Location: The Woodlands, Tx 77382

French Bulldog Care

 

Fortunately, French Bulldogs require fairly little care compared with many other breeds of house dogs, which is a good thing since I also have to take care of five kids and a husband.  About all we have to do for our French Bulldogs is periodically clip their nails and make sure their ears and the folds of skin on their faces are clean by wiping them out with a wet wipe every week or two.

 

Proper care for teeth is recommended for any breed. Some people recommend that you brush your French Bulldogs teeth regularly, but we give our French Bulldogs lots of bones and chew toys and they do fine without daily brushing. There is a paste you can rub on their teeth on a regular basis which is all that is really needed. It does all the work for you and French Bulldogs tolerate it much better than having toothbrushes in their mouths; and it is certainly a lot more convenient. You should have your adult French Bulldogs teeth professionally cleaned at about 3 years of age, and then every year or two thereafter to insure their teeth are in good health and stay that way. Tooth problems not only cause problems in the mouth but tooth problems can lead to other health issues. The best treatment is always prevention!

 

Almost all of the time we spend with our French Bulldogs is fun time.  We love to pet and snuggle with our French Bulldogs, as well as watch them play with their toys, the kids, and with each other.  There is really not a lot of work involved, excluding the yard cleanup and feeding (and we try to get help from the guys and the kids in this department).

 

French Bulldog Hair

 

It is very fortunate that French Bulldogs do not shed very much, since ours are inside most of the time.  Sure, they shed a little, but, not enough that even fussy housekeepers like ourselves, can’t deal with it.

 

They are short haired and single coated (one reason they can’t tolerate extremely cold temperatures for extended periods of time), so they do not shed as much as other dogs with fur.  There are some dogs that have hair more like human hair which do not shed at all, but for a dog with fur, French Bulldogs are about as good as it gets for minimal shedding.

 

French Bulldog Breathing

 

With their gorgeous short snouts (French Bulldogs are one of the brachycephalic breeds), French Bulldogs do not breathe as efficiently as dog breeds with longer snouts such as the sporting breeds, especially through their noses, so they breathe through their mouths more than longer snouted breeds.  This results in some unusual noises coming from them, some much more so than others, such as noisy breathing or snorting, even when they have not exerted themselves. We personally think these noises are one of the endearing features of French Bulldogs and are kind of funny and cute and they don’t bother us in the least. 

 

Most French Bulldogs do snore at least a little (some more than a little), although not nearly as bad as the men in our family.  About the only time we ever hear them snoring is when they are asleep on the floor during the day at our feet, and it is only a few of them that snore noticeably, but certainly nothing that is annoying. 

 

If your French Bulldogs is making excessive noises, it is probably because he/she has over exerted himself/herself and needs to take it easy for a while. If a French Bulldogs continually makes pronounced airway noises, including coughing, gagging, retching, or vomiting, even when he/she is not over exerted, he/she should be seen by a vet experienced with brachycephalic breeds. It is possible that he/she has excessively narrow nostrils or nostrils with weak flaps which close upon breathing (stenotic nares) &/or an excessively elongated soft palate (both of which are related to brachycephalic airway syndrome), which may require surgery to correct.

 

There are several things you should be cognizant of.  French Bulldogs generally do not swim and should not be around water unsupervised.  If you have a pool, it should be fenced off from your French Bulldogs or the unthinkable could very possibly happen, which would make both of us ill.  However, they do love to splash around in a kiddy pool with a few inches of water in it, especially in hot weather. There are some French Bulldogs that actually swim fairly well, but close supervision should always be the norm when you and your French Bulldogs are around water.

 

 

 

Because of their short snouts, French Bulldogs do not breathe as efficiently as many other breeds and they are not able to cool themselves as effectively in hot weather.  You should never leave your French Bulldogs in a parked car, just like you would never leave a child in a parked car.  Also, you should not leave your French Bulldogs outside in hot weather (into the 90’s and above) except for short periods to relieve himself or herself, unless he or she has access to shade.

 

Because of their short, single layer coat, your French Bulldogs should not be left outside in freezing weather for anything other than short periods of time for potty break or exercise.  These are not overly delicate dogs, but they certainly are not able to handle the elements as well as many other breeds.

 

French Bulldogs should not be subject to overexertion, again mainly due to their inefficient breathing.  Your French Bulldog will certainly be capable of taking reasonable length walks with you for both of your exercise needs, but do not think of your French Bulldog as a new jogging companion.  Your French Bulldog is just not built for it. They are active and fairly athletic and love to run around and play in the yard, but this is not a sporting breed and they should not overdo it.

 

Unless you have a very secure fenced-in back yard, do not let your French Bulldogs outside unsupervised.  Your French Bulldogs is a very valuable dog and someone just might think they need him or her more than you do.  We do allow our French Bulldogs to spend some play time in our fenced-in back yard unsupervised, but we have a privacy fence and we keep the gates locked.  You can’t be too careful with an investment like your French Bulldogs.

 

French Bulldogs Outside 

 

While French Bulldogs can handle most climates reasonably well, as long as it is not excessively hot or cold, they should not be thought of as outside dogs.  In fact, we will not sell you one of our French Bulldogs if you plan on making your French Bulldogs an outside dog, other than for normal outside play time and potty time.  French Bulldogs are very special and unique dogs which were bred to be inside companion dogs, and so they should be.

 

Our French Bulldogs do love to spend time outdoors playing, running, sniffing, investigating, splashing in the kiddy pool, and doing other fun outside stuff.  They even love to romp in the snow, especially when the sun is out, even if is still very cold outside.  French Bulldogs are not fragile, but each is very special (especially yours), and he or she should be inside with you (and the rest of their human family and pet buddies) most of the time you are inside. Your French Bulldogs will love you, their master, as well as other people, and he or she will want to be around you and other people as much as possible.