French Bulldog

Intelligence

Bullies are very bright and intelligent.

Attention

French Bulldogs are attentive, but can also display a stubbornness

Exercise needs

French Bulldogs are lively and playful dogs, but due to their physical disposition they are usually unable to move around much or accompany their owners during sporting activities.

Time required

Due to their temperament and playfulness, Bullies like to move around a lot, but unfortunately they can't always do so in warm weather due to their health restrictions. In any case, they always want to be around and, as intelligent dogs, need mental tasks that keep them busy.

Training

Sensitive French Bulldogs are intelligent and often underestimated. All dogs need to exercise their minds as much as their bodies, which is understandable given their origins as strategic and problem-solving hunters; however, many French Bulldogs are woefully underused in everyday life.

Especially for these dogs, who are often physically unable to move much, the following dog sports are very effective and positive ways to keep them occupied and busy:

• Tricktraining
• Obedience
• Subordination
• Agility for small dogs without large obstacles or speed
• Therapy dogs

Suitable for flats

French Bulldogs are very well suited to being kept indoors, but there are a few restrictions and requirements that must be met.

Climbing stairs is not for Frenchies: their joints, which are often damaged, and their shortness of breath, which is often due to their short snout, do not allow them to climb stairs every day. With a weight of up to 15 kg, you can still carry them if necessary, but you certainly don't want to do this several times a day for the rest of their lives. A lift should be available or the flat should be at ground level.

However, French Bulldogs do not like to be left alone and can cry and "sing" heartbreakingly when they feel abandoned. This will not please housemates; separation must be practised with the dog.

Permission to keep a dog must be obtained

In a rented flat, there should always be written permission from the landlord to keep a dog. Even if you own the flat, the owners' association must agree to the keeping of a dog in the building.

Loyalty & friendliness

French Bulldogs are very friendly and love to be with their owner or with their family.

Hunting drive

French Bulldogs are said to have little hunting instinct, but this can be quite different in reality if, for example, the terrier they have been crossed with historically comes through more strongly.

Many Frenchies do have a natural prey drive, which can be directed at mice, rats, cats, rabbits or even deer. However, this hunting instinct should be easily controlled through consistent training in daily life. Good training from puppyhood onwards is required. Sadly, many Frenchies would love to hunt but cannot because of their shortness of breath, which is very frustrating for some.

Staying alone

French Bulldogs are very affectionate by nature and prefer to be with their owner or family at all times. Staying alone needs to be practised with them intensively and from an early age.

Dogs should generally not be left alone for longer than four hours.

Barking

French Bulldogs are extremely alert, but they rarely bark. Of course, the exception can prove the rule, but the probability remains low.

However, when French Bulldogs are frightened or don't like something so much, they will bark. Some say they "sing", as the barking or howling can sound almost melodic and eerie.

Alertness

Bullies are very lively, intelligent and alert.

Protecting

Due to their small size and great friendliness, they are not suitable as guard dogs.

Dog-friendly

Most French Bulldogs get along well with their fellow dogs. Despite this the unusual breathing sounds of the Frenchies can be irritating and therefore sometimes critical in encounters with other dogs, and can even be misinterpreted as aggression.

Due to their short tail, communication with other dogs is also limited, which can irritate some other dogs.

Their "bravado" and agility also makes them inclined to rush towards other dogs, who may not always approve. In addition, because of their shortness of breath, they are often not as physically fit as they would like to be. This is frustrating and they may take this frustration out on other dogs.

Good socialisation and training are necessary here, as with all dogs. In arguments, some Frenchies do not let themselves be taken "off the hook" and may even bite once in a while.

Pet-friendly

The hunting instinct in French Bulldogs is considered to be low, but this definitely does not have to be the case. The French Bulldog can also enjoy chasing cats, and all rodents can fit very well into their prey pattern. There is no certainty here, only familiarisation, training and watching out.

Kid-friendly

French Bulldogs make very good family dogs due to their friendly and playful nature, and they get on very well with children. As they remain small and do not weigh too much at up to 15 kg, there is also little danger of them knocking over small children.

Children should have learned how to handle a dog and also to give it breaks and rest periods. A Frenchy in particular is playful and does not know its physical limits.

Some French Bulldogs are somewhat territorial and focused on one person in the household. This can lead to them aggressively defending objects or, of course, their food from children.

Regardless, small children should never be left unsupervised with dogs.

Openness to strangers

French Bulldogs are alert but tend to remain friendly towards strangers.

Robustness

The French Bulldog is actually a fun-loving and robust dog, BUT.... due to their physique, and because of their popularity and the resulting unprofessional breeding of ever more compact dogs, they are unfortunately often unhealthy and can be prone to many physical limitations and illnesses.

Health Problems

The following additional limitations and diseases are unfortunately more common in the French Bulldog than in other dog breeds:

• Hip joint dysplasia (HD))
• Elbow dysplasia (ED)
• Dislocation of the patella (patella luxation)
• Congenital changes in the spine (wedge vertebrae), which can cause pain and movement problems. They can also cause problems with defecation and urination in old age
• Thyroid diseases
• Heart disease
• Chronic inflammatory bowel disease (CED) or also called Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD).
• Brain tumours
• Hydrocephalus
• Willebrand-Jürgens syndrome
• Severe births (caesarean section)
• not all males can procreate naturally (artificial insemination)
• Caution: French Bulldogs either cannot swim at all or only swim very badly!

Here's what to look out for when buying a French Bulldog or puppy:

Our Tips for buying a dog without a rude awakening..

1. Buy from a responsible breeder whose breeding dogs are subject to appropriate health tests and breeding requirements. This is the case with VDH breeders. The animals used for breeding must pass the following tests in almost all clubs:
   
   • Respiratory stress test
   • Heart ultrasound
   • Spinal examination
   • DNA test and barcode registration
   • Test for patellar luxation
   • Examination and approval by the Breeding Commission
   • Requirements that bitches may only have one litter per year on average and only between the ages of 15 months and 8 years
2. To prevent later symptoms of respiratory distress syndrome, only parents who do not have respiratory distress syndrome in their adult state will help. Unfortunately, you cannot always tell this from the outside and even longer muzzles (about one third of the length of the head) do not guarantee that the dogs can breathe well. That is why there is a test and an examination to check the parents:
   
   • The stress test for breeding approval.
   • A CT scan of the entire respiratory tract of the parent animals can provide the best information on this. However, this is expensive and not obligatory for breeders
3. Cross-breeding of healthier breeds into the French Bulldog is controversial with breeding associations, but some lovers of the breed swear by it. For example, the Frenchton is a healthy cross between the French Bulldog and the Boston Terrier. Maybe this would be the right dog for you?
4. Visit the breeders and ask at least to see the mother dog and her health certificates..
5. Do not buy a dog with fashionably unusual colours, which may signify extra diseases.
6. The parents should be of standard size and weight and not below. Frenchies that are too small, also known as Pocket Bullies, are not advisable because these dogs suffer a lot.
7. KDo not buy on the Internet, because many cruel breeders are well camouflaged here. The result will be sick and expensive puppies that will cost you a lot in anxiety and vet bills, as well as the emotional support your new dog will require to recover from the cruelty of its former parents.
8. Do not buy from hobby breeders who cannot show health certificates; check these health certificates carefully. If, for example, the vaccination certificate comes from abroad, absolute caution is advised!

Heat tolerance

Due to their short-headedness and the respiratory problems more or less associated with it, French Bulldogs do not tolerate exercise in the heat.

Often the airways are too short and the soft palate, larynx and nasal concha are not normally developed. As a result, the French Bulldog cannot regulate its body temperature like other dogs with a normal muzzle.

Since they cannot cool themselves via the mucous membranes like other dogs with a longer head, their risk of heat stroke is greatly increased. Therefore, exercise in the heat or even sporting activity should be avoided at all costs and is life-threatening.

Conclusion: French Bulldogs cannot regulate their body temperature well - heat can be life-threatening for them.

Cold tolerance

Due to their short coat and lack of undercoat, French Bulldogs freeze relatively quickly and do not tolerate cold very well, especially as they cannot move quickly "to warm up".

Cold often exacerbates respiratory problems, so French Bulldogs should not be challenged in excessively cold conditions.

Conclusion: French Bulldogs are sensitive to cold and often find it harder to breathe in cold conditions.

Grooming

Grooming tips for the French Bulldog

The grooming requirements for a Frenchy's coat are not very high, as the short smooth coat only needs occasional brushing.

• Scin care: However, French Bulldogs are prone to infections of the skin folds (e.g. under the eyes and above the nose), because these are relatively deep and the Frenchy's coat is rather thin. Therefore, these must always be kept dry and cleaned regularly. After walks and activities, the wrinkles on the face and neck must first be cleaned with a damp cloth and then dried very well. Failure to do so may result in quite lengthy and difficult skin infections, which may even require surgery.
• Paw Care: The paws should be checked regularly and groomed if necessary. Excessively long claws should be shortened. Reading tip: Paw care in dogs.
• Ear care: Fortunately, the ears of the French Bulldog are not particularly prone to inflammation (as long hanging ears can be) but you should examine and care for them regularly nonetheless. Reading tip: Ear care in dogs. Lese-Tipp Ear care in dogs
• Eye Care: Look into your French Bulldog's eyes daily and clean them as needed. Bullies can unfortunately be prone to eye problems as the eyes are very exposed and the eye-nose canal can be narrowed. Reading Tip Eye care for dogs
• Dental care: You can do a lot for the health of your dog's teeth, especially as periodontitis can promote dangerous diseases of the organs. Dental care is particularly important in French Bulldogs, as the teeth are very close together in the short head. Here are our tips: Here our tips Dental care in dogs.
• Protection from ticks and fleas: You should protect your dog from parasites such as ticks and fleas, as they can not only be a nuisance but can also bring dangerous diseases. Reading tip: Tick protection: How to protect your dog from ticks.
• Worm check, you don't need a prophylaxis against worms; it's better to check your dog's faeces regularly.

Bathing

French Bulldogs definitely do not need to be bathed and shampooed regularly. However, if they smell, either because the coat has become too greasy or the dog has been rolling around in something smelly, then a bath is due simply from the owner's point of view. It is best to use a dog shampoo with natural ingredients that takes into account the different pH values of the dog's skin (dog: 7.5 - human: 5.5) and has a moisturising effect. Baby shampoo or shampoo for humans is not appropriate due to this different pH value and there are often chemicals in the shampoos. This is particularly bad for dogs as they lick themselves.

After giving Frenchies a bath, it is advisable to dry the skin folds on the face and neck very thoroughly, as they tend to get infected.

Combing & Brushing

As the French Bulldog has a short smooth coat with no undercoat and is not prone to heavy shedding, it rarely needs brushing.

Shedding

The French Bulldog is subject to seasonal coat changes, but sheds relatively little.

Clip & Trim

A French Bulldog does not need to be clipped or trimmed.

Hypoallergenic

Although French Bulldogs do not shed heavily, they are subject to seasonal coat changes and are therefore no more suitable for allergy sufferers than other dog breeds.

Reading tip: If you are looking for a dog that triggers fewer allergies in people or live with a dog despite dog allergies, we have this reading tip for you:

Dogs for allergy sufferers: Living with a dog despite allergies

Drooling

French bulldogs can be prone to drooling.

Greediness

French Bulldogs can be very voracious, but being overweight is even more detrimental to their health than other dog breeds. Due to their short stature, this can lead to increased respiratory problems.

Eye colour

The eyes of the French Bulldog should be dark brown.

Coat

The coat of the French Bulldog consists of close-fitting, shiny and soft short hair and has no undercoat.

Coat Colour

Officially, according to the breeding standard, there are only a few colour variants of the French Bulldog, but there are unfortunately many more that are not recognised and therefore may also come from less professional breedings with higher health risks.

These colours are officially permitted by the UK Kennel Club

The coat of the French Bulldog is beige to light brown ("Fawn") from the base colour and can be either brindle with a dark cross current, which gives the Bullies the typical mackerel coat colour, or brindled. According to the breeding standard, white patches are also possible. The nose is always black (never brown or "blue") in all coat colours.

• Brindle – Colour pattern caused by a mixture of black hairs and fawn hairs. White markings permitted provided that brindle predominates. Eye rims, eyelashes and lips black.
• Fawn – Clear, self-coloured fawn with or without a black mask. White markings permitted, provided that fawn predominates. Cream and red shades less desirable. Eye rims, eyelashes and lips black.
• Pied – Brindle Pied: White predominates with brindle patches. (The brindle as defined above). Fawn
• Pied: White predominates with fawn patches.

Colours that may carry an increased risk of health restrictions (as of October 2019):

• White bullies (with black nose and black eyelid rims) are also acceptable, but they have a genetically increased risk of hearing loss and are therefore undesirable
• Black
• Black with red blaze ("black and tan")
• Mouse grey ("blue") is, according to currently accepted knowledge, based on a genetic defect which can bring other diseases with it
• Brown
• Similarly, light coloured claws and light coloured "boots" suggest increased health risks