The state of Ohio's animal laws. The Humane Society of The United States 2010 article about footing in dog kennels. You must see information that can affect you when buying a Frenchie.
The French Bulldog history books have for over a century told us that Frenchies were bred for the sole purpose of being a companion, NOT to be standing in grate kennels for most of their life. Learn how to avoid poorly raised dogs.
Click this link for The Ohio State Grate Footing and Puppy Mill Law effective Dec 31, 2022
The law applies to anyone with 6 or more dogs.
How can you determine if the puppy or dog has lived in a grates crate?
Moderate to severe SPLAYED FEET, although it is not always easy since many factors can play into dogs getting splayed feet (*litter training can also cause a very mild splayed on puppies, but it goes away after they are allowed to go outside to potty). However, most of the time, especially in adults, splayed feet are due to standing on grate kennels for an extended period. Most importantly, you need to request a FaceTime call to see where they keep their puppies and ask to see where the adults live. You can also check their social media accounts for pictures and videos. It is a challenging task since many claim to be family raised, but they are unfortunately not. A few, I mean this very tightly, use the crates with bedding and bring out the dogs for a long time. It is tough to know who is telling the truth, and it is not worth the risk! While we also disagree with French Bulldogs living in glorified warehouses as mass production ‘puppy mills.’ Again select very few commercial facilities seem to be doing a decent job treating their dogs. It is up to you to research to verify they give the dogs playtime multiple times a day. They’re only required to take their dogs out for 15-30 minutes in 24 hours per law. I would verify that they have kennel help and are socializing correctly. Ultimately a small in-home breeder will always be your best bet as long they are very knowledgeable and experienced or have a solid mentor behind them.
How does grate flooring affect the health and well being of the puppy?
Image taken at the 2023 Breeders Conference
As breeders, we should take the information that specialty and research veterinarians share with us as valuable findings and use it to make improvements! You don’t have to be in the dog world to understand or question how these living conditions affect dogs. IVDD and Hip dysplasia concern our breed genetically since even dogs with no copies on their DNA report can be affected. Adding environmental factors is a huge problem!
Orthopedic Issues
One of the most common complaints from French Bulldog owners is how difficult it is to potty train their new dogs. When a dog is trained for 6+ weeks to potty inside their crate and step on the feces, pushing it down the grates, they will have difficulty adjusting to the new normal. More often than not, they also eat and play in the grid flooring crates. It needs to be clear to them crates are a happy, safe place, and it isn't evident to the puppy.
Potty Training Issues
Another complaint we often see is that Frenchies like to eat their poop. From personal experience, this again concerns the exposures in their early environment. Having a close eye on the puppies to stop them from an early age is vital. It is easier to continue this habit when they can access to their feces. This breeding style does not promote sanitation. Instead, they eat in the same area they defecate.
Sanitation Issues
“When you support or turn a blind eye to poor breeding practices, you support irresponsible breeding. ”
Informational FAQs
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First of all, please do not make an impulse buy. Here are a few tips: Follow your breeder, and scan over the social media pages. Check how many litters they have within the last 6-12 months. Often good breeders don’t have much waste in a calendar year. Verify references, and call their veterinarian.
Most importantly, follow your gut instinct. Don’t allow a cute puppy face to sell you! All puppies are adorable. Making the wrong decision can be heartbreaking and very expensive. Ask them about the parent’s health testing. A vet’s wellness check is not health testing. Check for cleanliness and good care. Do they offer you records of the puppy? They need to know what vaccines are required and what deworming schedule to follow.
Can they provide a predictable temperament guideline? How many dogs do they keep on their property? Even if it sounds like a lot, 5-10 dogs are typical for a home breeder. Now 20 plus is not something I would approve of unless there are two full-time breeders. So all of these are fundamental questions you need to be asking.
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Research shows that the first few weeks of life determine how and what your puppy will become or struggle in adulthood, from the mom’s lifestyle to when that puppy goes home and what you expose that puppy in its early life. All of it matters. A responsible breeder will ensure your puppy is prepared with abundant human interaction, socialization, love, and some early introduction to training.
This is not something someone who raises their puppies in secluded areas can achieve. It is A LOT of work to raise puppies. Although over 80% of French Bulldog breeders use metal or plastic grates to place their puppies, they view this as usual. They do not think of the consequences it may result in the puppies or dog's ability to adapt to the world or even w, or the results it will cause in their health.
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Essentially a wire kennel is a crate where the puppy or dog spends most of its day, if not all day, poops, sleeps, eats, and plays all in the exact location. Little to no human interaction is necessary. Often these styles of breeders don’t clean after them, and issues arise. A pet style of breeding is the way all dogs should be kept. It’s no different than a home like yours. We use regular crates, are fully potty trained, socialize, and held to adequate responsibilities like all home dogs.
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MODERATE TO SEVERE SPLAYED FEET. Keep an eye on photos that crop the feet out! While many breeders can deny where they keep their puppies or adults, their feet don’t lie. Usually, you will find their feet very spread apart from sitting on the grates all day.
The only exception to this rule is pallet potty training. Many of us use paper or pine pallets, which leaves a mild splay that usually goes away when they are fully potty trained outdoors. But, again, a Facetime call is your friend to verify living conditions.
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For three reasons. 1. The most common one is laziness. 2. They breed dogs as a side hobby to earn money, meaning they must keep a 9-5 and cannot properly care for the dogs. 3. To allow them to expand in a large number without needing their attention on the spot.
Breeding is a very demanding “job” to whelp and care for the dogs in our home, all while managing a working stud, planning the next litter, and taking the other dogs to regular vet visits. Running all the social media accounts messages and creating content. See how that sounds like a lot because it is a lot of work many aren’t willing to do. They end up not caring and resourcing to wire grates.
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NO. We have enormous respect for all our in-home breeders. However, like in everything else, there is always a bad apple somewhere who doesn’t care or has a true passion. Please use your senses to pick up red flags.
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My favorite topic. Please remember that even at-home breeders have faults too. When it comes to socializing, you need to ask precisely what they are socializing with. Hint. The list should be at least ten things long. Many breeders skimp on the most crucial phase of the puppy’s early life. A few key things to look for how does the puppy act in the videos you requested? Are they happy or look scared? Almost looking lost, they shake and shiver severely with their ears pulled back. Also, the puppy often won’t get up from fear of the world since it hasn’t been socialized yet.
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Puppies are adorable, and the wait is excruciating. My professional advice is to wait until the puppy is ten weeks old. Frechies can be labeled as toys and small to medium breeds. All puppies have a fear stage from 8-11 weeks old. That means the puppy staying in the same environment it grew up in allows them to spend two more weeks feeling safe and confident. On week 11, you will most likely expose them to all kinds of things and people, ending the fear stage and a crucial socialization period. We are willing to arrange a different pickup. Please tell us what works best for you.
Many breeders will decline your request or ask you to pay extra boarding fees, which is absurd and greedy. However, it shows you who cares and who doesn’t, which is a red flag for me. They don’t care about the long-term welling being of the puppy or the impact this can have on them.
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A breeder is responsible for the lifetime of all the puppies they produce to ensure their well-being. You never annoy us with questions. NEVER! When we tell you we offer lifetime breeder support, we mean that. Hundreds of thousands of families use Google or Facebook groups to ask questions. We are happy to answer all the questions you may have. You should always be asking your breeder and veterinarian the questions first unless it’s something you’re just sharing or a regional question. We didn't just learn all this not to use it. Let us help you. We love talking about dogs anyway.
This is not true for all breeders.
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When you think of a puppy mill, many people have normalized producing many litters. However, 8-10 litters+ is not an in-home breeder. So what is it? That is a commercial breeder, and a commercial breeder is a puppy mill. Some commercial breeders do their best to care for their dogs. However, that doesn’t remove the fact that the dogs have lived in warehouse kennels for most of their lives.
If my only options were a breeder who uses grates or a commercial breeder? Neither, but if I had to, I would choose the best commercial breeder I could find. They typically have more than one person helping and seem cleaner overall.
Glorified puppy mills surround us without even noticing it.
98% of commercial facilities are glorified PUPPY MILLS.
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The unconditional greed. VERIFY HOW MANY LITTERS THEY ARE HAVING!
A breeder with a full-time job breeding as a hobby and side gig should not have more than 2-3 litters per year. Employers don’t allow enough time off to fully meet the needs of raising a litter. Some can make arrangements, or their spouse can help out. That is typically Ok just asked what it will look like when they go back to work for 8 hours a day.
Our Community has normalized overlooking what a puppy mill is, and they get away with it in plain sight. Anyone having 8-10+ litters per year or more is not a tiny in-home breeder.
A minor in-home responsible breeder shouldn’t have more than six litters in a calendar year.
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Among the many other things, I have to debunk. As with most Frenchies, the lack of education regarding the correct structure makes the dog of quality challenging to understand and explain. The simple answer is that the French Bulldog closeis close to the standard in looks of high quality. I am keeping in mind that health also needs to be a priority. Now, many French Bulldog breeders, including in-home breeders, call many puppies and dog quality with great structure. Unfortunately, these same breeders can’t tell you our standard on the spot, nor do their dogs meet it. The best way to know what a puppy will look like is to look at the parents and the overall pedigree.
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One of the most important aspects of a French Bulldog is the Frenchie signature look: a heavy bone, short leg, bat ear, and square body. Many families often tell us I want a pet! We understand that, but it doesn’t mean anything to us as breeders because pets still need to see most of the standards. Please understand that when you support dogs that meet our bar is essential not just for you to feel proud of your Frenchie’s build but for the breed; in general, you, as an owner, are a spokesman for the species. The public will ask you questions about the way your dog looks. Most of the time, they know what a Frenchie should look like.
Weight. When you hear “heavy bone," t does not mean obese. In today's market, most color dogs have lost this vital trait that is a massive part of our standard. When breeders cannot achieve the look, they immediately start saying heavy bone-set dogs are unhealthy out of spite. A heavy-bone dog is not obese or fat like that claim. That has more to do with your ddog'sdemeanor. Per our standard, the weight limit is 28 lbs. If your Frenchie goes over, it ddoesn'tmean anything except outside the norm. Trusting that your breeder cares enough about health, heavy-bone dogs are not an issue; we see plenty of very athletic French Bulldogs with many health issues. Usually, it has more to do with their temperament and upbringing.
Some breeders claim their dogs are only x small about of weight. Usually, that is because the dogs are skinny. You can have a small dog weight 25 lbs and a tall, long dog weighing 18 lbs. Due to the lack of substance, weight is not an excellent way to determine the dog’s size entirely. However, you definitely should still care about it. Use it as a tool to make an overall assumption.
Low Weight gimmicks? As breeders, we see dogs all day, every day. We all know some breeders lie about how much their dogs weigh. Suppose weight is significant to you. You must request the ssire'slast weight check at the veterinary clinic and the dam weight pre-pregnancy.
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Currently we only have standard visual colors such as our specialty creams, fawns, and black brindles.
Do you make blue, tan, etc? The answer is yes, but we will not have any in 2023.
If the way our dogs look caught your attention those are structurally correct French Bulldogs. We are extremely picky with what male we use and currently even if the numbers are at an all time high. Standard colors are becoming less and less common. Producing color dogs is not a priority to us. Color dogs temperament and confirmation is lacking. We don’t want to pass down problems to our families. We notice many of the color dogs are having behavioral issues from personal experience. We shifted our attention, are fully . We will continue to research. Next year we will reanalyze and see what happens. Sign up for email if you wish to stay updated.
When you are getting a Frenchie the most important part is invest in your breeder not on the latest rushed trendy color. At the end of the night tan eyebrows don’t make bad behavior go away. Trust us on this! Of course we know this doesn't apply to all color dogs but the vast majority of us can see it, some just decide to ignore it. We will research lots before producing any in the future.
“FAD COLOR”
We really love standard Frenchies, but that doesn’t change the true history of the breed. A group of people are trying to deny the truth about their history, paper trail never lies. They did have color such as tan, cocoa, and dilute in the early days. Read the article to learn more.
Frequently Asked Questions 
The excitement of finally deciding to get a Frenchie or adding another can distract us! We heard so many things about them regarding health, being goofy, lovable, and fantastic with kids they are. Before counting down the days to cuddle the new baby and watch it grow, educate yourself. Getting a puppy is a big deal. Ask yourself, how can I determine if my breeder is responsible? How will you know if the puppy is in the best possible condition? Has the puppy been in the breeder's plans for years to the point they dedicated their lives to them? So we, the buyer bring home the healthiest, best possible representation of the breed standard they could make at the time of the breeding? If something were to go wrong, would the breeder be there to offer a replacement puppy if within the contract guidelines? Regardless if it's a genetic disease or not. What if you need support with information to figure out the best solution for the puppy or dog until they are healthy? Breeder lifetime support is essential.
Don't worry; we, like you, have been there in our case. We were still waiting for someone to tell us what red flags to watch. We needed to understand how imperative it was to research the breeder and the conditions for raising the puppies. As the breed increases in popularity, we have had many people join the breeder list who need more experience. Why? For the wrong reasons and greed. A puppy is a lifetime commitment. It would help if you were sure the breeder would be there two or 5+ years from now. Not disappear when they realize this wasn't a quick money gain and stop breeding when you need their support. You will not be able to contact them, or even worst; they will not be able to replace the puppy per the contract agreement. These are things to consider. The most import is to select a transparent breeder with you every step of the way. One who focuses on creating better dogs with each pairing, who wants to see the breed progress little by little, not just their program. Please see the q&a for more answers.