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Everything You Need to Know About French Bulldog Puppies

By Jacquelyn Kennedy
Updated on

Looking for an intelligent dog who gets along really well with children?

French bulldog puppy

Then, the French Bulldog is something that you should go for!

French Bulldogs, also known as Frenchies, are toy-sized versions of the Bulldog curated in England.

The breed became really popular in Europe, especially France, and hence got their name!

So today, I’ll be talking about French Bulldog puppies, puppy care, and almost everything you need to know about the breed!

These are a few things that you should consider before you buy a French Bulldog.

Let’s find out more about them, shall we?

French Bulldog Puppies: From Puppyhood to Doghood

Puppies are the cutest creatures on the face of the Earth, and French Bulldog puppies are exceptionally cute!

Leave a comment if you agree.

Right now, I’d like to share some stages of development with you and talk about how French Bulldog puppies grow into cute and cuddly adults.

And, of course, I’d also like to talk about what you should expect from the puppy!

Puppyhood to Doghood: Life at a Glance

StageAge RangeMain Development Areas
12-3 weeks
  • All sense organs start developing
  • Puppies learn how to crawl
23-4 weeks
  • Rapid sensory development
  • Avoid sudden changes and exposure to strangers
34-7 weeks
  • Critical social development
  • Puppies need to socialize with their mother and also need to learn how to be well-behaved dogs
48 weeks – 3 months
  • Rapid learning about anything and everything
  • French Bulldog puppies are more independent
  • Important to form human contact during this time
53-4 months
  • Puppies demonstrate independence
  • Be firm as well as gentle with your puppies
64-6 months
  • Puppies start teething and need chew toys to relieve themselves
  • Pups also demonstrate dominance
76-18 months
  • The first step into adulthood
  • Critical period for social adjustment
  • Learning something new everyday

Now, let’s look at all of those stages and talk about them in greater detail.

Stage 1: What’s Even Going On!?

Newborn French Bulldog puppies are tiny and don’t do much besides sleep and eat.

So, for the first weeks of their lives, French Bulldog puppies can’t really see, hear or smell anything.

So, what does the puppy do?

Well, French Bulldog puppies, during this phase of their lives, start to open their eyes, respond to light, try to crawl closer to their mom, ‘play’ with their siblings, etc.

But mostly, the French Bulldog puppies will sleep and eat, as I said before!

Stage 2: Bulldog vs. The World

The second stage for French Bulldog Puppies starts at week 3, when the senses start to develop!

This means that the puppies can now become explorers and become more adventurous.

No sleeping all day, every day!

And French Bulldog puppies start recognizing their human friends at this stage of life. So, they’ll be excited to see you walk in!

But don’t bring in your friends to see them just yet.

This is a really important period in the French Bulldog puppies’ development.

And any negative thing can really affect the personalities of the litter and may even cause behavioral problems in the long term.

So, keep the strangers at bay during this stage…

And keep the French Bulldog puppies close to their mom and siblings.

Stage 3: The Social Network

This is a crucial stage for French Bulldog puppies.

This is where the social development of French Bulldog puppies takes place, and the puppies learn how to play with their littermates and not bite everything in sight!

And the mother also starts weaning them off of her milk during this time.

The French Bulldog puppies learn how to become dogs during this time, and their mom teaches them basic dog behavior and is treated as the leader of their pack.

This is also when you should introduce the French Bulldog puppies to food! Their new love for life.

Week 4 is probably the best time to add puppy food to the diet as their mom weans them off.

Social development is another thing that takes place during this time in puppyhood.

This is when the French Bulldog puppies should be left with their moms and littermates.

So, don’t leave them on their own for more than ten minutes!

If you do, the pup can have behavioral issues later in life.

French Bulldog puppies also develop social skills during this time.

Now, the puppies may have a few accidents around the house; they may even fight a lot with each other.

But that’s all normal behavior!

Don’t punish the little pups for such stuff.

Stage 4: Anxiousness and Nervousness

During this stage in life, French Bulldog Puppies are nervous about anything and everything.

From stairs to loud noises, the world is too big for the puppy, and this nervousness is really a normal thing.

All you’ve got to do is make sure you aren’t strict with the little doggies, as they are already under stress.

This is also the stage in the French Bulldog puppies’ lives where they get better control of their bladder and bowel and will be able to sleep all night without having to go.

Other than that…

This is also the stage in life where you can start training the French Bulldog puppies on some of the basic commands like stay, sit, down, etc.

You can also start leash training during this time of life!

And, since you’re at it, you should buy your dog some French Bulldog collars to make your pup a little more comfortable with them. It’ll be annoying at first.

There’s more.

Also, you should get your dog a French Bulldog harness.

I feel that harnesses are better than collars and leashes. So, I suggest that you invest in a good Frenchie harness.

Stage 5: Defying Authority

This is basically the onset of adolescence, and you know what teenage brings, right?

Rebellion!

French Bulldog puppies like to become more independent and may even defy a few of your commands.

Now, don’t take that very seriously!

Don’t be very harsh with your puppy and scold him. Rather, be a little gentle with him and reinforce your puppy friends when some yummy treats to get him back on track, and you’ll be great to go!

And there’s another serious hurdle that you’d like to overcome.

French Bulldog puppies like biting anything and everything during this stage.

You may think of it as something playful and fun, but it’ll grow into a serious problem if you don’t nip this in the bud.

Don’t let your dog get into the habit to biting humans!

Moving on…

Stage 6: Chew It All

During this stage, French Bulldog puppies tend to become brats and really rebellious.

Your puppy will have a mind of his own and will rebel a lot, and there’s nothing wrong with that!

Let’s talk about it in detail…

First of all, you should know that this is where your puppy will start teething. And that’s a really painful time in your pup’s life.

So, what should you do!?

Well, stock up on chew toys, edible bones, rope toys, and whatnot!

This’ll really soothe your pup’s biting instinct.

But I can’t guarantee that the French Bulldog puppies won’t chew on your furniture!

Other than that…

The puppies will try to exert some of their dominance on their siblings as well as human family members. So, you need to resolve that as well.

And there’s more.

You should ensure that you don’t take your dog off the leash if he doesn’t obey your commands, as it can even lead to death.

And, just like a normal human teenager, your French Bulldog puppy will also have some hormonal changes, and this is probably the right time to neuter the pups.

Teething can be hard, but toys help!

Stage 7: The Teenage

So, this is an awkward phase of life for French Bulldog puppies.

Why?

Well, your pups look like adults but aren’t quite there yet.

Your puppies will be full of life, excited to sniff new things, explore the world around them and be dogs!

This is their first step into doghood.

During this phase of life, you should mainly keep an eye on your dog’s diet and feed him the right foods for French Bulldogs.

Other than that, you should also feed your French Bulldog puppies some nice treats as well, like bell peppers, tuna, or even olives.

Also, keep training your puppies so that they are responsible and well-behaved doggies.

French Bulldog Puppies and Their History

Did you know that the French Bulldog originated in England?

That’s true!

When bloodsports were banned in England, the ‘bulldogs’ were essentially left unemployed and turned into a companion breed.

But how exactly?

Well, their size was a thing which was sought to be reduced, and they were crossed with a few dogs, and the result was:

And then the Industrial Revolution began, and lace workers from the city of Nottingham moved to France, taking their miniature bulldogs with them.

And these dogs became a trend in France.

While England was sending over dogs that were either too small for them or had ‘defects’.

This small bulldog started being called the ‘Bouledogue Francais’ and became highly fashionable.

The dog found its way into America and was affectionately called “Frenchie”—a name that’s still in use to this day.

That’s it for the quick history lesson!

French Bulldog Color: French Bulldog Puppies and The Colors They Come In!

French-bulldog-puppy-colors

French Bulldog puppies are really cute and adorable.

That being said, if you’re walking down the street with your little puppy, the pup will hold everyone’s gaze.

All dogs are cute, but sometimes, we all have color preferences when it comes to getting ourselves a dog.

So, I think it’s time to discuss the French Bulldog color scheme.

Are you ready?

Let’s get talking!

So, here’s a list of colors that French Bulldogs come in:

  • White
  • Brindle
  • Tan
  • Brindle and White
  • Cream
  • Black Brindle
  • Fawn

I’ve talked about french bulldog colors before, so if you’re interested in knowing more about that in detail, feel free to check it out!

No, there’s no blue French Bulldog!

But keep in mind that colors aside, all French Bulldog puppies are really loving, intelligent, and playful!

So, French Bulldog color doesn’t really matter in the long run. It’s what is inside that matters the most!

French bulldog puppies

French Bulldog Puppies and All About Their Size!

The French Bulldog is a small companion dog with a lifespan of 11-14 years.

But that really depends on the genetic factors and how you care for the dog.

Let’s talk about the size!

The thing to note here is that there are no gender differences, and males and females don’t differ in size.

SexWeight (lbs)Height (inches)
Male22-28 lb11-13 inches
Female22-28 lb11-13 inches

The French Bulldog puppies, on the other hand, are at a growing stage, and their ideal height and weight differ from one stage to another.

Gender differences are also seen in the pups!

French Bulldog Male Puppy Chart

AgeWeight
1 week1.0 – 2.2 lbs
4 weeks2.4 – 4.0 lbs
8 weeks5.4 – 9.0 lbs
12 weeks9.0 – 15.0 lbs
16 weeks13.6 – 21.0 lbs
18 weeks15.1 – 25.0 lbs
22 week18.3 – 30.5 lbs

Are French Bulldog Puppies Even Right For You?

Like I’ve said before, the mini French Bulldog is really cute and cuddly.

But you also need to know if they fit your life before you bring them into it!

So, let’s talk about that, shall we?

I have a few reasons you should look into French Bulldog puppies.

Let’s get started!

  • No Shedding!

Okay, that’s not entirely true.

French Bulldog puppies tend to shed minimally throughout the year, but it’s not really that much.

So, you don’t need to worry about vacuuming your house every day or about flying puppy hairs everywhere.

Nos, isn’t that relieving?

  • Chill Puppies

French Bulldog puppies are really chill.

Wondering how? Well, I’ll tell you…

It’s because you really don’t need to maintain them. No trimming is needed, and no stripping is needed either.

No, if you’re someone who’s living a hectic life and need a companion, mini French Bulldogs are your BFF!

  • A Good Boy

Toy French Bulldogs make good guard dogs.

So, if you live in an apartment or a small house, then I feel that they’d make a great companion for you!

That said, don’t depend on this mini dog for more than just a warning sign!

Because, you know, French Bulldogs are really tiny in size and can’t be as helpful as a German Shepherd.

  • Active When You Want Them To Be

If I said that French Bulldog puppies are active, I’d be lying.

And you won’t believe me.

So, I’d say the next best thing.

Even though the Frenchie would love to just lay in bed all day and lounge around the house, they are active when you want them to be.

They’ll love trips to the park and running around with you when you want them to.

Isn’t that amazing?

French Bulldog Puppies And Food?

In this section, I’d like to talk about French Bulldog puppies and their nutritional needs. This is something that most people tend to ignore.

So, let’s get started, shall we?

The Beginning Weeks

So, as I discussed before, you should never feed a French Bulldog puppy a normal dog or puppy food before he turns 6 weeks old.

Why?

Because he needs his mother’s milk during this time.

Puppies need to drink their mom’s milk because it has antibodies that French Bulldog puppies need for survival.

That’s because, before the weaning process, the puppy’s body doesn’t make any antibodies of their own to fight off infection.

After Weaning

Now, most people think they should switch to puppy food after the weaning process.

No, that’s wrong on a lot of levels.

First of all, the puppy’s digestive system isn’t entirely ready for solid food. So, you should feed the puppy PetLac!

Yes, they make them for puppies as well!

Try Esbilac Puppy Weaning Food or similar items like PetLac.

After Weaning

Always keep in mind not to transition abruptly to normal dog food straight from PetLac! Make the transition really smooth and not abrupt and swift.

You should feed your dog nutritious French Bulldog food.

But don’t be afraid of feeding your French Bulldog puppies something on the side as well! Like, olives, tuna, or even bell peppers!

They make really awesome treats for your bulldog!

Bathing, Shedding, and Grooming: French Bulldog Puppies

So, having puppies is all fun and games until it comes to grooming and maintenance.

And then, it’s chaos, whining, and whimpering.

So, without further ado, let’s talk about grooming your French Bulldog puppies and a little bit about shedding, walking needs, and grooming.

Are you ready?

Great!

Let’s get started.

Long Walks

Walking your French Bulldog puppies around in the fence isn’t going to be a good idea.

Why?

That’s because French Bulldogs like to be active (or they can get fat!) and they really love long walks by the late, trekking, and all those other outdoor activities that you’re too lazy for.

So what to do?

Get off your couch and take your French Bulldog puppies on a long walk!

Washing and Grooming

French Bulldogs don’t have a long or furry coats.

And so do French Bulldog puppies.

So, what does this mean?

Well, you won’t have to take your Frenchie to the groomers every month or anything.

All you’ll have to do with French bulldog puppies is give them a bath every month or so using a good conditioning shampoo, and you’re good to go.

And, when it comes to brushing…

Well, French Bulldog puppies have a short coat and don’t shed.

So, you can add two and two.

Yes, you really don’t need to brush French Bulldog puppies.

Amazing, isn’t it?

Hair, Hair Nowhere

The thing that I love about French Bulldog puppies is that they don’t shed a lot.

Yes, you read it clearly.

Your pups won’t shed as much as an average dog. But, like all dogs, they shed twice a year as the season changes.

You know what this means, right?

No need to vacuum your house every day! And, you can boast about your dog not shedding to your friends when they cry about theirs.

Isn’t that simply amazing?

The Nail Problem

Frenchies tend to have really long, sharp nails that can hurt you while playing with your puppy.

So, what can you do?

Well, cutting the nails is an option, but things can turn bloody really soon. I prefer using a nail grinder instead.

And puppyhood is the right time to start grinding!

Plus, no mess and no blood.

Keeping a Frenchie Healthy

Although French Bulldogs aren’t really high-maintenance and don’t need a lot of grooming and trimming, they do need some of your attention in the health domain.

You should spend considerable time on your French Bulldog puppies and try to keep them as healthy as possible.

Obviously, first and foremost, feed them the best dog food for French bulldogs for optimal health. The right diet can go a long way in warding off illness and promoting longevity.

Plus, they plain feel better with proper nutrition.

Don’t skip the vet appointments, and always keep your Frenchie’s health a top priority.

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This is probably the most important thing you should care about.

Dogs can’t really speak for themselves and can’t tell you when they’re feeling under the weather. So, it is up to you to observe changes in them and take care of them.

French Bulldog puppies are really adorable and loving, and it’s your duty to keep them alive and kicking.

French Bulldog Puppies And Their Personality Traits!

French Bulldog puppies have a lot of desirable personality traits. But there is one thing that you need to keep in mind.

Wondering what that is?

Well, each and every puppy is different and has a different personality as well.

This means that the traits that I’ve listed below aren’t true for all French Bulldog puppies but are true for only a few of them.

So, let’s start talking!

Playful and Lively

Active-french-bulldog-puppy

French Bulldog puppies are really playful and light up the room.

Yes, French Bulldog puppies love to be the center of attention, love giving you their attention, and love to play around and be dogs…

Isn’t that amazing?

So, grab that stick and play fetch with your mini French Bulldog all you want!

Moving on…

Affectionate

Do you like being loved?

Well, some dog breeds are like cats. They don’t like showing affection!

Now, that’s one thing that you needn’t worry about when it comes to French Bulldog puppies, as they shower you with affection!

They’ll give you all the love you need and then some more.

But, they’d want you to give them your attention as well. So, you should really take some time out for your puppies.

On to the next one…

Easygoing

So if you’re a lazy bum, this is the perfect dog.

Why?

Because French Bulldogs love lounging around the house doing absolutely nothing.

And they’ll also love watching an entire season of Friends on a Sunday afternoon with you.

So, what I’m trying to say is that French Bulldog puppies are really chill.

And there’s nothing wrong with that!

Patient

Some dogs are just really impatient.

If they want something, they want it now.

But French Bulldog puppies aren’t that way at all! In fact, they are really kind, patient, and loving.

Isn’t that just really adorable?

Let me know in the comments section below how you feel!

Moving on…

Social Butterflies

Some dogs are one-person dogs.

French Bulldog puppies are really good with people. They’ll love it when you’ll have people over and try to please all of your friends and entertain them.

But always remember not to introduce your puppies to strangers right away, or it could lead to social anxiety!

But French Bulldog puppies are really great with both people and other dogs.

But French Bulldog puppies are really great with both people and other dogs.

Athletic

So, you may think that French Bulldog puppies are as lazy as you are, but that’s not the case.

As much as they like lounging around, they’re also very athletic if you train them right.

And, really muscular, too.

So, start hitting the gym to build a body like your dog’s.

Family Dogs

French Bulldog puppies are really good with families and kids. Yes, they can be one-owner dogs and can also be great family dogs!

French-bulldog-kids

Isn’t that just amazing?

But, during puppyhood, they can try to exert dominance over small kids, so you need to make sure to cut off that behavior and nip it in the bud.

Other than that, they make perfect companions for the family guy!

Training French Bulldog Puppies

You should start training your French Bulldog puppies around Stage 4 and start teaching them some basic commands.

But you should know that training your French Bulldog puppies will not be all fun and games.

It can be quite a difficult thing!

When’s the right time to start?

Training should begin at Stage 4, but you must keep a few things in mind.

First, you should never be too harsh with your French Bulldog puppies while training and always make it seem like a game.

And secondly, you should never punish your pups! This can really have an adverse effect on your puppy’s development.

And it can also cause some conduct disorders when they grow up!

So, take it lightly.

Check out our tips on training the French Bulldog for more information.

Rescue, Don’t Buy

Having a purebred dog or pet is good. But at what cost?

Dogs all over America are living their sad and miserable lives in Animal Shelters, waiting to be adopted in their tiny cages.

Those that aren’t adopted are euthanized.

Rather than getting pure French Bulldog puppies, I urge you to rescue one instead and save a life.

Following are the links to some of the French Bulldog rescue committees:

  • French Bulldog Rescue Network
  • Kimber’s Kritters
  • Southern California Bulldog Rescue
  • Chunky Trunks English Bulldog Rescue
  • Mid-America Bully Breed Rescue
  • Las Vegas Wrinkle Rescue – Bulldogs

There are many more of these rescue groups in America.

Be sure to look at the French Bulldog puppies they have there before you decide to buy one.

You have the power to save a life.

So, What’s The Verdict?

So, this is the end!

Let’s take a quick recap about French Bulldog puppies, shall we?

French Bulldog puppies are really cute and cuddly, but you need to take good care of them!

There are not one or two stages of development of French Bulldog puppies, but there are seven in total!

And each stage brings forward one challenge that the puppies need to overcome to become well-adjusted adult French Bulldogs.

So, you need to know about all these stages to become a good human parent to your French Bulldog puppy.

Other than that…

French Bulldogs are really colorful and have desirable personality traits. But, each puppy is different and will have different personality traits.

Puppyhood is a beautiful time, so enjoy it while it lasts.

Do you have any questions? Suggestions? Please share in the comment section!

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About the author

Jacquelyn Kennedy

PetDT was founded by Jacquelyn Kennedy, a dog lover and pet admirer. She built the website to provide pet owners with information, experiences, and opinions on breeds, temperament, personalities, health, nutrition, products, and care.

1 thought on “Everything You Need to Know About French Bulldog Puppies”

  1. My French bulldog puppy is 5 months. I have a problem with him bitting my other dogs ears, jumping and chewing on them. I can not get him to stop. Any suggestions?

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