How much does an English Bulldog puppy cost?
An English Bulldog puppy is priced by its breeder, and part of what sits behind that price is how Bulldogs are born, because in UK research most Bulldog litters arrived by caesarean section. English Bulldog puppies listed on Puppy Connection right now are priced from $3,500 to $6,000.
The sections below cover the costs a Bulldog litter carries, what the breed standard says about color, the health tests to ask about, and how deposits work.
How does delivery affect a Bulldog's price?
Researchers who surveyed UK breed club members about their dogs' litters counted 86 percent of Bulldog litters as caesarean births, second only to the Boston Terrier. A caesarean is veterinary surgery, and that cost lands on the breeder before a single puppy is listed.
Ask the breeder how the litter was delivered and how the mother came through it.
Which English Bulldog colors does the standard accept?
The AKC standard for the Bulldog, which AKC notes is also known as the English Bulldog, lists red, white, fawn and fallow, or any combination of them. Patterns and markings may include brindle, piebald, ticking, black masks, black tipping and a minimal amount of solid black in piebalds. All other colors or markings are a disqualification, and the standard names the merle pattern as a disqualification on its own.
That means a Bulldog in a color the standard does not list sits outside it, however the listing describes the color. A higher price for that kind of color buys the look and nothing the standard rewards. Merle also brings a health question, since breeding two merles can produce double merle puppies, and in a study of merle dogs tested for hearing a quarter of the double merles were deaf in one or both ears. If a puppy's color is not one of those above, ask the breeder what it is and what colors the parents are.
What health testing should the parents have?
Knees, heart and windpipe are what the national breed club asks breeders to check, through a patella evaluation, a cardiac exam and an X-ray for tracheal hypoplasia. Ask which of those each parent has had and whether you can see the results.
It helps to know the breed's health picture before you pay. AKC gives the Bulldog a life expectancy of 8 to 10 years, and UK veterinary records put the median somewhat lower, at about 7.2 years in a 2019 study. AKC warns that Bulldogs must not overheat, and the 2019 study linked many of the breed's common problems to its build, including skin fold disease and a breathing condition of flat-faced dogs.
What comes home with the puppy?
All 8 listings here come with a microchip, and 5 come with a vet exam, 5 come with a health record, 3 come with AKC registration and 7 come with a written health guarantee. Each listing says what that puppy goes home with.
Read what each listing includes before comparing prices, and ask what any written health guarantee covers in a breed with these known problems, and for how long.
How do deposits work?
Breeders who take a deposit ask $600 to hold a puppy. Before paying a deposit, find out in writing from the breeder whether it comes back to you if something changes.
The FTC says only scammers require payment by gift card, payment app, cryptocurrency or wire transfer, and suggests a credit card for the protection it gives. It also advises meeting the seller in person or by video before you pay.
What should you ask an English Bulldog breeder?
Ask how the litter was born and how the mother is doing. Ask for both parents' patella, heart and trachea results. Ask what color the parents are, how each one breathes and handles heat, and what the puppy goes home with.
See English Bulldog puppies
The English Bulldog puppies listed on Puppy Connection each show their breeder's price. Choose a Bulldog to see its details, then talk with its breeder.