Ask the French Bulldog Experts

gollygear May 18th, 2008

My Frenchie is 4 mos old. He hates to go outside, especially on a leash. He has gotten better, and enjoys being in the backyard, playing frisbee or catch in a field, etc., but refuses to walk on a leash unless we’re headed home. On our puppy kindergarten trainers advice, we’re using a comfort harness, but we literally have to drag him a long block or so before he’ll start walking.

We have tried high value treats, but this doesn’t work. I’m afraid to use a choke collar for fear of damaging his neck, and some high head collars say not to be used in flat face breeds.

Any suggestions?

Hope writes - 

Your little boy is showing his “bulldoggedness” early! The keys for training Frenchies (or any dog) are: patience, consistency, and praise.

To get your little guy used to a leash - let him drag it around the house while he’s “helping” you, doing normal household activities. If you’re using a retractable lead - stop. Just hook a light, four-foot or shorter lead to his collar and let him drag it around. Keep an eye out so it doesn’t get snagged on anything and that he doesn’t chew on it.

If it bothers him a lot, start with a short, light piece of string and work up to the leash.

Learning to “walk nice” on leash can be a slow process. The first month with Dax, I never made it past our own front yard! Go out with the puppy on leash and collar. If he’s walking around - good! Let him take the lead for a couple of steps. Then let him know you’re changing direction: “Here, puppy! We’re going this way!” and take a step or two, until the leash has no slack. Stay there. Be patient. As soon as he looks toward you, or makes any move in your direction, praise him! Tell him he’s wonderful. Make kissy noises! Laugh! Give cookies! And take another step or two to take up the slack. Your objective is to walk with your puppy on a loose leash - in the direction you choose to go. You won’t get anywhere quickly at first, but it will be worth it. You want your dog to be happy to take walks with you.

Hope
 

Tags: dog training, French Bulldog, French Bulldog Training, Frenchie, Frenchies, lead, leash, walking

• French Bulldog Training
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bullmarketfrogs May 17th, 2008

Hi there dog food geek! I was wondering if you believe in the companies that are marketing dog food based on size and/or breed of dog. Is this a valid way of choosing a dog food? If so, would a French Bulldog puppy eat food for a medium sized dog? Is there a Bulldog based dog food on the market?

I am very confused about all of this and want to get the best food for my dog.

Help!

Carol writes -

Personally? I don’t put much (or let’s make that ‘any’) faith in this marketing ploy. I believe that a good dog food is a good dog food, and that worth is proved by the quality and types of ingredients.

As I mentioned previously, when looking for a commercially prepared dog food I look for -

• Meat protein first on the ingredient list. .
• Meat solids, and not grains or meals or by products.
• Grain free
• Human grade, and preferably organic, ingredients.
• I want to try to make sure that the meats and other ingredients are sourced domestically, and not from China
• Finally, I think baking rather than extruding is a better process for the manufacture of kibble.

I should note, here, that there have been extensive studies done that the Northern Breeds (Sibes, Eskies, etc) do best on a primarily fish based diet, thus indicating that in some cases, breed evolution specific diets can be valid.

However, since a breed evolution specific diet for Frenchies would consist of absinthe, caviar, cream puffs and filet mignon, we’d do best to stick with a good raw or commercial diet.

Carol

Tags: choosing a dog food, commercial dog food, dog breeds, Dog Food, dog size, French Bulldog, Frenchie, Frenchies

• Dog Food , French Bulldog Miscellaneous
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gollygear May 17th, 2008

I have a behavioral question about my 10 month old female Frenchie named Zoe.  She’s really hard to keep entertained.  The second she gets bored she’s barking at the door to go out (even when she’s just taken care of business minutes ago).  I try to get her interested in a game of fetch or tug of war, but that lasts about 5 minutes if I’m lucky.  I’ve tried Kongs stuffed with cream cheese and kibble and frozen and balls that dispense treats, but those only last 10-20 minutes before she’s gotten all the food out and then she’s bored again.  Basically unless she’s eating something or asleep she constantly wants to go outside.  I don’t think it’s a medical problem because when I give in and take her out multiple times an hour she doesn’t actually do anything.  She just sniffs around, digs holes, and eats things in the grass. 

Is this a lack of exercise problem?  I take her for 30 minute walks 5 days a week and the other 2 days she goes to doggie daycare where she gets to play with other dogs for 9-10 hours.  She only spends about 3-4 hours during the day in the crate. 

Or, is this just a puppy thing that she will eventually grow out of?  Is there some way to get her more interested in her toys?  She has balls, Nylabones, stuffed animals, squeaky toys.  You name it she probably has it, and I rotate them every couple weeks. 

In addition she barks a lot.  She barks when she hears a dog on the television, when she sees another dog outside the window or back door, when the house creaks, when someone knocks on the door, when I’m running the vacuum, etc.  Is this just normal or is there anything I can do about that?

Any advice you can give me would be much appreciated.  Thank you so much for your time.

Hope writes - 

Zoe only knows what she’s taught. In this case, I think she, quite literally, needs to learn to “chill.”

Dogs really don’t need constant entertainment. At this point Zoe doesn’t know what to do with herself, so we need to provide her with some skills to manage her behavior.

The first exercise I’d like you to try is “Sit and accept praise.” This is perfect for while you’re watching tv, just “chilling” youself! Sit on the floor with Zoe sitting on your left side. If she won’t sit still, put your arm around her with two fingers, facing up, in her collar. Tell her to “chill,” and hold her there, talking quietly to her and petting her. When/if she calms, you can ease up on your hold. If she shows signs of squirminess, hold her until she calms. You decide how long to continue - it may only be a moment at first. Try to lengthen the time every session, at least once every day, preferable two or three times per day. Eventually, Zoe will learn to relax and enjoy “chilling.”

When she starts fussing, if you’re sure she doesn’t ”have to” go out and it’s not time for a “chill” session - put her in her crate. When she’s quiet, if you’re ready for her company, let her out. The crate should never be used for punishment, but it does help emotional young dogs learn to control themselves. Zoe needs to learn to behave, relax, and, if necessary, entertain herself.

Zoe is your companion. You have chosen to spend your life with her and she should bring companionship and joy to your life, not stress. She needs to learn how best to fill her role in your life.

-Hope

Tags: crate, French Bulldog, French Bulldog Training, Frenchie, Frenchies, puppy, toys

• French Bulldog Training
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lorihuntdvm May 17th, 2008

I have a 1 1/2yr old male Frenchie named Bandit.

Bandit has allergies and according to my vet, it’s an inhalant allergy, so he is on Temaril-P. He has been on this medication for approx 4 months and he takes 2 in the am and 1 in the pm. It seems to work for the 1st 3 weeks then he starts to itch again and get teary eyes.

I’m concerned about keeping him on this medication and it’s quite expensive. I was wondering if you could recommend some other remedy that would make Bandit comfortable during the allergy season. I noticed that his allergies started in the fall through spring, he seemed ok in the summer.

Can I give him “human” allergy medicine, like Benadryl or Zyrtec?

Dr. Lori writes -

Hi.

I sort of addressed this in answer to a question from China’s mom. Bandit is a young dog, so it may behoove you to do some allergy testing on him, to find out exactly what is at the root of his allergies.

If possible, I would like to see him not have to be on Temaril-P (the “p” stands for prednisone) as it can have some long term effects if he has to be on it for the rest of his life. You can certainly try Benadryl at a dose of 1 mg/lb in place of the Temaril-P.

So if Bandit is an average 25# frenchie, he can get one tablet 3-4 times a day.

Lori Hunt, DVM
French Bulldogs d’Assisi

Another Allergy Question -

I have a 3 year old frenchie named Tank. About a year ago his skin started getting red raw areas that would scab and the hair would fall out. Mostly on his under belly, legs, groin area. but he would get scab like bumps on his head and in between his eyes too. I started using revolution b/c I noticed he had fleas. I thought that was the cause of his skin irritation. My mother took him up to Michigan for six months last summer and his skin cleared up (still licked his paws) and he was happy again!

We brought him back down to FL in November and he stayed fine until the summer came around again. He doesn’t have any fleas and his skin is horrible again! He has the sores again and bumps on the head. He seems miserable. I have to bathe him twice a week in vinegar & water to keep it from not getting so RED and irritated. We also have a one year old daughter and its not easy to keep up with the baths. Not to mention the fact that he hates baths.

Did I mention we have a high strung jack russell

I’ve read some things online and it seems like a common problem with this breed. I think its the combination of the grass and bugs down here in Florida. Our jack russell has no issues whatsoever. Do you reccomend anything? We took him to the vet last time and they gave us a shampoo that didn’t work. And wanted him to go on antibiotics, I really don’t like antibiotics for dogs or humans. Please let me know any solutions you might have, we’re desparate. I don’t want to have to send him to Michigan again w/my mom. He’s a huge part of our family.

Also, I feed him Canine Caviar, its a holistic dog food. Its the only food that doesn’t give him horrible gas:)

Dr. Lori writes -

I am sorry to hear of the trouble you are having with Tank. Unfortunately, skin issues in Frenchies, actually any dog, can often be hard to control and diagnose and can require extensive diagnostics.

From your stories, it does appear that he is perhaps allergic to something in Florida where you are living, although I am not suer if it is the same seasons (i.e., he was at your mom’s in winter and your house in summer). I suspect you need to visit a dermatologist or at least have some allergy testing done to try and determine what the causes are. If he has sores on his body, I believe a round of antibiotics would definitely be in the best interest of Tank. You could try a new food as well, with a novel protein and/or carbohydrate source.

I have written an article about skin issues in Frenchies, and I believe it may help you understand what could be happening to Tank.

Lori Hunt, DVM
French Bulldogs d’Assisi

(editor’s note: Lori’s article on skin issues in French Bulldogs will be published on the website soon)

Tags: allergies, allergy, French Bulldog, Frenchie, Frenchies, itching, prednisone, skin

• French Bulldog Veterinary , allergies
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