Issue one includes:

Is there a right way to do it?

There are 2 kinds of dog owners that I absolutely detest. The first is the dog owner who expects his dog to be a person and the second is the dog owner who tries to be a dog, both equally lead to problems created by the person, the dog meanwhile has an impossible task trying to work out which he actually is. All the time we hear people talking about the “pecking order”, how important it is that the owner should be “dominant” with their dog; eating first, going through doorways first - do you really think your dog knows what you are doing?

Before commencing any training with any dog you must remember the first rule - you are a person, your dog is a dog. You behave like a person, your dog behaves like a dog, once that is completely clear in your mind the rest will follow. Whatever theory of domestication you follow the fact remains that your dog’s train of thought is more like that of a wolf and not that of a human.

Think through all the things your dog does that makes you angry, we could probably even compile a top 5!

· Barking when shut away
· Growling when he can’t get his own way or keep his trophy
· Not coming back when called
· Chewing the furniture
· Weeing in the house

As humans we expect the dog to do as we tell him, as dogs all of these things are natural normal behaviours that shouldn’t be a subject of conflict between him and his person.

Some dogs will bark when shut away because they don’t want to be shut away, barking usually brings a person, even if it’s just to tell them to shut up - the dog learns that no matter how long you keep the barking up - a person will come. Growling is an excellent tool that usually stops a human dead in their tracks and means you can keep whatever is in your mouth at the time. It also works really well if the human wants you to move and you don’t want to!

Not coming back when called is a totally man made problem - why come back if it means the funs is over - I’d rather run some more and if that invites my human to join in this wonderful game of chase then even better.

Chewing the furniture ALWAYS gets a reaction as does weeing in the house. The truth is the dog doesn’t know the different between a carpet and a lawn, the dog doesn’t know the different between the wooden chair leg and the wooden stick they are allowed to play with. Dogs need to chew, it goes part and parcel of being a dog and subsequently they have no clue that the behaviour is wrong. Dogs that are continuously chastised for weeing in the house will sometimes simply learn that it’s dangerous to wee in front of you!

Whatever the behaviour, the problem should not be dealt with as a “text book case. There are no hard and fast rules as to how any specific “problem” should be handled. In fact in many cases you’d achieve better success by changing YOUR behaviour! Whenever you are faced with a behaviour problem that you wish to change, the first question you need to ask is “what does my dog achieve by acting in this way” and then think about what YOU do next - the what happens next is the point at which the behaviour is learned, and once learned it is very very difficult to reverse it. Dogs are not pre programmed to all think in exactly the same way - just as with children, what works for one will not work for another. A classic example of this is food guarding, in most cases the dog has no objection to you taking the food bowl away - in others it teaches him that he needs to guard it and a behaviour problem is “created”. I have a big problem with people that insist they can take the food bowl away from their dog because in doing so all you achieve is giving the dog a reason to guard his food in the first place.

Well first up throw away the text book that tries to explain why a dog does what he does, he does what he does because it creates a reaction - the “What Happens Next” scenario that will almost always mould the dog’s behaviour. Once you have figured out what the dog achieves you can then begin to work at changing it, by reacting in a pleasant or not so pleasant way that would make the dog think twice next time. Don’t hit him (unless of course you want a confrontation) but don’t give the dog a reason to repeat the behaviour unless it’s a behaviour you want repeated. Above all be consistent - remember he learned to bark in the night because it made you come running and this may only have taken one night to learn - you need to not come running for a lot more nights to teach him that the outcome is different now and barking does nothing more than give him a sore throat. Adding food to a food guarders bowl teaches him that your presence brings more food and doesn’t threaten the food he already has, getting a treat for coming back when called teaches him something nice happens when he’s recalled, give a treat and let him run off again is even better - he learns that being called isn’t an automatic sign that he’s going back on the lead now. In almost every situation it is easy to work out what the dog is achieving by his behaviour - trophy stealing makes someone chase him, growling makes people back off - you get the idea don’t you. And then simply reinforce this by praising desired behaviour, ignoring undesired behaviour and make sure that your reaction is appropriate and consistent.

As this is a rescue magazine you may think an article about dog showing is inappropriate as we don't get the paperwork to enter Kennel Club registered shows, however, we can all enter the new Companion dog shows that used to be called Exemption shows, these can be great fun for the family especially in the summer if you don't take them too seriously!!

These shows can be entered on the day so if it's too hot or raining one doesn't feel obligated to go (most other shows are entered really far in advance, Championship shows about 8 weeks ahead and Open shows about 14 days previous to the date).

To prepare your dog for a show, even a fun one it's a good idea to bath him 3 days before, this will mean he's clean but will give the natural oils a chance to come back into the coat giving a rich healthy glow to the dog if you rub the dog with a cloth and with your hands this really brings a good shine, take special care to clean his wrinkles, wipe his ears and clean and cream around his tail if its tight. Check his nails are as short as they can be, trim them a few days before so he's used to the feel of his cut nails before the show. Practice walking on the lead up and down and also in a big triangle; try to teach the dog to stand when ever you stop as most pet dogs sit as soon as you halt! Take a bottle of water and a bowl with you and find a nice shady place to sit where your dog can be comfortable, it's a good idea to have a first aid bag with you containing a Jif Lemon for any frothing that may occur with excitement or stress, some Piriton syrup for stings and a water spray to help cool him down.

Bulldogs are shown facing the judge towards the centre of the ring this shows the most famous breed point, his head and his front which is unique to the bulldog, the other breeds stand sideways, but we show the Judge our heads!

There are usually classes for Pedigree dogs by age, Puppy 6 to 12 months, Junior 12 to 18 months, Postgraduate (dogs not won 5 x 1st places) and Open, all dogs are eligible, then there are classes for Rescue dogs, Dog most like Owner (interesting Concept that one for our breed - not sure if us ladies want to win that one!!) Dog Judge most wants to take home.

There are usually lovely Rosettes and Trophies as the shows are for charity some are given bags of food and dog goodies, as prizes. Dog showing can become addictive, you will probably see some very serious exhibitors in all breeds getting ready for the show. The Kennel Club Licensed show scene in the UK is dominated by the major kennels, who produce a large number of puppies per year giving them huge choices as to what they exhibit, it's hard to compete when you are a hobby breeder as you probably breed only a litter every 2 years and then you have Hobson's choice as you can only keep what's there!! a common moan is that Mr X always wins but mostly it's because he does have consistently good dogs as he's been breeding for years and in quantity, it's quite obvious by the ringside when a newcomer or an outsider takes a top award usually the spectators give enthusiastic applause as it's very hard to breed a top winning dog and to get past the major kennels and win!

The way we show and compete in the UK at Championship level is like a knock out competition, all the winning dogs of each class (usually 8 classes) line up and the best dog and reserve dog is chosen, the winner gets the Challenge Certificate (CC) and the other the Reserve (RCC) the same is repeated with the bitch classes and then the two CC winners compete for Best of Breed, the Best of breed goes forward into the main ring and competes in the Group, bulldogs are in the Utility group, basically companion dogs or dogs that don't fit into the other groups. The Best of Group is then chosen the then the 7 winning dogs from all the groups compete again for Best In Show. To enter at Crufts Dog Show which is most exhibitors aim, one has to be in the first three places in qualifying classes at these Championship level shows, so to be at that show one has to be a previously highly placed winner.

The Bulldog Picnic started life as a small, informal, gathering of people who owned a bulldog. I’ll always remember the first event held back in 1998, I think we welcomed around 60 people who brought between them around 20 bulldogs. In those days the money raised was passed onto the Fred and Olive Hunt as the rescue was run by them at that stage. We took over the reigns in April 2001 and from there the picnic became a much larger event as we now had details of adopted bulldogs that had been through the rescue system. Up until 2002 the picnic was held in our own back garden, but now that we were running the rescue as well we had to accept that we had run out of room, with a head count that topped over 100 bulldogs it became apparent that it was time to move.

In 2003 we held our first picnic on Lavant Village Green, just a few miles North of Chichester in West Sussex and only 10 miles from the original venue in our garden and what a good idea we did move, over 300 people attended that first Lavant picnic raising over £2,500.00 for the rescue.

This year was just as amazing and in actual fact we topped last years record amount by raising a little over £3,000.00. With everything as it had always been, Stalls, BBQ, Raffle and a rescue parade, the afternoon continued along the same format but on a much larger scale.

A few people commented at how much cozier the old picnics were and I must admit they were much easier to set up for and organize in those days but the Picnic continues to grow and I guess could be classed as a victim of it’s own success. I hope it continues for many years to come, as the only event for pet owners it’s rapidly on it’s way to cult status with many bulldoggers making their annual pilgrimage to West Sussex in order for their bulldogs to enjoy their Picnic.

For details of next years picnic simply send an SAE to BULLDOG PICNIC 2005, PO BOX 18, MIDHURST, WEST SUSSEX, GU29 9YU. We hold it on the first Saturday of each September and you can always find out more about it at www.bulldogrescue.co.uk

“Don’t waste your money on a pedigree dog - buy a mongrel” is what I believe Emma Milne said in the closing moments of Real Stories (Tuesday 14 June 2004 BBC1).

The big problem is that we, the general public, assume that when a Vet says something, their years worth of veterinary training means that they actually know what they are on about. When a vet informs you that your dog is ill you have little option but believe him, so when Emma Milne described the bulldog as a Mutated Freak that spends it’s entire life struggling for air - the public have little choice but believe her? The damage this statement alone could do to the breed doesn’t bear thinking about, but the damage that could be done to all the good work that’s gone into pedigree dogs over the years could be instantly wiped out by the even more ridiculous statement regarding buying a mongrel.

I wonder how much time Emma spends in the company of rescue and welfare organisations, in fact set ups such as Battersea Dogs Home are so over run with cross bred and mongrel dogs that most pedigree dogs are passed on to their respective breed rescues in order to give the home the space and the time to look after the rest. They even have a “Breed Rescue Co-ordinator” who’s job it is to work with the breed rescues ensuring that the transfer from dogs home to breed rescue goes as smoothly as possible. So why does Ms Milne want to add to this figure? Further more, why does Ms Milne want to encourage the unregulated breeding of dogs in general?

For the most part, dog breeding is a hobby to most breeders, this hobby is regulated by the Kennel Club, and as such, the breeding of pedigree dogs is regulated. Restrictions apply regarding the age a bitch can be bred, the number of litters she can have, even the number of litters a particular breeder can have before requiring a breeders licence, can you imagine what would happen in the event these restrictions are lifted? Without the guidance of the kennel club that is exactly what would happen.

At the time of going to press Miss Milne is awaiting an investigation from the Royal College, due to misleading and inaccurate comments made on Real Stories and her appearance on GMTV the following morning. We will await the outcome with baited breath.

£2000.000 A PUPPY! Gosh you’d never get them in rescue at that price would you?

£2000.000 A PUPPY! I can’t afford that.

£2,000.000 A PUPPY! That’s just greedy

£2,000.00 A PUPPY! I guess they only end up in good homes if they cost that much

What ever your opinion of the prices of bulldog puppies right now, the bottom line is that it’s crazy money. Bulldogs have always been expensive and for the most part the price has been justified. There is no getting away from the fact that they are very difficult dogs to work with, very expensive to breed and the entire process can be very heartbreaking when done properly. There’s little doubt that the c-section - the main reason why they receive so much bad press - prevents the breed from being easily puppy farmed, but cross bred bulldogs have sprung up around the UK from breeders who found a way round it - cross a male bulldog with a free whelping bullbreed bitch and convince the public they are “healthy alternatives”, sadly these cross bred so called “new improved” dogs end up nothing like Bulldogs, with loads more energy and requiring lots more attention.

Meanwhile, the true breeders continued their slog to create healthy bulldogs by only breeding with healthy bulldogs and for a good while there things were working really well. Health was improving, breathing and movement were certainly much better and the “roaring” that used to be commonplace ringside was almost completely gone. Subsequently, the breed wasn’t getting quite so much bad press and a sensible number of true bulldogs were being registered each year. Then suddenly they began to get fashionable, the price began to rise from £700 to £800 to £900 to £1000.000 in only 3 years. New bulldog owners were realising that they could sell pups for £1000.00 a time and pet bitches were being mated so “she could have just one litter” to people with no KC affix, no breed experience, no thought as to where the puppies ended up and no idea what to say when things went wrong. The true breeders found they had to up their price just to be taken seriously and the result is now easily £2000.00 a puppy - that is double what they were 3 years ago.

Speak to people now and most will agree that this price is just too high, but it’s not ensuring they stay out of rescue, or ensuring that only those people with lots of money can afford them - it’s encouraging the wrong people to breed them! Those that don’t have the money either buy a “cheaper” cross bred bulldog, only to find that the energy levels are too high, or the frustrated animal ends up aggressive - or worse - didn’t realise they were buying a cross bred bulldog until it ends up twice the size with twice the exercise needs.

The knock on effect does eventually keep bulldogs out of rescue - not because no one needs to ever rehome their bulldog, but because suddenly they realise that instead of making sure their much loved pet ends up in a vetted pet home, they can sell him - despite his age and state of health and still get a good few hundred quid for him. How on earth can that be good for the breed?

Those that have spent out a fortune on their bulldog puppy scream “court room” at the breeder the second things go wrong - if you bought a £2000 ring and the stone fell out of it after 6 months you’d want to know why, sadly as many of these pups start their rapid growth and begin what is almost always a temporary phase of lameness - the buyers are screaming for half their money back because the vet has told them he’s got OCD or HD.

Something needs to be done to cap the prices. Unless breeders are happy to seriously health screen their breeding stock they cannot justify the price as it stands right now. The Breed Council are piloting a health scheme, and we urge buyers to only buy from breeders that have signed up to what is currently a voluntary system. Lets keep bulldogs out of rescue because there is no need to have a rescue, not because the owners of these dogs are greedy!

WHAT IS YOUR ROLE IN BULLDOG RESCUE AND WHAT DO YOU DO? I am the co-ordinator which means I am the first point of contact and the one that keeps the records, accounts and the web site up to date. As the foster home for my area I also can have anything from 1 to 6 dogs here as fosters at any given time as well as my own 5 dogs. My husband and I run our own business from home so my day is pretty much spent flitting between work and rescue, firstly by feeding our own dogs and the rescues and the pooh patrol is undertaken - I always joke that the first 20 minutes of my day is spent picking up pooh - it's a shame it can't be used on the garden, we could sell it and make a fortune. The mornings are the most busy, by the time all the dogs have been fed and the rescue kennels cleaned out there's usually quite a few messages on the answerphone to deal with, emails also need to be collected and replied to and the post usually brings an array of adoption applications, cheques, letters and correspondence that needs to be dealt with also, I am usually ready to start the day at about 10.30am which give me enough time to have a cup of coffee at my desk, sort through the work I need to do that day and wait for 11am when I start answering the rescue telephone. Lunch time is also a bit of a rush, I use this time to eat my lunch and walk the rescue dogs, this can be done in anything up to 4 shifts and as in the evening I try to walk my own dogs, theoretically I should be the fittest person on earth.

There could also be dogs in other foster homes around the country plus the dogs that are still in their homes, paperwork and vet care for these dogs need to be seen to and of course each dog will require a new home. We have an extensive waiting list of people around the country and we aim to chose the new family from this list from people that are in the area the dog is in, once I have short-listed a family I run basic back ground checks on them and then offer them the dog. Once accepted I contact the nearest volunteer to undertake the home check and providing all is well the new family can then visit the dog. Of course I need to be kept informed and once the dog has gone to his new home all the necessary care and adoption information has to be forwarded. No all dogs can stay at home and for these dogs I have to work out who the closest foster home is and contact them to arrange collection and fostering of the dog. Details are kept here of which dog is where and how far through the rehoming process they are and in between I keep the accounts and web sites up to date and arrange the annual volunteer meeting and the Bulldog Picnic which is our annual fund raiser. When you write it all down like that it seems like a lot of hard work, but it is quite possibly one of the most rewarding jobs in the workd and as a volunteer every second of time given to Bulldog Rescue is for love.

WHY DID YOU WANT TO BE A RESCUE VOLUNTEER AND WHY IS B BULLDOG RESCUE IMPORTANT TO YOU? Our first bulldog was a rescue so it seemed quite ironic that we should go full circles and end up running the service. We were asked to take over the reigns from Fred and Olive Hunt in 2001 but had no idea that it would be this busy. It took a while to get everything running smoothly and work out a way that it would fit in with the general working day without taking over (which is very difficult). I guess we are pretty lucky in bulldogs in that we don't have a massive rescue problem and cruelty cases are pretty few and far between, but I do feel it's important that the breed has a place of safely especially when a rehoming is necessary - usually brought about by a divorce or a new baby - as it means there is a safely net in place to prevent the dogs ending up in the wrong hands.