Meet The Breeds: French Bulldog
♪♪
-The affectionate,
easygoing French bulldog
is one of the most
popular dog breeds in the world.
Known for their smushy face,
bat-like ears,
and chilled-out disposition,
you’ll find Frenchies
in social media,
on TV,
and in the movies.
But mostly, you’ll find them
on their owners’ laps
or on their owners’ beds
snoring.
[ Dog snoring ]
Officially recognized
by the AKC in 1898,
the breed developed gradually
over the 19th century.
-The French bulldog really
was developed
to be a companion breed.
Originally, they were bred
down from English bulldog.
-The modern Frenchie
traces its history
through three countries.
-He was developed in Europe
between England and France
and came to the United States
as he gained popularity
in the late 19th century.
-The Frenchie descends
from the British bulldog,
a breed popular in England
for many centuries,
but in the early 1800s,
in the English midlands,
a fad arose
for breeding smaller,
toy-sized bulldogs
as companion pets, or lap dogs.
-His sole purpose was,
and still is, to be a companion.
And that’s what he does best.
-The smaller dog shared the
bulldog’s distinctive shortened,
or brachycephalic, muzzle
and its arched back,
or roached topline.
But its temperament was much
calmer and more affectionate.
They were particularly popular
around Nottingham, England,
with artisans who worked
as lace makers.
During
the Industrial Revolution,
many of these
English craftspeople
lost their work to machines,
so they moved to France,
where their skills
were still in demand,
and they took their
lap-sized bulldogs with them.
In France, the little bulls
were crossed
with some terrier breeds.
They acquired the name
“bouledogue Francais”
and became quite popular.
In Paris, the toy-sized bulldogs
gained
an interesting reputation.
-It’s often said that they were
bred to be companions to,
how shall I put it,
ladies of the night.
And you will often see that
they wore very fancy collars
with a big ruff around them
that was actually made
from real badger fur.
-Tolouse-Lautrec portrayed such
French bulldogs
in his drawings and paintings
of the Parisian Demimonde.
Soon, wealthy Americans
visiting Paris
also became enamored
with the bouledogue Francais.
Society ladies began
importing them to the US,
where they were bred and shown
under the re-Anglicized name
they still carry —
the French bulldog.
So the breed was now a favorite
of New York’s
most refined social circles.
-They were a high-society dog.
-French bulldogs were
first exhibited
at the Westminster Dog Show
in 1896.
And a Frenchie was featured
on the cover of the 1897
Westminster catalog,
even though it was not
yet an approved AKC breed.
1897 was an important year
for the French bulldog.
Up to then, some Frenchies
were bred with erect
and wide-set bat ears,
while others were bred
with soft, folded rose ears.
At the 1897 Westminster show,
both types were exhibited,
but the English judge approved
only the rose-eared specimens.
This infuriated
American financiers
who preferred the bat ear.
They quickly organized the
French Bulldog Club of America
and drew up a breed standard
allowing only the bat ear.
The next year,
they held their own show
for bat-eared dogs exclusively.
-The national specialty shows
were held at the Waldorf Astoria
in New York, in the ballroom.
And it was a very grand affair.
The ladies were in full ball
gowns with ostrich-feather hats,
and the gentlemen were in
tuxedoes and top hats and tails.
-The winner of that first-ever
specialty in 1898
was a brindle dog
named Dimboola.
Later that year, in line
with American breeders’ wishes,
the AKC officially adopted
the bat-eared standard
for the French bulldog.
It’s still the look we know
and love today.
-We can thank the breeders
of the United States for that.
The size and the shape of the
ears of the French bulldog
really add to his expression.
Sometimes I think his expression
is a cross
between intelligent and
comical all at the same time.
-The ears are an essential part
of the breed standard,
but they’re not the only thing
that’s unique.
-The heads are very different
between a French bulldog
and an English bulldog.
-While the Frenchie has
the same brachycephalic muzzle
as the English bulldog, it has
a very different forehead —
half domed, half flat.
The French bulldog breed
standard also calls
for a very specific range
of coat colors.
-There are three main colors
in the French bulldog —
brindle —
all shades of brindle
from an almost-black brindle
to almost a reverse,
or tiger-stripe brindle —
then you have cream and fawn.
Again, they can be in various
shades of the gamut.
And then you have
what’s called pied,
which is mainly white body
with brindle patches.
-Fawn with black mask is also
an acceptable color category.
But if you are offered
a Frenchie in any other color,
be aware that it does not meet
the acceptable breed standard.
-Unfortunately, one of
the huge issues
facing the French bulldog today,
due to its popularity,
is unscrupulous breeders
breeding disqualification colors
that are not recognized
in our breed standard.
[ Dog snoring ]
-And though it’s not an official
part of the breed standard,
we have to mention another very
typical breed characteristic —
snoring.
-Each one has a different snore.
They’re very individual,
just like people.
-After their first rush
of popularity,
French bulldog numbers declined
during World War I
and the Depression.
By 1940, only about 100
were registered with the AKC,
so they were a rare breed.
But a few breeders
kept them going.
One in particular,
Amanda West of Detroit,
helped spur
the French bulldog’s comeback.
Starting around 1950,
she began showing her
fawn- and cream-colored
Frenchies
to phenomenal success,
tallying over 500 group wins,
111 Best in Show awards,
and 21 consecutive breed wins
at Westminster.
Slowly but surely,
the Frenchie resurgence began.
It picked up steam in the 1980s
with a new generation
of breeders.
And by 2017, French bulldogs
were among the top
five most popular breeds
in America.
If you decide to get
a Frenchie of your own,
finding a reputable
AKC-affiliated breeder
will help you avoid
health problems
and disqualifying
characteristics.
[ Puppy barks, growls ]
Of course, with this breed
being massively popular,
quite a few celebrities
have been French bulldog fans,
from Douglas Fairbanks
in the 1920s
to Mary-Kate Olsen
and Martha Stewart right now.
The Frenchie with the biggest
media profile
is probably this guy —
Gary Fisher —
companion and therapy dog
to the late actress, writer,
and comedian Carrie Fisher.
Gary walked the red carpet
with Carrie at the premiere
of “The Force Awakens.”
-Gary, it’s all right.
He’s a friendly droid.
-And he even made a digitally
enhanced appearance
in Carrie’s final film,
“Star Wars: The Last Jedi.”
-Wow!
That was great!
-Unlike breeds that were
originally developed for jobs
like hunting, tracking,
guarding,
herding, or vermin control,
the Frenchies’ purpose today
is exactly what it was
when it was first bred —
to be a friendly,
happy companion for humans.
-They’re wonderful to live with.
They are pretty easy
to take care
of with their smooth coat
and their bat ears.
You don’t have any clipping or
trimming or anything like that.
And they lend themselves
very well to apartment living.
They’re very gregarious.
They’re very outgoing.
They’re small in size,
but they really are not like
what people would think
as a small dog.
They’re like big dogs
in a little dog’s body.
-Though French bulldogs only
require moderate exercise,
some have become
excellent competitors
in organized activities
like agility and flyball.
-It’s really, really nice to see
them compete
with different dogs
of all breeds,
and they represent
the breed very, very well.
-But one place where Frenchies
don’t compete is in the water.
Being dense, top-heavy,
and short-legged,
they’re more likely to sink
than to swim.
You should never leave
a French bulldog
unattended near the water,
even with a life vest.
Of 192 breeds officially
recognized by the AKC,
the French bulldog is,
as of 2018,
America’s fourth-most-popular,
and it’s no wonder because
from their very beginning,
these genial, intelligent,
happy little dogs were bred
to keep company with humans
and show us
the best part of ourselves.
-I think there are some
life lessons
that we can learn
from the French bulldog.
They’re very joyous.
They’re very gregarious.
And they take everyone
at face value
and they treat everyone
the same way.
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
