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Breeders who would like to add some information to this members section on percentages and breeding please add it below by clicking the reply button. If you wish to add a picture on the bottom on your post that would be suitable .

Guest · Posted: Tue Dec 12, 2006 8:10 pm Post subject:

Hi, this is Fleur from Mallee Bull Kennels. I like to do my research into the percentage of dogs before doing a mating. I am to be producing pups in the 80% range as I have found from my experience that it produces pups of nice solid structure. good bone. You do still get the odd head that is plain, which preferable for these to be pets only. You need to have a good solid knowledge of what is behind you dogs, familiarise yourself with pictures etc of grandparents as this is generally what your dog will throw back to. Below is a picture of Mallee Bull's Willie G he is an example of an Aussie in the 80% range:[img]

Keeping to the percentage breeding we are getting good consistency of solid stocky pups, keeping away from long legged pups. Each and every breeder has there own style that they like, I respect that.

Guest

We have been involved with Aussie Bulldogs and the UABA since 2003. We have seen first hand how using percentages as a guide aswell as taking in to consideration the individual dogs type and lineage has produced a consistent Aussie bulldog. The target % of the Aussie Bulldog has been found to be around 80% which breeders have found to throw the most consistent type of dog as in bone structure, body type, head type health and temperment.But keep in mind that to achieve this target we sometimes need to introduce the use of British bulldogs or high % dogs over lower % or foundation dogs to bring the progeny's % up to be within this target. I am sure every breeder has there own ideas on breeding but we all seem to agree in the UABA that using %'s as a guide we have all produced sound and consistent Aussie Bulldogs for you all to enjoy.

We have a mixture of dogs that we breed from in our own breeding kennel such as Foundation dogs high% Aussie dogs 80% aussie dog and British bulldog to cater to all breeders to reach the desired target of around 80%. with the vision that in the future ideally all aussie breeders are breeding aussie to aussie. As is the vision of the UABA. But there is still alot of work to be done to get to this stage.So lets all get behind each other and enjoy it while we are doing it..

Here is a pic of our girl Pearly whom we breed ouselves from a low % bitch back to a British bulldog to produce her (80%) With the aim of her dogs being breed back to a compatible aussie male to produce consistent aussies which are similar or better.

Her is a pic of our male soon to be stud (cox Heartbreaker) Pharaoh who is 89.5% who we accquired for the purpose of breeding with low % bitches and also to breed with our foundation dogs progeny who will be 75% to then produce pups who are 82%.

Doug and Leigh Bell
Brindlee Aussie Bulldogs

Maple-Lee · Guest

I think that everyone aiming at the same % is going to one day have all the Aussies looking very similar in appearance and bone structure, as at the moment we have a big variation between some of our Aussies, this maybe in height, bone structure, head type,longer noses than others etc. As we own four Aussies, they all have there different looks, one of my girls Zia who is only 73% is finer in her bones than our other girl Zoe who is 86.5% but she is great to go back to our boy Dodge who is 94% as the pups from them will be at 83%. If we all aim at the same % then one day we should have dogs that are going to be very similar in type. My personal opinion is that we will get throw offs in our litters that may look like a grandparent from three genarations back,but this is genetics as the same happens to us as humans. But with many years of breeding and keeping our Aussies around the same % as each other we will eventually have ours dogs looking very much the same as each other its not going to happen over night it will take time and if we stick together and work as one, then one day we will get there . So in my eyes you do need to use the Brittish at this time over some of our Aussies to get the consistancy put into our dogs . I dont understand myself that others wont allow British, and are against using them in their breeding program but are happy to breed with an Aussie that have a British parent. You either should not allow British at all in your Aussies if thats what your beleifs are, or come with us and try and make our Aussies in the UABA all of the one standard. I've heard comments from people that we are trying to get our Aussies to look the same as the British, this is not true we are only using the British in some females to bring them up to the same stardard as other Aussies. I have had people ring me and ask" I want a pup that looks like a British Bulldog" my answer to them is" these are not British Bulldogs so maybe you should be looking at the British and not the Aussies" And one day down the track we will not have to use the British in our breeding as we will be able to breed Aussies back to Aussie because they will be all around the same % and type.

Guest · Posted: Wed Dec 13, 2006 2:48 pm Post subject: The Great Percentage Mystery

The Great Percentage Mystery

Where do we start? Firstly let me say that the title of this article may be misleading to some. In fact, it would appear that anything to do with percentages may actually confuse the heck out of most people. This said, I will try to put it as simply as possible but first let’s look at the problem.

So why are percentages so confusing and controversial. Well, the answer is simple. Most people are looking at the answer to the question and not the question it’s self which is fine if you are already in the Land of OZ (the answer) but a real problem if you are looking for the yellow brick road (how to get to OZ).

The Aussie, like most breeds of dogs get very little attention paid to how it actually came to be the way it is, that is until you decide you want to breed the little bugger. You see people who want a pet to love, really don’t care that much about percentages and will love their dog for what it is. Don’t get me wrong here I know for a fact everyone wants the perfect dog, I get asked for it all the time.

The truth is there is no such thing as the perfect dog and people have unrealistic expectations when it comes to dogs. However, when talking about the Aussie Bulldog we are trying to get as close to peoples expectations as possible. In the quest to do so it would appear that we have stumbled across a bit of an ethical issue when it comes to the use of British Bulldogs in the breeding program. This is usually due to people being ill-informed, inexperienced, ignorant, foolish or close minded. So let’s address the issue of the British Bulldog and percentages.

Pay attention now because here comes the important part……………….

EVERYTHING HAS A MATHEMATICAL FORMULA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, that’s correct your dog no matter what the breed has a mathematical formula in its genetic makeup. The Aussie is no different. Except, some people know and understand the formula and other people who may claim to be experienced and maybe even experts on the breed have absolutely no bloody idea, which is probably why they will tell you that percentages are all rubbish and British Bulldogs should not be used.

When talking about the Aussie Bulldog one of the main ingredients in the formula is the British Bulldog. The British Bulldog is what you could call the foundation on which we develop the Aussie. When we speak about the percentage of a particular Aussie Bulldog we are referring to the percentage of British Bulldog Blood within the genetic makeup of our Aussie. Our aim is to produce dogs of Bulldog type and temperament.

So, what is the perfect percentage? Well as a general rule we are looking for a percentage of around 81%. Now most of, not all, but most of the best Aussie Bulldogs I have ever seen have been between 78% and 87%. This percentage is not only desired for the general appearance of our dog but more importantly for the consistency in the progeny that this dog will continue to produce.

This does not mean that we can only mate 81% to 81% this is simply our eventual aim. If we have a 75% female and we mate it back to a 87.5% male we will produce pups that are 81.25%. This is also the case if we have a 75% male and a 87.5% female. We can also put a 100% British Bulldog to a 62% dog to reach the 81.25%. Whatever the percentage of your dog try to conduct a compatible mating so you come as close to the 81% as possible,

Now I am not going to go into all the different mathematical formulas to reach these desired percentages as that would take more pages than most people would care to read and I would care to write. However, I have spoken to most breeders numerous times in relation to this matter and covered it in great detail. What I will say is this.

All the hard work has been done for you. If you are a breeder or you are looking to breed these dogs it is a very simple procedure that should be fun, not stressful or confusing. There is plenty of information, experience and knowledge available to you. If you don’t know ask and pay attention you will soon know if someone is giving you the correct information or they are full of crap. Go to someone you trust and you know will give you the correct information.

DO NOT TRY TO MAKE IT MORE DIFFICULT THAN IT ACTUALLY IS

Remember,
“Only a fool travels a path they have been warned not to travel and then complains when things go wrong”

Let’s run a scenario by using what I consider the two best breeds of dogs for this purpose. You can find the reason for this on the UABA web site.

1) A female Bullmastiff (BM) 100%
2) A male British Bulldog (BBD) 100%
The pups from this mating will be 50% British Bulldog and 50% Bullmastiff. Now if we take it a step further and mate these female pups to another British Bulldog

1) A female 50% British Bulldog 50% Bullmastiff
2) A male British Bulldog 100%
The pups from this mating will be 75% British Bulldog and 25% Bullmastiff. So, we now have a first generation Aussie that we would refer to as a percentage of 75%. These pups would be suitable to go back to Aussie Bulldogs of 87.5% to produce pups of the 81.25%

1) A Female 75% Aussie Bulldog (75%BBD & 25%BM)
2) A male 87.5% Aussie Bulldog
The pups from this mating will be 81.25%. These pups can then continue to be mated to Aussie Bulldogs of a similar percentage. Simple, yes!

So that’s one way of creating an Aussie Bulldog of desired percentage. There are numerous others that can take longer and are more complicated. If you have read all the information on the UABA web site you will know all about the origin of the Aussie Bulldog and what dogs were originally used and why.

No Mystery, just a little math and some common sense

To give you another idea of why the British Bulldogs had to be used to produce some of the great looking Aussie Bulldogs out there and cement a certain type, I’ll briefly speak about a dog most of you will know, Macobri Shrek for Cox “Shrek” now owned by Sudar Aussie Bulldogs.

Now unfortunately I can not take any credit for breeding Shrek. The mating was done by Noel and Tina GREEN using there male British Bulldog Bungalow Bronson ov Jag 100%. However, I did have the great pleasure of owning and raising Shrek from the time he was 8 weeks old until I sold him at about two and a half years old.

Below is a photo of Bungalow Bronson ov Jag BDD

Shrek is an awesome dog that has it all, great nature, good looks and he is a proven sire. In fact he is probably one of the most used Aussie Stud males that I know of. The beauty of Shrek is he consistently throws pups of similar type. THIS IS THE WHOLE AIM OF THE GAME, we want to produce consistent type in our litters. This attribute can be largely attributed to his Sire Bungalow Bronson ov Jag who has been one of the greatest contributors to the Aussie Bulldog breeding program over the last 4 years.

Below is a photo Shrek at 13 months Sired by Bungalow Bronson ov Jag

Shreks percentage makeup.

1) Mother was a 62% or 5/8 which is a result of a 50% mated to a 75%
2) Father was a British Bulldog 100%
This gives us our 81.25% and as you can see by looking at Shrek a very nice result. Now if we could continue to produce dogs of Shrek’s type I would be happy. However, we have been lucky enough to see what I believe to be improvements in the type of his progeny making them even better.

A couple of examples of the consistency Shrek produced in his sons are;
1) Cox Digga
2) KASLIDA ZEUS
3) VARA ZUKO SON OV SHREK
All these dogs can be viewed on the UABA web Site and are testimony to what we have been trying to achieve.

Below is a photo of Cox Digga at 15 months Sired by Shrek

Now before everyone get all sensitive or offended, let me say that there are a lot of good looking dogs out there of lower and higher percentage and I am only using “Shrek” as an example because he is so well known and has so many consistent progeny over a broad range of females.

Below is a photo of Cox Gigga at 5 weeks Sired by Cox Digga

So, here is the thing and there is really no way of getting around this. If we want to produce a certain type of Aussie Bulldog and consistently produce pups of that same type or better we have to conduct matings between compatible dogs with compatible percentages and, there will be times that the British Bulldog will be needed to strengthen the breeding for the next generation.

Now, although there is not as great a need for the British Bulldogs to be used these days, there are still a lot of breeders out there that are not associated with the UABA or any other governing body who are breeding so called Aussie Bulldogs that will need to be mated back to British Bulldogs. This will need to be done if they are to have any chance of producing the type and quality that we are now seeing in litters being registered with the UABA.

The fact is you have all the information, experience and knowledge available to you so you can breed the best possible pups. What you choose to do with this information and how you choose to use it, if you choose to use it at all, is entirely up to you.

If you have two low percentage dogs and you are planning on mating them. You are making an avoidable mistake. If you have a low percentage dog that should be mated back to a British Bulldog but some bumbling idiot told you that you shouldn’t, so you won’t. You are making another avoidable mistake, and only fools make avoidable mistakes.

So, even if you are not already in the land of OZ then at least you know how to find the yellow brick road. Good Luck and Remember This,

“The easy way is for weak people, with no Heart and no Passion”

Paul Cox
13 December, 2006

Tascarni Aussie Bulldogs · Guest

I would like to say a big thankyou to Paul Cox. He made a very confusing subject very clear. Very Happy

I have discussed this subject with a few breeders now, and find I pick up a bit more info each time. A little bit will come clear, but with each new bit of info, there seems to be a new bit of confusion. Paul's explanation, IMO, was in easy to understand language with great examples and demonstrations. Thanks again Paul.

Guest · Posted: Wed Dec 13, 2006 10:11 pm Post subject: WWW research - Interesting.

I was researching the use of percentages used in other breeds breeding programs on the WWW tonight and came across this.

I found this to be a fantastic read and thought I would share it with others.

I found numerous sites regarding breeding based on percentages, I will say that some were based on percentages of different lines not different breeds but they still calculated there results on percentages.

In the article below percentages are used to calculate the amount of Wolf and Dog in a wolf hybrid.

Breeding and Genetics
Although most breeders raise hybrids to sell to the public, there is a small group of breeders and enthusiasts seeking to establish a new and distinct breed of canine. Their long-term goal, as described by one well-known breeder, is to obtain an "ideal... a wolf/dog cross strongly and attractively resembling its wolf counterpart visually, slightly aloof and territorial, but easily managed by its owner" (Dorothy Prendergast, The Wolf Hybrid, p.6). While most breeders would readily agree with this ideal, not all agree on the means to achieve it.
Theoretically, a wolf hybrid can result from the mating of a wolf with any breed of dog. Wolves have been bred with such diverse breeds as malamutes, Siberian huskies, German shepherds, rottweilers, collies, pit bulls, and even standard poodles.

The initial mating most commonly occurs between a male dog and a female wolf, though the opposite mating can also occur. The offspring produced from such a mating are first generation, or F1, hybrids. F1 and subsequent hybrids can then be bred with other hybrids, with pure wolves, or with the same or different breeds of dog, resulting in a group of hybrids with a wide range of genetic makeup.

This genetic makeup is most often represented as a percentage, a number which is presumed to be a measure of the amount of wolf blood in the animal. The percentage not only represents the lineage of a hybrid, but is often used to determine its selling price as well.
When advertised for sale, hybrids are often described by a baffling array of percentages that purport to accurately represent the amount of wolf blood in the animal being sold. There is no uniformity amongst breeders in the way these percentage figures are determined, and a breeder can assign percentages to their animals by using several different methods. The most common, which may be termed the "pedigree method," is to add together the "known" percentages of wolf in the two parents and divide the sum by two to get the percentage of wolf in the offspring. Thus, when a pure (100 percent) wolf is bred to a pure (0 percent) dog, the offspring, an F1 hybrid, will be 50 percent wolf. If this F1 is then bred to another pure wolf, the result would be a 75 percent hybrid.

Website inwhich this information was taken is. http://www.nal.usda.gov/awic/newsletters/v5n4/5n4wille.htm

Guest · Posted: Thu Dec 14, 2006 9:20 pm Post subject:

I have read with great interest, the comments and opinions of Aussie Bulldog breeders on the subject of percentages.
It is so pleasing to see the knowledge and research that has gone into this discussion.
Paul Cox has approached the issue with great understanding, gained from much experience, and presented it so everyone can understand.

As for myself, with eighteen litters behind me, yes I do look very carefully at percentages, and often do matings to produce a certain percentage.
Example: I will do a mating to produce a 90+% litter, which is good for stud males...at this stage.
It is definatly necessary to mate dogs that physically compliment each other, as well as calculating percentages behind both parents, to achieve the desired result.

I feel that there is still a lot of work to be done, to reach the desired goal of 80%, and knowing so many breeders are working enthusiastically towards it, is extremely encouraging!

Julie Wickham
YANCO Kennels

Guest · Posted: Fri Dec 15, 2006 10:28 am Post subject:

As you know we are only new comers to this wonderful breed in the past couple of years and are still waiting for our first litter. We dont claim to be something we are NOT. I will be the first to tell anyone that we are still learning about the whole breeding process and will be learning like everyone else for quite some time. I am personally glad that it has taken us a while to get started as it has given us time to do the research we needed to select our wonderfull dogs for our programe. Paul your post was such a great read, THANK YOU How can anyone say % are not necessary, you only need to look at what is being bred and what has been bred by the UABA breeders. We have a foundation girl of only 62.5% who will be put to a british to produce 81.25% pups who will then go back to Conan 86.5% to produce pups of 83.% Jag Bull Soxie who is 81.25% to Conan will give us 83.% and Colly 83%to Conan will give us 84%. If the need is there for High % male pups then we will use Bronco Of Steens 93%, sired by Bungalow Bronson. Bronco, or as Noel calls him (THE COFFEE TABLE Laughing

) will help us with the body type and consistancy we want as you all know has awesome bone structure, good square type and a floorless personality.

we all need to work together with the percentages and think about our matings whether a new comer or not.
keeping the % within the 80% bracket and use the British when its needed.

We have seen some fantastic Aussies bred by the UABA breeders and by working WITH the percentages and some of those awesome Aussies bred by you guys, we to hope to be breeding Awesome Aussie as well.

Guest · Posted: Thu Dec 21, 2006 1:37 pm Post subject:

Sudar Aussie Bulldogs use percentages as a guide to all our matings.
We have a full blood British male we use to service our foundation and low percentage bitches.
Now if you havent already read what Paul Cox has written on this subject he once again has hit it on the head, very well written,easy to understand but most of all we believe covers every point of this topic by a man that has years of experience,knowledge and common sense! Anybody that is still against percentages or the use of British Bulldogs in our breeding programs must be off somewhere with Dorothy and the Tin Man.We believe we owe it to the breed,the breed founders,state delegates,past and present breeders and our customers to produce the best possible Aussie Bulldogs.
With the years of experience and knowledge that is available to all UABA members from people like Paul & Kristy Cox,Noel & Tina Green and Julie Wickham just to name a few,there is no reason why all breeders cant achieve this goal.
Look at the quality of pups produced from kennels like Cox,Jag and Yanco etc...Need anymore be said.
Sudar Aussie Bulldogs.