French Bulldog

AKC Group: Non-Sporting

Club: French Bulldog Club of America

Corresponding Secretary : Pat Kosinar
Address: 2108 Inverness Dr, Lawrence, KS , 66047-1959
Website: www.frenchbulldogclub.org
Club Type: Specialty

General Apperance:

The French Bulldog has the appearance of an active, intelligent, muscular dog of heavy bone, smooth coat, compactly built, and of medium or small structure. Expression alert, curious, and interested.

Size:

Weight not to exceed 28 pounds; over 28 pounds is a disqualification . Proportion --Distance from withers to ground in good relation to distance from withers to onset of tail, so that animal appears compact, well balanced and in good proportion. Substance --Muscular, heavy bone.

Coat:

Coat is moderately fine, brilliant, short and smooth. Skin is soft and loose, especially at the head and shoulders, forming wrinkles.

Temperament:

Well behaved, adaptable, and comfortable companions with an affectionate nature and even disposition; generally active, alert, and playful, but not unduly boisterous.

History:

There is a difference of opinion as to the origin of the French Bulldog, but one ancestor must have been the English Bulldog - probably one of the toy variety, of which there were a great number in England around 1860. These toy Bulldogs were sent in large numbers into France, where they were crossed with various other breeds and were given the name Boule-Dog Francais. One found dogs with rose ears, while others had bat ears which is now an outstanding feature of the French Bulldog. Another distinctive feature of the French Bulldog is the skull. The correctly formed skull should be level, or flat, between the ears, while directly above the eyes, extending almost across the forehead, it should be slightly curve, giving a domed appearance. In the early days of breeding in Europe, the tendency was toward the rose ear. This movement was opposed by Americans and the breed would eventually lost the feature that strongly accentuates its individuality, and the result would have been practically a miniature English Bulldog.

This controversy over type was responsible for the formation of the French Bulldog Club of America, the first organization in the world devoted to the breed. In 1898 fanciers gave a specialty show in the ballroom of the Waldorf-Astoria . The affair proved a sensation, and it was due, no doubt, to the resulting publicity that the quaint little chaps became the rage in society.

Fun Facts:

• It is fairly well established that one of the ancestors of the French Bulldog is, not surprisingly, the English Bulldog (most likely one of the toy variety).
  
  
• Two distinctive features of the French Bulldog are its bat ears and half-flat, half-domed skull.
  
  
• Originally called the Boule-Dog Francais, though the english later scoffed at the idea of calling an English dog by a French name.
  
  
• Had it not been for the objections of American fanciers, the bat ear of the French Bulldog would have been bred out of the breed and replaced with a rose ear, resulting in a miniaturized version of the English Bulldog.
  
  
• The first specialty club was the French Bulldog Club of America, and fanciers gave a specialty show in the ballroom of the Waldorf-Astoria in NYC in 1989, the first specialty show to be held in such deluxe quarters. Receiving serious press coverage, French Bulldogs were thrust into vogue, reaching a peak in 1913 with an entry of 100 at the Westminster Kennel Club.
  
  
• While bred primarily as pets and companions, Frenchies are remarkably intelligent and serve as good watchdogs.