The size of the French bulldogs, depending on age and how to adjust them

The French Bulldog tends to gain weight quickly, especially in the first months of life. Therefore, the owner often encounters questions about whether growth is happening correctly, whether his pet is not transmitting it. What are the weight norms for puppies of the French bulldog for months - let's consider in our article, and also talk about the size and weight of this breed of dogs at different periods of life.

Buying a puppy of a French bulldog, its owner can have average ideas of what size it will become in adulthood. However, as for other breeds, for the "French" there are standard parameters of 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 turn, the French bulldog almost does not grow up, the boy becomes more courageous, his muscles grow stronger, and the girl gradually prepares for reproduction. Weight of dogs older than 1 year should not increase greatly.

Differences by gender are also taken into account in standard measures of the size of the animal.

"Frenchwoman" have more miniature parameters: weight is from 9 to 13 kg, and height - 26-35 cm. Owners should take into account that the boundaries of these norms are not rigid. 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. They got strong and developed muscles from their forefathers - fighting dogs. Comparing the French bulldog with other breeds of approximately the same height, but with less weight, we can conclude that they have a large head, a broad and developed chest, and a wide bone. But a loving owner should always control the body weight of his pet, who is inclined to gain it, because overweight threatens to shorten life and undermine the health of a pet.

The French bulldog is born with a modest weight of 200-300 grams and in the following months it is rapidly gaining weight. Already by the age of one month, the initial weight can increase by 4 times, and with each subsequent month the weight gain can be 1-1.2 kg. Some owners may even worry that the weight gain is not too fast, as usually puppies have round shapes. The table shows the average weight data for puppies of this breed on a monthly basis.

It should be noted that a small deviation in weight from the given data is permissible, provided that the breed is kept intact. After all, it is important to take into account also hereditary data and other objective circumstances (feeding by the mother or the 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 mini mini-bulldogs.

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

Do not be embarrassed by the owners of the puffy outlines of the French bulldog at 1 year old. Usually, during the second year of life, the dog becomes slimmer, becomes more lean 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 the tandem with a good appetite, then there is nothing to worry about.

Look at the factors affecting the weight gain of the French bulldogs.

• Genetics. How a puppy grows up depends largely on what parameters his parents had. When acquiring a French bulldog puppy, it is advisable (if there is such an opportunity) to get acquainted with his mother and father and form an average idea about the height and weight of an adult pet.
• Breastfeeding or artificial. It has been noticed that puppies that eat plenty of their mother's milk have larger parameters than peers who lack milk (for example, if there are many puppies in litter) or grown on artificial mixtures.
• Insufficient or oversupply. After weaning from the mother, the main criterion for a dog’s weight gain is food. The owner should learn the rules of feeding the French Bulldog. Food should be balanced, nutritious and in the right quantity. 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 gradually decreases to 2 times a day by 7-8 months. The best solution would be to purchase special food, since at home to establish a comprehensive balanced diet can be difficult.
• Opposite moment - too high-calorie and excessive nutrition. Overfeeding his pet, the owner often hopes that all the extra calories will go to the muscles. However, having become accustomed to consuming large portions, the dog moves less actively with age, which will necessarily lead to gaining excess weight.
• Dog health The presence of diseases suffered in infancy, injuries, surgical interventions or antibiotics can cause poor growth of the young "Frenchman." Often, when cured, the dog can catch up with his peers, the main thing is to prevent the disease from becoming chronic.

Specialists of breeding dogs of the French Bulldog breed are of the opinion that thinking about adjusting the weight of a dog follows when an individual reaches 1.5-2 years of age. This necessarily takes into account the individual characteristics, gender, health and lifestyle of the dog. Body weight correction possible:

• upward, with insufficient weight;
• downward, with overweight pet.

Before resorting to one of the types of weight adjustment, be sure to take into account the pet's nutrition system. It can be based on natural feed or dry mixes. It is strictly not recommended to mix these systems. It is necessary to adhere to only one which was chosen at the first appearance of the “Frenchman” in the house. Otherwise, the dog's body is threatened by a violation of the intestinal microflora, even to the extent of food digestion.

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

• Reduced portions and caloric intake. A truly loving owner will not succumb to the compassionate views of his pet, asking for supplements.A serving of food per day should not exceed 5-7% of the total weight of the dog. It will not be easy at first, but in 1-2 weeks the French bulldog will get used to such a regime. If the dog is kept on a natural food system, more boiled vegetables should be given (except potatoes, which can be given raw).

In the diet, low-fat cottage cheese or fermented milk products, boneless sea fish, legumes are obligatory - 40-50% is allocated for this. Low-fat meat (offal or poultry) should be 20%, in addition to suitable (because of the tendency to allergies of this breed) croup, whose share in the diet is about 20-25%. Portions need to be weighed, the frequency of feedings - twice a day at the same time. Be sure to give vitamins, which will recommend a veterinarian. Being on an industrial feed, you should also consult with a specialist, which foods are better suited to reduce the weight of the dog and how much they should be given, taking into account the age and lifestyle of the dog. It is advisable to pay attention to higher-quality premium feed.

• Increased physical activity. Overeating should not be blamed on the dog, but on its owner, therefore, it is necessary to change the situation by joint walks with mobile games with a stick or ball. At first, the “Frenchman” will be lazy, since the overfed animal’s metabolism slows down and he does not want to move at all. You should not force a pet to run - you should start with short runs, gradually increasing the time and active load. It is important that such a pastime brings pleasure to the dog. It is possible to determine whether the “Frenchman” is overweight by trying to find the edges of the animal. If you manage to do this without difficulty, the dog does not have a sagging abdomen, it moves without shortness of breath, then its weight is normal. In the reverse situation, when the French bulldog is under-weight, you need to act according to the following scheme.

• Obligatory installation of the cause of thinness at the veterinarian, with the delivery of tests. The possible culprits can be worms, which are sometimes not detected the first time, a violation of intestinal microflora, rickets. Often this dog lacks certain vitamins - this is usually indicated by dull hair, poor eye and mucous condition. The specialist will prescribe the appropriate treatment, after which usually thinness leaves.

• If there are no problems with health, you should pay attention to the quality of the feed. It may be worthwhile to change the type of industrial feed to a more expensive one, or to increase the share of meat products in natural feeding, without forgetting about vitamins.

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

• The frequency of feeding for weight gain should be increased up to 3-4 times small.but with nutritious portions, preferably at the same time. Feeding the dog with natural food, the diet should be distributed so that 2 \ 4 parts accounted for lean meat, animal protein, 1 \ 4 - for cereals and 1 \ 4 for vegetables and fruits.

• Watch as the French Bulldog behaves for a walk. If he refuses to run, he wants to sit down and rest, then he should reduce the time of walking, but not stop them, since maintaining muscle tone is necessary.

You should always remember and take into account the peculiarities of the French Bulldogs on nutrition:

• propensity for weight gain;
• susceptibility 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 shows an attentive attitude to the body weight of his pet, eventually gets a healthy, living active and happy life of the French bulldog.

The story about the breed in the next video.