Puppy Buying Info

PUPPY BUYING ADVICE

American Bulldog

Puppy Buying Advice

We have included a little advice on this page re buying an AB in the UK
This is by no means comprehensive and only outlines the basics of
what you should be looking out for and should expect to do....

Unfortunately not all American Bulldog Breeders are ethical and responsible

so we advise anyone looking to buy an American Bulldog Puppy

to firstly spend A LOT of time on research of the breed, its types,

and any individual breeders you are interested in, ect

as is possible before approaching a breeder,

or committing yourself to owning an American Bulldog.

The AB is a working breed, and the breed standard reflects this,

its temperament should be stable & confident,

a shy/timid AB is a liability and should NEVER be bred from.

In the UK both sire & dam of a litter should be

ABA (American Bulldog Association) or NKC Registered

and make sure your puppy will be too.

Ask to see copies of the sire and dams ABA or NKC registration paperwork

to ensure that your puppy is eligible for ABA & NKC registration in the first place.

This breed is considered a rare breed and is not registered with

the UK Kennel Club (KC) or the American Kennel Club (AKC).

On our links page we have links to websites for the

Parent Breed Registry, the ABA, in the USA

and the worldwide show & event organisation for the breed, the ABNA.

Both have useful information on their websites,

& the ABNA breed standard can be studied there and also found on this website.

Visit the parent working organisation for the breed in the USA

The WABA website, and study the information on AB breed tests.

Visit the AKC - CGC website and the Irondog website and

Study the AKC CGC Requirements, along with the Irondog test requirements.

Take the time to read the information on these websites as they will

help you gain a better understanding of the breed.

As has been stated this breed is NOT a UK Kennel Club registered breed,

but their are shows and working events throughout the year hosted

by clubs for the breed sanctioned by USA organisations for the breed.

have a good look at the various dogs on show there,

check for the way they react to being in a busy, loud environment.

Look out for any weakness of temperament,

such as timidness, nervous aggression ect.

You can then approach the owners of the dogs that you like the look of

and find out more about them,

who bred them and who their parents are. ect...

This information, coupled with any research you have done on

particular dogs and breeders should enable you

to make a shortlist of breeders you can then approach to talk to

in more depth about their breeding programs and visit their kennels.

Be prepared to go on a waiting list.

By researching the breed you will be in a better position to question a

breeder on their knowledge of the breed and their breeding goals, ect

steer clear if they cannot answer your questions

with sound knowledge and advice.

If you want an American Bulldog to compete in the show ring,

it will give you a better chance if the parents, grandparents

and the family as a whole have also done well in this area.

If you want an American Bulldog for any type of work,

again it will improve your odds of getting one if the

parents, grandparents and the family as a whole

have been successful in the type

of work you require the dog for.

Be cautious of breeders who put more emphasis on a perceived pureness

of bloodline over the quality of the individual dogs concerned.

For a quality American Bulldog puppy you should expect

to pay around £800 - £1200.

A good breeder should have litters well planned in advance

and a waiting list of potential owners already in place.

Our advice is to stay away from any breeder who needs to overly advertise

their puppies in local papers, Exchange and Mart, internet private sales sites,

ect and breeders who sell their puppies at a very low cost.

When you do go and visit a breeder, ask them to take the dogs

out of their home / kennels and see how they react to

strangers, traffic and any environmental stimulus

they come across, again look out for signs of weakness.

Walk away if you see any.

The parents and also any dogs of the same family should have good social,

confident temperaments. A good strong temperament should be a safer bet

if the parents and relatives have any working or temperament test qualifications.

Ie AKC - CGC award should be expected as a MINIMUM.

It is common for a breeder not to own the Sire to the litter,

but a good breeder will have used a Sire of note

that you may have seen at an American Bulldog show

or at least have been able to do some research on the said Sire.

Both parents should be hip scored and NCL tested.

Look for as many generations of passing hip scores as you can.

Study the breed standard, and check if the

parents are a good example of it, or have serious faults.

A good breeder will offer a guarantee against genetic defects

and will offer a replacement or refund should it develop a problem genetically.

A good breeder will also want to keep in contact with you

throughout the puppy’s life for regular updates on the puppy’s progress.

If at any point you are unable to look after your dog anymore then

a good breeder will expect & insist that you return the pup/adult dog to them.

Make sure when you view any puppies that they are

well fed, clean, healthy and happy with a confident and outgoing nature,

and that you can see the mother, who should also

be well fed, clean, healthy and happy with a confident and outgoing nature,

and if they make an excuse about why the

mother cannot be seen, do not buy a puppy from them.

If you are not 100% happy then DO NOT buy from that breeder,

Do not fall prey to pressure from a breeder to buy there and then,

ALWAYS GO AWAY AND THINK ABOUT IT FIRST

NEVER BUY A PUPPY ON IMPULSE ...

Remember that any decision will / should be with you

for a number of years.

If you are not happy then carry on with your research.

Be prepared to answer a lot of questions from the breeder,

They should be concerned about where their pups end up.

The AB is a working breed, and the breed standard reflects this,

its temperament should be stable & confident,

and is not a suitable breed for just anyone.

The American Bulldog

is a large and powerful breed

with a lot of energy and drive,

which requires some form of

physical and mental stimulation.

As with owning any breed of dog you have a serious responsibility to;

Your pup, the breed, and Your community

by being a responsible dog owner.

We cannot stress enough that you should be

prepared and in a position to at the very least

train your pup/dog in obedience.

If you cannot then you definitely SHOULD NOT be owning one.

For more information on issues relevant to

dog ownership then visit the UK Kennel Club website:

http://www.the-kennel-club.org.uk/

There are a number of links on our links page

which point to websites that can help in your research

of the breed and also other useful informative websites.

As we said at the start this is only basic advice

We cannot emphasise enough the need for people to

Research, Research, Research...

If you have any queries or require further information then

feel free to contact a member of the HABC

Contact details on the Contacts page of this website

For Further information on the

American Bulldog National Alliance (ABNA)

Please visit their website: