Ask the French Bulldog Experts

bullmarketfrogs March 15th, 2008

Kennel Blindness

Hi I’m curious as to what people mean when they say someone is “Kennel Blinded”. I am buying my first show dog after owning a French Bulldog pet for almost four years. When I started calling breeders about a show dog they would ask me where I got my dog from. Someone said to me that the breeder of my pet Frenchie is “Kennel Blind”, and I was too embarassed to ask what this means. I know it wasn’t a compliment by the way she said it! I got the impression she didn’t want to sell me a show dog just because of who I got my pet from.

Why is that, and is kennel blindness so bad that it will make it impossible for me to get a showdog from anyone?

Carol writes -

No one you contact need be afraid that your pet’s breeder has kennel blindness - after all, it’s not catching, although it is quite common among show dog people.

Kennel blindness is a catch all term used to indicate that a breeder is oblivious to the faults of dogs that they themselves have bred - either willfully ignorant, or through sheer inability to separate emotions (I love Suzy, therefore she’s beautiful) from pragmatism (I love Suzy, but you could iron clothes on her back and she moves like she’s on crutches). Oddly enough, some of the most determinedly kennel blind among us can be ruthless critics of other people’s dogs.

It’s natural for us to favour our own offspring, whether two legged or four, but those who choose to breed dogs need to learn that love doesn’t need to be blind, at least not when it comes to show dogs. It’s a lesson that can take time to learn, and you’ll see that some of the best loved pets on a breeder’s couch are often dogs they’d never dream to take in the ring.

I don’t quite understand why anyone you’ve contacted about a show dog should care that your pet Frenchie’s breeder has kennel blindness. Likely, there’s some sort of simmering and long standing resentment there between the two breeders - a situation you’d do best to stay out of, by the way. Feuds between breeders are rarely pretty, and a novice show person doesn’t need to complicate their life any further.

Move on to another breed less resentful of where you got your pet from, and worry about kennel blindness when - and if - you decide to venture into the wild world of breeding.

Carol

Tags: French Bulldog, French Bulldog breeding, French Bulldogs, kennel blind, kennel blindness, showing

• French Bulldog Miscellaneous , French Bulldog showing
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lorihuntdvm March 15th, 2008

French Bulldog With Horrid Hives

My Frenchie China has the most awful hives. Our local vet said to change her food to a more natural kind and give her fish oil. We have done that and we bath her every week, but it’s not helping.

How can we figure out what is giving my baby such terrible hives?
Dr. Lori writes :

I would suggest considering having China allergy tested. This may give you a clue as to what is causing the hives. While it still could be food, it is possible it could be environmental as well. Dust mites, weeds, grasses, pollens, detergents, etc., could cause this sort of reaction, as well as bug bites.

An allergy test will give you a clue as to what causes it and you may be able to eliminate that allergen from her daily grind.

If that is not possible, you would be able to institute immunotherapy in the form of allergy injections, so as to relieve her signs, if not eliminate them.

Lori Hunt, DVM

Tags: allergies, French Bull Dog, French Bulldog, hives, itching, scratching, skin

• French Bulldog Veterinary
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gollygear March 15th, 2008

Conformation Show Training

What training is needed before I take my French Bulldog girl to conformation, or is there any?

I want to start showing her but can’t find anyone to show her or answer my questions. I got her in the midwest and the southern Californian breeders where I live take no interest in me since I didn’t get my dogs from them. She is a year old now.

Do conformation classes teach her not to try and play with other dogs like she does now? How does everyone get their dogs to ignore the other dogs in the show ring? Part of me wants someone to just come get her and train her and show her and finish her but do people do that or does she need to have training before they will take her?

Thanks for your help.

Hope writes -

You’re about to enter a whole new world - Conformation Competition!

You and your girl should get some training before you enter the ring. There are many, many all-breed clubs. You should be able to find one in your area at the AKC website:

http://www.akc.org/clubs/search/index.cfm?action=conf&display=on

Many clubs and trainers do offer Conformation Classes. Aside from ring procedure, you will learn how to “stack” your dog, how to “gait” your dog properly, and how to show her off to her best advantage.

A little obedience training never hurts, either. It will help her focus on you, rather than the other dogs in the ring. If you decide to take an Obedience class, do inform the instructor that you are showing your dog in conformation so you can’t teach her to do an automatic “sit” when you come to a halt.

You could, of course, hire a professional handler to show your girl for you. If she lives with the handler you choose, he or she may train your dog for the ring. If you “deliver” her to the handler at the shows, you will be in charge of training although the handler should be able to help.

Best of luck!

Hope

Editors note: As Hope says, there are a few ways of going about this. You can -

Owner handle - this means taking the dog into the ring yourself . You will need to learn how to show, and you will need to learn how to train your dog to behave in the ring. As Hope says, you need to look into classes for this - check your local dog clubs, and the AKC.

Hire a handler, and do ring side pick up - this is when the handler picks the dog up from you the day of the show, takes her in the ring, shows her, then gives her back to you after showing. The dog continues to live at home with you. Your dog will still need to be trained by you to be handled in the ring.

Hire a handler and have the dog ‘live in’ - this means the dog stays with the handler while they are showing her. The handler will train her to behave in the ring, and handle her during shows. Generally they will also handle all the details of showing, such as entries and what not. The plus side to this is that your dog will come trained. The downside is that you won’t get trained - but standing at ringside, watching and learning, and talking to your handler can all help you to ‘pick it up’.

You can find a handler by asking around at local shows, especially outside the French Bulldog ring (Talk to people after showing, not before - no one likes talking before they go in the ring, as handlers and owners get nervous, too!). It takes a special kind of handler to take a Bull breed into the ring. You can also consult the PHA - the Professional Handlers Association.

Oh, and give those SoCal breeders a break - it might have nothing to with where you got your dog from, and everything to do with when you’re asking them for help. As I said, shows can be nerve wracking, and people aren’t always their most forthcoming when they’re getting ready to show. Why not join one of the on line Frenchie discussion groups, such as FrenchBulldog-L? There are lots of SoCal breeders on there, and perhaps you can arrange to have one of them meet you before a show and evaluate your dog.

Whatever you choose, good luck, and keep us posted!

- Carol

Tags: French Bulldog breeder, French Bulldog showing, handling, professional handler, show ring, Southern California

• French Bulldog Training , French Bulldog showing
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