The History of the French Bulldog
Breed Standards
We all spend precious time getting to the dog shows. Driving home at some point I’m sure we have all thought, “Why did we lose? Did the judge see something that I did not?” I have spent countless hours reading the breed standard and trying to understand what it means, and trying to apply it to my dogs. It is truly hard to see your dogs for what they are. You wouldn’t pick out faults in your children so it’s really hard to do so in your fur children. Reality has set in that there are no perfect dogs and they all have their little faults, some more then others.
I’m hoping with these terms and slang words we can help the learning curve for some of you Frenchie fanatics. We pay respect to the past breeders who have gotten us so far and hoping with knowledge that we can continue to better the breed and produce fantastic dogs for the future.
| Ears | Tail |
| Head | Hindquarters |
| Muzzle | Size |
| Jaw and Bite | Color of French Bulldog |
| Eyes | Temperament |
| Forequarters | Gaiting |
| Chest | Coat |
| Neck | General Appearance |
| Top Line | Proportion |
Ears set low on head
Ears that come to a point (Pointed tips)
Ears held to close to each other
Ears that are not sticking up (Ears not Erect)
Short at the base to wide at the top
Ears set close to eyes
Head that comes to a point (pointed)
Head that sinks in at the forehead
Flat forehead with no roundness
Flesh colored (Smutty) (This is allowable in light coated dogs) A liver nose or butterfly nose is a defect or even a DQ
No pigment at all
Pinched nostrils (pinched nares)
No wrinkle behind the nose (no depth in the stop—this causes the wrinkle; some call this an “open area” at the stop
Not hanging over the lower jaw
Low set Muzzle (this is because the stop lacks depth and makes the dog “nosey”
Lack of fill under the eye - typically equals a pinched muzzle
Over bite
No under bite
Under jaw lacks depth
Rye Jaw (wry jaw)
Too much underbite
Flat lower jaw
Narrow lower jaw (causes teeth to stack and then show when mouth is open)
Eyes looking different directions “Wall eyed “
White showing over color of eyes “Haw”
Bulging eyes “Google Eyes”
Almond shape eyes
Un matched eye color
Light colored “bird eye”
Fronts bowing to the inside (“out at elbows”)
Fronts bowing to outside (Pinched elbows)
Longer leg front then rear
One Leg Longer then Other
Skinny front legs non muscular
Large feet (small, compact feet are desirable)
Long toes
Long toe nails
Low knuckles
Paws pointing inward
Paws Pointing Out ward “easty westy”
Broken, weak pasterns
Flat feet
Splayed toes
Shoulders lacking layback/angulation
Shallow Chest
Slab-sided (narrow and oval shaped, narrow but deep)
One side larger then other
Light on rib (lacking “spring of rib”)
No Neck (all have some neck- I’d say overly short neck)
Over excessive Length (swan neck)
Not balanced with proportions
Skinny
No lose skin at the bottom of the throat
Long in length
Flat with no roach
A hump in the front (camel backed)
Shoulders widening at the lions ( wide loins)
Belly hung low (lacking tuckup)
Lacking length in the loin
Sway back
Rear loin/legs elevated too high
Long sticking high on the backside (tail held high)
Skinny root with large tip
Tail set high on top line
Curly Tail (screw tail is allowable in our breed)
No tail or one-boned tail
Inverted tail
Gay tail
Shorter then front
Set excessively wide
Lacking angulation
Sickle hocked
Hocks set too high
Cow-hocked
Anything over 28 Pounds is a disqualification
No feature should be so over or under sized that it draws your eye away from the over all size of the dog to make it look not proportioned
Lack of bone
No muscle tone
Solid Black, mouse, liver, black and tan all are disqualifications, white and black (pieds without trace of brindle are also a DQ)
Aggressive
Dull
Rowdy
Obsessive- Compulsive “Screaming”
Rear going to left Front to Right “ Side Winding”
Front flips out to the side in a circular motion “ Front Paddling”
Rear Paddling “Egg Beaters”
Front can be tacked on at shoulders (no reach- like a wooden soldier)
Convergence in the rear (not double tracking)
Front weaving or converging
Thick
Long
Rough
Bumps and Allergy (hives or patchy)
Double coated ruff around neck
Lazy Looking
No muscle
Skinny on bone (lacking bone)
Long Build
Long Structure
No expression (disinterested expression)
Unbalanced (this sums up most everything about general appearance)
Over done features (ears – some are too long for size of the head)
Too short for back length
Pea sized head on large body
Too tall for back length
About the Breed
Statistics
General Appearance
Size
Head
Neck, Topline, Body
Forequarters
Hindquarter
Coat
Color
Gait
Temperment
Disqualifications
Fault List
French Bulldog FAQ's