French Bulldogs

Contrary to what some savvy marketing might have you believe, there is actually no real proof that different breeds of dog require different foods. All we know, is that all breeds of dog require a healthy balance of nutrients and protein.

As long as your dog is able to swallow the food that you present them with, then it should offer the same benefits.

So with that in mind, what do you look for?

Ideally, look for a packaged dog food that:

Is high in nutrients like healthy dry dog food
Is low in unwanted additives and extras
Is rich in protein like senior health dog food

As with humans, the less processed the food is, the better it will be for your pooch.

And there is no reason you can’t also supplement this with food from your own plate. In particular, if you have any meat leftover after a roast… why not give it to your pup?

Raw Food Diet for Dogs

Oh, and here’s the other thing to know about dog food like dehydrated dog food when it comes to meat – you can feed it to them raw! In fact, dogs prefer fresher, raw foods and they have all the necessary antibacterial properties in their saliva to combat any negative effects you might be worried about from bacteria.

Of course, that is a very good reason to give your dog this type of food outdoors and not to allow them to run around the house with them. You can let your dog lick you thanks to that saliva but you’re going to need to think about a contingency plan when it comes to disposing of bones etc.

There can be something of a ‘transition’ period here for older dogs. Older dogs will have become used to eating kibble and their immune systems will therefore not be as strong as they could be. Expect a small amount of time as your dog ‘detoxes’ and vomits, a little. Try to stick with the more basic foods first.

But again, this is what makes this the healthiest dog food as health natural puppy food for puppies in particular. You have a chance to strengthen your dog’s immune system and prevent it from ever developing a soft and weak body! If only someone had done that for us when we were infants! (Seriously!)

Easy to Eat

While your bulldog will have a lot of fun trying to tear the meat off of the bone, you do also need to think about the challenge that eating might pose for your dog.

In particular, when you feed your bulldog out of the bowl, you need to keep in mind their brachycephaly. This is the technical term for their flat noses, which while cute, can lead to some practical issues and some health challenges. Dwarfism also actually plays a role here too, seeing as your French bulldog won’t have quite the mobility in its lower limbs as compared with larger pups.

More important than special food for this then is the right bowl. Look for a dog bowl that has a tilted rim and elevated legs that will avoid your dog needing to struggle to try and get its flat little nose in!

Leashes and Collars for your French Bulldog

When looking for a dog leash or dog collar for your French bulldog, there are a few things to consider.

One consideration of course is aesthetics. While it’s far less important than your dog’s health, you do of course want them to look as good as possible. Why not choose a collar that’s going to enhance their cute factor?

In that case, you will probably consider looking at a studded or even a spiked collar. These are particularly popular among bulldogs and are featured in many cartoons and the like. It’s the prototypical bulldog look!

But now onto comfort. What is a comfortable collar/leash for a bulldog? The most comfortable option as always is to look for a full-body dog harness. These harnesses will wrap around your pup at the front – crossing over their chests and their torsos. Because the leash isn’t just around their neck, this means they are less likely to restrict their own breathing by pulling against you, or by running at speed.

That said, collars as genuine leather dog collars are more suitable for smaller dogs such as French bulldogs as they don’t run as fast or generate as much power. This also means that a French bulldog is more suitable for a retractable leash like slip lead dog leash. These leads will extend as your dog runs away and will shorten as they get closer. That in turn means that there is no slack, which in turn means it’s always much easier to guide your dog, even as they are running around.

Another tip is to consider using training collars like prong training collar when your dog is younger, in order to better teach them how to walk. You can then either transition to a harness when they are older if they have learned how to walk properly or you can use a retractable lead if they’re still prone to running around!

Best Crates, Beds, and Doghouses for French Bulldogs

While dogs have hair all over their bodies to keep them warm, this doesn’t work as well when it becomes wet. Animal fur works by standing upright, which in turn allows small amounts of air to get trapped beneath and around it.

What many people don’t realize is that air is actually a great insulator of heat. That trapped air will therefore help to keep your pup warm moreso than the fur itself.

But when the fur gets flatten d to the body because it is wet, that’s when it stops working. Not only is the fur now wet and cold, but it also doesn’t stand up in order to create the air pockets. Therefore, it is very important that if you plan on keeping your French bulldog in the yard, you also give them somewhere to hide out and keep warm. That means a dog house!

The only requirement of your dog house as dog house outdoor is that it be large enough for your French bulldog – a relatively simple requirement seeing as these are rather small pups.

That said, we recommend that you do not leave French bulldogs outside for long periods of time. These are small dogs with thin skin and even in a house, they can get cold and distressed.

Meanwhile, you might also consider getting a bed like cushion dog bed for your bulldog. Find somewhere soft for your bulldog to sit and sleep in the room, and this can help them to be happier and more comfortable, while at the same time helping for training purposes.

French Bulldog Toys

There are a number of different toys that you can get for dogs, and these can all help to improve your dog’s happiness and health.

So, what makes a good toy for a French bulldog?

First, look for toys that you can play with your pet. Dogs love playing with people.

Related Post: Best Fetch Toys

Essentially your dog is descended from wolves. Their psychology is obviously slightly different from wolves in the wild (thankfully) but essentially this is what it is all based on. The best comparison to draw is to compare dogs to wolf pups – they just never grow out of the playful stage and never grow into the more predatory behavior.

What this does mean though is that your dogs are very sociable animals as they are still descended from pack animals and this is key to understanding obedience training. Basically your dog will understand you and your family as part of one big pack and there will be a hierarchy in place that it follows. This is why social toys are so popular – they love tug of war, they love fetch, and they love anything you can squeak and throw.

Otherwise, pugs like all other dogs will enjoy toys that they can bite, chew, and destroy on their own. Dogs enjoy these sorts of toys particularly as puppies when they will be teething. One of the most popular dog toys like dog Pet rope toys for teething puppies is the ‘conk’. This is made from a proprietary rubber-like-material that provides the perfect amount of resistance for chewing.

Related Post: Best Chew Toys For Dogs

Keep in mind the short snout of your dog, and how this can make things like picking toys up off the ground difficulty.

Grooming Insights for French Bulldog owners

Grooming is of very high importance for all dogs, and French bulldogs are no different. In fact, French bulldogs – much like pugs and English bulldogs – need to be groomed in particular due to their lined and wrinkled faces – which can otherwise collect grime and cause dryness.

There are other ways that grooming your bulldog helps their health overall. For instance:

It gives you a chance to look for things like fleas and ticks as oral flea control
It helps with the removal of hairs and dead or dry skin
This in turn helps to ensure a health moisture layer on the skin. This ‘skin barrier’ is largely what helps to prevent bugs and pests and from infesting the skin and can thereby help to avoid infection and other issues.
It is a good opportunity to bond with your dog – most enjoy being brushed!
You can also look out for other things such as brushing teeth and clipping nails such as self cleaning slicker brush and professional nail clipper . These have important benefits – including helping to avoid your dog from scratching themselves, breaking nails, etc.
It helps with the smell!

You should brush your dog roughly once a week. The good news is that they will shed their hair, meaning that there is no need for you to trim regularly. The bad news is that they will shed their hair… meaning that they make a mess everywhere and can aggravate allergies!

This also means that you can groom your French bulldogs at home and there is no need for you to take them to a professional (which makes them more affordable to look after!).

Related Post: Dog Grooming Brush

What really helps with the smell of course is bathing. This is a good way to remove any bacteria that might be causing foul smells. The only problem is that bathing too regularly can actually destroy that aforementioned skin barrier, meaning that they will be more prone to dryness and to infection.

The best advice is to bath your bulldog about once every six weeks or if they get extremely muddy.

French Bulldog Accessories

There are a number of accessories that can make life easier for you as a French Bulldog owner. Here are just a couple of considerations.

Clothing (for you AND them!)

If you’re going to be walking your French Bulldog a lot, then it’s important that you wrap up warm and dry. There will be days when you find yourself walking your pup when it’s cold, wet, and windy outside. On these occasions, you need to make sure that you aren’t going to catch a cold or even just end up being put off the entire idea of walking at all!

This depends on climate of course and the types of dog walking clothes you invest in will very much depend on where you are located.

But of course, if you’re going to be wrapping up warm, then it is also vital that your furry friend does too!

Equally as important, is to consider clothes for your bulldog. Not only are these extremely cute in many cases, but they also help to keep them warm. You can find a lot of very amusing outfits for French bulldogs too – if you’re looking to start your own Instagram account perhaps!

Dog Stroller

A dog stroller is essentially a pushchair for a dog! It might sound like an absurd concept, but actually, this can be a very useful accessory – and especially if you live in a changeable climate.

Dog strollers like 3 wheels dog stroller give you the option to pick up your bulldog as they start to get tired and then to push them. You can pull a cover over in order to keep them warm, and by having them sitting inside the stroller, you can avoid the need for them to walk.

This is useful seeing as a lot of bulldogs will get tired and give up walking from time to time. This happens because they have dwarfism and have to work extra hard to keep up with you. They enjoy playing outdoors but the walk to and from the park can sometimes be tiring!

Clickers

So how does a clicker work to train your dog? Just what is dog clicker training?

Essentially, a dog training clicker is a simple device that you can use to make a fairly loud clicking noise that your dog will respond to. Often this is a small enough device to fit on a keyring and you will then be able to carry it around with you. You can normally buy them at your local pet store.

The idea of the clicker is to act as a reward for positive behavior. In order to do this, you need to be able to train your dog to associate the sound with a treat. As the clicker in itself is not inherently rewarding, you need to use it just prior to handing out a dog treat and over time, an association will form between the clicker and the treat. Your dog learns that when they hear the sound of the clicker, that means that a treat is about to follow and that eventually makes the clicker itself rewarding.

This might lead to the next question: why use a dog clicker when you could just carry on handing out treats? The objective is not to replace the treat entirely but rather to benefit from some of the additional flexibility that the clicker affords you.

The big advantage of using a clicker is that you can use it to immediately reward a behavior. When using a treat, there will normally be a slight pause in between the good action and the reward. This then can cause confusion as the dog may not necessarily associate the correct action with the reward.

Using the clicker, you can reward the dog the moment they sit, roll over or stop barking. That way, they will have a better understanding of the point at which they earned the treat and they will know to do it again in the future.