Miniature English Bulldogs?

[LuckyTexan]

Does anyone have one of these? Do you know anyone who does? Anyone know anything about them, and how they are with kids? This has to be the cutest thing I''ve ever seen... to the point that I don''t care that they shed! LOL!

Anything anyone can tell me about them will be greatly appreciated!

 

[oobiecoo]

I know about them! I know about them!

I know that they are... CUTE!

 

[purrfectpear]

Bullies, Boxers, and Pugs, they all have such sweet puppy faces. Makes you want to get puppy licks all over.

 

[sunnyd]

Is that full grown?! CUTE!!!

 

[laurel25]

I''m a Pug owner and my ex-husband''s family bred English Bulldogs. I would not recommed ANY sort of miniature or teacup version of any of the brachycephalic (push-in or smushed face) types of dogs. When breeders are breeding responsibly they are breeding for health, temperament, and breed standards, but whenever someone is trying to breed a miniature version of a breed they tend to be breeding for size first and foremost. These types of dogs (Pugs, bulldogs, Pekingese, etc.) also tend to have quite a few health/breathing issues (wheezing, elongated soft pallets, overly small nostrils, eye problems, teeth problems, etc.) due to the nature of their faces/noses and a dog that has been bred down in size will potentially have even more issues. Most responsible breeders will not breed for size (either up or down) due to the potential health issues that can arise and many are very adamently against the practice. On a side note, English Bulldogs also in their normal state have pretty short lifespans - 6-9 years generally - and in a miniature version this could be even shorter.

Sorry, I know that''s not what you wanted to hear probably, but that''s my take on it after having been around breeds like this and breeders for quite a while.

 

[LuckyTexan]

Date: 8/25/2008 5:38:10 PM
Author: laurel25
I''m a Pug owner and my ex-husband''s family bred English Bulldogs. I would not recommed ANY sort of miniature or teacup version of any of the brachycephalic (push-in or smushed face) types of dogs. When breeders are breeding responsibly they are breeding for health, temperament, and breed standards, but whenever someone is trying to breed a miniature version of a breed they tend to be breeding for size first and foremost. These types of dogs (Pugs, bulldogs, Pekingese, etc.) also tend to have quite a few health/breathing issues (wheezing, elongated soft pallets, overly small nostrils, eye problems, teeth problems, etc.) due to the nature of their faces/noses and a dog that has been bred down in size will potentially have even more issues. Most responsible breeders will not breed for size (either up or down) due to the potential health issues that can arise and many are very adamently against the practice. On a side note, English Bulldogs also in their normal state have pretty short lifespans - 6-9 years generally - and in a miniature version this could be even shorter.

Sorry, I know that''s not what you wanted to hear probably, but that''s my take on it after having been around breeds like this and breeders for quite a while.

Well I wanted honesty, so your reply is perfect!

What if they state that they are breeding them for health? Can we take their word for it? Are there any of them that are healthy? 6-9 is way short! Gosh!

 

[LuckyTexan]

Date: 8/25/2008 4:33:15 PM
Author: sunnyd
Is that full grown?! CUTE!!!

I think that one is like 5 months old... but they don''t get very big!

 

[funtobewith]

Have you considered a French Bulldog?

I have one that is almost 6 months old and I *love* him. He is so sweet and smart - even though he is bullheaded.
If you do your research, and find a good, reputable breeder, your problems will be greatly minimized.

We did/do still have tiny bladder issues. If you get a young puppy be prepared to take him out several times a night as well as during the day. He's worth it though!

I have an 8 y/o son and they are inseparable. They can both play for hours, and on the flip side of that, when I took him to meet my 97 y/o Grandmother he was so gentle and respectful.

 

[laurel25]

Date: 8/25/2008 5:52:44 PM
Author: LuckyTexan

Date: 8/25/2008 5:38:10 PM
Author: laurel25
I''m a Pug owner and my ex-husband''s family bred English Bulldogs. I would not recommed ANY sort of miniature or teacup version of any of the brachycephalic (push-in or smushed face) types of dogs. When breeders are breeding responsibly they are breeding for health, temperament, and breed standards, but whenever someone is trying to breed a miniature version of a breed they tend to be breeding for size first and foremost. These types of dogs (Pugs, bulldogs, Pekingese, etc.) also tend to have quite a few health/breathing issues (wheezing, elongated soft pallets, overly small nostrils, eye problems, teeth problems, etc.) due to the nature of their faces/noses and a dog that has been bred down in size will potentially have even more issues. Most responsible breeders will not breed for size (either up or down) due to the potential health issues that can arise and many are very adamently against the practice. On a side note, English Bulldogs also in their normal state have pretty short lifespans - 6-9 years generally - and in a miniature version this could be even shorter.

Sorry, I know that''s not what you wanted to hear probably, but that''s my take on it after having been around breeds like this and breeders for quite a while.

Well I wanted honesty, so your reply is perfect!

What if they state that they are breeding them for health? Can we take their word for it? Are there any of them that are healthy? 6-9 is way short! Gosh!

Sorry, I haven''t had a change to reply until now. The thing is, you have no way of absolutely knowing whether they are, in fact, breeding for health or not. They can say whatever they want, you know? These types of dogs have breathing issues - all of them, even if it''s just snorting or snoring - and it''s due to their facial structure and their compressed noses/faces. If you take an animal like that and make everything on it smaller, you run the risk of making all of those existing issues much, much worse. I''m maybe not the best one to ask though because I am of the mindset that it''s best to breed for the healthiest and best standards within the breed and not to mess with trying to make a dog littler or cuter or whatever. I''ve just heard too many horror stories about dogs with horrible health problems, heart conditions, or behavioral problems from breeders who are breeding for size. I guess if you decide to go ahead with it, I''d suggest asking the breeder for some contact information for some of their customers, so that you can ask those people yourself what the dogs'' temperaments are like, what health issues they seem to have, etc. Also, something to ask the breeder would be how large their dogs end up fully grown (a normal English Bulldog runs right around 50-65 lbs), and whether they started breeding from regular AKC registered full size English Bulldogs or if they began with minis they got somewhere else and began breeding them. Also ask the length of time they''ve been breeding. Here''s why - if they began with full-size bulldogs and have been breeding 5 years and now have minis that run 20 lbs fully grown, then you can be pretty certain that they are breeding only for size and not taking health into nearly as much consideration as they should - that''s kind of an exaggerated example, but does that make sense? One more thing - a dog like this might not be able to be registered with the AKC due to a miniature version not being a "recognized" breed, so that would be something to look into as well. Plus, generally breeders who are breeding minis will charge more than the norm for their dogs since there are less of them around due to most breeders breeding to standard.

Anyway, I would have to second the French Bulldog suggestion. They do not get very big (around Pug sized fully grown) and probably would be smaller even than a miniature bulldog and have great personalities. They are a big dog in a little dog bosy. And I think their ears are just a hoot!

 

[AmberGretchen]

Ditto to everything that Laurel has said - her information is spot-on.

And one thing I have to add - breeding only for smaller animals, 99% of the time, means breeding for less healthy animals. Doesn''t matter what the breeder says, its just genetically unsound, and as laurel has noted, no responsible breeder would do this.

I say this as a dog lover/enthusiast and also as a scientist - there are better options for you out there than going this route. I''m sure myself, Laurel, and many others here would be more than happy to help you find them.