In the process of finding a puppy...questions!

Ptmac415 · Jul 29, 2020

Hey guys! So I've grown up with dogs in my family (Golden Retrievers), but I'm now looking to get my first one of my own, at my place. After meeting a friend's Frenchie recently, I instantly fell in love and started doing a ton of research. I've been kind of torn between a Boston Terrier and a Frenchie, but I think I'm going to go ahead and start the search for a Frenchie breeder!

One of my biggest concerns is the health issues you read about. A lot of places I've read have stressed the importance of picking a great breeder with healthy parents. They say that they might be more expensive from some breeders, but if you find a less expensive one, you'll end up paying that same extra amount in vet bills.

I just wanted to ask....does it truly mean you have a considerably less chance of health issues if you get a pricier one from a reputable breeder, or are these health issues completely unpredictable/inevitable? How likely is it that your Frenchie will need surgery for their breathing, and is there a way to predict/find a breeder with less of a chance of that?

I know nothing is guaranteed and there's no way to count anything out, but I definitely want to try and find a healthy pup that will be less prone to these things.

Cbrugs · Jul 29, 2020

Welcome and good for you on doing your research!! Finding a reputable breeder is definitely very important! Make sure you ask what health testing they do on both parents. I personally don’t think there is any way to guarantee no health issues will ever come up. You’ll have a greater chance for a healthy dog from a reputable breeder but some issues are because of the way Frenchie’s are built. Jax never needed surgery for his nares or elongated palate but he was diagnosed with IVDD in 2017 and has needed 3 surgeries since and will always be at risk for another herniated disc. Not every Frenchie will get IVDD but there is always the chance.

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FroxerMom · Jul 30, 2020

I LOOOOOVE that you are aware and considering these things before running out and getting one for yourself. Major ups to you!

My personal experience: I adopted a 1 year old female French Bulldog from a woman who owned her and her brother, but didn't want them anymore. She acquired them from a show breeder in Europe and passed my dog's paperwork and passport to me when I paid her "rehoming fee." I wanted an adult and not a puppy. This dog is supposedly from a responsible breeder but she has plenty of health issues. Like Cbrugs, mine did not need nares or elongated palate procedures, but my FB is allergic and/or sensitive to everything and has repeated yeast issues - her diet alone costs me several hundred dollars per month to maintain. It sounds like you are smart and on the right track with your knowledge beforehand- that alone will help. My advice would be to absolutely only acquire a French Bulldog from a reputable breeder and you can get a list from going to the French Bulldog Club of America.

Ptmac415 · Jul 31, 2020

Cbrugs said:
Welcome and good for you on doing your research!! Finding a reputable breeder is definitely very important! Make sure you ask what health testing they do on both parents. I personally don’t think there is any way to guarantee no health issues will ever come up. You’ll have a greater chance for a healthy dog from a reputable breeder but some issues are because of the way Frenchie’s are built. Jax never needed surgery for his nares or elongated palate but he was diagnosed with IVDD in 2017 and has needed 3 surgeries since and will always be at risk for another herniated disc. Not every Frenchie will get IVDD but there is always the chance.

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FroxerMom said:
I LOOOOOVE that you are aware and considering these things before running out and getting one for yourself. Major ups to you!

My personal experience: I adopted a 1 year old female French Bulldog from a woman who owned her and her brother, but didn't want them anymore. She acquired them from a show breeder in Europe and passed my dog's paperwork and passport to me when I paid her "rehoming fee." I wanted an adult and not a puppy. This dog is supposedly from a responsible breeder but she has plenty of health issues. Like Cbrugs, mine did not need nares or elongated palate procedures, but my FB is allergic and/or sensitive to everything and has repeated yeast issues - her diet alone costs me several hundred dollars per month to maintain. It sounds like you are smart and on the right track with your knowledge beforehand- that alone will help. My advice would be to absolutely only acquire a French Bulldog from a reputable breeder and you can get a list from going to the French Bulldog Club of America.

Thanks so much guys I appreciate the help!

I would LOVE to get a 1 year old but it's almost impossible to find one.

Another question....how long does crate training usually take for a Frenchie? Mainly concerned because I live in a duplex, and I don't want it to be howling and barking at night when being crated and disturbing my neighbors. Hopefully whichever one I find/adopt has already had some crate experience so I won't be starting from 0.

2bullymama · Jul 31, 2020

Welcome to FBN! Awesome advice given and I love you are doing your research

nothing is guaranteed. My guy needed name and palate surgery, twice (second due to scaring from barking after surgery) and came from a very reputable breeder. Where are you located?

crate training... at night place a dirty T-shirt in to help them settle as they smell your scent and what worked for us was havithe crate in our bedroom

Ptmac415 · Jul 31, 2020

2bullymama said:
Welcome to FBN! Awesome advice given and I love you are doing your research

nothing is guaranteed. My guy needed name and palate surgery, twice (second due to scaring from barking after surgery) and came from a very reputable breeder. Where are you located?

crate training... at night place a dirty T-shirt in to help them settle as they smell your scent and what worked for us was havithe crate in our bedroom

Got it, yeah I figured nothing is guaranteed but I guess I'd want to do what I can to get one as healthy as possible. I'm located in Louisiana. I've found a couple of leads for current/upcoming litters but nothing yet as far as an older puppy/young adult.

And thank you for the tip! I've heard of some people getting their puppies already calm and happy with their crates, so hopefully whichever one I get will be too haha.

Cbrugs · Jul 31, 2020

Ptmac415 said:
Got it, yeah I figured nothing is guaranteed but I guess I'd want to do what I can to get one as healthy as possible. I'm located in Louisiana. I've found a couple of leads for current/upcoming litters but nothing yet as far as an older puppy/young adult.

And thank you for the tip! I've heard of some people getting their puppies already calm and happy with their crates, so hopefully whichever one I get will be too haha.

A good point of contact would be looking into your local French Bulldog Club. Also going to dog shows is a good place to meet breeders. Unfortunately with COVID, clubs probably aren’t meeting in person and dog shows aren’t happening. I don’t know if all clubs have this feature but you can go to their website and see if they have a puppy inquiry/referral form. You would fill it out and then the form goes out to all breeders in their breeder referral program.

Crate training can be difficult at first and they’ll cry and bark but if you’re consistent with it, it will be well worth it. Some even love going g into their crate as it’s their own space/den.

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Ptmac415 · Aug 1, 2020

Cbrugs said:
A good point of contact would be looking into your local French Bulldog Club. Also going to dog shows is a good place to meet breeders. Unfortunately with COVID, clubs probably aren’t meeting in person and dog shows aren’t happening. I don’t know if all clubs have this feature but you can go to their website and see if they have a puppy inquiry/referral form. You would fill it out and then the form goes out to all breeders in their breeder referral program.

Crate training can be difficult at first and they’ll cry and bark but if you’re consistent with it, it will be well worth it. Some even love going g into their crate as it’s their own space/den.

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Good to hear!

I've been reading up a lot about crate training and I was wondering...where does the puppy sleep before they're totally crate trained and you're still in the process of doing it? Do you just gate off a larger area?

FroxerMom · Aug 1, 2020

Hello again!

It took me over a year (it was so hard to be patient) to find an adult Frenchie. I remember clicking on every single breeder's website on the French Bulldog Club of America list, and getting excited when I saw a former show dog or dog used in their breeding program that was retiring or needing a home. Sometimes they have a young adult that they thought would be a show prospect, but didn't work out. This dog would already have some training and that was a big draw for me personally. That might be a route you could look into, if interested!

I did not find crate training to be as difficult as potty training. YES! I had to revisit potty training even though she was a year old!! But my girl is very food motivated and we went back to the absolute basics. It didn't take long for her to learn that pee and poop is for outdoors only. But as you may find out, some FB's are difficult to potty train and it is common for adults to have accidents.

In the past, I have reintroduced a crate to extremely fearful Boxers and had great success, but it was hard work. These were Boxers with separation anxiety and had been locked in crates for hours and hours or had it used as a punishment. It is crucial that a person never use a crate as a time out area or punishment, as once the crate takes on a negative connotation, it takes a ton of effort to undue that (it's what I was doing with the rescue Boxers). Placing a piece of clothing with your scent inside the crate is comforting for the dog, and gradually increasing the amount of time your dog stays inside is useful when first introducing. Having a high value treat readily available and coaxing dog inside the crate, you would treat the dog once inside, close the door, and walk out of the room just around the corner out of sight. As soon as the dog stops whimpering/barking/crying (I mean IMMEDIATELY) you come back into the room and praise the crap out of him or her and let the dog out and offer treat. Practice this a few times per day, gradually increasing the amount of time you stay around the corner. Only treat the dog when he/she is quiet and calm.

It is also important to vary the ways in which you get ready to leave the house for work or errands, etc,,,if the dog observes that you always put your shoes on, grab your keys and purse before you leave him, an anxious dog may develop separation anxiety and those would be the triggers. It is recommended that you pick up and jingle keys when you aren't going anywhere. Or vary the times of day that you leave if possible. Or put on a jacket, but stay home - so those actions and items do not necessarily mean you are getting ready to leave the house and he does not necessarily need to associate them with something negative about to happen.

I wish you luck in your search!

Ptmac415 · Aug 2, 2020

T

FroxerMom said:
Hello again!

It took me over a year (it was so hard to be patient) to find an adult Frenchie. I remember clicking on every single breeder's website on the French Bulldog Club of America list, and getting excited when I saw a former show dog or dog used in their breeding program that was retiring or needing a home. Sometimes they have a young adult that they thought would be a show prospect, but didn't work out. This dog would already have some training and that was a big draw for me personally. That might be a route you could look into, if interested!

I did not find crate training to be as difficult as potty training. YES! I had to revisit potty training even though she was a year old!! But my girl is very food motivated and we went back to the absolute basics. It didn't take long for her to learn that pee and poop is for outdoors only. But as you may find out, some FB's are difficult to potty train and it is common for adults to have accidents.

In the past, I have reintroduced a crate to extremely fearful Boxers and had great success, but it was hard work. These were Boxers with separation anxiety and had been locked in crates for hours and hours or had it used as a punishment. It is crucial that a person never use a crate as a time out area or punishment, as once the crate takes on a negative connotation, it takes a ton of effort to undue that (it's what I was doing with the rescue Boxers). Placing a piece of clothing with your scent inside the crate is comforting for the dog, and gradually increasing the amount of time your dog stays inside is useful when first introducing. Having a high value treat readily available and coaxing dog inside the crate, you would treat the dog once inside, close the door, and walk out of the room just around the corner out of sight. As soon as the dog stops whimpering/barking/crying (I mean IMMEDIATELY) you come back into the room and praise the crap out of him or her and let the dog out and offer treat. Practice this a few times per day, gradually increasing the amount of time you stay around the corner. Only treat the dog when he/she is quiet and calm.

It is also important to vary the ways in which you get ready to leave the house for work or errands, etc,,,if the dog observes that you always put your shoes on, grab your keys and purse before you leave him, an anxious dog may develop separation anxiety and those would be the triggers. It is recommended that you pick up and jingle keys when you aren't going anywhere. Or vary the times of day that you leave if possible. Or put on a jacket, but stay home - so those actions and items do not necessarily mean you are getting ready to leave the house and he does not necessarily need to associate them with something negative about to happen.

I wish you luck in your search!

Thank you so much! Yeah, I would LOVE to find one that's at least 6 months old or even a year or two, but it's really hard finding anything that's not a puppy.

I'm a little confused about ex pens vs crates, and when to use either....I'm guessing that you want to keep a puppy in an ex pen a lot of the time before they're crate trained, with puppy pads. And then immediately work on both house training and crate training to try and transition them into both of those things as soon as you can?

I'm also having some trouble on the house training plans. I definitely want to teach it to go potty outside, but I would also like to teach it to use pads as a backup plan, like if there was ever a time I'd be away longer than usual to take it outside. Do you know if there's a way to teach both? Basically, I'd only have the pads out on special circumstances.

FroxerMom · Aug 4, 2020

I'm sorry - I have no experience with training using pee pads and transitioning to outdoors or vice versa. Hopefully someone on here will see your post and respond with help. Whatever dog you end up with will be incredibly lucky to have such a devoted and educated pet parent!!