Frenchie Facts

Part Two:

When the French bred the little dog it could have bat ears or rose ears--like the English Bulldog. American breeders quickly began focusing on the bat ears, and through their influence the pointed ears and next-to-nothing tail became the standard. Absolutely nothing is altered on a frenchie. The ears, the tail--that turned up nose--all come from planned breeding.

There are world class breeders in Canada, the US, Mexico, Brazil, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Holland, Belgium, England and France, of course! In California there are award-winning Frenchie breeders in all parts of the state. You can also find an amazing amount of poorly bred imports. That's not to say imports are all poorly bred. Carmen (Ch. Icon’s Café Brulot) is the product of a Belgium dam and an American sire. When importing, we take great pains to look at the pedigree and ensure we are adding to the breed. In California there are at least two clubs dedicated to the Breed: Northern California and French Bulldog Fanciers of Southern California. There is a National Club: The French Bulldog Club of America.

It means that for whatever reason the breeder is choosing not to show a particular dog. They will all be in the same litter. The quality of a pet is the same as a show dog. The difference may be size, color, or something physical, but not life-threatening like an undescended testicle. Sometimes it’s just the breeder's subjective choice. You just simply cannot show a litter of 4 -5 puppies (it’s cost prohibitive.) It's not uncommon for a breeder to place a dog with a family and ask to show it. The reason is that a show dog's career does not span its lifetime, and a good breeder is looking for a good HOME for all of her dogs. A dog's show career rarely spans more than three years. Since shows in Southern California are abundant, dogs show on the weekend, and are back home the rest of the week.

It means your dog is purebred. The American Kennel Club (AKC) for American dogs, it is the gold standard. Reputable American breeders will register their dogs with the American Kennel Club. We do not maintain nor recognize other registries. Dog from out of the USA are registered with their home countries' kennel clubs, such as the Canadian Kennel, Kennel Club of Great Britain.

Champion-sired dogs: Champion-sire is a term that’s been thrown around quite a bit lately. It means no more to you to have a puppy champion-sired puppy than it does for that puppy to have a champion dam. In fact, some will tell you that it means more to have a champion dam as it is more difficult to show and finish a bitch.

You should actually look for champions on BOTH sides for at least two generations. That means the breeders have used care when choosing to breed. Remember, most exhibition breeders are breeding for themselves and not for income.

My example is Carmen: She's from champions that go back five generations on her sire's side, and three on her dam's. Hugo, the father of this litter is from Best in Specialty and Best in Show winners. He is a champion also and has already sired champions. That means we can be pretty sure that Carmen's litter will meet the health and size standards for the frenchie (though the colors are completely a toss up at this time). At any moment you could ask questions about temperament and health, and we can give you each dog's family history.

Look for a sturdy dog of medium bone. An American Show quality Frenchie must meet a weight standard of 28 pounds MAX. A hint: Sometimes a perfectly good frenchie will not be shown because it exceeds the weight standard and would be disqualified. Frenchies are "brachies." That flat face makes the frenchie susceptible to extreme heat or cold. A frenchie who overheats will DIE in your arms. They can't tolerate any weather you can't tolerate.

Frenchies are hearty, fun-loving dogs. They do well on walks and must have exercise. Though atheletic, Frenchies also suffer from bad backs and bad knees. Carmen's great-grandmother passed away at the ripe old age of 14.

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