James is going out of town and I’m going to a charity Bochi Ball tournament in Del Mar this weekend. The tournament takes place at the dog beach portion of Del Mar. Our french bulldog puppy Tink is 4 months old now and is up to date on all of her shots, we have one last shot to go and that is her rabbi shots and then she is fully vaccinated. We have already begun taking her to this park we go to all the time that allows dogs and she plays well with other dogs and loves the social interaction. I am wondering if I could bring her to “Dog Beach” in Del Mar.

Up till now we have been cautious to take her to any exclusively “dog beaches” or “dog parks” for fear of infestation of sick dogs left behind on the grass or sand. I feel that a beach is a little different than a dog park because the waves are always breaking and re-circling the sand. I also feel that since she has interaction with other dogs on a daily basis there is nothing at the Dog Beach that would be any different then where we take her now.

Just last night the park we went to had at least twenty dogs running around. James thinks that it would be safer to wait until she is 6 months to take her to any sort of a dog beach. However, I hate the thought of leaving Tink at home when I am going somewhere she is allowed and I know she would have a great time. I of course will ultimately do whatever is best for Tink’s health and I am posting this in hopes of getting advice on what to do.

So should I take her or leave her home?

PS: Don’t worry, we don’t let Tink read these posts so she won’t be mad at you if you say we should leave her home :)

We thrive on learning new things to help us give our French bulldog the best life possible. Tink is a very active puppy that likes to jump off things (beds, couches, etc.). The problem is, most of her body weight is in her head, so when she jumps she comes close to landing on her face. For that reason, we try our hardest to put her on the ground every time we feel she’s ready to jump off. We don’t want our puppy to hurt herself. It has been suggested that we never let her on the couch or bed in the first place. But, she’s our princess and loves to be by our side at all times.

Back to the head taking up a good proportion of the puppy’s total body weight, a fellow frenchie owner told us about a horrible experience she had with her frenchie. A friend of hers tried to pick up her frenchie like he would any other dog, however he didn’t know that Frenchies tilt forward because of the size of their heads. So the puppy fell on his face and ended up in the hospital. Imagine how the owner felt. Imagine how her friend felt. He felt horrible. But, he didn’t have no idea he could cause such damage. Just the other day, my 10 year old brother almost dropped her.

We must educate others before handing our dogs to them.

When we think about how much these dogs cost and hear stories like this, we sometimes get paranoid when people ask if they can hold our puppy. I personally don’t mind being mean and saying “No“. But for people like my girlfriend, there are ways to say No in a nice way. Say something like “I would, but the last time someone held her, she got too excited for the person to handle and fell” or “I would, but he’ll be mad at me”. You can think up a lie or just say ” I don’t trust a crazy $2,000 puppy in your arms, she’s not trained enough for that”.

But let’s face it. It never goes like that; somehow your puppy still ends up in your friend or stranger’s hands.

I suggest you educate them first. Let them know how (un)proportioned they are due to their heads and how excited they get in other people’s arms. Warn them to hold the dog the appropriate way, to pick them up closer to their heads. It’s hard to tell others no, or how to hold your dog. But just remember, frenchies do tilt forward and fall on their faces and you are the owner responsible for the dog’s safety regardless of how cute people think he or she is.

Oh, and don’t get me started on kids… (Just remember to always keep a close eye on your Frenchie)

We know that French bulldogs are loving dogs and that they are great with people. We’ve also heard that they are great with kids, their owners and other animals as well. But there is one thing we’ve heard (and read) that is adding a little drama to our lives. It is that frenchies pick a favorite. We’ve only had our French bulldog puppy for a week now and we both already feel Tink has picked her favorite (well, kinda). The first day, it was me. Tuesday through Thursday it was Lisa and now it seems like she’s back to liking me more.

We both have our own strategies to winning the battle of ‘Tink’s favorite companion’. Sometimes Lisa and I do rock-paper-scissors or make up some deal on feeding our little frenchie. We sometimes think she likes whoever feeds her the most. We also fight over who should give her the treat when she goes pottie or who should drive, so tink can be on the other person’s lap. I’m telling you, it seems like Lisa and I compete all day to be Tink’s favorite. The only thing we can distinguish so far is that when she wants to play, she is all about me, however when she wants to cuddle she doesn’t want to have anything to do with me. When she wants to cuddle and snuggle up to someone all she wants to know is where Lisa is.

I’ve tried researching how to become the French bulldog’s favorite, but all I can find is that frenchies would rather play with humans over others dogs and other webpages about frenchie owners and their favorite things to do.

The problem is I don’t know how to determine which one of us is her favorite or how  I make sure I become her favorite.

Is it whoever takes her out to pottie and rewards her? Or is it who feeds her? Perhaps it’s the first person to come through the door when she has been left home alone? How about who plays with her in the morning? I just hope it’s not whoever cuddles with her the most, because Lisa has me beat in that category.

If anyone has any tips and advice, we I’d greatly appreciate it.

As some of our blog readers may already know, we are first time dog owners and of a French Bulldog. We started this blog in hopes to gain knowledgeable information regarding raising a Frenchie. So far, we have learned more than we could ever imagine. There is so much to learn about raising a little Frenchie and we discover new tips every day. From health issues, weight issues, snoring, housetraining, puppy hood to adulthood. There is just so much to learn. We are extremely grateful for all the tips and advice we have received so far.

The tips and advice provided on this blog come from Frenchie owners, veterinarians, breeders, French Bulldog books, websites and all kinds of other various sources. As previously stated we are first timers, all these tips are simply the advice and tips of other animals lovers just like you and I.