Olde English Bulldogs are Tricky to Breed…Here’s Why
One of the questions I get asked most often as an Olde English bulldog breeder is “why are they so expensive?”. There are many many hidden costs that are associated with breeding these dogs not to mention the long hours required to properly. The female dogs only goes into heat every 6 months so if you miss it you have to wait half a year to try again. The Olde English bulldogs will breed naturally but relying on this to happen on its own is not good business. As an Olde English bulldog breeder in partnership with my veterinarian I prefer using artificial insemination to greatly increase the chance of pregnancy. When the females start to show obvious signs of heat/ovulation they are taken to the vet for an evaluation. During this evaluation the vaginal cells are examined under a microscope and a blood progesterone test is done. Once ovulation is calculated by the vet using the various tests just mentioned the female dog is bred using freshly collected semen from the male dog in the vet’s office. The insemination is repeated 2 more times over the next 5 days. As an Olde English bulldog breeder I spend many days/hours running to the vet clinic. The total cost of the insemination including the progesterone testing ( a very costly but very effective test) averages $700. An ultra sound is done 30 days after the breeding to check for pregnancy. At 60 days gestation the progesterone levels are checked again and another ultra sound is done to see how close the female dog is to delivery. If the ultra sound reveals more than 5 pups a c section is scheduled. The cost of the c section is $1100 to $1300. Professional Olde English bulldog breeders have all their litters delivered by c section. It is much safer for the female dogs and pups. I know this is not the case for human females but we don’t deliver 6 to 10 babies at a time. Once the pups are 3 days old they are taken to the vet for a check up and they have their tails docked and dew claws removed. This procedure is $65 per puppy. Just getting the pups here involves a costs averaging $2000 to $2500 which is just a fraction of my over all costs as a professional Olde English bulldog breeder.