French bulldog

The French Bulldog exudes love for people, including children, exudes serenity. Walking ideal? Almost – if not for the inclination to fight with kinsmen. Due to the short muzzle, the French Bulldog is not very resistant to high temperatures.

Nature

The French Bulldog is cheerful, inquisitive and sociable. He is strongly attached to the owner and shows his devotion at every step. It requires interest and close contact with the family, so it is not suitable for living in isolation. Ignored, he can recall himself, which is why he is sometimes absorbing.

Bulldog is a great companion for children. Gentle and tolerant, willingly participates in all games. He also belongs to the few dogs who willingly obey a ten-year-old and follow his instructions.

The representative of this breed is friendly towards people and easily makes contacts with them. Even if he is initially distrustful of strangers, he can be convinced quite quickly. He has good hearing and is alert, so he will pay attention to any noise outside the door.

The French Bulldog is brave and feisty. Males often provoke fights with strangers of the same sex, especially larger than themselves. Choosing more bulldogs at home, it’s better to choose animals of the opposite sex or female. Two males may disagree. Other pets representative of this breed tolerates and lives in harmony with them.

Bulldog easily acclimatizes to different conditions and is not troublesome to maintain. It does not need a large space, it is great even for a small apartment. He is quite active and energetic, but will also adapt to a calmer lifestyle.

The show dog needs to develop adequate muscularity, which is why he needs more movement than his pet. Workouts, however, can not threaten the pet’s health – do not exercise with him in hot weather or forcing growing puppies. Most bulldogs don’t like water and can’t swim.

Skills

Originally, French bulldogs were used in poor city districts to exterminate rats. Then they became the favorites of the aristocracy and went to the salons. Currently, they are primarily companion dogs. They can be trained in general obedience (PT) and obedience. Some practice agility.

Training and education

Bulldog is intelligent and happy to learn if you motivate him properly. You can combine it with treats and a good word – nothing can be achieved by harsh treatment or screaming. The dog of this breed remembers unpleasant experiences for a long time and can refuse to cooperate if learning does not please him. There is nothing to count on training successes when we lack consistency and patience.

It should be remembered that despite the small growth, the French bulldog has a strong character, so he should not be too indulgent. Representatives of this breed inherited their fighting instincts from their ancestors, so they require socialization from the puppy with other dogs. You have to provide them with various stimuli and take them to new places. Toddlers will do well in dog kindergarten.

Who is this race for?

Bulldog is a good friend for everyone. Even a person with little experience will cope with his upbringing, if only he will treat the pet firmly, but also gently and warmly.

Advantages and disadvantages

Disadvantages

not very resistant to heat
males tend to be feisty about same-sex brethren

Advantages

strongly attached to the family
gentle to people
an excellent friend of children
easy to care for
suitable for a small apartment
does not require long walks
is a watchful guardian

Health

The French Bulldog is prone to back problems, which can lead to a paresis of the limbs in old age. There are mobile knee patches, heart problems, esophageal diverticula, and cancer.

Sometimes there is an elongated soft palate, which can lead to respiratory disorders and cause faster dog fatigue (in more severe cases, surgical intervention is required). The most common symptoms are wheezing, wheezing and loud snoring during sleep.

There are also too narrow wings of the nose and cleft palate. Bulldogs’ weak side is large, slightly convex eyes prone to mechanical injuries. Corneal ulcers and prolapse of the third eyelid gland, so-called cherry eye.

Food allergies may occur in individuals with a large amount of whiteness in the coat. Many bulldogs are also susceptible to contact allergies, so do not use plastic bowls. Dogs of this breed are hypersensitive to anesthesia, so if possible, it is better to avoid general anesthesia.

Due to the short muzzle, the French Bulldog is not very resistant to high temperatures. On hot days you need to protect it from overheating. It also doesn’t like moisture. However, winter walks do not harm him – clothes are needed only when the pet stays motionless for a long time.

Feeding

The French Bulldog has a good appetite and is not picky. The pattern depicts him as a “small molosser”, which is why he cannot be too thin – he must be stocky, but not fat. An indentation in the weakness is required, but the ribs should not be visible.

To keep the bulldog in proper condition, only high-class foods should be given. You can use ready-made products, e.g. for dogs of this breed or feed your pet with prepared food.

If we decide on the latter, we must remember to supplement the diet with calcium and vitamin preparations (after consulting a veterinarian or a breeder). During the molting period, agents containing biotin, zinc and unsaturated fatty acids can be administered. We divide the daily portion into at least two meals.

Care

The bulldog is easy to care for. Usually, it molts moderately once a year in the spring, but the intensity and frequency of hair replacement depend largely on proper nutrition. The coat is small but quite hard, it sticks easily and is difficult to remove from carpets and upholstery. During this time, the dog should be combed daily with a rubber glove (except during the molting period, it is enough to do it once a week). Then you can wipe it with a damp cotton towel or care wipes.

We bathe the bulldog in shampoos for short-haired dogs, e.g. with selenium. Instead of traditional cosmetics, you can use special moisturizing lotions for sensitive skin containing aloe and chamomile extracts. Once a week, we wipe the folds around the eyes and nose with an eye care product – if necessary, we also use preparation to remove discolorations (anti-burn treatments can be used after the treatment).

Into the inside of the ear, we put in a self-cleaning agent and wipe the auricle with a cotton swab moistened with the same preparation. Regularly you need to clean your teeth, check the perianal glands and shorten the claws if the dog does not rub them yourself.

The bulldog exhibits in a natural stance on a ring matched to the coat. You also need to teach him to calmly stand on the table where the judges judge small breeds and get used to showing teeth.

Accessories

We take the bulldog for walks in an ordinary, quite wide leather collar and on a long leash (automatic leashes or links work well). In the case of puppies, it is better not to use a harness, because they can lead to elbows standing out. If we use them for adults, choose those that will not restrain the limbs and chest.

Toys should be solid – avoid too small, because bulldogs swallow them easily. Good are big balls, items made of hard rubber, natural teethers or wooden aports that will lead puppies away from biting furniture. A soft bed, which can be washed in a washing machine, is best used for sleeping. It is worth getting used to a display dog in a transport cage.

History

Some researchers are looking for the ancestors of this small dog among the ancient molars from Epirus (western Greece) and the Roman Empire, medieval Alano or canine dogs from South America. During excavations in Peru, vessels from the pre-Columbian era were found, decorated with the image of a small quadruped reminiscent of a modern bulldog. In 1625, in Spain, a medal was struck with a dog’s head very similar to the head of a French bulldog.

One of the most probable theories is that the modern representative of the breed is derived from the former English Bulldog used in the British Isles for dogfighting and bull hunting. When in 1802 the English parliament banned bloody entertainment, the fighting dogs lost their occupation and became workers’ companions. Because they could not afford to hold large animals, they bred a miniature version of bulldogs with a much milder character.

These dogs came to France thanks to British textile workers, who emigrated to the Seine in search of work. In Paris, small bulldogs were probably crossed with terriers and pinschers used to exterminate rodents, small dogs from France and Belgium and pugs. There is also a theory that the ancestor of the French Bulldog could be a Burgos dog considered the progenitor of the Bordeaux dog.

Initially, bulldogs were held by rag dealers, weavers, butchers and carters. The position of the breed changed when its slightly grotesque appearance and sympathetic character were noticed by the upper realms. The admirers of these dogs were King Edward VII, Grand Duchess Tatiana Romanowa, writer Colette, dancer Anna Pawłowa or fashion dictator Yves Saint Laurent. The famous painter Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec immortalized the bulldog’s image.

The first bulldog club was established in Paris in 1880, and the first dog was entered in the register in 1885. In 1898, the French cynological association recognized the new breed and gave it its current name.

In the same year a pattern was developed, which was later modified and supplemented several times. The last version is from 1995 (a beige breed variety was approved for breeding at the time).

French Bulldog in Poland

In Poland, the first bulldogs appeared in the interwar period. Description of the breed was included in the book of Maurycy Trybulski published in 1928 “Dogs of breeding, breeding, training and treatment”. In the 1930s, a couple of bulldogs named Pouche and Zezett had Princess Olgierdowa Czartoryska from Baszków. In 1937, the French Bulldog Club was founded in Poland.

After World War II, the first breeders were the Weber and Zdzisław Lubowicki (Varsovia kennel).

Template

French bulldog – group IX FCI, section 11, reference number 101

Country of origin: France
Size: not less than 8 kg and not more than 14 kg in good condition dogs; the size should be proportional to the weight
Coat: smooth, close-fitting, shiny, soft hair
Ointment: uniformly fawn, brindle or with a small amount of whiteness; fawn, brindled or not, with an average or predominant amount of whiteness; all
fawn shades are allowed from red to coffee with milk; completely white dogs are classified as a fawn with predominantly white
Maturity: 2-3 years
Lifespan: 10-15 years
Weather resistance: medium

Interesting facts

There are two problems with French Bulldogs that not everyone knows about. First, when deciding on a bulldog, you have to reckon with “stinky” problems. Bitterns that let go of these quadrupeds can poison the air quite well …

Secondly – their wheezing, fun for the owners, is perceived by other dogs as a growl, which causes conflicts between the dogs. That is why bulldogs get along best with each other, i.e. with individuals of the same breed, because no one understands better than themselves that this wheezing is nothing wrong.