Taking Care of Your French Bulldog

One of the fastest growing popular dog breeds are French bulldogs. These dogs originated from a mixture of bulldogs and terriers, and are a favorite amongst small to medium sized families and celebrities. Probably, this breed got highlighted when celebrity host Martha Stuart showed her French bulldog on her shows and showed how energetic and playful the breed can be.

A small sized dog, frenchies are easy to maintain, well in temperament and have little known health problems. Here are a few tips to help you take better care of your French bulldog.

Diet
Since frenchies are small dogs, you should never over feed them to avoid DM in dogs. Ask your vet about the proper serving size for the breed and keep a strict watch over their diet. Give them dog food, but if you’re planning to make your own meals for them, make sure you give them vitamins and food supplements to compensate for any lacking nutrition.

Regular exercise

They might prefer the indoors, but they still need regular exercise. An hour’s worth of light walking everyday should do it. Regular exercise helps prevent the development of joint and muscle problems like DM in dogs, arthritis and hip dysplasia. It also keeps them in shape.Take them out for a short walk every day since too much exercise can cause them to overheat and trigger breathing problems.

Teeth care and face folds

French bulldogs are particularly high maintenance when it comes to their teeth and face folds. You have to make sure they’re cleaned regularly to avoid mouth, face and jaw problems. When getting their teeth cleaned, try to avoid anesthesia since this compromises their respiratory system.

General grooming
A bath once or twice a week should be enough. But it would also depend on how cold or warm your location is. Brushing should be done daily to clean their coat of dirt and dead hair. They do shed but since they have a short coat, you won’t have to worry about having fur all over the place. They also drool a lot so you might want to bring around a cloth to wipe it out.

Temper
One of the most friendly dog breed, they get along well with other pets and people. However, when around younger children, they do need to be watched over since they don’t do rough play very well. They make snorting, grunting and wheezing sound normally so don’t panic if they do. They also have a tendency to have a hard time when swimming. In fact, most French bulldogs don’t know how to swim.