Other names: Bouledogue Français.
The French Bulldog is a breed of domestic dog. They are the result of a cross between Toy Bulldogs imported from England and local ratters in Paris, France, in the 1800s.
The breed is popular as a pet; in 2018, they were the most popular registered dog in the United Kingdom, and in the U.S., the fourth-most popular AKC-registered dog breed. They were rated the third-most-popular dog in Australia in 2017. The French Bulldog also had 260 export pedigrees in the United Kingdom and a total of 36,785 registered French Bulldogs in the United Kingdom in the past decade.
History
The modern French Bulldog breed descends directly from the dogs of the Molossians, an ancient Greek tribe. The dogs were spread throughout the ancient world by Phoenician traders. British Molossian dogs were developed into the English Mastiff. A sub-breed of the Mastiff was the Bullenbeisser, a type of dog used for bull-baiting.
Bloodsports such as bull-baiting were outlawed in England in 1835, leaving these “Bulldogs” unemployed. however, they had been bred for non-sporting reasons since at least 1800, so their use changed from a sporting breed to a companion breed. To reduce their size, some Bulldogs were crossed with terriers, ratter dogs from the “slums” of England. By 1850, the Toy Bulldog had become common in England and appeared in conformation shows when they began around 1860. These dogs weighed around 16–25 pounds (7.3–11.3 kg), although classes were also available at dog shows for those who weighed under 12 pounds (5.4 kg).
At the same time, lace workers from Nottingham who were displaced by the Industrial Revolution began to settle in Normandy, France. They brought a variety of dogs with them, including Toy Bulldogs. The dogs became popular in France and a trade-in imported small Bulldogs was created, with breeders in England sending over Bulldogs that they considered to be too small, or with faults such as ears that stood up. By 1860, there were few Toy Bulldogs left in England, such was their popularity in France and due to the exploits of specialist dog exporters.
The small Bulldog type gradually became thought of as a breed and received a name, the Bouledogue Francais. This Francization of the English name is also a contraction of the words boule(ball) and dogue (mastiff or molosser). The dogs were highly fashionable and were sought after by society ladies and Parisian prostitutes alike, as well as creatives such as artists, writers, and fashion designers. There is a record of artists named Edgar Degas and Toulouse-Lautrec who have been thought to have French Bulldogs in their paintings. However, records were not kept of the breed’s development as it diverged further away from its original Bulldog roots. As it changed, terrier stock had been brought in to develop traits such as the breed’s long straight ears.
Description
The New Complete Dog Book: Official Breed Standards and All-New Profiles for 200 Breeds, 21st Edition, is an official publication of the American Kennel Club and sets forth the Official Breed Standard for all breeds recognized by the AKC. Its specifications for the French Bulldog state that it should be muscular, with a soft and loose coat forming wrinkles. Some other breed characteristics and standards follow in this section in the next paragraph.
The AKC Standard weight for a French Bulldog is a maximum of 28 pounds. The head of a French bulldog should be square-shaped and large along with ears that symbolized bat ears. French bulldogs are also known as a flat-faced breed. Eyes that are AKC Standard approved for French Bulldogs are dark and almost to the point of being black. Blue-eyed French bulldogs are not AKC approved. The coat of a French bulldog should short-haired and fine and silky. Acceptable colors under the breed standard are the various shades of brindle, fawn, cream, or white with brindle patches (known as “pied”). The fawn colors can be any light through red. The most common colors are brindle, then fawn, with pieds being less common than the other colors. The breed clubs do not recognize any other colors or patterns. This is because some colors come linked with genetic health problems not usually found in the breed. These include blue coloration, which is linked with a form of alopecia (hair loss or baldness), sometimes known as “Blue Dog Alopecia”. Although this is heavily disputed by some organizations, it has been suggested that the health, hair, and skin conditions are caused by the color pigment (melanin) clumping in the hair shaft itself. Even dogs that are not blue can develop “blue dog alopecia” or canine follicular dysplasia.
Temperament
The French Bulldog, like many other companion dog breeds, requires close contact with humans. If left alone for more than a few hours, they may experience separation anxiety. This is especially true when they are young, but persists into adulthood. Its anxiety may lead a French Bulldog to behave destructively and for its housebreaking to fail.
The French Bulldog is sometimes called a “Frog dog” or a “Clown dog.” “Frog dog” is in reference to their wide round face and the way they sit with their hind legs spread out. “Clown dog” is because they are considered to be fun-loving, and indeed they have been described as the “clowns of the dog world.”
French Bulldogs are often kept as companions. They rarely bark. The breed is patient and affectionate with their owners and can live with other breeds. French Bulldogs are agreeable dogs and are human/people-oriented dogs as this makes them on the easier side to train even though they do have tendencies to be stubborn. It is noted that socializing puppies, including French bulldogs, can significantly impact the training of the puppy positively and is recommended.
They are ranked 109th in Stanley Coren’s The Intelligence of Dogs. There are certain exceptions to this average level of canine intelligence; a French Bulldog named Princess Jacqueline which died in 1934 was claimed to be able to speak 20 words, inappropriate situations.