Cheap Pet Insurance

December 18th, 2008 by Bobby Callahan

The French Bulldog can best be described as a tough and compact dog. Over the years the French Bulldog has become a very popular family pet. They are likely to have descended from the English Bulldog despite their name and then mixed with other French and English breeds along the way.

During the late 1800′s the breed was brought to North America and also became very popular in France. As an excellent family pet the French Bulldog has always been a member of the sporting group. The American Kennel Club first accepted the breed in 1898. They will typically grow to be eleven to twelve inches at the shoulder with a weight between seventeen to twenty-eight pounds when fully grown. Consider the temperament and needs of the French Bulldog to determine if they are the right breed for you and your household. This way you can ensure you are getting the right breed for you and your household.

The French Bulldog typically looks like a dwarf mastiff and can be either small or medium sized. They have broad shoulders, deep chest and thick neck along with muscles that are well developed. Brindle or fawn and white are the preferred coat colors for show dogs. Although dogs bred for non-show purposes can also be black, mouse and liver.

Their personality is typically one of affection and energy. They easily form close and loving bonds so this helps them make excellent family pets. They are also very faithful watchdogs for the family and prefer to spend as much time as possible near the human companions. However, they typically have little energy and low exercise requirements because they are a not a sporting dog.

Although a good family pet they do tend to do better with the more mature children since they sometimes won’t be very tolerant or understanding of a young child’s behavior. The French Bulldog will typically tolerate other pets but only if your introduce them to the French Bulldog when they are still a puppy.

The French Bulldog is different from the English Bulldog in the fact that they are actually easy to train because of their attentive and intelligent nature. Although many like to keep them untrained as a family pet and choose not to train them.

You should consider one primarily special health need of the French Bulldog. They can develop breathing problems after excessive exercise, high levels of excitement or high environmental temperatures. This comes about because of their short nose and overall skull shape and is called Brachycephalic syndrome. The problem can become serious and life threatening. So don’t walk them in hot, humid weather and don’t leave them outside for extended periods of time.

So you should try not to walk a French Bulldog in hot, humid weather and don’t leave them outside in hot weather for extended periods of time. You should contact a veterinarian right away for medical treatment if you notice they are having trouble breathing or act like they can’t catch their breath, this way you can treat the condition before it gets too serious.