Table of contents:
How old should an English Bulldog be before you mate it?
Can an English Bulldog mate naturally?
How does artificial insemination work for bulldogs?
Conclusion
English Bulldogs are an expensive dog to breed, and this is mainly due to all the difficulties you'll face during the breeding process that are caused by their health issues, and their build.
Because of the English Bulldogs build, it makes it difficult and dangerous for them to mate. Their stocky, front-end heavy bodies can mean that the males are unable to mount the females, and even if they are able to mount the female, they are at risk of injuring the female with their heavy bodies. This is why an English Bulldog should be artificially inseminated.
The way that English Bulldogs are built, which prevents them from mating naturally, is due to selective breeding. Short legs, stocky bodies, short snouts and large heads are all physical characteristics which have been bred into bulldogs in recent years.
The selective breeding process that has happened with bulldogs does mean that they are now difficult to breed, raise and are more prone to health issues than other dog breeds.
How old should an English Bulldog be before you mate it?
You should wait until your English Bulldog is 18 months or older before you start to think about mating your dog. Breeding a bulldog early can increase the chance problems occurring with the mother and her pups.
You should also let your bulldog have it's first heat before you start to consider that she is ready for breeding.
Can an English Bulldog mate naturally?
Sometimes, English Bulldogs are able to mate naturally, however more often than not they will need to be artificially inseminated.
Due to their builds and the health problems that bulldogs have, we always recommend that you artificially inseminate your dog rather than mating it naturally.
How does artificial insemination work for bulldogs?
Artificially inseminating a bulldog is a fairly simple process, however it's not always 100% successful.
Sperm is initially collected from the stud, this is usually done with an artificial vagina. It's also recommended that the male dog is stimulated by a female's pheromones during the sperm extraction process to ensure it's successful.
Once extracted from the male, the sperm needs to be stored correctly. Chilled semen can be stored for up to 10 to 14 days. It should be stored in an air tight container and refrigerated in order to keep it chilled. You can also freeze the studs semen should you need longer, frozen semen can last an estimated 10,000 years.
Once the dam is in heat, the sperm is then deposited into her uterus. During this process the sperm must be handled delicately to ensure it is kept viable.
There are three different types of artificial insemination, which are:
Surgical implantation: This processes comes with higher risks, especially for English Bulldogs, as the dog will need to be anesthetized due to it being a surgical process. During the surgery, an incision is made into the abdomen, and the uterus is found. The semen is then injected either into the uterine body or at the base of either horn.
Transcervical Insemination: During Transcervical Insemination, a special instrument is used to bypass the cervix and deposit semen directly into the uterus. Sedation is typically not needed, as most bitches will stand for the procedure. This procedure does involve the use of specialized equipment and a trained inseminator, which can add additional cost.
Transvaginal Insemination: This is the most common artificial insemination process of them all. In this technique, an insemination pipette is used to deposit semen into the vagina just in front of the cervix.
The success rates of artificial insemination of English Bulldogs does vary, mainly dependant on the quality of the sperm and the artificial insemination technique used. Surgical insemination carries the highest success rate but also the highest rate of risk to your bulldogs health.
An English Bulldog will on average birth around 4 puppies, however due to overbreeding and their health issues, the mortality rate for English Bulldog puppies is usually high.
Conclusion
Its recommended that when breeding your English Bulldog that you opt for artificial insemination to ensure their health, and a successful breeding.
For more in-depth breeding guides, make sure you read your English Bulldog breeding guides.