bull dogges

Question
Hello, I have 2 questions. 1. Do you have any tips or tricks to whelping Olde English bulldogges? I am starting out and I have a girl going to have pups in a few weeks and it came as a shock as we didn't notice them ever locking and my dogges are kept in separate pens inside except for short periods when let out 10-15 min a day. I was not ready to breed yet because I am still learning about special needs of the breed but they are coming and according to the vet she is around 40 days pregnant and is predicting her due in 15-20 days which gives me a short time to learn a lot. So any suggestions are helpful. And q-2 is how old do you recommend before first breeding? my other female is almost a year and has been in heat 2 times now.... oh.. one more thing do you think I should keep the 2 females separated until the one that is pregnant has her pups? the younger one likes to rough house often and the pregnant one is starting to get after her where before she would get down and play too.

Answer
Hi Kim. I have done some research for you. If you're talking about the Olde English bulldog, and not just the regular English Bulldog, then it should be free whelping. The best advice I can give is to not let her get fat, an make sure she gets plenty of exercise. I always suggest that a person waits until the dog is two years of age before breeding as this will let the dog finish growing. Some breeds are slower to mature, and may need more time. If your pregnant girl doesn't want to play, or be rough housed, then I'd keep them seperated for now. She probably doesn't feel like being bothered by the youngster right now. She most likely won't want her around her puppies either, so you may be looking at a long seperation for now. Good luck!