FBDCA HEALTH & GENETICS COMMITTEE
BREEDER RECOMMENDATIONS
from the FBDCA Health & Genetics Committee 2002
For a pdf download of this page, click here: Should I Breed?.
1. Did you get your Frenchie from a breeder? (Dogs sold in pet stores are
seldom good specimens of the breed, and are often unhealthy.)
YES NO: Stop, Look, Listen, and THINK!
2. Did you get a 3 to 5 generation pedigree with your Frenchie? (A
reputable breeder will always provide a pedigree so that you can see your dog’s lineage.)
YES NO: Stop, Look, Listen, and THINK!
3. Does your Frenchie have a good temperament? Does it socialize well
with people and other animals? (If you can’t tell, take the dog out to training
classes. The instructor can help you evaluate the dog’s temperament. Dogs with
bad temperaments should not be bred, regardless of how good their conformation
is.)
YES NO: Stop, Look, Listen, and THINK!
4. Is your Frenchie a good and easy (and quiet) breather, particularly
with moderate exercise, and in moderately warm weather? (Frenchies with
bad airways are difficult to manage in hot weather and can have problems with any
sort of stress or exercise. If you can’t tell, have your vet evaluate the dog’s airway.)
YES NO: Stop, Look, Listen, and THINK!
5. Can your Frenchie move with ease, and sustain a vigorous and active
trot? (A variety of orthopedic problems contribute to poor movement, and may
have an inheritable basis. If you can’t tell visit dog shows and compare your dog’s
gait with that of other Frenchies. Have a reputable breeder help you evaluate it.)
YES NO: Stop, Look, Listen, and THINK!
6. Is your Frenchie in general good health, and free of major health
problems? (An unhealthy bitch is more likely to have trouble with pregnancy and
whelping, and some health problems could be inherited by the puppies from either
parent.)
YES NO: Stop, Look, Listen, and THINK!
7. Does your Frenchie conform to the breed standard? (Do not breed a
Frenchie who is not a good specimen of the breed, hoping that somehow the puppies
will conform better to the standard. If you don’t know whether your dog has good
conformation, read and study the standard, talk with experienced breeders and ask
them for an honest assessment of your dog.)
YES NO: Stop, Look, Listen, and THINK!
8. Have you had your Frenchie tested for, and found to be free of,
Brucellosis or other infectious diseases? (There are infections of the
reproductive tract that can be transmitted during a natural mating (or from dog to
bitch during artificial insemination), and can also prevent or terminate pregnancy or
cause problems for the puppies after birth.)
YES NO: Stop, Look, Listen, and THINK!
9. Have you had your Frenchie’s eyes examined by an ophthalmologist
within the last year and found to be normal? (There are several eye conditions
in Frenchies that are thought to be inheritable. Only a veterinary ophthalmologist
with the necessary specialized equipment can detect some of these.)
YES NO: Stop, Look, Listen, and THINK!
10. Has a vet palpated your Frenchie’s hips and patellae and found them
to be sound and well-seated? Have X-rays been done? (Though hip dysplasia
is not the problem in Frenchies that it is in larger breeds, it is a good idea to know
the status of your dog’s hips, so that if they are severely deficient you can take this
into consideration when deciding whether, and to whom, to breed it.)
YES NO: Stop, Look, Listen, and THINK!
11. Is your Frenchie’s spine without more than a couple of malformed
vertebrae, does it have a normal spinal canal, and does it look free of
degenerated discs? Are your dog and its close relatives without a history of
symptomatic “back trouble”? (Most symptomatic back problems in Frenchies are
due to premature disc degeneration and herniation, and other degenerative
processes. Hemivertebrae are very common in the breed and do not usually cause
any trouble unless they protrude into the spinal canal or impinge on the spinal
nerves exiting the spine. It is a good idea to avoid breeding Frenchies with many
malformed vertebrae or prematurely degenerated discs.)
YES NO: Stop, Look, Listen, and THINK!
12. Are you financially able to provide good veterinary care for the
mother and puppies, particularly if there should be complications? Do you
have the time and the physical ability to provide 24-hour a day surveillance
over the newborns if it should be necessary? Will you be able to find good
homes for however many puppies there should be and will you be prepared
to take them back if necessary? (The tests for infections, eye exams and
orthopedic exams that you should have done can be expensive, in addition to routine
veterinary care and the added costs of prenatal care, cesarean section, and
immunizations for puppies. If you are not prepared to make a financial commitment
to a breeding that could end up costing you a significant amount of money, then do
not breed your Frenchie.)
YES NO: Stop, Look, Listen, and THINK!
13. Is your bitch two years old or in at least her second heat cycle (not
her first)? (Bitches should not be bred until they are fully physically mature, are
able to carry a litter to term, and are vigorous enough to recover quickly from
cesarean surgery and nurse a litter for 5 or more weeks.)
YES NO: Stop, Look, Listen, and THINK!
If you answered YES to all of these, then you may have a French Bulldog of
breeding quality. HOWEVER, before you breed your dog, consider honestly
your reasons for wanting to breed. Do NOT breed your Frenchie just to
show the kids “the miracle of birth,” or so that you can get a puppy just like
your wonderful dog (you should go to your dog’s parents for that), or
because you want to make money by selling puppies.
BREEDING SHOULD BE DONE TO IMPROVE THE BREED.
So before you breed your Frenchie, STOP, LOOK, LISTEN, AND THINK!
