Adoption Facts
You’ve just had a baby!!
Congratulations!!! Please take the time to read this information and make sure you have the best experience possible with your new family member.
Each breeder I work with has their own contract and guarantee. Please read their information carefully and ask any questions you might have at the time of purchase. Here are the important things to know…
You have two business days to get your new puppy vet checked. After this vet check is complete and the puppy is found fit for adoption by your vet, you need to notify your breeder via email, text or phone call of the outcome.
Make sure the vet you’re seeing is a bulldog SPECIALIST. A vet who is familiar with the breed will know that bulldogs have hips and knees that do not look like other dogs. Vets can sometimes scare you or tell you your puppy needs expensive surgeries when a bulldog vet will know if that is truly necessary or if what they are seeing on the Xray is normal for the breed.
Your puppy can not go outside to use the potty until they are fully vaccinated with 3 sets of baby shots. Shots can be spaced apart from 2 to 6 weeks depending on your vet’s recommendations. If your puppy has had one or two sets you are looking at potty pads in the house for at least a month until they are safe to go outside. If it is too cold outside for you to be barefoot it is too cold for a baby dog. Use the 7 second rule for heat, if you cannot hold your hand on the ground for 7 second it’s too hot for dog paws. When it is cold weather please do not take them outside until it is warm so they don’t catch a cold that can quickly turn into pneumonia in a puppy. If it’s too hot out only let them out long enough to do their business then right back in the house.
Potty training takes time and lots of patience. Typical times to go are right after eating a meal, drinking water or waking up from a nap. They will circle fast sniffing the floor looking for the perfect potty place. If you have a designated area for them, place the potty pad there and put them on it when you see this behavior. Be positive and praise them with love and kisses when they do it right. Affection is often times more effective than food treats for good behavior. Be careful not to confuse the puppy about potty in the house. Let them know it’s okay to potty and potty is a good thing it’s the “place” you want them to learn. If you get upset with them over going to the bathroom somewhere you don’t like they will think it’s the potty itself that is wrong not the “place”. Bulldogs are highly sensitive and can become very depressed and upset if they think they have upset you and might refuse to eat and it will cause behavior problems if they are constantly in “trouble” for going to the bathroom so pick your battles with them and try and be positive as much as possible. Limit the area they have access to. If you let them have full run of the house right away you would need to constantly be watching them all over the home to make sure they are not peeing everywhere so use a puppy pen or designated area for them at first. When you start training outside, after they are fully vaccinated, wait for them to pee or poop and then reward them with a small Zukes treat. Eventually they will get the idea and do it for you every time! Treats are magical for potty training and I like the Zukes becasue they are very small and soft. Reward good behavior and ignore the bad, be positive and pay close attention. Please be patient with your puppy and don’t expect them to train for you overnight.
Puppies are not supposed to be left in their crates longer than two hours a day. Be careful not to break this rule or your puppy will be anxious, depressed and you’ll have more trouble training and correcting behavior.
Please stay in contact with me or your breeder if your puppy develops an issue. I would much rather know about problems when they are small then when they become serious.
At three months old your puppy will need some sort of immune boost from a vitamin supplement. That is when the natural immunity tapers off that the puppy got from their mother. Please purchase the vitamin of your choice and begin giving them to your little one. Without this support they can have skin issues with mites or be more susceptible to colds or virus’. I give my dogs Melaleuca Koala Pals which are actually for children but were cleared by my vet for puppies at 12 weeks old. Here is the link to purchase them on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Melaleuca-Koala-Chewable-Multivitamins-Children/dp/B0084DXAE8/ref=sr_1_1?crid=367R9HL2IGKL6&keywords=koala+pals+vitamins&qid=1564080101&s=gateway&sprefix=Koala+Pal%2Caps%2C242&sr=8-1
Never put anything around your puppy’s neck. Harnesses are safe for bulldogs and you can put their tags on them. You get better control and it can save their lives because bulldogs have small tracheas and strong necks, if they get the collar caught they can strangle in seconds. Check out the clearance bin of your favorite pet store and chances are you’ll find a harness on sale.
Safe toys for your baby are Kong brand toys, and toys they can’t bite pieces off of. With any toys supervise your puppy to make sure they don’t swallow stuffing in a squeaky toy or choke on pieces. If they tear it up it goes in the trash. NEVER under any circumstances give a bulldog a pig ear or rawhide chew. They will choke on these. Be careful of chew toys, they can break their teeth easily as babies.
Large stuffed toys or “cuddle buddies” as we call them can help them sleep at night and feel like they are cuddled into a dog pile. Get a large one that fills their crate and has lots of lumps they can lay in-between. Make sure there are no hard pieces for eyes or nose or anything they can choke on if they chew it off.
Use a white soft baby wash cloths to clean your puppy’s wrinkles and face every day. Baby soap on a warm wash cloth gives them a quick little spot bath and they get used to being cleaned. Always use white so you can find any problem areas on your baby. Dry the folds well with something absorbent after cleaning to keep the skin from developing dermatitis or yeast build up.
Don’t over exercise your puppy. Long walks can actually damage their joints and hips. Play with them around the house naturally or take them for a short walk outside and let this be all the exercise they need. Bulldogs are a non physical breed and sleep half the day. Puppies grow while they sleep and need lots of time to themselves. Over stimulation is not good for a baby bulldog. Allow them time to have their naps. If you want to walk your adult bulldog short trips of 10 or 15 minutes in the cool of the evening or morning are best.
Bulldogs are inside dogs and should never be kept out doors. They can overheat in the shade in minutes because of their small tracheas. The middle of the day heat can be deadly to a bulldog and the freezing cold can make them sick quickly. An even 70 degree environment is ideal for a bulldog’s comfort.
Brushing their coat once a day to help cut down on hair loss is very enjoyable to most bulldogs. Mine absolutely loves this. You can use the brush of your choice but I stay away from wire brushes because their hair is short and their skin is sensitive.
Don’t over feed your bulldog or allow them to be overweight. This puts undue strain and stress on their hips and joints.
This is the setup I use in my home for the puppies. It’s a Northern Super PlayYard from Walmart found in the baby section. It snaps together easily, this particular one is four panels. I protect my floors with two utility rugs I bought from Lowes and I covered that with a heavy duty tarp that gets folded under the rug around the edges. It’s about 6 feet by 9 feet. Visit your local thrift store and pick up absorbent King size sheets to place between the tarp and the puppy. Also pick up some inexpensive towels there. Changing the sheets is easy too, the PlayYard slides off the rug and you pick up the sheet and put it in the wash then lay down a new one. I always mop the tarp with a disinfectant spray cleaner so that it’s nice and fresh before putting down a clean sheet since they tinkle on the sheets too.
My favorite place is Goodwill to get the sheets. They always have a nice selection of linens. I pick up their #2 potty with doggie bags and put them in a diaper genie so the house stays clean smelling and they have a safe place to play, sleep and potty. This setup is ideal for a baby dog. It lifts easily so they can run underneath it and to the back door to go outside once they are being house trained. They will instinctively choose one side to use for potty and one for sleeping and playing. There’s no need to get up in the middle of the night to let them out since little puppies don’t have the ability to hold it through the night as infants anyway. I wash the sheets and lay down new ones whenever it gets dirty, about two or three times a day.
This also collapses easily and stores in the closet if you need to put it away. This way they have their own “room” while they learn to respect your home and potty where they are supposed to. Crate training is good but I would start it after they are house trained so you never run the risk of them going potty in the crate and creating a bad habit that is very had to break. You can also build this with three panels instead of four and it’s half this size, if you have a space concern.