French Bulldog Care

Frenchies are known for their big personalities. Although they can be stubborn French, Bull dogs were later breed to be companion animals (AKA lap dogs). They get their feelings hurt easily, so scolding should be kept to minimum and always be calm and firm. Rewarding and praising wanted behavior will get you further than punishment of unwanted behavior.

Bull dogs are intelligent and work well with people up to a point. Once their adrenaline has fully kicked in they can be single minded. This is due to the original "just do it" software in his DNA that allowed their ancestors to bring down bulls 10 times thier size. The best way to manage is to keep them calm and focused before they hit the heat zone. Redirect his attention to you before they get over excited.

Frenchies are an endless source of entertaining, they can go from snuggle buddies to zoomies in seconds. They need appropriate chews and toys so they leave your possessions alone and whole. French buldogs are great indoor dogs and don't need a much exercise. 

Be ready to gain an appendage for all their grand displays of affection and appreciation. However, they can get thier feelings hurt easily and take things personal after a bad day. if you get adversarial with them they can react emotionally. They seem to not let the grudge go without positive interaction. Keeping them in the low gear/mellow state will give your the best most loving dog with a bigger than life personality. 

Frenchies take more patience and time to potty train than larger, more eager to please dog breeds. It is not the puppies job to just “know” what to do, You have o plan, train and take action so that the puppy does not have the opportunity to fail. If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. There will be accidents because we are human. The puppies accidents will happen when we as the owners don’t take the right steps to stop the accident from happening. 

Suggested Tools:

Puppy Pads and Holder: To keep the accidents off your clean floor. 

Pens and Gates: These will be used to keep your puppy confined to a small area and make it easier  for them to succeed. 

Crate: Dogs have a natural tendency to not pee or poop where they sleep. Because of this a crate that is the right size will give you a safe place to confine your puppy when you are too busy to watch them. You will need to use the divider to make the crate small enough until they are fully grown. 

I suggest a 18x30 crate on the larger size and no smaller than 17x24. 

​

Age appropriate tips in the "By age" section. 

Early socialization and puppy training classes are recommended. Exposing the puppy to a wide variety of people, places, and situations will help him develop into a well-adjusted adult. Puppy training classes serve as part of the socialization process, promote good behavior, and help the owner learn to recognize and correct bad habits. Frenchies have big personalities and can need a fair amount of training to make them civilized companions. They can be stubborn, but at heart they're people pleasers and therefore easy to train. The proper motivation (such as food) and making a game of the process will ensure their cooperation.

Positive reinforcement should be your mantra.  It is important to teach them that when it comes to play and trouble, less is more. stop rough play before it escalated with breaks to cool off before they get to worked up. courage wanted behavior such as play and wrestle with toys instead of people and other animals. 

Positive and mellow should be the goal through out the socialization activities. while the brain is still developing play games of red light, green light in order to teach them to turn the energy on and off at the drop of a hat. 

Limit exposure to heat and humidity. Frenchies are indoor dogs and do well in small spaces. Because of their front-heavy structure, Frenchies cannot swim and should never be left unattended near a tub, pool, or body of water. They must be kept cool in the summer and warm in the winter. 

The Frenchie's short coat sheds minimally. Weekly brushing with a medium-bristle brush, a rubber grooming mitt or tool, or a hound glove will help to remove shed hair and keep him looking his best. Brushing promotes new hair growth and distributes skin oils throughout the coat to help keep it healthy. A Frenchie's facial folds should be kept clean and dry. The Frenchie's nailsshould be trimmed regularly, as overly long nails can cause him pain.

Their ears should be cleaned once a month, your vet can teach you how if you are hesitant. I think a once a month bath is perfect for this adorable indoor dog. 

French bulldogs are a short nose breed. Like all flat-faced breeds, Frenchies are prone to breathing problems and do poorly in hot or humid weather. Flat-faced breeds are also more sensitive to anesthesia. Frenchies occasionally have eye conditions such as cherry eye, juvenile cataracts, or entropion, and skin allergies and autoimmune skin disorders also are known to occur.We do our best to health test and prevent known frenchie issues in our puppies. 

A short walk or outdoor play session with their owner each day should provide enough exercise to keep the French Bulldog in shape. Frenchies enjoy participating in canine sports such as obedience, agility, and rally. As a flat-faced breed, however, they are prone to breathing difficulties and should never be allowed to exert themselves in hot or humid weather.

A high-quality dog food appropriate to the dog's age (puppy, adult, or senior) will have all the nutrients the breed needs. Frenchies are prone to obesity, which can damage their physical structure and puts them at higher risk for some of the breed's health issues, so it is vital to watch their calorie intake and weight. If you choose to give your dog treats, do so in moderation. Give table scraps sparingly, if at all, especially avoiding cooked bones and foods high in fat. Learn about which human foods are safe for dogs and which are not. Check with your vet if you have any concerns about your dog's weight or diet.

We wean our puppies with Royal Canin Small breed puppy food. This is what your puppy will go home on. We also suggest to give probiotic, vitamin C and Nu-vet plus multivitamin to your puppy for at least the first week in a new environment. the probiotic supports their digestive system and keeps the franchise farts at bay. The Vitamin C supports their immune system through the transition into a new environment. We keep our dogs on Nuvet Plus for life to make sure they are as healthy as possible. www.nuvet.com/810114.

As Adults, we found our franchise do best on a fish based food. We use a mix of Salmon Purina Pro Plan and Victor Whitefish. This along with the Nuvet vitamins keeps their coat shinny and their health at its best. 

We only give treats that are single ingredients such as freeze dried liver treats. 

Having good chews will keep your furniture and home intact. We suggest bully sticks for small puppies, cow hooves for medium puppies and Yak cheese for adult dogs.