Brachycephalic dogs

dov2711

While the details provided by vets is not up for question there is a fair bit of breadth in the reality of owning such a dog breed. I have owned 2 Bulldogs and both were an absolute joy to be with, I carefully monitored their diet, both enjoyed fairly lengthy walks outwith mid day heat, both were playful and had every characteristic you would desire from a family pet.
I now have 3 Boston Terriers and they are full of energy, always on the go and like the Bulldogs none have had any breathing issues. I run 5 k canicross with my middle one as she hates being walked on a lead. So 2-3 times a week we head out with a special harness and she has a blast, I monitor her breathing as I would any dog and I know to limit her distance as she has no "off switch"
We attend gatherings of up to 15 in our local Boston Terrier group and its chaos as they roll, tumble, run and play fight. An amazing little breed of dog who are vastly underestimated and a mile away from the image of breathless, dependant vanity dogs whose health is secondary to their owners fashion needs.
I also have neighbours and see people locally with obese labs, boxers etc who peck, wheeze and waddle awkwardly to the nearest bit of grass before heading back to the couch.

shirley_basso

Yeah but sensible people getting on with their lives sensibly don't make headlines.

Extreme behaviour and views shifts copy so you hear about it more.

angry_bird

dov2711 wrote:

While the details provided by vets is not up for question there is a fair bit of breadth in the reality of owning such a dog breed. I have owned 2 Bulldogs and both were an absolute joy to be with, I carefully monitored their diet, both enjoyed fairly lengthy walks outwith mid day heat, both were playful and had every characteristic you would desire from a family pet.
I now have 3 Boston Terriers and they are full of energy, always on the go and like the Bulldogs none have had any breathing issues. I run 5 k canicross with my middle one as she hates being walked on a lead. So 2-3 times a week we head out with a special harness and she has a blast, I monitor her breathing as I would any dog and I know to limit her distance as she has no "off switch"
We attend gatherings of up to 15 in our local Boston Terrier group and its chaos as they roll, tumble, run and play fight. An amazing little breed of dog who are vastly underestimated and a mile away from the image of breathless, dependant vanity dogs whose health is secondary to their owners fashion needs.
I also have neighbours and see people locally with obese labs, boxers etc who peck, wheeze and waddle awkwardly to the nearest bit of grass before heading back to the couch.

Breathing isn't the only issue associated with these brachycephalic breeds unfortunately, dystocia is alarming common, and from what I remember, <10% of Boston Terriers birth naturally, with >90% requiring a caesarean section. As with Belgian Blue cattle, and some sheep breeds, this is a ridiculous situation. Breeding designer animals that ultimately compromises the welfare of the bitch/cow/ewe...

angry_bird

Of course, this is according to the breeders, the vets fault, each year at Crufts some bulldog stand displays some BS notice saying that so many of them have to have elective caesareans because vets charge too much out of hours, or they have to go somewhere else out of hours etc. etc.

Right, because if they can whelp naturally they wouldn't need to be seen out of hours, but of course out of hours is more expensive so unfortunately it hits the breeder's profits more :roll:

*Same applies to farmers of stupid breeds of livestock too*

Bellends

tangled_metal

Obesity in what should be healthy breeds like gundog breeds is another issue. If you look after your Labrador it should lot get obese. It's a dog owner's fault. And BTW I have a border terrier that we found out is completely food obsessed like Labrador dogs so I know food has to be stored safely. You can't turn your back on scraps on your plate on the table because she'll be up there when your back is turned. It's the breed habit I believe.

But it's another thing where you have to be aware of physical impairment. To the former British Bulldog and Boston bulldog owner, you look after your dogs well but it still seems to me that you are taking steps above that you'd have to take for other dogs. As a result you have dogs that behave like dogs, although even the unhealthiest of dogs will behave like dogs or at least as far as they are able.

My Boston bulldogs aren't IMHO as bad as say pugs can be and certainly the British bulldog. IMHO it offends me to see the breed.

https://www.puppyleaks.com/done-bulldogs/

https://scienceline.org/2017/09/de-evolution-bulldog/

http://www.businessinsider.com/how-dog-breeds-looked-100-years-ago-2016-2

In breed books from 1915 the British bulldog looked not too far from modern days but back to 1835 when bull baiting was banned the breed wasn't close to that. Not the things were as organised with kennel club breed standards so dogs were simply bred for the job in hand not fashion.

BTW it's good to distinguish between what I believe is a breeding cul-de-sac and the benefits to dog and owner that can come from owning any dog. You love what you love and people do love these dogs. They get a lot from them. Doesn't make it right what the breed has become.

tangled_metal

Look at the winning dog at crufts. A bright and very healthy papillon. Most of the final judging round were healthy breeds I believe. There was one boxer dog which if you look at my earlier link once had a totally different head shape as a breed.

That boxer was the people's favourite to win. Guess that's what you get judging personality of the breed not against a standard. Boxers and IMHO pugs would win a popularity contest on personality alone. If you don't believe me about pugs just try to see one let off the lead to play.

rjsterry

Selective breeding leads to loss of genetic variation. This increases the risk of inherited health issues, whether it is brachycephaly or less visibly obvious traits. Some breeds are less afflicted than others but the whole premise is flawed.

tangled_metal

Some rarer breeds look to similar types of dogs to bring in gene diversity. It allows for art risk breeds to be kept viable. Can't remember the breed but one like this got to the finals at crufts. It looked a healthy breed.

The idea of gene diversity isn't the real issue. It might contribute but it's the breed standard and judging against it that is the main problem IMHO. You're breeding in characteristics looking for the ultimate example of them. If those lead to ill health or inability to be healthy, physically capable dogs then the standard and judging at shows is responsible.

shirley_basso

Funny enough about vets it's the corporates who have raised prices. Theyve paid so much acquiring the independents that they need their money back.

Economies of scale only widen the margins, don't pass it onto the client