FRENCH BULLDOG
APPEARANCE
The French Bulldog is a small companion breed of dog. French bulldogs are a compact, muscular dog with a smooth coat, snub nose and solid bone structure.Their physical appearance is characterized by naturally occurring ‘bat ears’ that are wide at the base and rounded at the top. The French Bulldog comes in a wide variety of colours such as cream, brindle, liver, fawn with black, blue and ticked pied. The weight of the French Bulldog is around 20-28 pounds and the height is around 11-14 inches.
PERSONALITY
The French Bulldog is a gentle breed that typically has a happy-go-lucky attitude. Like many other companion dog breeds they require close contact with humans. Sweet natured, humorous, and entertaining, the French Bulldog is a very dependable, well balanced, amiable, and sociable breed. These dogs may be small but they have big personalities.
TRAINING
French Bulldog can be a stubborn breed especially when it comes to training, but this can be overcome with consistency on the owner’s part. Although these dogs are little, they have been known to excel in weight pulling, agility and obedience trials. French Bulldog gentle disposition, intelligence, and obedience means that he is well suited to novice owners as well as the more experienced. This dog does best with a patient handler. With the correct handler, this breed can go far.
EXERCISE
The French Bulldog love to run around and play for hours. However, Frenchies are top heavy and therefore have a difficult time swimming. Be cautious when exercising your Frenchie during hot or humid weather because he can easily become overheated due to the flat muzzle and breathing problems during extreme temperatures.
SOCIALIZATION
French Bulldogs can play too roughly for some smaller children, and should be monitored at all times during play. Generally they are affectionate and friendly to everyone but might sometimes have problems with dogs of the same sex. Owners considering adding a second dog to their household are usually cautioned to choose one of the opposite sex. The French Bulldog gets along well with other animals, although he may try and hunt very small animals such as rodents.
LIVING CONDITIONS
The French Bulldog can adapt to living in small living quarters. Their calm nature makes them excellent choices for apartment dwellers, as does their usually sensible attitude towards barking. He prefers cold climates because they are quite sensitive to extreme heat. Proper shade and water should always be provided. Not recommended for outdoor life.
GROOMING
Their coat does not require very much attention other than an occasional brushing, but the wrinkles around the face and neck should be inspected and cleaned regularly. French Bulldogs snore and drool. You should keep his ears dry and clean to avoid infection and for hygiene reasons. This is a fairly low shedder on a seasonal basis, and so may prove suitable for those with allergies.
HEALTH ISSUES
The French Bulldog is most susceptible to eye and respiratory problems. Other health concerns to watch out for include brachycephalic syndrome, intervertebral disk disease, allergies, canine hip dysplasia, patellar luxation and hemivertebra. Another concern would be that female French Bulldogs deliver puppies via caesarian section, because of the puppies’ large heads.
HISTORY
The name indicates that France is the country of origin, but the Americans and British may have played a larger part in development of the breed. The French Bulldog was bred to hunt rodents and also to be a companion to people. The breed was registered with the AKC in 1898.
