How to choose a Puppy?

The most important thing is for you to know if this is the right breed for you and your family. Bulldogs are not suited for jogging, long hikes, going to beaches in 90 degree weather (30C), swimming in lakes, pools, hunting or as guard dogs. They require a very light exercise schedule but it is very important for their well being. Specially as an adult the daily exercise is important for circulation, joints, fitness and to avoid being over weight. This exercise consist of 2 or 3 daily walks of about 5-10 minutes each time, make sure the temperature isn´t hot preferably under 80 degrees (25C). If you have the time and the weather is pleasant you can extend your walk easily to 25-30 minutes without any problems. Bulldogs adapt well to cold weather, they even love playing in the snow, but they will have trouble in extremely cold conditions so in the winter if it is cold out the bulldog would be best indoors. They are medium sized breed, non – sporting according to the AKC, and they adapt well living inside a house or apartment. They are great with people of all ages and also very good with other pets. It is important that your puppy has been well raised and socialized properly to have a positive experience living inside the home. Bulldogs are an expensive breed to own and to breed. In Costa Rica the price of a good puppy will be around $1500, in the US and the rest of the world it will be around $2000-$3000. In many cases you get what you pay for so be careful with people offering ¨cheap¨ puppies or puppies with no pedigree. Show quality bulldogs around the world prices start at about $3000.

If you are looking for a healthy puppy, up to date with vaccinations and dewormings, well raised and socialized and that fits your expectations with a standard bulldog don´t go for the cheapest choice in the market. Raising quality bulldogs takes time, dedication and is expensive. People that offer you puppies for very cheap prices skip most of these steps to increase profit and you will be the one that pays at the end. It´s very probable you will pay more than double the difference in vet bills and not to mention the heart break and disappointment of having a puppy that is unhealthy or that doesn´t fulfill your expectations because they don´t exactly look like other bulldogs. It´s very common for people to tell us ¨I just want a pet, we don´t care about a pedigree¨ or ¨I don´t care where I get my bulldog from just as long as it fits my budget¨. Many people commit these mistakes only to regret it later. Reputable breeders are always breeding to improve the breed and they are very much focused on quality and not quantity. They are not driven by puppy sales and raking in money by massively producing dogs. Another common mistake is when people think ¨I don´t care who my puppies ancestors are¨. It is important, where do you think they get their looks from. Their health and temperament also are included in the genetic package, look closely at the mother, father and other ancestors you might be able to track down. If you like what you see in them then most likely you will be happy with your puppy when it grows up. Also many people say ¨I don´t care who the breeder is I just want a Bulldog¨. The breeder is very important, it´s the person or in most cases the team of people that choses which dogs to breed, establishes a breeding program based on genes and type, feeds and moniters the puppies 24 hours a day for the first 2 months. Not to mention also the one that assumes all the costs of the breeding and the litter. At Big Papi Bulldogs we have a vision of a healthy cycle of reproduction in a proper environment where development and socialization are priorities in a loving home surrounding with all the necessary equipment and proper facilities.

A breeder who is only driven by making money, this person will breed the cheapest dogs he can find regardless of the quality or any possible genetic issues and probably doesn´t even know enough about the breed standard to make good decisions on type and other factors. Since breeding is a business to this person they will cut corners every way possible to increase profit. These puppies are not raised with the proper amount of care and are not socialized well and ofcourse the most important thing of all enough love where the puppies are not raised in a healthy home environment. Puppies that are neglected and not well taken care of develop socialization problems and are not good pets, lets not forget also the consequences of malnutrition and a unhealthy environment. The puppies nutrition and well being is critical in the dogs development and the breeders effort is crucial for this to be successful . If you see a litter where the puppies look down, weak and don't look active and playful it´s a sign of a bad breeder and it is most likely these puppies will have potencial health issues.

Once you have confirmed that the bulldog is the breed for you and your family and you have found a reputable breeder that you trust go and pick out the puppy that you like best according to color, temperament and fisical attributes that you like.