Were have i said we leave out type - You are missing the whole point of what i am saying.... Health and Temperament will always be selected over type... The Leavit Bulldog is not a show dog, there is a breed standard and every dog i have posted above fits it very well and are true to type. We come from very different worlds were priorities are very differnt, maybe it best you just accept that and dont wind yourself up over it, please.... Its not the end of the world that you dont get it, Likewise i dont understand owning dogs with illness just because they look a uniformed way. Please dont use the 'old' card on me; i have a Leavitt Bulldog here that is 8 years old going on 9 and has never been to the vet for anything other than the odd booster or to travel.... His structure, joints have been put under more physical strain that any dog i know he is a proven working athlete and he has NO health issues what so ever. He has lived in Kennels his whole life and is still going strong....They may slow down but i have yet to have a dog that has got serious joint issues due to age particularly to extent they have to wear protective clothing in the cold. We have different wants from a dog, that is no problem - maybe should agree to disagree?
There is no need to be rude, her name is Jackbox on here. My point to you is, show me where the consistency is. I see a huge number of dogs that either look like Bulldog crosses, Boxer crosses or Am Bulldog crosses. Where? Show me where this dog: This dog This dog Are anything but totally different in type, head shape, size, bone, substance etc.. Im not trying to be awkward, and I admire your stance on health, but I really cannot see what you have achieved at all, because if I crossed a Boxer with a Bulldog, I would most likely get dogs looking exactly like some of those you have posted.
Whats wrong with the "old " card, dogs get old, they get joint problems, they get sick!! its a fact of life. So you have 8/9 yr old, that is fit an healthy, are you saying said dog will never get ill or have age related joint problems,, my 8 yr old, till a couple of weeks ago, was as yours , fit as a fiddle. I agree to disagree, yes we have different wants and expectations from our dogs, I realise life does not give guarantees, you seem to think your dogs are infallible from natures handouts!!
The first dog is certainly a more bully example of the breed if not one of the bulliest in the head shape, particularly from that angle of photograph i am not denying that, and there are different lines that are breed more to that end of the standard and others who prefer a more athletic look. The 2nd one is puppy in the photo so not really relevant The the last two are these two dogs albeit they were only a year old. and the last photo in comparison to the 1st bulldog example from another angle... you will have to ignore my website link i cant remove the writing.... I can see they are not uniform, but they are similar and both meet the standard of the breed and both healthy examples of the breed. I can understand what you see and that you require this uniformity, like the other lady but we are going round in circles. As a breed we want them to look alike that goes without saying but the health is the priority. Let me put it another way - You cant see how a breed can go forward unless they all look the same - I cant see how a breed can go forward when the main priority is appearance. Also it may be worth having a look into the history of a boxer - The Leavitt Bulldog is a recreation of the Bull Baiting Bulldog that were fundamentally a very similar type of dog as the boxer many years ago... Before the show ring had such a impact on the breed, so maybe your comparison to a boxer x bulldog is a good thing?! It also worth noting that if you did a boxer x bulldog mating you may get something that vaguely resembles these bulldogs. However but you will also get the numerous health issues that come with each individual breed... i would list them all but we all know what the basic ones are...Joints, skin, eyes, spinal issues, neurological disorders, heart defects, inability to give birth etc etc....You are very unlikely to get anything like that with my inconsistent mongrel lookalikes ;-)
No you are right - but we can prioritise what important and do all we can to avoid them... As for the old boy, he is going strong and is very very active still, he runs on average 2 miles a day and has no less than 3 hours continuous exercise at his own pace, he has NEVER shown a weakness, if he does it wont be through hereditary joint illness. Of course there are exceptions and joint issues and health problems do come up in our breed, its mother nature.... We however face them and they are eliminated them from the gene pool and they are not bred from... this criteria over the years results in it being less likely for any current dogs having problems. Can i ask what were the hipscores and health tests of your boxers parents please - as that may give you a clearer picture of the problems your dogs have rather than them just being old? ...
i have been following this thread but havent really posted as i havent been able to find the dogs every one is talking about. first of all, nice looking dogs, but to me they all look different. i dont get how it can be a breed, or type, yet all look different. some resemble more of a boxer than a bulldog, some look like staffie cross, and some look like a badly bred british bulldog. i dont want you to take offense, this is just what i see when i look at your pictures, and i admire you for having health at the top of your list though. for me i have to say im only ever going to be a "british" bulldog fan. i dont like all these ye olde bulldogs and victorian old tyme bulldogs we are seeing about at the minute. breeders claiming they are healthier, although there is no proof of this and they are certainly making money of these "healthier" bulldogs, not saying youre doing this by the way, i mean breeders of these other bulldogs in general. yes the orginal bulldog does have health problems, yes some breeders are unethical with breeding. however there are good breeders out there who are helping improve the breed. i am seeing alot more healthy bulldogs cropping up this past couple of years. ones with straight front legs rather than bowed, bulldogs that can run and play without getting out of breath. and more and more litters are being self whelped. i think bulldog fans/breeders/owners should help the current breed that has a problem rather than making a new one.
'old tyme' bulldogs and 'vicorian' bulldogs have been around for years - I grew up with a 'victorian' - she was the BEST! Still miss her years later
jackbox never said her dog was stiff/ill because of heriditary joint illness, its because he is old. (presuming its a he sorry if im wrong jackbox) most dogs get stiff when they get old, just like us humans. my nana's vallhund went stiff when she was old, it wasnt heriditary, she lived till 19. average age for this breed is 14 i think. nothing to do with genes that she went stiff. its because she was old.
awwww :-( this is my point though. yeah they have been around for years but they still look different to each other. like we are saying there isnt a certain "type" which there should be after that many years of breeding.
and I dont disagree with you People know my feelings on most crossings. The Victorian bulldogs was a cross between Staffs, Bull mastiffs & the british bulldog (I believe) I cant remember who started the breeding programme - but I was always led to believe the person was trying to 'recreate' a breed seen in victorian times, seen in pictures? Hence the name. Ohh and our girled looked nothing like ones I have seen online - Our girl we took on at the age of one - she came to us 'second hand' - so not straight from a breeder, so we dont have an idea what her life was like, her parents, how she was raised ect - we all know theres loads poor examples of breeds/types - I havent seen another 'victorian' bull dog in the flesh.
I think thats very dangerous talk, many of the listed will be due to enviroment , are you really saying that your dogs will never suffer those ailments that ALL dogs and humans can and do suffer ,sometimes life just throws things at you, no matter how careful you are with your breeding.
Yes you can ask, but I am surprised, given the fact you have taken the time to trawl through my posts, that you have not seen me say on occasion, that Boxers (in the UK ) dont get hip scored, along with the fact it does not guarantee healthy joints for the longevity, but thats by the by. Before you jump , I dont agree with that, and IF I ever bred I woudl only do so after hip score (amongst other things) things are changing very slowly and some (not many) breeders are beginning to hip score. But we have far bigger problems with hearts in our breed, something that is being looked at , and researched. I really dont need a clearer picture into my breed , or my dogs, I am aware of all the problems they can suffer. Does the fact my dogs parents lack of hip scores contribute to my boys HD, who knows, maybe (although knowing his sire and dam) I am not so sure, it could have an affect, or it could well be that he was a clumsy oaf as a puppy/young dog , and enviroment played a huge part with his joints. he is almost 11, and to be honest would not expect much less from such an age, compared to many a 11 yr old Boxer is is not doing to bad. My bitch on the other hand, again comes from untested stock, and has no problems with hips, she is free moving and never suffered a bad day till of late. Spondylosis, is something that many breeds (and humans) suffer from, environment/nature plays a dirty game with us all
I wasn't trawling through your posts?!! i was just reading the other topics and threads? I haven't not said that my dogs will never get old and slow down!?! But that they dont suffer from hip problems, maybe they will stiffen up, but at 8 not anytime soon - I can be sure of that its not something that happens over night, My do not the way our dogs live anyway. They will get old and slow down that's goes unsaid. I just thought the fact that your dogs needed protective clothing when outside just IMO sound slightly more severe than just being old, it was my misunderstanding clearly.
I did say, that they wear their coats for my satisfaction not so much theirs.. it makes me feel better knowing their backs are warm and dry. I doubt they would be any worse if they dont wear them.
[. Let me put it another way - You cant see how a breed can go forward unless they all look the same - I cant see how a breed can go forward when the main priority is appearance. Your mistaken, I do not think appearance over health is the most important thing, all 3 things are equally important. ofcause I want a dog that looks and conforms to breed standard, but that does not mean one should leave out health. Along with health and temperament, appearance should also be a priority. It is A priority of course - BUT not the most important. Ideally we want to breed dogs that are the complete package. Also it may be worth having a look into the history of a boxer - The Leavitt Bulldog is a recreation of the Bull Baiting Bulldog that were fundamentally a very similar type of dog as the boxer many years ago... Before the show ring had such a impact on the breed, so maybe your comparison to a boxer x bulldog is a good thing?! It also worth noting that if you did a boxer x bulldog mating you may get something that vaguely resembles these bulldogs. However but you will also get the numerous health issues that come with each individual breed Yet you say your breed is free from such health issues, how can say that when those very dogs have been used in the creation of your breed?? I have NOT said my breed is FREE from illness at any point - I have said you are LESS likely or Unlikely to come across these health issues. The boxer is not in the Leavitt Bulldog, One British Bulldog was that was nearly 40 years ago and since then the breed has been thoroughly tested.... have you not read my posts.... And Yes issues do come up and then and then removed from the breeding program. I dont know how to say this any other way as i have repeated it about 100 times, yet you still ask the same questions? ONLY THE BEST HELATHIEST DOGS ARE BRED FROM = Breeding away from health problems = less likely to have health issues ... i would list them all but we all know what the basic ones are...Joints, skin, eyes, spinal issues, neurological disorders, heart defects, inability to give birth etc etc....You are very unlikely to get anything like that with my inconsistent mongrel lookalikes
Sorry i am not great with the replys on here with all the quoting!! I messed the last one up, but hopefully i answered your queries and you can work out what i wrote - It is all there :-I
just because she puts coats on them doesnt mean they are unhealthy!!! my dog is 2, and wears a coat sometimes, and i can tell you is the perfect picture of health.
