I will not discuss the history of the breed or its standard, you may find this information in any book on kynology. Before purchasing a dog you have to decide what you need it for, and how you want to train it. Now you have to make a decision on which pup to choose from the litter. First of all, you must make your mind about its gender. And this of course is solely your choice. I, for instance, prefer females. They are more affectionate, devoted, and obedient. The only inconvenience with them is an estrus, but it occurs twice a year or even less frequently; during these periods you have to walk your dog on a leash, and that basically solves the problem. At any other time you may walk your dog without a leash and be assured that it won't run away.

A male causes permanent trouble to the owner; the dog stops at each corner or bush, and sniffs around. And if it comes across an estrus female, the owner is totally forgotten. Besides, it is difficult to avoid fights with other males, which can be dangerous for your pet.

The existing myth that the abstinence is undesirable and can cause sickness of any kind has not been proved true. Females never having pups and females regularly delivering are subject to genital diseases at the same rate.

It is not necessary to start coupling a male if you are not going to couple it in the future due to its inferior exterior and pedigree. Its sexual drive will gradually fade away after three years of age. However, if you couple it at least once, as practically all owners do, the moment of fading its sexual instinct away is postponed for a long time.

If you are going to buy a pup, take a close look at how the puppies are kept, how they look, move, and whether they have a shiny hair. It is possible to envision their future traits even when they are only month and a half. Let me tell you, they all are quite different - quiet or disorderly, courageous or cowardly, sociable or shy. By this age (month and a half) the weight of a healthy pup should be around 2 kg. A pup of a high exterior should have a large head, wide and short paws, and broad chest. They should have a short and compact body, especially males. Their ears may not stick out yet. It has been noticed that ears of small and thin pups stick out at an earlier age. And of course it depends on the size and thickness of their auricle. Anyway, by the age of four months all puppies should have their ears fully stick out. At the age of three to four months one or even both ears may fall down. It may have some connection with the appearance of second teeth. Also, it may happen that the ears even roll back, but after a while they will stick out again.

A muzzle should be short and broad, almost of the head's width. I measure the length of the muzzle putting my index finger on the ridge of the pup's nose and pressing the finger to the forehead. If the nose does not reach beyond the finger, then the muzzle of a grownup dog will be very short which is desirable for this breed. Males may have slightly longer muzzle, as it seems shorter on a larger head. If the nose reaches out more than 2-3 mm I would refrain from purchasing this pup. Apart from the length and the width of the muzzle, an important feature is whether the muzzle is turned-up or not. Excessively lowered muzzles look sad. The tip of the nose should be as much close to the eyes as possible. A high, broad, and sharp forehead is desirable. Eyes should be black, however they may be still bluish at the age of month and a half. They should be set wide, almost at the sides of the head.

If you are going to buy a pup, take a close look at how the puppies are kept, how they look, move, and whether they have a shiny hair. It is possible to envision their future traits even when they are only month and a half. Let me tell you, they all are quite different - quiet or disorderly, courageous or cowardly, sociable or shy. By this age (month and a half) the weight of a healthy pup should be around 2 kg. A pup of a high exterior should have a large head, wide and short paws, and broad chest. They should have a short and compact body, especially males. Their ears may not stick out yet. It has been noticed that ears of small and thin pups stick out at an earlier age. And of course it depends on the size and thickness of their auricle. Anyway, by the age of four months all puppies should have their ears fully stick out. At the age of three to four months one or even both ears may fall down. It may have some connection with the appearance of second teeth. Also, it may happen that the ears even roll back, but after a while they will stick out again.

A muzzle should be short and broad, almost of the head's width. I measure the length of the muzzle putting my index finger on the ridge of the pup's nose and pressing the finger to the forehead. If the nose does not reach beyond the finger, then the muzzle of a grownup dog will be very short which is desirable for this breed. Males may have slightly longer muzzle, as it seems shorter on a larger head. If the nose reaches out more than 2-3 mm I would refrain from purchasing this pup. Apart from the length and the width of the muzzle, an important feature is whether the muzzle is turned-up or not. Excessively lowered muzzles look sad. The tip of the nose should be as much close to the eyes as possible. A high, broad, and sharp forehead is desirable. Eyes should be black, however they may be still bluish at the age of month and a half. They should be set wide, almost at the sides of the head.

The pup should have a broad back, broad and eminent chest, and thick, short and straight forelegs. Its tail is warped, and it should not be cut off. According to the standard, it may be pretty long, but very long tail inferiors the dog's exterior. The tail may be in a shape of a "comma" or a "spin," not to close to the body, but not sticking up too much. A grownup bulldog should not keep its tail above the back line. But the pup's back line is still straight and has no low bend characteristic for this breed, therefore its tail may stick up, but no more than at 45 degrees to the horizon. When the pup's back gets bent, its tail will take the right position.

So far we have been talking about the pups of 1.5-2.5-month old. After that the pups start growing fast and non-uniformly, therefore I would recommend to seek professional help when you have to buy an older dog. By the age 5 or 6 months both its merits and demerits are quite manifest. The pups usually grow in height and length until 4-5 months, after that they mainly gain weight.

Now I want to discuss one more question, because almost all buyers face it. It's the question of the price. The range of prices without understanding their cause often surprises people. It is very well known that the quality of the goods greatly effects the price. It is also true for dogs. The breeder or the owner of kennel determines the price of each pup in the litter based on its exterior and anticipated future; therefore one pup can cost twice as much as the other in the same litter. I have to reiterate, before buying a dog you have to decide what do you want it for. And don't forget it is just a portion of a larger overall cost - for feeding, vaccinations, treatment, etc., and is identical both for the champion and for a small cur. But agree, it's a pleasure, going for a walk with a dog, to hear around cheers of approval, instead of questions about a breed of your dog and surprise at your answer - "It is not similar". Anyway, you have to make selection. But don't trust, if they are telling you about frankly low quality pup, that the head will grow, muzzle will be truncated, the chest will be distributed, clutch will put on flesh, etc. He will never be such. Though the pups can look clumsily in teenage 6-8 months. But I shall not be intercepted on these changes, since each dog develops very non-uniformly.