French Bulldogs VS. Frenchton Bulldogs . . . the good, the bad and the absolutely UGLY.

French Bulldogs are known for their somewhat ugly yet somehow adorable smushy faces. Their compacted, squatty statue makes them almost comical, and their quirky attitudes can be endearing.

So WHY change a GOOD THING?

These days, breed crosses are ALL OVER. I use the term “crosses” to mean something that has not yet been adopted into AKC standards. Anything “oodle” seems to be a popular choice.

Now, I cannot specifically say WHY people are breeding back to poodles (especially considering many of the breeds used are already non-shedding), or why MOST crosses are being produced (other than on accident or for giggles). But I DO know why Frenchton Bulldogs were created.

French Bulldogs originated as a bull fighting dog, bred to attack and hold an angry bull down by the nose until it died. When bull-dog fighting was outlawed, these dogs needed to find a new purpose in life. So over the next few years they were bred against other existing breeds (some now extinct) to give them a squattier, and thicker appearance. They became a favorite of brothels. Women kept them as curiosities to draw men in.

However, their unique features came at a price . . .

Since Frenchie genetics are so unique, they can also be quite volatile.

In the wrong hands of an unknowledgeable breeder, you will find some pretty awful examples of what a Frenchie should look like . . .

In the right hands, they can be absolutely stunning.

But they still have a glaring problem . . .

They are NOT very active, and prefer to be homebodies. That’s great for some people, but wouldn’t it be amazing if your smushface friend COULD go on outdoor adventures with you? If they ENJOYED cold, snowy weather, if they SWAM, if they didn’t mind the heat?

That’s where Frenchton Bulldogs come into play.

Frenchies’ close cousin the Boston Terrier, can DO all those things AND MORE! They also have a smushface . . . so why are they so much more active?

Much of the answer lies in build. Frenchies have been built to be thick, squatty and WIDE, resulting in slowness and reduced athletic ability.

By taking a BIT of Boston Terrier genetics, we can slim them back down and lengthen their legs. We can restore a more NORMAL hip and shoulder structure.

Besides increasing athletic drive with the Boston’s attitude, we have ENABLED the dog to now DO what he wants to do AND keep up with their families. As an added bonus, the reduced strain on hips and shoulders means LESS VET TRIPS AND FEWER HEALTH ISSUES.

As if THAT were not enough, the crossing also produced other endearing attributes. These dogs were now EASY TO TRAIN. Yup, no more staring at you while lifting a leg to the sofa and trotting off pleased with himself! Now, he wants to please YOU. They are so easy to potty train, you can train them to a bell in a week or less!

My son in fact, taught our 3 remaining puppies NOT to enter the kitchen (something our adults are trained for) in just two tries. They really ARE that easy to train!

They truly live up to their name, “Super Frenchies”.

But NOT ALL FRENCHTONS ARE SUPER FRENCHIES.

To make a super frenchie, it takes carefully planned breedings. DNA testing to ensure clean genetic lines, and a planned pairing of male and female to produce offspring closer to “ideal”. Since Boston terriers carry similar genetically traceable faulty genes, it’s extremely important to DNA test ALL dogs involved AND vet check/clear adults for any potential hereditary faults (such as stenotic nares, elongated or shortened pallets, spinal twisting or luxating patellas.)

Looking online, it’s not hard to find “poor” representations of breedings gone wrong.

Unfortunately, in order to MAKE a super frenchie, you WILL end up with a few oddballs. Sadly, many breeders ONLY produce these oddballs, instead of choosing to improve the breed, they flood the market with poor quality specimens (much like our backyard breeder frenchies).

It takes SEVERAL carefully planned breedings to begin to produce a Super Frenchie.

The breed will take plenty of careful work to get it where it needs to be: something resembling a frenchie in the face but with slightly longer legs and a bit of a leaner build, something with a happy, eager temperament, easy to train, exceptionally athletic, loyal, calm but with a bit of spice!

Our Frenchtons are 5^th generation Frenchtons, currently 82% Frenchie and 18% Boston terrier.

I’m a FIRM believer in you get what you pay for. If I feel one of our puppies fails to meet my breed ideal, it will be discounted according to how much it misses ideal.

With that said, Frenchtons are still far rarer than Frenchies, and QUALITY Frenchtons are rarer still. If you are looking for something UNQIUE that people are going to ask about, a Frenchton is IT.

If you are interested in joining our reservation list, please shoot me an e-mail at suzanneswift31@gmail.com

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