND MOST OF THOSE DOGS ARE DEAD BECAUSE THEIR OWNERS THOUGHT EITHER

1 ~ "OH IT WON'T HAPPEN TO MY BABY, BECAUSE I'M SO SMART, I WILL JUST DO IT DIFFERENTLY....  LIKE THIS.......  "

   or

2 ~ "MY DOG KNOWS BETTER THAN TO GO NEAR THAT LAKE, POND, SWIMMING POOL, STREAM....  "

DOGS ARE EQUIPPED WITH THE SAME MENTALITY AS A 1-2 YR OLD HUMAN IN DIAPERS.

AND IT MAY NOT GET BETTER AS THEY AGE. SO WATCH THEM LIKE YOU WOULD WATCH A HUMAN BABY. 

DISASTER  PLAN:

In Florida, it is always good to have a Disaster Plan, whenever you have family members who cannot speak for themselves.  Mine is simple:  it says who should get my dogs if I die; it says where the hurricane supplies are (extra bags of food and water); it lists the address of the nearest reliable Emergency Clinic and directions to it.  It is taped on the wall where anyone can see it.  

~  In addition...  find out what Vet and what Emergency Vet you will want to use, and write down their phone, address, directions, and hours of operation.  In the midst of an emergency, is NOT the time to be trying to figure it all out.   The most recent horror story I can relate is of a woman who put her dog in the car and drove to the Vet she needed for the problem the dog was having, but did not have the address or written route with her. She got on the wrong road, went about 60 miles out of her way, and by the time she arrived, it was too late to save the dog's life.

A wee bit of advanced preparation can go a long way. 

SWIMMING POOLS, PONDS, STREAMS, LAKES, ETC:

In general, Frenchies and Bulldogs are VERY VERY VERY poor swimmers.  Most of them just SINK. Did you understand that last word       S I N K

Frenchies have a wee bit of stamina, but they are NOT Golden Retrievers !  Those dogs on You Tube are NOT your dog.

If you develop a healthy fear of your baby and swimming, you will some day probably save his life. If you do go lake-side, keep the harness on him with the extend-o-lead, so that if he goes under, you can pull him back to safety.

Sometimes, people who have spent a good deal of time and energy avoiding pools and lakes and other places deep enough for drowning, forget to mention this to the person who is dog-sitting while they go on a short vacation. Vacation is then followed by the funeral. So heed my words. Don't think you are safe if you "teach him where the stairs are" in the pool.... because if he falls into the deep end ~ HE IS NOT GONNA MAKE IT TO THE STAIRS...     he will    S I N K.

On the other hand.... Bulldog breeds (for the most part) LOVE to play in water. So if you can get one of those plastic pools, even the little one, you will enjoy hours of laughter watching your baby play in the water. They only need a couple of inches...   don't over do it.

A final note:  a friend of mine told me through her tears that she took her baby to a "dog park"   OFF  LEAD   and an Alligator lunged up from the shore of the pond they were near, grabbed her baby, threw her up into the air, and gulped her down, before anything could be done.  If that baby had been on a LEASH, that incident might not have happened.  And please don't forget about Birds of Prey.....  they are a lot faster and stronger than you might imagine.

I personally think OFF LEAD is just plain stupid...  too many things can happen.

HEAT  STROKE:

You need to go to the shower department at Lowe's or Home Depot and buy a 6 foot long shower extension cord and install it in your main bathroom tub. I did it all by myself.  If I can do it, you can too.  Most of the ones in our homes are 5 feet long, and you need that extra foot to get cold water up under their bellies, when you are trying to  get their core temperature down.

Too many people get caught with an overheated dog in the summer who is GASPING for air... don't know what to do... and waste VALUABLE time driving the dog to some Emergency Vet.

BIG MISTAKE.  Don't waste time... get him into the tub... that extra foot on the shower cord will come in handy while you are trying to spray cold water on his stomach ~ YOU NEED TO GET HIS CORE TEMPERATURE DOWN.  That does not happen in the car driving to some Emergency Room where, I might add, you waste a another good 30-45 MORE minutes PAYING IN ADVANCE with your credit card, and then another 15-30 minutes with some Vet Tech who is trying to get a "line" in the vein in your dog  WHO  CAN'T   B R E A T H E !!!!!   Saving his life means getting his core temperature down, and that happens in the bathtub with the cold water you are spraying on his back, sides, and stomach.

It will also help a LOT if you have a bottle of rubbing alcohol and a face cloth ~ so you can soak the cloth and rub the alcohol all over his/her arm pits and stomach and neck.

And.... as with the water dangers.....  make   SURE   you tell whoever is baby sitting your dog while you go on vacation that they   WILL  DIE   if left outside in the heat.  I cannot tell you how many times dogs die while the owner takes a small vacation.... and the people baby sitting just don't grasp how important this all is.

And P S      some doggy day cares, and some Veterinarian's offices    don't  get  it  either.....

Don't think that because they are licensed by the State, that they know what they are doing with your brachecephalic breed !!!!!!!   They might buy that license for $35 at the DMV.

PET  HEALTH  INSURANCE:

I know a couple of people who have bought insurance from

TruPanion.com

And they are VERY happy with it.  I think it ranges from $30-$75 a month (or something like that). Check it out

Also... when your puppy's AKC registration comes to you in the mail, the AKC will include 1 month of free health insurance.  So you might consider sticking with them.....

ps:  any breeder who tells you THEY give you 2 months of free health insurance, is more than likely talking about the AKC's plan....   

HOUSE  BREAKING:  

Everybody's situation at home is different.  Perhaps you have an adult dog who can teach your new puppy the rules of the house and help in house training.  If not, you will be responsible for that chore all by yourself.  Doggy Day Care is optimal, but it is also expensive.

If you work from home, as so many people seem to be doing these days, you should start your puppy on a two hour potty schedule.  I have had people tell me that the first day or two home, they took the puppy out every two hours around the clock and, after that, the puppy was trained !

I have had others tell me they took the puppy out every 2 hours, and the last time was at around 11 pm....  the puppy made it through the night and was whimpering at 5 am to go out and potty. 

Get one of those slant sided - double - food dishes, so the puppy cannot step on the edge and tip it over. Food in one part, water in the other. Put it down, let the puppy eat and drink as much as he wants, then take it up, and take him outside. In about 5 minutes, he will have to "go". Use the same phrase each time, like "go potty" and, when he does, praise him and then a tiny treat, like a tiny piece of hot dog (a small slice, cut in half).  If he makes it through 2 hours, you might increase the time to 2 1/2 hours, and graduate it as he gets older.  

If you are an apartment dweller and it takes too long to GET outside, you might make use of your balcony (just till the baby gets a little older and can hold it better).  I see now that they are selling replacement crate pans at Pet Smart. You can put one of those down on the balcony and put a towel over it, and let the baby potty there. Those wee-wee pads are VERY expensive. You will have to do more laundry, but it might be easier than the long trip out to the grassy area. 

If you are away from home for 8-10 hours because you work outside the home, you can go to PetSmart.com and "search" for "dog litter".

The bag of Secondnature Dog Litter is 25 lbs and $13.30 and the puppies will use it, just like a cat uses a litter pan.  They also have a litter pan for $18.  You have to "search" for "dog litter".

HE SIMPLY     CAN NOT     "HOLD IT"    FOR 8-10 HOURS.

Below is a picture of a crate with an x-pen (exercise pen) attached. I have a lot of material covering the pen so this mommy has some peace and privacy, but you would not need all that for your puppy.  I would also recommend an x-pen in the kitchen, rather than just a baby-gate ~ the x-pen will keep him from chewing up your cabinetry !  X-pens can be bought at pet stores or on line.

FIRST  TIME  OUT  IN  THE  GRASS:

The puppy's tummy skin is VERY sensitive. If the grass is not freshly cut, he will probably get a rash as a result of the rough edges of the sides of the blades of grass. If the grass  IS  freshly cut, he could actually get minor lacerations on the tummy. Triple Anti-Biotic ointment will help clear this up and maybe you can find him a t-shirt to wear.  They sell them at PetSmart. It will be a protector between the soft tummy skin, and the sharp edges of the grass blades..

ANAL  GLANDS:

this MOSTLY pertains to English Bulldogs, but Frenchies can have it too:

Back in time....  when all dogs were wild....  they "sprayed" stinky stuff from their butts, to tell other dogs that "this is my area.. keep out".  There is a little sack right by their anus.  Move ahead 5000 years, and dogs no longer need to do this, but they still have their anal gland.  So... sometimes it fills up and, because it does not get "expressed", it gets infected.  I imagine this is more common in some breeds; other breeds might still spray their sacks while hunting, or whatever.

so... the remedies are:

1 ~ Learn how to express your dog's anal glands.  Do it in the bath tub, because sometimes it squirts out like a garden hose.

2 ~ Take your dog to a Vet whenever you see him/her butt-scooting across the floor.

3 ~ Take your dog to a groomer, who will accomplish the mission for about 1/4 the price of the Vet.

If you think it is comical to watch your dog butt-scooting and want to put a video of it on facebook and announce to the world that your dog knows how to dance...  you will probably end up with a huge surgery bill, because a really badly infected anal gland, can cost a LOT of money to fix.

GIARDIA:  If your baby gets diarrhea, take him/her to the Vet for a fecal exam. If your Vet tells you the fecal is negative, ASK HIM TO DO A SNAP TEST FOR GIARDIA. Giardia can easily be treated, but if your Vet doesn't think to take that extra step and do that little extra test, you could be given no diagnosis, and suggestions for a million other tests at a huge expense.

8-1-2020:  Today, I learned that male and female dogs/cats who have been neutered/spayed and, as a result, now "tinkle pee pee" around the house, can be put on progesterone or hormone medications which can address that problem.  So... don't let fear of tinkling be a reason not to get your baby "fixed".  You might much rather deal with giving them a pill every day, than losing them to reproductive organ cancers.

1-18-2017:  I learned two things today while at my Vet's office:

"Greenies" do not digest, even after they've been chewed up and, as a result, they can cause intestinal blockage ~ which requires surgical intervention.

And Deer Antlers break dogs' teeth !  and I can tell you from experience that the Pet Dentist is not CHEAP !!!

1-5-2016:  I learned some helpful info about SCAM ARTIST PET STORES today:

This lady bought an "English Bulldog" at a Pet Store.  After much ado, she sent this to me:

"Hi Linda, This is just a PS note to let you know what happened. Maybe you recall I contacted you about giving your opinion on our little "Bulldog" last October.  Her DNA report determined that she was a MIXED English and American Bulldog, along with a sight hound mix too.  You determined as much just by looking at her pictures. Our court date was last week, and WE WON ! We did NOT have to pay back the $2200 the puppy store owner wanted to sue me for.  The judge called him a liar for falsifying her birth date and shot records. And he was chided for charging $2000 for mixed breed puppies, by not knowing his sources. As a point of reference, DNA results for dogs DO hold up in court, at least with this judge in Brevard County.  Just wanted you to know the good news !!!!!"

7-24-15:  I learned something the HARD WAY today:

One of my darling puppies was taken into an unnecessary surgery because the "Vet" convinced the owner it was the best idea.  The puppy never made it to the surgery stage, because the "Vet" gave him ATROPINE ~ which is contraindicated in brachycephalic breeds, and it killed him.

PLEASE   PLEASE   PLEASE   PLEASE   PLEASE   Don't assume your Vet is God.  Get a 2nd opinion.

10-3-14:  I learned two new things today:

1 ~ Leptospirosis is a disease related to living in a forest.  My Vet told me that in all her +40 years in practice, she has only seen ONE case of Lepto; but she has seen HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS of cases of bad reactions to the Lepto Vaccine.  SO... unless your environment includes possible exposure to wildlife urine, you may not need this vaccine.

UPDATE:  my new Vet now tells me (2-12-19) that they are seeing increased instances of Leptospirosis.  So you need to discuss this with your Vet.... and probably allow this vaccination... but I would wait till the pup is at least 4 months old ????  He/she should not be outside ~ unattended ~ while still an infant anyway.

2 ~ TIDE is known to be an allergen.  My Vet Tech told me this one.  She said there are a LOT of people who cannot use it. And that dog blankets and bedding should never be washed in it.  Instead, use ALL or DREFT. They have something called "free and clear" ?  

THE DAY YOU GET YOUR BABY FROM THE BREEDER:

When an infant leaves his home/siblings/environment, it can be more stressfull than we know.  When he gets to his new environment, new smells, new things, new people, new friends... he may be saying, "where's my brother.. where's my food.. where's my bed.. where are my toys"

Take a stuffed toy with you, and ask the breeder if you can swap it for one of the stuffed toys that are already in the puppy's play pen.  That way, you are taking the familiar odors and one of his toys home with you, and your baby will feel more at ease. English Bulldogs DO suffer from separation anxiety and Frenchies may also (although it may not be as evident) .... so it will help to ease the transition to his/her new home.  And keep the baby on whatever food the breeder is feeding... at LEAST for a couple of months.

Try to keep as much the same as possible.....   

CRATE  TRAINING:

Puppies are just like human babies....  EVERYTHING goes into their mouths. You have to watch them like a HAWK when they are running around the house. They will ingest the absolutely most unbelieveable things....   the rubber tip on a door stop brings a VERY sad story to mind.

It costs about $1300-1800 (or more, depending on where you live) to have something surgically removed from a puppy's intestinal tract to save his life. If you are not going to watch his every move, you might want to start saving up.

Canines are "den animals". So generally, they LIKE their crate. They feel SAFE in there.  It is not CRUEL to put your dog in a crate when you are not home.... it is SMART.  

SEE THE PAGE TITLED "KEEPING YOUR BABY SAFE IN SIDE" 

27" x 42" is the normal crate size for an adult Bulldog. 24" x 36" is good for a Frenchie.

Put his toys in his crate, and give him a 1/2 a biscuit every time he goes in.  He will feel safe and comfortable in his crate and actually enjoy being in there. You should avoid using it as a punishment, or a time-out, thing. It should only be a reward (with the biscuit and his toys).  He should also have a towel or blanket in there, in case he has to potty. He will cover any "mistakes" with the towel, and he will be able to get away from "it". I disagree with this theory that if you don't give him any bedding or, if you make his area very small, he wont poo/pee in his crate. I think all that does, is force him to sit in "it" after he does "it".  All that accomplishes is ~ now you have to give him a bath TOO.  

TOYS:    

Bulldog breeds have a LOT of pressure in their jaws and can break off a piece of something that a normal dog will take weeks to do, if ever. When they are 8-10 weeks old, they can usually still have a stuffed toy, but after that, find toys that YOU have a hard time manipulating.  VERY hard rubber or heavy rope toys are good; non-edible NYLABONE is the best.

Rope toys are good too, because if they do break a piece off, it is made of twisted threads... and might break up easier in their stomach.

Also, if a puppy bites down on an electrical cord....  ZAP !!!!!

REMEMBER THIS:  Your baby's only means of communication is his mouth, and he will put anything and everything in it.

You can't blame anyone but your SELF, if your puppy dies from becoming septic from a foreign body.

EXERCISE:

These dogs have a compromised breathing apparatus. They are NOT athletes. Those animals on the internet who skate board and swim are very cute, and your baby might seem just as energetic as them.  But if you try to mimic these dogs, you are taking a chance on killing your dog and/or shortening his life, ESPECIALLY English Bulldogs.

Let them be who they are. They are sweet, adorable, playful ... but when they start breathing hard, they need to be couch potatoes who need air conditioning.

EARS:

~  English Bulldogs:  Ears should start to "rose" when the baby is between 12-14 weeks old. If they don't, you can put a little dab of glue in the little pocket in the back of the ear flap and this will "set" the ear. You can use human eyelash adhesive; some people use super glue.  Some breeders automatically glue ears when the puppy is very young, but I feel that the ears will probably rose on their own, so why try to fix something that's not broken. I can send you pictures of how to do it. It is important that your baby grows up to be beautiful. One rosed ear, and one flat ear, is not a pretty thing.

~  Frenchies:  Ears should be standing up by the time they are 8 weeks old and ready to go home with you.  However, if not, fold the ear in half vertically and put something around it to hold it in place...  a bandaid, some medical tape, even scotch tape.  After a week, the ear should be fine.

When your baby goes for his 2nd and 3rd shots, sometimes they will not feel well for a few hours afterwards and the ears might fold over or go flat, but they will straighten up the next day.

Ear CLEANING is VERY important. People tell me about symptoms their dogs have, like rubbing their face along the couch, or constantly shaking their heads, or scratching holes in their necks right under their ears. Ears can get infected and that can be treated. But YOU should make it a regular part of their weekly home inspection to look INTO their ears. You can use Q-tips to take any gunk out. If you notice the ear looks swollen or oozy, you might ask your Vet for some ear Rx. Please note that ear infections are usually a sign of a yeast infection, which is usually a sign of some kind of allergy, most often food related. If you feed your dog cheap food, you are just asking for trouble. The money you save on cheap food will be spent later, at the Vet's office....

THEFT  and  MICRO-CHIPPING:

Bulldogs and Frenchies are "high theft items".  They are something that a lot of people would love to have, but cannot afford.  It is my personal opinion that, when you take your baby out for a stroll, you are advertising to the neighborhood hoodlums that you have him/her, and where you live.  

There really isn't much you can do to protect your baby from theft, but here are some suggestions:

1 ~ If you let your baby go out into your yard to potty, don't leave him/her out there alone for an extended time. SECURE your fence. Maybe construct a "fence within the fence", so your baby stays close to the back door.

2 ~ When you go to work and you put your baby in his/her crate, PADLOCK it.  Most teenage, neighborhood punks don't break in with bolt-cutters, and can't drag the whole crate out of your house, with the dog in it. You can buy a padlock at Home Depot.

3 ~ Make sure your baby is Micro-Chipped. This is best done when he/she is 4 months old, and goes to the Vet for Rabies and Bordatella. My Vet does not like to microchip till they are at least 4 months old, because they grow SO fast SO much when they are young, and chipping as an infant can result in the chip travelling down into their leg (instead of staying in the shoulder area), where it may not be detected by whoever is trying to identify him/her.  

Don't guess that the breeder probably did it.

Be pro-active and protect YOUR BABY.  

DRY NOSE:

Vaseline is the answer. Don't try to tell me you don't put vaseline on his nose because he licks it off. He can't lick it ALL off.  If he has a dry crusty horrid nose, it's not because he licks the vaseline off..... it's because  YOU  ARE  NOT  putting it on.

COUGHING UP WHITE FOAM:

Because of the way Bulldogs' faces are "smashed in", their throat is compromised.  This means that they very often have an elongated soft palate.  In other words, the roof of their mouth goes back too far, and hampers their ability to have a normal air passage.  As a baby, this is not evident or a problem.  But as they grow, EVERY breath they take, sucks back on their throat.  Over time, some Bulldogs develop a smaller and smaller air way.  Their saliva gets pushed and pulled back and forth with EACH BREATH they take.  This results in the throat filling with white foam.  SO.....  if your dog is coughing up white foam.....  you need to take him or her to a Veterinarian who knows what to do about it.  

AND....  you need to keep one of those plastic lemons in the fridge so that if your dog does throw up white foam, you can open his mouth and squirt lemon juice in there.  It will break up the foam.  But the appearance of white foam means the dog NEEDS TO HAVE HIS PALATE TRIMMED....  SURGERY....  BY A VET WHO KNOWS WHAT THEY ARE DOING.

TOE  NAILS:

While you are at Home Depot, you can pick up a Dremel tool to do your puppy's toe nails.  For you guys, it's a great opportunity to get a new TOOL !!!! The electric Dremel comes in a kit with a gazillion attachments and is about $65, but if you can get your baby used to getting his nails done, you will save a FORTUNE in Groomer fees.

Dremel also has a battery operated grinder now, with a rechargeable battery.  It is way less money (around $40) and is much more quiet, and so less likely to scare your baby....  I found mine at WalMart.

I use the coarse sand paper disc attachment.  You girls who have had your nails done at the salon know how HOT that thing can get if it's left on your nail too long. So keep that in mind when you're doing the puppy's nails. Do a little bit on each nail, DO NOT hold it for long periods on the same nail. If you get too close to the toe nail's blood vessel, or "quick", you will know because the puppy will pull his foot back and say "ouch!". Take your time and file his nails regularly... maybe weekly... you will be happy you did, and other people will marvel at how well groomed your baby is.

ps:  that grinder they sell at the pet store is crap. Get a Dremel.

SHOTS:

Puppies get a series of three "puppy shots", at three week intervals.

So they get their "puppy shot" at 6 wks old, 9 wks old, 12 wks old.  Then they get a fourth one at 4 months old, when they go to the Vet for their Rabies, Bordatella (kennel cough), and micro-chip.  

This Bordatella innoculation can be a major problem with Bulldogs and flat faced breeds, if given prior to 4 months old. I know this from 25+ years breeding and from countless times that people did NOT listen to this advice.

Bordatella comes in two forms. The "intra-nasal" form, which is put right into their nose, and the "sub-dural shot", which is injected.

Intra-nasal Bordatella can actually make a flat faced puppy contract "Kennel Cough". And, according to my Vet, the sub-dural shot "does not work".

So ~  my recommendation is this:

DO NOT allow your Vet to give your baby Bordatella until he is 4 months old.  You have the right to deny it. It is your baby. This also means that you should keep your baby home and protected from the outside world, until he is 4 months old and able to survive his Bordatella.  I wish I had a list of all the people who let their Vet give Bordatella to their 9 week old puppy, and then spent $1200 at the emergency Vet because their baby contracted Kennel Cough from it and had to be in an INCUBATOR for 5 days ......  so....  if you take your baby for his shots and you tell your Vet you don't want him/her to have Bordatella yet, and he tells you your breeder doesn't know what she is talking about    FIND ANOTHER VET !

~~~~~~

One year after the 4 months shots, your dog will need another "puppy shot" booster, and another Rabies.  3 yrs later, he will need those again, and then every 3 years......

Bordatella can be gotten every 6 months if he goes out to the dog park or the pet food store. A lot of the illnesses covered under Bordatella/kennel cough are "airbourne".

The other diseases in the puppy booster shot (parvo, distemper, etc) are largely "contact".

So a walk through a pet store or a trip to the Vet could cause your dog to become infected. It's best to keep up to date on your vaccines, if you love your baby.

~~~~~~

LINGER at the Vet's office.  It doesn't happen often, but if your baby has a reaction to the shot, it normally will happen within 20 minutes. So don't be in a big hurry to get out of there and back out onto the highway.  Hang around, take your time paying, and if you do see any hives (welts) go right back into the office and ask for some Benedryl, or whatever the Vet wants to do .....  

A reaction to a shot can cause your baby's throat to close, and death.  It is serious.

SOCIALIZATION:

You have a window of opportunity between your puppy's 4 months of age and 10-12 months of age, during which you can socialize him.

IF YOU FAIL to socialize him during that time period, there is a high probability that he will develop "fear aggression" that you will NEVER be able to break.

If he grows up inside your house and never gets out to meet and greet people and other dogs he has never met before, you will probably regret it.

This does NOT include your sister's foo-foo dog, the neighbor's boxer, and the 3 dogs he meets on his daily walk down the block. They are all part of his "pack".

So once again....   meet   and   greet   dogs   and   people  he   has  never  met  before.

Keep him home till he's had all his shots.

After he's had all his shots, you need to take him to a pet store where there are other dogs...  Pet Smart is notorious for having lots of people walking around with their dogs. Dog parks are ok, but the pet store is probably cleaner and everyone in there is on a leash. Twice a month will be just fine. So that is twice a month during every month between 4 and 10-12 months of age.  That is not a lot. But it will make your baby into the kind of dog who loves everyone and everything. It will be a slow walk around the store, because EVERYONE loves Bulldog breeds... and you will get stopped a LOT.  

Just twice a month... that's all....   DO  IT.

TEMPERAMENT AND PERSONALITY: 

I am very sorry to say that there are some breeders who will not eliminate girls or boys from their breeding program.  Health is a big reason to eliminate someone, ie: you should not breed dogs who have horrible skin problems.  But far worse than that, are breeders who don't eliminate dogs who have temperament problems. I have, over the years, been contacted MANY times by people who have a dog whose personality is inconsistent and they cannot trust that the dog will maintain that loving, sweet personality attributed to most Bulldogs. So they cannot take the dog out and about, and when company comes over, they have to shut the dog in a back bedroom. There is something you can Google and read up on, if you are one of those people who has one of those dogs:  Rage Syndrome.

For those of you who are in the market to buy a puppy, try to meet the parents. If the breeder will not let you meet the parents....  there might be an issue. There are times when the parents are just not there, and that may be different. For instance, our boy JarHead lives with Fred Zimmerman down in Riverview.  And Sarge lives with the Hensons in Wesley Chapel. So they are not here, if you asked to meet them. But you could meet them, if you wanted to.  It's a breeder who simply won't LET you meet the parents, that you need to be wary of.  Any dog who has a personality disorder should not be bred. And SOME of those should actually be put down. I know that is hard to fathom. But a dog with true Rage Syndrome is DANGEROUS ~ especially to children. 

BATHING  AND  SKIN CARE:

If I have a healthy dog with no skin problems and I am just giving him a bath, I use JOHNSONS Baby Shampoo. I cut it in half with water. That way it is easier to get into their coat, and easier to get OUT. I tried to "cheap out" once, and bought baby shampoo at the dollar store. I found out one day when I used it on my own hair, that those cheap shampoos are NOT No More Tears.  So I emphasize   JOHNSONS.

ps:  the bonus for you is that it will last twice as long when you half it with water.

I think a lot of skin problems may be caused by over bathing and not rinsing well enough.  So, whatever you use, RINSE RINSE RINSE.

People often ask me "how often should I bathe him". Because you can over-bathe, and take all the natural oils out of the dog's skin, I only bathe when they are obviously dirty. I have very poor sense of smell and taste, so personally I don't have a problem with "doggy odor". Some people DO, so they may be inclined to OVER bathe, and subsequently cause skin problems.

Pharmaseb Shampoo has both a yeast and a bacteria inhibitor. So if you have a dog with skin problems, this is a great shampoo. Again, cut it in half with water.

MalAcetic Ultra is a great product for the treatment of yeast infections in ears, nose folds and feet.  It "settles", so you have to shake it up. Put a few drops on a make-up pad or cotton ball, and clean the area. It's great for every day general cleaning......

Betagen Topical  is a spray that you can use once or twice a day for infected ears.  It will clear them up in a matter of a few days.

These three items are all prescription medications, so you can ask your Vet for them. If he doesn't have them, maybe he can order them. You might be able to find them on line, and then have your Vet give you an Rx for the on line company.

SPAY  OR  NEUTER:

It is detrimental to the overall growth of your puppy to spay her or neuter him prior to going through puberty.  Hormones are essential in the proper maturation of growth plates and other anatomy.

For a girl, the prime time to spay her is 30-45 days after she goes OUT of heat.  A normal canine goes through heat cycles at 8 months of age, and then every 6 months thereafter. Bulldogs and Frenchies are not normal canines...  some don't have their first heat until they are a year old. "Heat" can last up to a month, with the heaviest bleeding during the first 2-3 weeks, and then "spotting" for the final week.  You can buy a diaper and put it on her, but it probably will fall off. So my suggestion is to buy the diapers, and also buy a regular dog "harness".  Go to Babys-R-Us (or on line) and buy regular human diaper pins. Use them to pin the diaper to the harness. If you don't use the appropriate diaper pins, they could pop open and stab your little baby girl. So go the extra mile and use the right stuff.

As for neutering your boy....  some people are afraid that if they don't neuter young, he will learn to lift his leg on the furniture. This is not necessarily true. Lifting the leg is something that an adult dog does, and it is also related to "marking his teritory". Usually, Bully boys don't start lifting their legs till they are around a year old. Therefore, you can wait till he has gone through his puberty, and get him neutered after his first birthday.

DO WHAT IS BEST FOR THE DOG, NOT WHAT IS BEST FOR YOU.

COLLAR  V  HARNESS:

A lot of people will say it's better to use a harness on a Bulldog because they inherently have throat issues.  The problem is, with a harness, they learn how to put their shoulders into it, like a draft horse, and DRAG you EVERYwhere. It's much better, in my opinion, to use a choke chain collar. Most of the time, you won't have to pull on the leash, but when you do, you will make an impression on him, and YOU will be in control.  

NEVER  NEVER  NEVER  leave any collar on a dog. When he's in his crate, it could get caught and he could choke to death. In the house, all it does is wear on his neck skin and cause skin irritation.

FINDING  THE  RIGHT  VETERINARIAN:  

There is a list of Vets on this site, but it is not all inclusive and it may have Vets on there who are no longer practicing, or NOT have Vets who SHOULD be on there. However, it is your job to find and use a Veterinarian who has had practice with brachycephalic (flat faced) breeds. If you have to travel an hour or two to get there ~ OH WELL. But you can NOT go to a Vet who does not know this breed. Allowing someone to "practice" on your dog, is taking a chance on that person KILLING your dog. And just because Dr Bob started the business 25 years ago and was a good "Bulldog Vet" then, does not mean that Dr Patty (who works for Dr Bob now in his clinic which has blossomed to 7 Vets) knows a damned thing about what she is doing with your BULLDOG !

If you don't know whether your prospective Vet is any good with this breed, call and ask, "How many Bulldog clients do you have"  and  "How much experience does Dr Patty have with Bulldogs".  If this were a Human Baby, you would be diligent in your quest for the right physician.  It is, after all,  YOUR BABY...  and YOU are the one in charge...  not them.

ENGLISH  BULLDOGS  AND  HEAD  TREMORS:

Google "head tremors in Bulldogs" and read up on this. I've never seen a Frenchie do it.  It's a phenomenon that looks like the dog is having a seizure. I've heard of three things that are recommended:

1 ~ divert his attention to food or a toy or something.

2 ~ give him a teaspoon full of Karo Syrup, or some other sweet liguid that's high in sugar.

3 ~ give him calcium, possibly in the form of cottage cheese or milk.

I think that #2 and #3 actually accomplish #1 = diverting his attention, but that's just my guess. Whatever you do, reconsider rushing him to an emergency room. They will do a bunch of tests and charge you a fortune, and his head tremor will have stopped before you got there.  So REALLY... take the time to google it and read up on it now.  It doesn't seem to happen to infants, but it might happen 3-4-5 years from now, and you may just recall what you read.

FALLING  OFF  THE  BED:

This is quite serious...  the dog can break a leg, or more than one leg, and can also cause internal injuries that can kill them, or require a high dollar Vet bill.

Go to Home Depot and buy two 2" x 6" three-step stair makers. They are wooden pre-cut three-step boards that you would use to make steps up to a patio or into a trailer.  Also get an 8 foot long 2" x 12" board and have them cut it into four 2 ft long secitons, three for the stairs, and one to put across the back to make it sturdy.

The stairs they sell at the pet stores are for ChiHuaHuas, and will not support either a French or English Bulldog.  If you need further instructions, the guys at Home Depot can help you,

or ~ bring it all over here, and I will put it together for you.

(I love to do stuff like that !)