French Bulldog

French Bulldog is a small, compact breed has a large head and distinctive bat-like ears. It has suffered less from the breeding extremes that have afflicted its English relative.

Origin: T here appears to be no doubt that the French Bulldogs originated in England, and is an offshoot of the English miniature variety Bulldog, not the Bulldog one sees on the bench today, but of the tulip eared and short under jawed specimens which were common in London, Nottingham, Birmingham, and Sheffield in the early fifties.

There was at that time a constant emigration of lace workers from Nottingham to the coast towns of Normandy, where lace factories were springing into existence, and these immigrants frequently took a Bulldog with them to the land of their adoption. The converse method was also adopted. Prior to 1902 French Bulldogs were imported into this country with the object of resuscitating the strain of bantam Bulldogs, which in course of years had been allowed to dwindle in numbers, and were in danger of becoming extinct.

There are superficial similarities between the English and the French toy Bulldog, the one distinguishing characteristic being that in the French variety the ears are higher on the head and are held erect. Until a few years ago the two were interbred, but disputes as to their essential differences led the Kennel Club to intervene and the types have since been kept rigidly apart, the smart little bat eared Bulldogs of France receiving recognition under the breed name of Bouledogues Francais.

Temperament: Full of courage, yet with clown-like qualities. Devoted and Intelligent.

Exercise: It is not a great lover of exercise, and will be content with a short walk each day, broken by a brief period off the leash.. Overweight individuals may have trouble with their breathing.

Grooming: Use fairly stiff brush daily. Rub down with hound glove or towel. Lubricate facial features for occasional signs of localized infection in its facial creases, but this can be dealt with effectively through treatment by your veterinarian.

Physical appearance of French Bulldog

Head: Broad skull.

Eyes: Set far apart and rather low. Round and very dark brown.

Ears: Small, thin in texture. Bat-like.

Body: Well-muscled body with barrel shaped chest. A sloping back.

Coat: Short, soft and close lying.

Legs: The front legs are bowed in outline and short in proportion to the back legs.

Weight: 10 to 13 kg / 22 to 28 lb

Height: 31 cm / 12 in