The Challenges Of Breeding French Bulldogs
The French bulldog is currently a highly sought-after breed in the UK. They are prized for their petite size and quizzical faces. As far as small dogs go, the French bulldog is a very popular choice. The abundance of breeders advertising litters of French bulldogs for sale might suggest that they are easy to breed, but this couldn’t be further from the case. As a breed, they are known for their health problems and conformation issues, in addition to problems with mating and delivery. In this blog post, we will look at some of the challenges faced when breeding French bulldogs.
Problems With Mating French Bulldogs
French bulldogs would struggle to reproduce naturally due to the narrow width of their hips. For this reason, male French bulldogs with wider hips are frequently sought out for breeding. This can lead to something known as a popular sire effect, which can lead to undesirable health problems being passed on to a large number of the breed population. At the moment, breeders are working to selectively breed more French bulldogs with wider hips, but this will naturally take a few generations to happen. Some breeders will choose to inseminate their French bulldogs artificially through AI, but this will obviously come with additional costs.
Delivery Problems For French Bulldogs
While the males may struggle to mate as a result of their narrow hips, the females similarly struggle to deliver their pups as a result of their narrow hips. The combination of narrow hips and large heads means that French bulldog pups are more likely to get stuck in the birth canal. For this reason, it is advised that inexperienced dog breeders not attempt to breed French bulldogs without assistance. French bulldogs are often delivered by cesarean section if a vet decides that they will be unlikely to be able to deliver naturally. When breeding French bulldogs, it’s important to involve a vet from the earliest possible stage to ensure
What to Look For When Buying A French Bulldog
As French bulldogs are predisposed to a number of health problems, it’s important that buyers are aware of this and know what to look for. If you are planning to breed your dog, it’s important that you know the breeding history of the sire, as you could run into problems further down the line. French bulldogs are a big investment, so you should always make sure you are happy with the information you have been given by the breeder before handing over any money. For breeders, being aware of these considerations will help you in your breeding business as you will be able to add an extra level of reassurance for your customers.