FRENCH BULLDOGS
Breed organization:
Breed Club:
www.suomenranskanbulldogit.fi/
Breed standard:
www.kennelliitto.fi/files/ranskanbulldoggi-0
Breeding target program:
In French bulldogs I definitely consider health and natural reproduction to be the most important criteria. It's important to me that the dogs I use for breeding have as healthy a back as possible and as few vertebral changes as possible. I also try to breed a longer muzzle, open nostrils, problem-free breathing and a good tail. I go to dog shows with my French bulldogs, but the shows or titles don't guide my breeding choices in this breed.
If you want a French bulldog puppy from us, you must commit to comprehensive health examinations after the dog turns 2 years old. This is important to me as a breeder, so that I can get as comprehensive information as possible about the health of the combinations I make.
There is still no completely healthy (pure-breed) French Bulldog in all respects, but hopefully one day we will get there, even through cross-breeding.
History, temperament and health
The first small French bulldogs came to Normandy in the 1860s with the lace pickers who moved from Nottingham and were crossed with dogs of French origin so that the structure and appearance of the English fighting dogs remained almost unchanged, but the size was reduced. For a long time, French bulldogs were used as rat dogs and were common especially in working families. The French bulldog was probably born in the 1880s as a result of crosses made by enthusiastic breeders in the working-class districts of Paris. At that time, bulldogs owned by butchers and drivers working in the market halls of the les Halles area of Paris also conquered the upper class and artists with their special appearance and character. So the breed quickly became popular.
Frenchie is a happy, active, agile and stubborn dog. With bigger dogs, it can sometimes have problems, because frenchies ego is usually much bigger than the dog itself. The external characteristics of the breed also affect the fact that not all of the bulldog's gestures are always completely clear to other breeds, and a bulldog is best understood by other bulldog.
Unfortunately, as a breed, the frenchie is not the healthiest and some individuals can suffer from varying degrees of breathing problems. Possible health problems of the French bulldog include allergies, back problems, eye problems, patella luxation, hip joint dysplasia, atopy, furunculosis and skin infections caused by too tight a sore tail, small positional errors of the paws are also common. A mutation of the DVL2 gene has been found in the breed, which is also associated with skeletal malformations of the skull, chest, neck, spine and tail of the English bulldog and Boston terrier.
PEVISA (a program to combat hereditary defects and diseases) in Finland for French bulldogs requires that the dog's back is x-rayed, knees, eyes and heart must be officially examined at the time of introduction, and one of the litter's parents must have a valid walking test result. In the case of spondylosis, it is possible to get a back examination report only after the dog is 24 months old. In addition to these, it would be advisable to x-ray the hips and elbows too.