French Bulldog Breed Information

French Bulldog Breed Information

The French Bulldog is a companion dog that became popular in Paris in the 1800s. Since then, French Bulldogs have been in more homes because of their small size and friendly nature with people and children.

This small breed is in the non-sporting group of dogs because it requires little exercise. French Bulldogs are affectionate and loving, making them an excellent pet to have around friends and family.

Also known as Frenchies, these dogs are playful, alert, and relate well with kids, which is great for most homes. They are easily adaptable to indoor life, including apartments, because of their low energy levels.

If you are planning to get a French Bulldog or want to know your pup better, here are some details about French Bulldogs you might want to know.

Size

Large

Grooming

Large

Space Needed

Large Garden

Life Span

Large Garden

Exercise Required

1 - 2 hours per day

Shedding

1 - 2 hours per day

History

The history of the French Bulldog dates back to the late 1800s in England. Here is where lacemakers bred them as companions in the city of Nottingham. English Bulldogs were popular, big, and used for baiting bulls, but they couldn’t be domesticated.

Unfortunately, these large dogs couldn’t work well as house pets. For companionship purposes, the lacemakers in Nottingham created these small dogs to be the toy-sized versions of the English Bulldogs.

In the 1860s, when these workers moved to Paris in search of better opportunities, they didn’t leave their miniature Bulldogs behind. In Paris, they became popular among the middle class getting their current name ‘French Bulldogs’

French Bulldog size and weight

Due to its size, the French Bulldog has for a long time been a companion dog. Although they are small, French Bulldogs have a powerful and muscular body.

This bat-eyed dog has its unique appeal among dog lovers. These appealing physical traits include its big square head, muscular build and short fine coat. The coat can be in different colours like white, black, and fawn.

The average height of a healthy Frenchie is between 11-13 inches, with the males weighing around 28 pounds. Healthy female French Bulldogs weigh less than male Frenchies. Females weigh between 16 to 24 pounds.

Frenchies, like most dogs, have a life expectancy of 10-12 years. With proper diet, care, and grooming, a French Bulldog can live happily for all these years.

Temperament & Personality

French Bulldogs are fun-loving dogs that are happy playing with children or lying on the sofa in your apartment. French Bulldogs do not have high energy levels, so they will not require much exercise to remain healthy.

Daily walks with your Frenchie will help them maintain a healthy weight. Here are other personality traits of a French Bulldog you should be aware of:

  • Good with family, young children, and open to strangers
  • Extremely playful dogs
  • Good with other dogs
  • Not very vocal
  • Highly adaptable to different environments

They adapt well to home living for single owners and large families. If the French Bulldogs get proper training and socialisation, you don’t have to worry about how they behave because they are friendly pups. Their interaction with other dogs makes it easy to take them to dog parks or playdates.

Can French Bulldogs be left alone?

Are you thinking of leaving your Frenchie home alone? Unfortunately, this might not be a good idea because French Bulldogs do not do well by themselves. Frenchies can be left alone for short periods but not more than 6 hours.

Leaving them alone for such periods can be difficult if your dog has separation anxiety. This period also depends on their age. French Bulldog puppies should be left alone for a maximum of two hours, and adult Frenchies can be left alone for 4-6 hours.

Seniors should not be left alone for too long, especially if they have health issues that require regular attention. If you live in an apartment, French Bulldogs can quickly adapt to indoor life. These dogs love their owners and wouldn’t want you to stay away for too long.

Are French Bulldogs aggressive?

Despite their mean-looking appearance, these dogs are friendly and affectionate most of the time. However, If you don’t socialise with your Frenchie at a young age, they can be aggressive towards other people and strangers by growling.

Although there are multiple reasons why a French Bulldog can be aggressive, like health conditions, most of them are sweet and gentle dogs that you can have around friends and family.

French Bulldogs can be possessive and loyal dogs to their owners. Some Frenchies will not want strangers to get close to their toys or food. They can become aggressive to protect what’s theirs or get your attention.

Monitoring your French Bulldog will help you know if they have possession aggression so pay attention to how they behave around their toys and food.

Training

Are you planning to welcome a Frenchie into your home or want to train your pup? If you are, early training is essential to help them adapt better to live with you.

Training can be at home or through classes to ensure your puppy relates well to your friends, strangers, and different situations as they grow up.

French Bulldogs as young as eight weeks old can start training to learn basics like sitting, down and responding to their names. For the best results with a French Bulldog, it is best to begin training early because they are more responsive to learning new things.

Here are simple French Bulldog commands you can teach your pup:

Sit: Most dog owners know how essential the sit command is to training dogs. They first need to learn how to ‘sit’ to learn other commands. You can use a reward and hold it to their nose until they follow it, which will cause their butt to drop to the ground. Tell your dog to ‘sit’ and reward them at this position. Repeat this until the dog learns the command and can sit anytime,

Fetch: This is another typical command you can use when training your Frenchie. Your dog must come back with whatever you throw and drop it so you can throw it again. It goes hand-in-hand with the command drop it. Once they do this often, you can even teach them to fetch other items.

Touch: This command is standard when teaching dogs new tricks. It teaches the dog to touch your hand. You can start by doing it yourself, by holding out your hand next to your dog’s face and saying ‘touch’ until they do. Your French Bulldog will get it soon, and you can later teach them how to touch anything.

Frenchies have huge personalities, so training can help correct bad habits and promote good behaviour. Proper training also lets you know what to look for to make Frenchies better companions.

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French Bulldog Breed Info

Exercise

French Bulldogs do not require a lot of exercise to keep fit. Short walks outdoors each day are enough to help them maintain a healthy weight and bond with their owner.

There is no way to determine precisely how much exercise your dog needs. As an owner of a French Bulldog some factors, you should consider when deciding this include weight issues, their age, and other health issues of the French Bulldogs.

Walking a French Bulldog is suitable for several reasons. Here are a few:

Mental stimulation: Like human beings, dogs can quickly get bored indoors without any kind of attention. Going for walks can help stimulate their minds while discovering new locations and people. If they stay at home too long, they will be less active and show destructive behaviour traits.

Exercise: One of the most important reasons for walking a French Bulldog is to ensure they get in their daily workout. Exercising your dog through walks can help prevent obesity, which leads to other severe issues like breathing problems and diabetes.

Socialisation: For this breed to be friendly to other humans and dogs, it needs to socialise and adapt to different environments. A well-adjusted French Bulldog behaves well around new friends and is generally happier outdoors.

Part of training: Walking is a part of the training process with a French Bulldog. While walking, Frenchies might want to react to what they see, and you can use this opportunity to teach them how to behave with commands like ‘sit’ and ‘stay’. Outdoor walks are an excellent way to test how well the training is going.

Due to their flat-faced nature, you should be careful not to overexert French Bulldogs in hot weather because it can lead to breathing difficulties. Exercising is still a fun way to bond with French Bulldogs because they love playing and spending time with their owner.

Food & Nutrition

The best diet for your Frenchie depends on their age and their specific nutritional needs, especially if they have any health conditions. French Bulldogs are known for having a sensitive stomach, so you should be extra careful what you feed them.

Wondering what you can feed a French Bulldog? Here are some of the best foods you can give a Frenchie when hungry:

Plant-based proteins: Dogs need protein from plants and not only meat. Frenchies can get plant-based proteins from pear and chickpeas, easily digestible for dogs. Plant-based proteins help treat some food allergies and alleviate symptoms while giving your pet the necessary proteins.

Healthy fats: The ingredients of the food you give your Frenchie should include some healthy fats like Omega-3 fatty acids. These fats help keep your puppy’s coat smooth and shiny. Fat is an excellent source of energy for Frenchies too.

Vitamins: You should add multivitamins to your French Bulldog’s diet. Frenchies can get Vitamins like C and E from foods or dog supplements. These dietary supplements help dogs improve their absorption rates, skin, and age more gracefully. It also helps build their immunity to survive in new environments.

Fruits: Yes, fruits. These can be a good snack for your Frenchie when they are hungry. It is a healthy option that is high in calories. Like humans, they offer antioxidants, fibre, and vitamins that are good for their health.

What Should French Bulldogs not eat?

As much as you might like to feed your Frenchie some tasty snacks and treats, some foods are poisonous to this small breed of dogs. These foods can be harmful and even lead to death, so you should avoid them.

Here are some foods that are poisonous to French Bulldogs:

Chocolate: Chocolate is bad for dogs because of a toxic substance known as theobromine. This substance can cause health problems like seizures, vomiting, and tremors. Dark chocolate is more poisonous to Frenchies, so keep them away from chocolate bars.

Avocado: Avocados are tasty and go well with almost all dishes, but sadly they are harmful to Frenchies. Avocados contain persin, which leads to stomach problems like vomiting and breathing issues when ingested when Frenchies eat. Most of the persin toxin is on the avocado skin and pit, not the flesh.

Alcohol: Alcohol is one of the most toxic drinks for French Bulldogs. It can lead to tremors, diarrhoea, lack of coordination, and breathing problems for French Bulldogs. Even small amounts of alcohol can lead to severe health issues.

Coffee and Tea: Other drinks to avoid is anything with caffeine like coffee and tea. Dogs and cats are more sensitive to small amounts of caffeine. The high caffeine levels in coffee and tea are harmful to French Bulldogs and can be fatal.

Although they are small, French Bulldogs have a fast metabolism compared to large dog breeds. At the same time, this breed is also prone to obesity because of its low-energy nature.

Obesity can lead to riskier health issues, so you need to monitor your French Bulldog’s calorie intake. Practising portion precision can help control your Frenchies weight because you have to be careful not to overfeed them.

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Health & Care

French Bulldogs require additional attention due to their size and physical traits like a low centre of gravity, a wide-body shape, and a flat face. Unlike other dog breeds, these physical traits make Frenchies more prone to health issues like breathing problems and spinal injuries.

Frenchies also cannot swim and shouldn’t be left near a pool or tub in case of any accidents. Other common health conditions that affect French Bulldogs include:

Eye problems like cataracts have become common with Frenchies primarily because of their big eyes. Their eye size also makes them vulnerable to infection and injuries. Conditions like the cherry eye can be painful for this breed and may require surgery to treat.

Heat stress: Did you know that flat-faced dogs like Frenchies are more likely to suffer from heatstroke? Because they overheat quickly, you should minimise playing them when too hot or humid. Signs of heatstroke include excessive panting and vomiting.

Obesity: French Bulldogs are prone to obesity due to their small build and rapid weight gain. To prevent this, you can avoid feeding them human food and take them for walks as part of their exercise routine. Keeping them healthy will help them have longer and happier lives.

Spinal Problems: The shape of a Frenchie is one of the things we love about this breed. Unfortunately, it is one of the major causes of severe health problems for this breed. Frenchies are likely to suffer from diseases like degenerative myelopathy that weaken the spinal cord and affect mobility. Preventing them from jumping off the furniture can minimise their risk of spinal problems.

Allergies: Most Frenchies have issues with food and skin allergies. Some symptoms to look out for in French Bulldogs with allergies include licking their paws, sneezing, excessive scratching and diarrhoea. Using the right shampoo and wipes for your dog can help reduce itching and prevent infection.

Skin Fold Dermatitis: This is a form of dermatitis that occurs in the folds of the French Bulldog’s skin, like around the neck and armpit. Those cute wrinkles on a Frenchies face make them even more adorable, but they can cause skin fold dermatitis. Signs you should be aware of are excessive itching, scratching and redness around the sensitive area.

You can consult with your vet for the tests you can carry out to screen conditions that affect French Bulldogs. Taking care of French Bulldogs is a task, but it can be easier with the grooming tips below.

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Grooming

No matter what breed of dog you have, it is no surprise to find dog hairs on your clothes or around the house. For French Bulldogs, proper grooming is essential so that you don’t end up finding their hairs on everything.

How much grooming do French Bulldogs need?

Grooming a French Bulldog involves everything from giving them a haircut and brushing them to cleaning their wrinkles and coat.

Frenchies require regular brushing to get rid of excess fur and keep their coat shiny. They also need occasional baths to keep them clean and smelling better. With Frenchies, one thing you shouldn’t forget is the wrinkles. Food and other particles can quickly get stuck here, irritating your dog. You can use cotton balls to do this faster.

You can either take them to a professional groomer or do the grooming at home. Cleaning them in your bathtub can be fun if you use a safe, dog-friendly shampoo and take your time washing their wrinkles.

Do French Bulldogs Shed?

Like other dogs, French Bulldogs are prone to shedding. However, you can reduce excessive shedding and fur around your home with proper grooming and care. The French Bulldog is a short-haired breed and is known to shed a small amount of hair.
Every six months, you should expect some heavy shedding. Do you think your puppy is shedding too much? Before you start worrying, you can try changing their diet or taking them to the vet if you think it might be a more severe health issue.

Are French Bulldogs Hypoallergenic?

No, French Bulldogs are not 100% hypoallergenic. They are easy to maintain, but they still shed some fur during certain seasons.

If you are sensitive to French Bulldog allergies, you should practise proper grooming and restrict your Frenchie to specific rooms of your home. This way, they don’t leave behind their hair or dander that causes allergies.

In summary, French Bulldogs are excellent home pets because they are affectionate and loving. Their small size makes them great for tiny homes, but they are still strong dogs. This loyal breed is entertaining to have at home as part of your family.