The French Bulldog must be one of the most affectionate breeds of dog that we can buy today and there are some very good reasons why so many families are choosing the Frenchie as their family pet.
For many, the Frenchie isn’t a dog breed they initially consider when looking to acquire a pet for a family but this breed is becoming increasingly popular in both the United States and Europe. There are many reasons for this but let’s take a look at the main 15 reasons why you will love your French Bulldog!
1) The French Bulldog Loves to Play
The French Bulldog won’t need any excuse to play with you. In fact, all the Frenchie actually seems to want is to play with you. It’s easily pleased as well. Get down on the floor with it and just spend some time with your new best friend. This is all they need. Although they are perfectly happy playing inside, they certainly won’t turn down the opportunity to go outside and run around for a bit. Grab a tennis ball, give it a throw and watch them play fetch. They may decide that they are not giving it back though of course, well, not until they decide they want to!
2) The Frenchie Likes Snuggles
I said above that your French Bulldog will want to spend time with you and I meant it. Have you ever been lonely? I think we all have at some point in our lives. If you were in the past then it must have been before you had your Frenchie because you can’t be lonely and have a French Bulldog, the two simply aren’t compatible!
Expect to share your sofa, your bed, your living room table and your life with your new best friend. Don’t for a second think you have any choice in the matter also as this is just how your life is now. Joking aside though, your Bully will want to get as close as possible to you and if that means sitting on your head then that’s what’s going to happen.
3) The French Bulldog Doesn’t Bark … much
The French Bulldog is a quiet dog. You’re not likely to get any angry next-door neighbors complaining about your yappy dog with the Frenchie. Just because it doesn’t bark though, doesn’t mean it won’t communicate with you, but more on that later. I’ve thought about this quite a bit and have come up with a perfectly good explanation. The simple explanation is that a dog barks when they need something or when they’re upset. So, therefore, using my unbreakable logic, it must be because they are perfectly content, always. So, they don’t need to woof! Okay, this might not be scientifically proven (gasp) but it sounds plausible to me.
4) The French Bulldog Doesn’t Need Much Exercise
Imagine there’s scale out of 10, where 10 means the breed of dog requires exercise several times a day for long periods and 1 means the dog breed needs next to no exercise at all. The French Bulldog would come in at minus 1. Joking aside, they don’t crave exercise like a lot of dogs and actually, they don’t really need it.
The French Bulldog has short legs and will get all the exercise
5) The French Bulldog Loves Children
One of the reasons why the French Bulldog is so popular in the US (and other countries) is that it’s great with kids. Take a look at this table from the American Kennel Club (AKC). As you can see, the French Bulldog has risen from being the 11th most popular breed in the US in 2013 to 4th in 2017. Only the Retrievers (both Lab and Golden) along with the German Shephard are now above it. Its popularity has risen faster than any other breed.
Relating to children though, the French Bulldog is very tolerant. Actually, I think it’s not just about tolerance but about the attention they get off kids. Then tend to feed off each other, maybe because the breed is smaller and so playful then draw attention in off children.
As the Frenchie isn’t aggressive, the child will feel confident in playing with them and they can form a bond that will last many years. Of course, there is a line and the Frenchie, like any other dog, won’t like it if the child isn’t gentle. Common Sense needs to prevail and adult supervision when a child is playing with any animal is recommended.
6) They Can Tolerate Other Pets
There are, alas, many dog breeds that just don’t get on with other dogs. For instance, the Terrier has a lot of positives but integrating with other animals certainly isn’t one of them. The French Bulldog isn’t like the Terrier though. Although early introductions make the whole process easier and more likely to succeed, the French Bulldog is typically very good at accepting other pets.
If you already have a cat then that doesn’t mean you can’t have a Frenchie. It will actually depend more on the cat accepting the dog than the other way around! To your Frenchie though, another dog or cat in the house is just an opportunity for another friend to play with. It may not be you but it will do when you’re not around 🙂
7) The Frenchie Likes to Show-Off
It’s like they were born to be the center of attention. You know that kid at school who always wants to do something funny or cheeky to be the kid that everyone looks at and laughs with? Your French Bulldog is that child, all the time. If they can do something to get your attention, you better believe that they will. If they detect that you find something else slightly more interesting than they will go out of their way to get your attention back.
This may mean jumping on your lap with their face directly in your view so you can’t see anything but them. The best option to prevent this behavior is to give them exactly what they want, at all times. I adopt a similar stance with my wife actually and in the long run, it certainly saves a lot of stress as you just end up doing what they want anyway.
8) They Will Stop You From Being Sad
I think out of all these points, this is the nicest and it’s absolutely true. It’s easy to be depressed and let things get on top of you when you’re alone and only have your thoughts to keep you company. However, if you have a little Frenchie running around wanting nothing but your company, it’s literally impossible to feel the same way. What we’ve found is yes, you still have your moments when you might be a bit down but since having a Bully the low’s aren’t so low and the highs are a lot higher.
The French Bulldog doesn’t want for much really and is easily pleased. Just keep them well-fed and spend time with them and they will be happy, if only it was that easy for us – perhaps it should be? 🙂
9) They Will ‘Talk’ With You
Although the French Bulldog doesn’t bark that much this doesn’t mean you won’t hear from them at all. They seem to have developed their own language which consists of a strange series of noises that seem to come from the back of their throats. They will sit there in front of you making these noises for ages, wondering why you’re not responding. It’s as if you don’t understand!
It usually occurs when they’re not quite getting their way. For instance, when you’re paying more attention to something on television when you really should be (as far as they are concerned) playing with them. Or, if they don’t quite get their way they will remonstrate with you in the only way possible. Which is to make as much noise possible until they do get their own way. It usually works, believe me.
10) They Can Make A Great Therapy Dog
I mentioned above that it’s really hard to be depressed when you’re around one of these adorable animals. The French Bulldog lends itself to not only helping you though and possibly helping others. If you have an elderly neighbor that spends a lot of time on their own then why not take your Frenchie over one day? It won’t take much of your time, the elderly person will get a lot out of it and also your dog will love it as they are getting all this extra attention.
Some people also take them into schools to teach the children about dogs – of course, you need to be careful here and the kids need to be well behaved. But, the breed is so good with children (assuming it’s been well trained) then it’s a really good idea.
So, my point here is that they’re (usually) such a well-behaved breed it’s nice to share their love around. Your dog will get so much out of meeting new people and getting all that attention it really is a win-win situation.
11) The French Bulldog Is Trainable
For some reason, there seems to be a misconception that the French Bulldog is notoriously difficult to train and it’s just not true. Yes, they have big personalities and yes, they are strong-willed. However, you will have no problems at all with training the Frenchie. It’s a lot easier to do this when they’re little puppies than only thinking to start about it when they’re fully mature but it’s still possible and arguably easier than other breeds. The reason for this (this is purely me speculating) is because they see these training sessions as play and just another excuse to show-off!
Don’t think that having to send your dog on training is in any way a bad thing and a sign that you haven’t brought your little doggy upright. They all need training but there are people who do this stuff for a living. For something so important as this, leave it to the experts.
12) They May Be Small, but They Have Big Personalities
Their personality sure makes up for their lack of size and it sure does have a big personality. This isn’t a breed that can go unnoticed. In fact, it does everything it can to go unnoticed. After you spend a couple of hours with them it will seem like you’ve known each other for years. Good luck trying to forget about them after that. To get some more photos of the French Bulldog we went round a friend’s house and took some of their little Frenchie.
At first, when we knocked on the door she immediately ran up to the door and starting barking (quite rare for a French Bulldog) – she was either saying hello or trying to scare us off, I don’t know which. As soon as we were allowed in though she was running around us all excited as it meant maybe some new friends to play with! Taking a photo of a Frenchie though is difficult and trying to keep it still for more than a second was a challenge. Whenever I laid down to get a good shot she would run up to me and either try to lick me on the nose or lick my camera on the lens 🙂 You bond immediately, there’s no time for introductions with this breed.
After an hour of chatting and photo-taking, it was time to leave. I didn’t get as many pics as I wanted as I seemed to spend more time playing with her than pressing the shutter-release on my camera! Anyway, it’s like a drug, I didn’t want the experience to stop.
13) They Act Like a Guard Dog
Make note of the word ‘Act’ here because you see, the French Bulldog could never actually be a ‘proper’ French Bulldog. It can get part of the job done I suppose, as I experienced in the above point. If someone rings your doorbell then it may well jump up and start barking. But, it’s not telling whoever it is to ‘Go Away, you’re not welcome!’ – it’s saying, ‘Quick, come in so I can play with you!’.
The French Bulldog is just too loving, too affectionate and too nice to be a guard dog and do you know something? That’s just fine with me. If I wanted a breed of dog to protect my house I would get an Alsatian or something. If you’re thinking of utilizing your Bully for Guard Dog duties you may as well buy a chocolate teapot, both are about as useful.
14) Great For People Who Live in Apartments
It’s true! Because the French Bulldog doesn’t need (or want) much exercise, it makes them an ideal choice for those families who don’t have a garden. Yes, it’s still nice if you can get them outside now and again as the fresh air will do them good (as well as you) but it’s not a necessity. Where you might have a problem is managing the whole toilet situation. You’ll have to make sure you take care of things pretty quickly unless you want your apartment to start smelling like a toilet!
15) They’re Gorgeous
…in their own way. You see, it’s not all about looks. I’m the perfect example of that 🙂 It’s about what’s inside and as it happens I do think the French Bulldog is a beautiful dog, although many don’t share my enthusiasm I’m afraid that they are wrong. But it’s not the looks of the Frenchie that make it so appealing.
It’s everything else. It’s the excitement that you can see on their faces when you walk through the door. It’s their down-trodden look when they’ve been a bit naughty (and you’ve had to tell them off). It’s their ability to cheer you up, no matter how depressed you were five minutes ago. It’s their enthusiasm for quite literally, everything. I reckon if I had to be any dog, it would be the Bouledouge Francais.
So, if you’re fortunate to have one and if you’re looking for the best toys for your French Bulldog then check these out (opens in a new tab)!