French Bulldog

The Royal Kennel Club's breed standard describes the French Bulldog as vivacious, deeply affectionate and intelligent; according to the standard, it's full of courage yet has clown-like qualities.

In a 2020 UK study, 93% of French Bulldog, Pug and Bulldog owners said they'd want to own the same breed again. Owners recommended the breed for its companionable temperament, for suiting a quiet life with limited space and for fitting in with families with children. Those who wouldn't recommend it mostly pointed to how common health problems are, the cost of ownership and the ethical issues of breeding flat-faced dogs. Those two sides sum up what you need to know before getting one.

The French Bulldog suits households where someone is home a lot, that want an easygoing pace and are prepared for possible vet bills. If you're looking for a running or hiking partner, consider another breed.

Teach children not to pick the dog up against its will and not to touch its face and eyes. Our article on kids and dogs at home has more.

According to the Royal Kennel Club, the breed's roots go back to small "toy bulldogs" that were popular in parts of England in the 1850s. Nottingham lace makers, facing unemployment during the Industrial Revolution, emigrated to northern France and took their dogs with them. Through crosses that are thought to have included other short-faced breeds, a new breed called the French Bulldog emerged over about three decades.

Its bat ears set it apart from the other bulldogs, and the dog became fashionable in Parisian artistic circles, appearing in Degas's and Toulouse-Lautrec's scenes of Paris life. The breed returned to Britain in the late 1800s, the French Bulldog Club of England was founded in 1902, and The Kennel Club recognized the breed in 1906. At the FCI, the breed's official standard language is French. According to the Royal Kennel Club, UK registrations rose tenfold between 2009 and 2015, and the AKC currently ranks it as the most popular breed in the United States.

The Royal Kennel Club standard describes a sturdy, compact, solid small dog with good bone and a short, smooth coat; according to the standard, no point should be exaggerated, and dogs showing breathing distress or making excessive breathing noise are unacceptable.

• Weight: The Royal Kennel Club gives an ideal weight of 28 lb (12.5 kg) for males and 24 lb (11 kg) for females, and the standard says soundness shouldn't be sacrificed for smallness. The AKC says under 28 lb (about 12.7 kg).
• Height: According to the AKC, 11–13 inches (28–33 cm) at the shoulder.
• Ears and eyes: Medium-sized, wide-based, round-tipped upright "bat ears." The eyes should be neither sunken nor prominent.
• Tail: According to the standard, set low, preferably straight and long enough to cover the anus.
• Colors: The standard lists brindle, fawn and pied (patches on a white base).

On the Royal Kennel Club's Colour Watch list, the breed is in the group with the most non-standard color registrations (category 4), including colors such as blue, brown and black and tan. The club reminds buyers that health and temperament should always come before color, and it won't register merle puppies at all because merle is linked to hearing and sight problems. A puppy sold at a premium as a "rare color" isn't a healthier puppy.

According to the Royal Kennel Club, the short coat is easy to keep with a weekly brush, though the breed does shed. The real attention goes to the face, ears and folds.

• Folds: Gently clean and dry the fold over the nose, and around the tail if there is one, every day; show your vet any bad smell, redness or discharge.
• Ears: In a 2021 VetCompass study, ear discharge was about 14 times more common in French Bulldogs than in other dogs. Check the ears weekly and see your vet if you notice odor, itching or discharge.
• Eyes: Check daily for redness, watering or squinting.
• Teeth: Teeth are crowded in a short jaw; start tooth brushing early.
• Home: A cool room, shade and fresh water at all times are a must in summer.

Our dog grooming guide covers brushing and nail care.

The Royal Kennel Club recommends up to an hour of exercise a day for the French Bulldog. Short walks, ball and toy games and sniffing games are enough for this breed, and it enjoys them. In training, short, rewarding, repeated sessions work best.

• Harness: A veterinary article published by the Royal Kennel Club recommends a harness instead of a collar for dogs with BOAS, to avoid pressure on the airway.
• Brain games: Hidden treats and sniffing games tire a French Bulldog out without straining its breathing.
• Car trips: Cool air, safe restraint and frequent stops matter; our article on car trips with your dog explains how.

French Bulldogs don't need a special food; a complete, balanced dog food that suits their age is enough. According to the Royal Kennel Club's veterinary article, being overweight is a risk factor for BOAS and makes its signs worse, so flat-faced dogs should be kept lean. Extra weight also adds load on the back.

• Measure food; decide the daily amount with your vet based on your dog's ideal weight.
• Count treats as part of the daily food, and don't feed from the table.
• Being able to feel the ribs under a thin layer of fat and seeing a waist from above are good signs.
• Weigh your dog once a month.

Some human foods are toxic to dogs; see our list of foods dogs should never eat.

A 2021 VetCompass study of UK veterinary records found that the health of French Bulldogs has diverged markedly from that of other dogs and that many of its problems are linked to the extreme body shape that defines the breed; the authors propose breeding toward a more moderate shape. The information below is for awareness only; ask your vet about diagnosis and treatment.

Airway obstruction (BOAS)

Although the facial bones are shortened, the soft tissues of the nose and throat haven't shrunk with them; the nostrils are narrow and the soft palate long and thick. According to UFAW, all French Bulldogs may be affected to some extent, though how severely varies from dog to dog. In the 2021 study, narrowed nostrils were about 42 times and BOAS diagnoses about 31 times more common than in other dogs. In work by the Cambridge group, only about 10% of French Bulldogs showed no signs of BOAS at all.

According to the Royal Kennel Club, signs include snoring and snorting even at rest, labored breathing, needing to stop and rest on walks, brief pauses in breathing during sleep, sleeping with the head propped up, and regurgitation or foamy saliva. Snoring while awake isn't normal. Surgery helps many dogs, but a dog isn't "normal" afterward.

Spinal problems

A curly or very short tail is formed by wedge-shaped vertebrae (hemivertebrae). In studies cited by UFAW, up to 97% of French Bulldogs examined had at least one abnormal vertebra; these can sometimes press on the spinal cord and cause pain, wobbliness in the hind legs and loss of bladder or bowel control.

The breed also very commonly carries a genetic change, shared with short-legged breeds, that predisposes dogs to disc degeneration. In a 2025 UK study, French Bulldogs brought in with slipped discs were the youngest of the breeds compared (on average about 3.8 years old), and about 30% of their cases were in the neck. Sudden back or neck pain, wobbliness or weakness in the legs needs urgent veterinary attention.

Heatstroke, eyes and skin

Heatstroke is covered in the box above. The eyes are exposed to injury because of the short face, and in the 2021 study, skin-fold dermatitis was about 11 times more common than in other dogs.

Giving birth

In a 2010 UK survey, more than 80% of French Bulldog litters were born by cesarean section, and in the 2021 study, difficult birth (dystocia) was about 9 times more common than in other dogs. In other words, the breed often can't give birth on its own, which is one of the reasons its breeding is debated on welfare grounds.

A 2024 study using data on about 585,000 dogs from 18 UK sources found a median lifespan of 9.8 years for French Bulldogs; for mixed-breed dogs it was 12.0 years. The study lists the French Bulldog among the breeds most at risk of early death.

Life tables built from VetCompass data in 2022 gave a life expectancy at birth of only 4.53 years. The authors note that this very low figure may partly reflect the breed's recent surge in popularity: the data included many young dogs, so deaths at a young age weigh more heavily. The true lifespan is probably higher, but both studies point the same way. The AKC gives 10–12 years for the breed.

• Consider a shelter: French Bulldogs end up in shelters and rescues too. Our article on adopting a dog from a shelter covers the first steps.
• Breathing grade: The Royal Kennel Club treats RFGS breathing grading as the minimum test breeders of this breed should do. A trained vet listens to the dog's breathing before and after a brisk walk and gives a grade from 0 to 3; grade 3 dogs shouldn't be bred from. Ask for both parents' results.
• Other screening: The Royal Kennel Club also recommends a hereditary cataract DNA test, an eye exam and hip and elbow screening.
• Look for yourself: The parents' nostrils should be open and kidney-shaped; avoid parents that snore or wheeze while awake or have had breathing surgery.
• A longer muzzle: Experts at Utrecht University say choosing parents with milder (less flat) faces can lower the risks for puppies, and the Cambridge study shows BOAS increases as the muzzle gets shorter.
• Budget: Be ready for costs related to breathing, back, eye and ear problems.
• Registration: Rules vary by country. In Türkiye, owned dogs must be microchipped and registered in the PETVET system.