Sizes of French bulldogs depending on age and how to adjust them

The French bulldog is inclined to quickly gain mass, especially in the first months of life. Therefore, the owner often comes up with questions about whether the growth is happening correctly, whether the pet is transmitting it. What weight norms do puppies of a French bulldog have for months - we will consider in our article, and also talk about the size and weight of this breed of dogs in different periods of life.

By acquiring a French bulldog puppy, its owner can have average ideas about how large it will become in adulthood. However, as for other breeds, for the "French" there are standard parameters for their weight and height indicators. It is important to know that the adult age of dogs of this breed reaches 10-12 months. After this temporary milestone, the French bulldog almost does not grow up, the boy becomes more courageous, his muscles grow stronger, and the girl is gradually preparing for reproduction. The weight of dogs older than 1 year should not increase significantly.

The difference in gender is also taken into account in standard indicators of the size of the animal.

“French women” have more miniature parameters: weight from 9 to 13 kg, and height - 26-35 cm. Owners should take into account that the boundaries of these norms are not strict. A deviation of 350-450 grams in the direction of decreasing or increasing mass should also be considered the norm.

With such a modest growth, the mass of bulldogs may seem disproportionate, but this is the specificity of this breed. Strong and developed muscles they inherited from their forefathers - fighting dogs. Comparing the French bulldog with other breeds of about the same height, but with less weight, we can conclude that they have a large head, wide and developed chest, and wide bone. But a loving owner should always control the body weight of his pet, prone to gain it, because excess weight threatens to shorten life and undermine the pet’s health.

A French bulldog is born with a modest weight of 200-300 grams and in the coming months is rapidly gaining weight. By the age of one month, the initial mass can increase by 4 times, and with each subsequent month the weight gain can be 1-1.2 kg. Some owners may even worry if weight gain is taking place too quickly, as puppies usually have rounded shapes. The table shows the average weight for puppies of this breed on a monthly basis.

It should be noted that a slight deviation in weight from the data given is acceptable, provided that the breed type is preserved. After all, it is important to take into account also hereditary data and other objective circumstances (feeding by a mother or a mixture, climatic conditions and similar factors). Do not forget also that we are talking about the weight of the classic representatives of the French bulldogs, and not dwarf mini-bulldogs.

Specialists have developed a formula by which it is possible to calculate the individual weight of an adult bulldog based on its "puppy" weight. According to one formula, you need to weigh the puppy at the age of 8 weeks, and then multiply the data 4 times, then we get the approximate mass of a one-year-old dog. The second version of the formula is calculated by the weight of a 4-month-old puppy, which must be increased 2 times in order to know how much an adult pet should weigh.

Let the owners not be embarrassed by the puffy outlines of a French bulldog in 1 year. Usually, in the second year of life, the dog becomes slimmer, becomes hotter and can weigh even less than its one-year-old mass. The main thing is to pay attention to the behavior and mood of the dog: if there is activity in a tandem with a good appetite, then there is nothing to worry about.

Let's look at the factors affecting the weight gain of French bulldogs.

• Genetics. How a puppy grows up to a large extent depends on what parameters his parents possessed. When acquiring a French bulldog puppy, it is advisable (if there is such an opportunity) to get acquainted with his mother and father and from them to form an average idea of ​​the height and weight of an adult pet.
• Breastfeeding or artificial. It was noticed that puppies that ate plenty of milk from their mother have larger parameters than peers who lack milk (for example, if there are a lot of puppies in the litter), or grown on artificial mixtures.
• Inadequate or oversupply. After weaning from the mother, the main criterion for the weight gain of the dog is food. The owner should learn the rules for feeding a French bulldog. Food should be balanced, nutritious and in the right amount. Up to 4-5 months, meals should be frequent - 4-5 times a day. This requires a high growth rate of representatives of this breed. Then, the number of feedings is gradually reduced to 7-8 months to 2 times a day. The best solution is to purchase special feeds, as it can be difficult to establish a comprehensive balanced diet at home.
• Opposite moment - too high-calorie and excessive nutrition. Overfeeding his pet, the owner often hopes that all the extra calories go into the muscles.However, getting used to consume large portions, the dog moves less actively with age, which will necessarily lead to overweight.
• Dog Health The presence of diseases transferred during infancy, trauma, surgical interventions or taking antibiotics can cause the unsatisfactory growth of the young “Frenchman”. Often, after being cured, the dog can catch up with its peers, the main thing is to prevent the disease from becoming chronic.

French bulldog dog breeding specialists are of the opinion that thinking about adjusting the dog’s weight should be done when the individual reaches 1.5–2 years of age. In this case, individual characteristics, gender, health status and lifestyle of the dog are necessarily taken into account. Body weight correction is possible:

• upwards, with insufficient weight;
• downward, with the excess weight of the pet.

Before resorting to one of the types of weight adjustment, be sure to consider the pet's nutrition system. It can be based on natural feed or dry mixes. It is strongly not recommended to mix these systems. You should adhere to only one that was chosen when the "Frenchman" first appeared in the house. Otherwise, the dog's body is threatened with a violation of the intestinal microflora up to indigestion of food.

If the veterinarian recommends reducing the weight of the dog, then a competent approach to such an adjustment will consist of the following actions.

• Reducing servings and calorie intake. A truly loving owner will not succumb to the compassionate looks of his pet asking for supplements. A serving of food per day should not exceed 5-7% of the total weight of the dog. At first it will not be easy, but after 1-2 weeks the French bulldog will get used to such a regimen. If the dog is kept on a natural food system, more boiled vegetables should be given (except for potatoes that can be given raw).

In the diet, low-fat cottage cheese or sour-milk products, marine low-fat fish without bones, and legumes are required - 40-50% of this is allotted. Low-fat meat (offal or poultry) should be 20%, in addition to suitable (due to the tendency to allergies of this breed) cereals, whose share in the diet is about 20-25%. Servings should be weighed, the frequency of feeding - twice a day at the same time. Be sure to give vitamins that the veterinarian recommends. Being on industrial feed, you should also consult with a specialist what feeds are best for reducing the weight of the dog and how much to give, taking into account the age and lifestyle of the dog. It is advisable to pay attention to better premium feed.

• Increased physical activity. Overeating should not be blamed on the dog, but on its owner, so you need to change the situation by joint walks with outdoor games with a stick or ball. At first, the “Frenchman” will be lazy, since in a overfed animal the metabolism slows down and he does not want to move at all. You should not force the pet to run - you should start with short walks, gradually increasing time and active loads. It is important that such a pastime brings pleasure to the dog. It is possible to determine whether an “Frenchman” is overweight by trying to find the ribs of an animal. If this can be done without difficulty, the dog does not have a sagging abdomen, it moves without shortness of breath, then its weight is normal. In the opposite situation, when the French Bulldog has a shortage of mass, it is necessary to act according to the following scheme.

• Mandatory installation of the causes of thinness at the veterinarian, with the delivery of tests. Possible culprits may be helminths, which are sometimes detected not the first time, violation of intestinal microflora, rickets. Often such a dog lacks certain vitamins - this is usually indicated by dull hair, poor eyes and mucous membranes. The specialist will prescribe the appropriate treatment, after which the thinness usually goes away.

• If there are no health problems, you should pay attention to the quality of the feed. It may be worth changing the type of industrial feed to a more expensive one or increasing the share of meat products in natural feeding, not forgetting about vitamins.

• If the dog is healthy, try to find out what were the parents of the "Frenchman" - it is possible that this harmony is hereditary.

• The frequency of feedings to increase body weight should be increased to 3-4 times smallbut in nutritious portions, preferably at the same time. When feeding a dog with natural food, the diet should be distributed so that 2/4 of the share falls on lean meat, animal protein, 1/4 on cereals and 1/4 on vegetables and fruits.

• Watch how a French bulldog behaves on a walk. If he refuses to run, he wants to sit down and relax, then he should reduce the time of walks, but do not stop them, since maintaining muscle tone is necessary.

You always need to remember and consider the characteristics of the French bulldogs in nutrition:

• tendency to gain weight;
• tendency to allergies;
• not very strong immunity and health;
• individual calculation of calorie intake based on the activity and age of the dog.

The owner, who is attentive to the body weight of his pet, in the end will definitely get a healthy, living an active and happy life in the French bulldog.

The story of the breed in the next video.