French Bulldog Dog Breed Profile

The "Frenchie" as he is known to his admirers is a breed that has endeared himself because of his happy personality and distinctive appearance. In essence, he is similar to a miniature bulldog with the exception of his ears, which are large and bat-like in appearance. He has a personality that can be somewhat stubborn and spoiled, demanding attention. Fanciers say that he expects to be treated as a human child in the family. He likes nothing better than a warm lap or soft bed and being treated as a "V.I.P.".

This little dog has a short upturned nose and thus tends to snore. He can experience breathing difficulties in the heat. Eye injuries can be common since his eyes are round and protruding. His coat is quite short and he is the type of dog that should be protected when out in cold or wet weather.

In appearance he is most like the larger Bulldog, except that his front is not quite as "bowed" in appearance. He should carry a good depth of chest and broadness to his front and should stand about 12 inches tall at the shoulder. The French claim to be the country of origin, but there is some disagreement to this. In the United States he is in the Non-Sporting group although in size he could be considered a member of the Toy Group.

The Frenchie is very loving and is considered a one person dog. If he is to be in a family with children he should be introduced at an early age to them. He can be encouraged to relate and respond to all members of the family but usually will pick a "favorite" that he considers belongs to him and will be a very loyal companion to that one person.

This is a dog which can be clownish and delightful, he loves to play and is curious and thus can get into a lot of trouble. He is active and can be happy in the city and also on a farm, but should be a house dog. He does well on a leash and loves to go walking, but can be somewhat belligerent when he meets up with other dogs. Obedience training is a must, just because he is a small breed does not mean that he should be untrained and he has the strength to pull quite hard on a leash.

The French Bulldog is a breed which must be carefully bred as he can be one of those breeds which may only be delivered by Caesarean Section if attention is not paid to the size of the head. If a responsible breeder pays attention to this aspect the delivery can be normal. As with all the smaller breeds care must be taken that the dog is protected from over breeding. Unfortunately because a smaller breed is usually less expensive to raise it can easily become a profitable venture for unscrupulous breeders who are only in it for the money, rather than a commitment to maintaining the quality of the breed.