SuffolkBullBreeds

We start to feed our pups on solids as soon as their eyes are open and they are moving about, (usually at 2-3 weeks). We start the pups on minced steak and after about 5 days introduce bone meal, wheatabix, sardines, raw vegetables, (carrots, broccoli cauliflower), meat jelly, (from boiled beef bones) and SA 37 Vitamin powder. With large litters we will bottle feed in the first 3 weeks in addition to the pups feeding from their mother. We advise feeding the B.A.R.F, (Bones And Raw Foods) diet. There are many advantages to this diet. See our diet page for details. A quick descripton of this diet is to feed your dogs approx 50% RAW CHICKEN, (wings or chopped carcases) 25% RAW BEEF AND LAMB RIB BONES and the other 25% raw organ meet raw veg and oily fish. The organ meat, fish and vegatables can be mixed with brown rice. These percentages are only a rough guide and can be varied. Litters vary slightly but generally we give our dogs their first chicken wing at 6/7 weeks. Regarding portion size it is difficult to be specific as all dogs are different. Start with one chicken wing then 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3 etc. by ten weeks the pup should be having approx 2 chicken wings at a time. Some dogs will stop eating when they have had enough, others will eat whatever is put in front of them. Without trying to state the obvious if your dog is overweight feed it less, if your dog is underweight feed it more. if your dog has the runs you are probably over=feeding or there could be too much oily fish/liver in the diet. We feed our pups Four times a day from 6/7 weeks until 10 weeks when we reduce the meals to 3 daily. By 14 weeks at the latest the pups are down to two meals daily. A chicken meal would be followed by a rice, fish and veg meal. Then a chicken meal followed by a rice, offal,(heart/liver/kidneys) meal. These four meals are rotated regardless of how many meals are being fed in a day. Ultimately what you feed your dog is down to you, we can only advise. Some people/vets will advise against feeding a raw bones diet. Most knowledgable dog owners/breeders use some variation of the B.A.R.F diet. Do the research via the internet and make a decision. We must admit that we do get just a little annoyed when we spend ages giving detailed dietary advice only to get a phone call saying that a vet has said that the diet is dangerous and could damage their dog. Strangely the vet then trys to sell them Royal Canin food which is more expensive than a natural diet!! Don't get me wrong Royal Canin is good dog food but only when compared to other dy dog foods. A processed and double-baked dry dog food cannot be compared to a 100% Natural Diet.

We advise crate training your puppy from day one. There are numerous reasons for this. The dog has it's own space and more importantly you have yours!! If you have more than one dog feeding each dog within their own crate prevents food arguments. When toilet training your pup accidents are limited to newspapers within the crate. When you go out any teething related chewing or destructive behaviour is limited to the contents of the crate. When you have guests round you may not want the dog joining in so in the crate they go.

Tips on using a crate.

NEVER USE THE CRATE AS A PUNISHMENT.

ALWAYS LEAVE YOUR DOG WITH ADEQUATE CLEAN DRINKING WATER.

WHEN YOU GO OUT GIVE THE DOG A GOOD SIZE RAW BONE TO CHEW ON. (This can prevent seperation anxiety).

NEVER LEAVE YOUR DOG FOR LONG PERIODS IN A CRATE. 8 hours is a long time to leave a dog. If you have to leave your dog for that long make sure that they have had vigorous exercise first.

Remember it is a crate, not a cage. Using a crate is not cruel and it makes your dog much easier to manage.

Prior to your pup having his/her jabs, carry your pup around with you as much as possible, a puppy rucksack is great for this. Expose your pup to as many noises, situations and places as possible. Traffic noise, busy places, children, wheelchairs, elderly people, your vacuum cleaner, your friends etc. After the jabs introduce your dog to friends dogs, on a lead under supervision.

DO NOT LET YOUR PUP OR DOG OFF A LEAD AROUND DOGS THAT YOU DON'T KNOW. A DOG ATTACK COULD RUIN YOUR DOGS CONFIDENCE AND CAUSE FEAR BASED AGGRESSION TOWARDS OTHER DOGS. BE RESPONSIBLE.

NEVER LEAVE ANY DOG REGARDLESS OF ITS BREED OR HISTORY UNSUPERVISED WITH CHILDREN.

IF YOUR DOG IS FEARFUL OF SOMETHING DON'T AVOID THE CAUSE OF THIS FEAR GRADUALLY EXPOSE YOUR DOG TO THEIR 'FEAR' UNTIL THEY OVERCOME IT, MOST DOGS HAVE AT LEAST ONE FEAR. DO NOT REACT WITH SYMPATHY, DO NOT REACT, IF YOU DON'T REACT THEY ARE LESS LIKELY TO. YOU CAN USE A FOOD REWARD BUT TRY NOT TO USE BRIBES FOR MORE THAN A SHORT PERIOD. WE CAN ADVISE ON INDIVIUAL CASES, MOST ARE OVERCOME WITH CONSISTENCY AND PATIENCE.

It is easy to over-exercise young dogs and damage their joints which makes energetic breeds difficult to manage as young pups due to the necessity to keep exercise sessions brief. It's easy to just leave a young dog to it for long periods but they may suffer with their joints in later life as a result.

WORKING TYPE bullbreed dogs have very high energy levels and therefore require more exercise. A young puppy should begin with short lead walks for 15/-20 mins, then progress to 20/30 mins off lead twice or 3 times daily. You can introduce your pup to the spring pole, details of how to make a spring pole are on our exercise page. A Boomer Ball is also a useful exercise tool. They can be ordered from most good pet shops. These two items of exercise equipment are well worth investing in, particularly if you need to supplement your dogs exercise.

OLDE ENGLISH BULLDOGGES need to be limited more in terms of exercise duration and intensity. We now provide written, specific advice for each pup from every litter to ensure the dogs safe developement. OLDE ENGLISH BULLDOGGES are very heavy set, big boned dogs, they carry lots of muscle and like all pups grow quickly. Due to the extra bulk they carry a young Bulldogges joints are more vulnerable than lighter dogs. Large mastiffs such as Neapolitans have the same problem. Do not let any pup climb stairs or jump off high objects. Basic common sense is all that is required.

DOGS SHOULD ALWAYS BE SUPERVISED ON A SPRING POLE.

As an adult you can start jogging a working dog next to a bicycle, (use a long lead). Start with a mile, LET THE DOG JOG AT HIS/HER OWN PACE. Gradually increase the distance/speed, after 3-4 weeks run the dog for 3 miles. The dog could do a lot more but your goal is to give enough exercise to keep him/her calm but not to enough to exhaust them. At 12 months increase exercise as necessary. As with all things variety is the spice of life, a mixture of as many different types of exercise is much better than one or two. Remember all dogs are different, these are just guidelines, we can only say what has worked for our own dogs.

OLDE ENGLISH BULLDOGGES do not need to be exercised as intensely as other breeds. The intensity level and duration of exercise necessary depends largely on how the dog is bred. Dogs with a higher percentage of British Bulldog will require much less exercise.

IF YOUR DOG LOOKS TIRED OR UNCOMFORTABLE IN ANY WAY DURING EXERCISE STOP IMMEDIATELY.

DO NOT EXERCISE YOUR DOG INTENSELY IN HIGH TEMPERATURES.

MAKE SURE THAT YOUR DOG HAS ACCESS TO WATER IMMEDIATELY AFTER EXERCISE.

We are often asked for advice on pet insurance. Weather or not to insure is down to personal choice. Tesco do a basic policy for around £110 per year. Pet Plan costs around £360 a year! Which we feel is ridiculous. Things to consider when decideing to get insurance or not:

THE ADVICE BELOW IS GENERAL AND IS NOT SPECIFIC TO ONE BREED.

HOW BIG IS OUR DOG? IF IT WEIGHS 100LBS PLUS IT HAS A HIGHER CHANCE OF TEARING A CRUCIATE LIGAMENT, HAVING HIP PROBLEMS, OR JOINT PROBLEMS GENERALLY.

PROBLEMS LIKE THIS COST £2/3000 TO REPAIR. Insurance for big dogs is worth having.

IS YOUR DOG A WORKING DOG WITH A HIGH PREY DRIVE?

IS YOUR DOG AGGRESSIVE TO OTHER DOGS OR OVER PROTECTIVE OF YOU?

IS YOUR DOG NERVOUS/UNPREDICTABLE?

When dogs bite, people take legal action. Insurance could be a good idea for this reason alone. ANY DOG CAN BITE, ANY DOG ANY BREED.

Some people just put money aside each month in case of a medical emergency. As most vet bills are around £50/60 for consultation and medication your policy will not cover them.

Weigh up the facts we have mentioned and shop around.

SUFFOLK BULLBREEDS RECCOMEND GETTING DOG INSURANCE.

BASIC OBEDIENCE TRAINING

Basic training should start from day one. The more you teach your dog as a pup the better he/she will behave as an older dog. All dogs are different and respond in different ways to being told what to do.

The keys to success are:

MAKE SURE THAT OBEDIENCE TRAINING IS FUN.

BE PATIENT.

BE CONSISTENT.

KEEP COMMANDS SIMPLE.

MAKE SURE ALL FAMILY MEMBERS USE THE SAME COMMANDS.

KEEP TRAINING SESSIONS BRIEF, 15 MINS AT A TIME.

ALWAYS END ON A POSITIVE.

WHEN THE DOG GETS A TASK RIGHT PRAISE HIM AND MOVE ON TO THE NEXT, IF HE CAN'T ACHIEVE THE NEXT TASK THEN GO BACK TO SOMETHING HE CAN DO AND END THE SESSION THERE.

START WITH THE SIT, THEN THE SIT AND WAIT, THE DOWN, ETC. THERE ARE PLENTY OF WEBSITES WITH TRAINING INFORMATION. WE WILL ADD SOME AT A LATER DATE.

DON'T LET YOUR DOG ON YOUR BED, YOUR SETTEE ETC. The reason for this is that your dog is at the bottom of the pack. You are pack leader. It is confusing for your dog to be beneath you in one situation and equal to you in others. Your dog has his bed and you have your furniture. Most of you will break this rule!

LOSING YOUR TEMPER WHEN TRAINING

ALLOWING A DOG OFF A LEAD WITH OTHER DOGS YOU DON'T KNOW. Your dog could be attacked. It only takes one dog attack to cause fear based aggression towards other dogs. Be responsible.

IGNORING PROBLEM BEHAVIOUR SUCH AS AGGRESSION IN YOUR PUP. Behaviour that may be amusing in a young pup could become a reason for concern later. Do not tolerate any aggressive behaviour in your dog.

Pups are like children they try it on and if your too lazy or too soft to correct problem behaviour then your dog will take the piss out of you. The best advice we can give is to be firm but fair. Consistency gets results.

OVERFEEDING If your dog has the runs the most likely cause is too much food.

NOT GIVING ENOUGH EXERCISE. A tired dog is a manageable well behaved dog. Bored frustrated dogs can be destructive and unpleasant.

Toilet training is very simple, dogs are clean animals and quick learners so all you need to do is understand your pup. When a pup wakes up they need to urinate. When a pup eats he will poo within minutes. Pups will usually circle a couple of times before they poo so you have a 5=15 second warning! We feed our pups outside from four weeks as long as it is warm enough to do so. If its cold and wet we feed the pups in a seperate crate on newspaper so they learn that their living and sleeping space is not their toilet. By around 12 weeks your pup will go through the night without pooing. If your dog wees on the floor, or in his crate put him/her outside for a few minutes, clean up and carry on as normal. Be patient, be consistent and all will be fine. NEVER SHOUT OR GET ANGRY AS THIS CAN CAUSE SEVERAL TOILET RELATED PROBLEMS. Your pup may eat his own poo to hide it from you. Your pup may poo in secret behind your furniture etc. If you begin to lose patience with poo training wait till the dog eats your C.Ds! Bad toilet training and C.D consumption are not the dogs fault. Think like a dog it's a lot easier than expecting him to think like you!! Good luck.

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