The French Bulldog is one of the most popular breeds of dog in the United States. Yet just a couple of decades ago, this dog was unheard of by the vast majority of the population.
There are many reasons for its rise in popularity, one is that several celebrities being ‘seen’ with one in recent times.
This article is not meant to be taken seriously! We love French Bulldogs – who doesn’t?
But, there are things potential owners need to consider before taking the plunge into what will be (hopefully) a long-term commitment.
The aim is to make everyone fully aware so they can give a Frenchie the life it deserves.
15) Don’t buy a French Bulldog – Adopt one instead!
Sometimes, buying a dog isn’t the best option, particularly with the high cost of the French Bulldog.
Adopting a French Bulldog (or finding one from a rescue center) is arguably the better way to find your new canine companion.
A French Bulldog that is up for adoption or is a rescue needs you more than one that’s been bred to sell.
I’m not saying that there’s anything wrong with buying a Frenchie – in fact, there are some advantages, like potentially knowing there are no inherited genetic diseases.
However, this can be an expensive option, and indeed, the cost may make buying a Frenchie puppy from new, simply not possible.
14) The French Bulldog Will Adopt Your Kids
If you have kids then they will have a new best friend for the next decade. You see, the little Frenchie, more often than not, loves kids.
Maybe it’s because they both share similar traits such as being naughty, being cheeky, and not doing what they’re told!
Whatever it is, the attention these little dogs get from children is reciprocated.
There are a number of good reasons to have a dog in a family. It teaches children so many valuable life lessons.
They will learn at an early age how to act around animals and should grow up to be more compassionate about man’s best friend.
There are also benefits to your little Frenchie, especially if you introduce children to it when they are young as part of its socialization process.
This will help them feel more relaxed around children (and their erratic nature) in the future.
13) You Will Never Be Alone Again
Your French Bulldog’s life is nothing without you. It will want to spend as much time with you as possible and you will soon forget what it’s like to be alone.
It will follow you into the kitchen, into the bedroom, and into the bathroom – so if you’re the kind of person who needs privacy, you’re soon going to lose that!
The Frenchie does not like you watching movies by yourself. So, if yours sees you curled up on the sofa, don’t be surprised when it jumps up and snuggles into your lap somewhere.
You may be uncomfortable or need to pee for the next hour and a half but you won’t want to move – you’ll be so content to have your Frenchie with you!
12) The French Bulldog is expensive!
The French Bulldog is not a cheap dog to own. It’s not cheap to buy and as it is known to have some health issues, you may also be hit with some large vet bills so make sure you have insurance!
The facts are that unless you’re earning a reasonable amount of money, you will feel the impact of owning and looking after a French Bulldog.
They may be small – but their cost is high so make sure you do the proper research before jumping in!
11) You May Put on Weight
You may wonder what I’m talking about here but the French Bulldog is not a dog who should be exercised for that long.
They don’t have the ability to be able to regulate their temperature and can subsequently overheat quickly.
With no easy way for them to dissipate that heat, it can cause severe problems quickly and with little warning.
For that reason, care should be taken when exercising them.
This is no ordinary dog and you won’t be taking them out for an hour at a time twice a day! This is not what they need.
Yes, you can play with them as much as you like inside but make sure they have somewhere nice to cool off.
If you don’t have an air-conditioned home, then consider getting them a cooling mat and I’d recommend this one from Amazon.
The reviews speak for themselves so click over if you want to check out the price. My point is, you will need to help them in losing this heat!
10) The Frenchie Can Be Stubborn
Well, can’t we all sometimes? The French Bulldog though seems to know when you’re trying to get it to do something – a bit like a kid actually.
It knows when you really want it to do this thing so makes it as difficult as possible!
The French Bulldog can be a stubborn breed of dog and this can really hinder your progress during early, important training sessions. I think another problem could be that they think it’s all one big game!
If you get a little bit cross as they don’t do what they should, they see your reaction, seem to like it and so repeat what caused it! And so the cycle continues. They are a very clever little dog.
The emphasis is on you to persevere and be patient and not to give in. Training is important and if the Frenchie can get away with something it will do it again and again and again…
9) You Should Not Leave a Frenchie Alone
The French Bulldog is not a dog that should be owned by someone who is not going to be around for the vast majority of the day.
It needs and loves your company and without you around, it may quickly start to suffer from separation anxiety which can lead to other, more serious health problems.
There are some dogs that do better by themselves than others. The Frenchie is not one of those.
So before you decide to bring one into your life you need to ensure there is enough room in your life for one and that you can give it the attention it deserves.
This dog would best suit someone who works from home or a family that has someone home most of the day.
If you’re unable to commit to this, for the next decade or so – please consider another breed!
8) French Bulldogs are Front Heavy
The first time you pick up a French Bulldog you will notice that something doesn’t quite feel right.
You’ll think you’ve done something wrong or they are trying to struggle to get away. Well, this isn’t the case.
The problem is the French Bulldog is front heavy! So, their head is heavier than their rear.
This means unless you pick them up supporting their front more than their rear, there is a danger that they may roll forwards out of your arms!
This is all part of their (arguably) artificial design as it’s almost unnatural for a dog to be front heavy – it’s not their fault, right?
New owners of the Frenchie need to be very careful when handling one for the first time.
7) They Wouldn’t Naturally Exist
Technically this is true. Due to the problems they have reproducing, they should (arguably) not exist.
Breeding French Bulldogs requires artificial insemination because their small size makes breeding naturally nigh-on impossible.
A French Bulldog is so small because of cross-breeding practices. This has created a breed that is only sustainable with human intervention. Of course, this is not the Frenchies fault.
Whether it’s right or wrong for this breed to exist is a much deeper conversation that I won’t be getting into here.
6) They Will Not Protect Anything of Yours
The French Bulldog is most certainly not a guard dog. Putting their rather small stature to one side, they don’t have the qualities embedded within them to be able to do this job – which is fine!
If you wanted a guard dog then you wouldn’t even be looking at a cute little French.
As far as most Frenchies are concerned, all property is to be shared equally. You are more than welcome to have some of their food but of course likewise, you need to give them some of yours!
Also, don’t think that comfy part of the couch has just been designated for your bottom only! Oh no, what’s yours is also theirs – so don’t be surprised to discover them sitting in your favorite location…
5) They Should Not Be Anywhere Near Water
The French Bulldog is not designed to be a swimmer. Its physical properties mean that although it may float on the surface of water for a few seconds, it will eventually sink.
No matter what anyone tells you, whatever you read – they are not able to stay afloat for long.
Some will sink immediately and some may be able to have a few strokes before they start going down.
Unfortunately, they are not able then to swim back to the surface so unless they are rescued very soon (within seconds) they will drown.
Therefore, French Bulldogs should not be allowed anywhere near water without extremely close supervision.
4) They Can Have Health Issues
All dogs can have health issues but unfortunately, the French Bulldog is known to have more than most.
It is interesting to note though that the average lifespan of the Frenchie is between 11 and 14 years of age, which isn’t exactly bad.
So what that tells us is that despite these apparent and well-publicized health issues – they can’t be that bad otherwise the average lifespan would be a lot less!
I have detailed the more common issues owners have experienced with the French Bulldog in my Complete Guide.
New owners need to be aware of these issues and really consider the value of insurance when buying a Frenchie – vet treatments can quickly run into the thousands and you’ll soon wish you had that insurance policy if you didn’t get it!
3) Most French Bulldogs Can Not Reproduce Naturally
Not everyone knows that most French Bulldogs can not reproduce naturally. Conception is usually via artificial insemination and delivery is via C-Section.
The reason the Frenchie can’t reproduce naturally is down to the construction of their hips. The difficulty is they are quite small on both the male and the female which makes reproduction ‘challenging’.
2) Blue Is an Undesirable Color for a Frenchie
With some dogs, the French Bulldog included, there are colors that are linked to potential genetic disorders. This means dogs of a certain color are more likely to suffer with certain health problems.
With the Frenchie, this color is blue – and it is possibly not fair. You see, the problems that have been found in this color have also been found in others and there are many that believe that there are no problems linked to blue at all!
1) They Are Gorgeous
Well, I did say this article was tongue-in-cheek. Of course, the French Bulldog is gorgeous. If you haven’t spent much (or any) time around one so far, I urge you to find someone who has one and just spend 30 minutes with them.
In that time, you will become its new best friend and you will not want to leave it either.
The French Bulldog is an amazing breed of dog, for so many reasons. Be aware that (like all breeds of dog) it has its problems and issues but underneath it all is a wonderful personality.
It will love you, unconditionally, from the day you bring it into your new home to the day it crosses the Rainbow bridge.