Preparing for Your French Bulldog Puppy
So you did it, you finally committed and are in the process of purchasing your Frenchie. Congrats! I have always had dogs my whole life. My mom has breed dogs my entire childhood so I have continuously been around puppies, so I am kind of an expert! Just kidding, but for many of you, this may be the first time you are taking responsibly of a living creature, sounds scary!
The good thing is, it isn’t that hard. This article goes through some basic things you should prepare yourself before bringing home your french bulldog puppy in an easy to read article.
Gather Supplies
If this is your first french bulldog, or first dog in general, you probably don’t have any of the basic supplies such as a leash and collar. Any local pet store should have an adequate leash and collar that will fit your french bulldog. I recommend buying a cheaper collar while your frenchie is a puppy and wait until they are full grown to buy that nice fancy collar.
While you are at the pet store, don’t forget to buy a dog tag for your pup. Make sure you include your frenchies name and your last name and your contact information at minimum.
At Beantown Frenchies, we recommend crate training your dog. Visit our earlier blog post about the benefits of crate training!
If you plan on restricting your french bulldog access to certain rooms, make sure you get some baby/puppy gates. These can get fairly pricey, but I typically find the best deals on amazon for baby gates. If they are going to be up for a while, make sure the gate color matches your rooms color!
Puppy Proofing Indoors
If you plan on restricting your frenchie to certain rooms, or you want to limit potential house damage caused by your french bulldog, I completely understand! Puppies can be a lot of work and if you take your eye off them for even a second, your favorite pair of shoes can get destroyed.
I recommend giving the American Kennel Clubs article titled Puppy-Proofing Tips for Your Home And Yard a quick read. The article has a checklist that details everything required to puppy proof your house
Find a Vet
Find a local vet that you like and trust. Try reaching out your friends and family and see who they use and if they recommend them. Google is also a good place to look. Due to the high increase in dogs, and social distancing precautions, a lot of vets are booked well in advance, so it’s a good idea to be ahead of the game and schedule appointments prior to your french bulldogs arrival.
Your vet will most likely want to get your frenchie in for a wellness examine and then set you up with a schedule of vaccinations. They will probably inform you on some preventative steps you can take to prevent certain disease such as heartworm and Lyme disease.
What Food to Buy
At Beantown Frenchies, we feed our dog’s natural dog food with grains. There has been a huge debate on whether dogs should be given grain or grain free food. I suggest speaking with your vet and doing some research on your own to figure out what’s best for you and your french bulldog. The American Kennel Clubs article How to Choose the Best Dog Food is a good starting point to determine what to feed your frenchie.
Household Schedule
If you are fortunate enough to work from home still, your french bulldog is going to love you! However, if you are no longer working from home, you have to consider scheduling. If you live in a household with multiple people, figure out what times your frenchie will be home alone, and how long they will be alone for.
If your frenchie is going to be home alone for a period longer than 6 to 8 hours, I recommend having a family member or dog walker come and let your puppy out. French bulldogs are very social dogs too, so doggy day care is also an option!
In Summary
I know you will do great! At Beantown Frenchies, we make sure all our french bulldog puppies go to great homes. So if you have one of our puppies, you made the cut! Raising a french bulldog can be frustrating at times and if you ever have any question or need help, feel free to give us a call!
