Australasian Bosdog puppies

About the Australasian Bosdog

The Australasian Bosdog is a thickset, short faced companion breed developed in Australia from the early 1990s, when breeders blended the British Bulldog with several other breeds to produce a dog that could cope with a hot climate. Dogs Australia and Dogs New Zealand both list the breed in the Non Sporting group. The result is a powerful, medium sized dog of roughly 44 to 50 centimetres that reads as formidable and turns out to be stable, predictable and affectionate at home.

Living with one is straightforward. The smooth coat wants little more than a weekly going over and a bath when they get grubby. Exercise needs are genuine but modest, so a decent daily walk and some play will cover them. What the breed does need is company, because they were bred to sit with the family rather than to work alone. New owners read the broad head and heavy front as a guard dog brief and underestimate how much socialisation a powerfully built dog needs around other dogs.

What to expect at eight weeks

At eight weeks a Australasian Bosdog puppy is sleeping around 18 to 20 hours a day, is not house trained, and cannot hold on for more than an hour or two at a stretch. A large breed puppy at eight weeks looks deceptively normal sized and will roughly double every few weeks for a while. Keep exercise short and low impact, the growth plates are wide open. Expect moderate energy, in short bursts separated by long naps. Grooming is straightforward, but start handling the coat, feet and ears in week one anyway so it is never a fight later. The socialisation window is open and closing: everything they meet calmly now, from vacuum cleaners to men in hats, is easier for the rest of their life.

Health worth knowing about

Conditions this breed is reported to be predisposed to. Predisposed does not mean inevitable, it means ask about it.

• Hip dysplasia, which responsible breeders screen breeding stock for by x-ray before mating
• Elbow dysplasia, found by scoring x-rays of the front limbs in breeding animals
• Eye conditions, picked up by an examination from a veterinary ophthalmologist
• Heat and exercise intolerance linked to the short muzzle, judged by watching how quickly the dog recovers their breathing after work on a warm day
• Exaggeration of the short face or heavy build, which the breed standard asks breeders and judges to avoid because it harms health and soundness

Your Australasian Bosdog puppy's first six months

• Vaccination schedule, dated for your country.
• Worming and parasite schedule.
• Feeding calculator. Set expected adult size to Large for a Australasian Bosdog.
• Adult size predictor, to check growth against the 26 to 35 kg adult range.
• Puppy names and the first week checklist.

Kit sizes: crate 42 inch (42 x 28 x 30 in, 107 x 71 x 76 cm) for an adult of up to 35 kg; chew toys made for large breeds. Worked out the same way as the crate size calculator. PetMD bases a crate on the dog's own measurements, not weight or breed alone, so measure once the puppy is home.

Buying guides for this

• Best chew toys for teething puppies, by size, and the chews to skip
• Harness or collar for a puppy? What the neck pressure studies show
• Best crate for a puppy: wire, plastic or soft, and how to size one with a divider

Other large breeds

More on the Australasian Bosdog

Previous: Aussiedoodle · Next: Australian Cattle Dog

Sources

• dogsnz.org.nz for adult weight and height, energy, grooming and the temperament ratings and coat type
• dogsnsw.org.au for life expectancy, country of origin and health notes
• Health notes from Australasian Bosdog breed information at https://www.dogsnsw.org.au/breeds/browse-all-breeds/australasian-bosdog/. Discuss any of these with your own vet.