Frenchie Facts
Why Frenchies are high priced?
If you do not have the money to buy a pup today... maybe this is not the breed for you.
To raise a litter of French Bulldogs is expensive because, there is a great deal of time involved in finding and using the right stud for your breeding program. Not to mention the effort, and expense involved in raising a Frenchie litter. The average litter size is 4 puppies, so the first expense is buying or raising the right female for your breeding program. By the time she is old enough to breed, top breeders will have $8,000 to $10,000.00 or more invested in the mother of your pup.
Once she is ready to breed, then there are the progesterone tests that are $70.00 or more per test, and being most French litters are artificially inseminated, you will do usually 3-6 progesterone tests to make sure you inseminate after ovulation and not before...otherwise no pups. Being she is going to be bred by artificial insemination, or surgical implant ($500-600.00), that means more trips to the vet, and we all know Vet bills are not cheap.
Joshua French Bulldogs only use top quality studs in our breeding program. We research carefully which involves many hours and often many months in the process to find the right mate. And may I tell you, stud fee contracts are expensive with most of the quality French Bulldog studs going from $2000-$4,000.00 for stud fees. Then there is the expense of shipping the semen, and if you “AI” the bitch, there usually are several shipments of semen required just to try to make sure we get her pregnant.
Once bred you then wait four weeks to do an ultrasound/x rays which can cost from $125-$150.00 depending on the vet, this is important to be sure that the female is pregnant. Special diets and constant monitoring for the next five weeks, plus getting the nursery ready with all the necessary tools, whelping box, towels, bottles, heating pads, blankets medical supplies, milk replacement, puppy weight scale, exercise pen and the list goes on.
Being very few Frenchie dams can have their pups naturally (due to the size of the head of the pups) there is the cost of a C-SECTION which can cost anywhere from $1300.00 to $3,000.00 depending on the health of dam and pups. We are not going to risk the lives of our females if we can help it so, we take every precaution.
Raising a litter is gratifying but exhausting because, sometimes pups need hand feeding for different reasons such as the brood doesn’t produce enough milk, or has bad milk, or gets mastitis etc. and sometimes you end up hand raising the entire litter.
In addition, because of our love for our Frenchies, and also for the expensive investment we have in each litter we have to constantly watch the mother and the puppies (until 4 weeks) so the mother (who is often very tired) doesn’t accidentally lay on one of her pups. Also, we make sure there isn’t a pup that is struggling. For example: if a pup is not eating properly he gets dehydrated which can quickly cause the pup to go south...or if a pup gets chilled during the night he will be dead in the morning. Therefore, we constantly monitor.
At 2 weeks we worm each pup with Strongid-T which is gentle on the new babies. Then at 4, 6, & 8 weeks we worm with Strongid-T and Panacur. At 5 1/2 weeks, and 8 weeks your pup will receive its 1st and 2nd shot (Nobivac Canine 3-DAP...Canine Distemper, Adenovirus, Type 2-parvovirus vaccine) plus at 8 weeks receive full fecal exam along with Bordetella Vaccine. At 11 weeks your pup should receive his 3rd puppy shot and then at 15 weeks the final puppy vaccine along with his rabbies.
French Bulldog Temperament
He's been called "the clown in the cloak of a philosopher," and this loveable little companion dog is exceptionally good-natured. He is particularly affectionate toward his master and any children that wants to play. Your pup will desire to be a part of the family and will want to be in close contact with you. Each "Frenchie" possesses his own unique personality, but they are usually independent thinkers, intelligent, and a bit mischievous.
French Bulldogs are usually well-behaved if trained to be. They are trainable, but stubborn, and do best when they are convinced that they are interested in the task at hand. Their favorite task, of course, is that of lap-warmer, and that requires little to no training. You will need to be willing to share your favorite chair or your bed. They are compatible with other pets and are active, alert, and playful, and do not require a lot of exercise. They will have short bursts of high energy, but these are interspersed with long periods of napping and lounging around. Because of their short nose, you have to be careful that you don't exercise them to the point that they overheat.
They also do not do well in high temperatures and they do best with air-conditioning on hot days. They can be territorial and protective, and can alert their owners to danger. They are typically a quite breed and are not excessive barkers.
Proper Care
It is important that you understand, that when you bring your pup home, you are then responsible for another life. But if you maintain how you feed, exercise, train, clean their eyes, ears and wrinkles with occasional baths and nail trimming, you will do just fine and your Frenchie will be happy and healthy and a part of your family.
Potty Training
NOTE: Please refer to my E-Book “Peeing Pooping Puppies.”
Training The French Bulldog
NOTE: Please refer to my E-Book “Training Your Frenchie.”
