YES                              NO: Stop, Look, Listen, and THINK!

2. Did you get a 3 to 5 generation pedigree with your Frenchie? (A reputable breeder will always provide a pedigree so that you can see your dog’s lineage.)

YES                              NO: Stop, Look, Listen, and THINK!

3. Does your Frenchie have a good temperament? Does it socialize well with people and other animals? (If you can’t tell, take the dog out to training classes. The instructor can help you evaluate the dog’s temperament. Dogs with bad temperaments should not be bred, regardless of how good their conformation is.

YES                              NO: Stop, Look, Listen, and THINK!

4. Is your Frenchie a good and easy (and quiet) breather, particularly with moderate exercise, and in moderately warm weather? (Frenchies with bad airways are difficult to manage in hot weather and can have problems with any sort of stress or exercise. If you can’t tell, have your vet evaluate the dog’s airway.)

YES                              NO: Stop, Look, Listen, and THINK!

5. Can your Frenchie move with ease, and sustain a vigorous and active trot? (A variety of orthopedic problems contribute to poor movement, and may have an inheritable basis. If you can’t tell visit dog shows and compare your dog’s gait with that of other Frenchies. Have a reputable breeder help you evaluate it.)

YES                              NO: Stop, Look, Listen, and THINK!

6. Is your Frenchie in general good health, and free of major health problems? (An unhealthy bitch is more likely to have trouble with pregnancy and whelping, and some health problems could be inherited by the puppies from either parent.)

YES                              NO: Stop, Look, Listen, and THINK!

7. Does your Frenchie conform to the breed standard?  (Do not breed a Frenchie who is not a good specimen of the breed, hoping that somehow the puppies will conform better to the standard. If you don’t know whether your dog has good conformation, read and study the standard, talk with experienced breeders and ask them for an honest assessment of your dog.)

YES                              NO: Stop, Look, Listen, and THINK!

8. Have you had your Frenchie tested for, and found to be free of, Brucellosis or other infectious diseases?  (There are infections of the reproductive tract that can be transmitted during a natural mating (or from dog to bitch during artificial insemination), and can also prevent or terminate pregnancy or cause problems for the puppies after birth.)

YES                              NO: Stop, Look, Listen, and THINK!

9. Have you had your Frenchie’s eyes examined by an ophthalmologist within the last year and found to be normal? (There are several eye conditions in Frenchies that are thought to be inheritable. Only a veterinary ophthalmologist with the necessary specialized equipment can detect some of these.)

YES                              NO: Stop, Look, Listen, and THINK!

10. Has a vet palpated your Frenchie’s hips and patellae and found them to be sound and well-seated? Have X-rays been done? (Though hip dysplasia is not the problem in Frenchies that it is in larger breeds, it is a good idea to know the status of your dog’s hips, so that if they are severely deficient you can take this into consideration when deciding whether, and to whom, to breed it.)

YES                              NO: Stop, Look, Listen, and THINK!

11. Is your Frenchie’s spine without more than a couple of malformed vertebrae, does it have a normal spinal canal, and does it look free of degenerated discs? Are your dog and its close relatives without a history of symptomatic “back trouble”? (Most symptomatic back problems in Frenchies are due to premature disc degeneration and herniation, and other degenerative processes. Hemivertebrae are very common in the breed and do not usually cause any trouble unless they protrude into the spinal canal or impinge on the spinal nerves exiting the spine. It is a good idea to avoid breeding Frenchies with many malformed vertebrae or prematurely degenerated discs.)

YES                              NO: Stop, Look, Listen, and THINK!

12. Are you financially able to provide good veterinary care for the mother and puppies, particularly if there should be complications? Do you have the time and the physical ability to provide 24-hour a day surveillance over the newborns if it should be necessary? Will you be able to find good homes for however many puppies there should be and will you be prepared to take them back if necessary?  (The tests for infections, eye exams and orthopedic exams that you should have done can be expensive, in addition to routine veterinary care and the added costs of prenatal care, cesarean section, and immunizations for puppies. If you are not prepared to make a financial commitment to a breeding that could end up costing you a significant amount of money, then do not breed your Frenchie.)

YES                              NO: Stop, Look, Listen, and THINK!

13. Is your bitch two years old or in at least her second heat cycle (not her first)?  (Bitches should not be bred until they are fully physically mature, are able to carry a litter to term, and are vigorous enough to recover quickly from cesarean surgery and nurse a litter for 5 or more weeks.)

YES                              NO: Stop, Look, Listen, and THINK!

If you answered YES to all of these, then you may have a French Bulldog of breeding quality.

HOWEVER, before you breed your dog, consider honestly your reasons for wanting to breed. Do NOT breed your Frenchie just to show the kids “the miracle of birth,” or so that you can get a puppy just like your wonderful dog (you should go to your dog’s parents for that), or because you want to make money by selling puppies.

BREEDING SHOULD BE DONE TO IMPROVE THE BREED.

So before you breed your Frenchie, STOP, LOOK, LISTEN, AND THINK!