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Giving a French Bulldog A Bath – How Often It Should Be?

Giving a French Bulldog A Bath – How Often It Should Be?

According to Wikipedia, the French Bulldog is the 4th most popular breed of dog for a pet in the UK in 2015.

In 2017, it was Australia's 3rd most popular dog. The French Bulldog is a crossbreed between Toy Bulldogs from England and Ratters from France.

A French Bulldog can live up to 10 years in general while this breed lives up to 14 years in the UK. In France, the lifespan of a French Bulldog is up to 13 years.

French Bulldogs have single short coat. They get cold easily. During summer, they are prone to heatstroke because it is had for them to regulate their temperature efficiently.

Another consideration when bathing your Frenchie is the oil in their skin. French Bulldogs skin is too thin and bathing them regularly can strip their skin of its natural oil.

What to Prepare Before Bathing a French Bulldog? 

When giving your dog a bath, prepare the following first:

  • Your dog's towel
  • Lukewarm water
  • Your dog's bath soap or shampoo

How to Give a Puppy French Bulldog A Bath?

French Bulldog pups are small and tiny. They can catch chills easily so make sure to have their towel handy.

Make sure that the water is lukewarm and not extremely hot. For a French Bulldog pup, giving a bath twice a week is okay until they are big enough.

Make fast movements when bathing your Frenchie pup. Start wetting their back. Once it is wet, pour a small amount of natural dog shampoo on your hand then massage it slowly on your pups' body.

Rub slowly to their neck, at the back of their eras, then down to their legs. Be very careful not to let water into your pup's ears. You can try folding their ears, it works!

After lathering your pup with shampoo, wash it off gently. Wrap the towel around your pup and dry him completely.

While bathing your pup, you can check if he or she is enjoying the water or not. If your pup loves it, you can continue bathing your pup every other week or once a week until it is fully grown.

How to Give an Adult French Bulldog A Bath?

For an adult French Bulldog, start cleaning their face first. Their face is prone to bacterial and yeast infection so keep it dry and clean all the time. Once their face is clean, you can start pouring lukewarm water to your Frenchie's body.

Once your Frenchie is completely wet, start giving him his shampoo. Rub it gently around your Frenchie, from his head to his legs. Wash your pet completely then dry him off.

One product that you can use when bathing your Frenchie is a grooming glove. In her YouTube video, Bridget and Leo shared how a grooming glove made it easier for her to give Leo (her Frenchie) a bath.

What If You Cannot Give Your French Bulldog His Bath at the Moment?

According to trendingbreeds.com, you can keep your Frenchie clean and fresh smelling even if you don't bath it regularly.

Regular bath means once a week or once every two weeks. To keep your Frenchie clean at times when you cannot bath it, you can do the following:

Clean your Frenchie with wet wipes

Pet parents often resort to using wet wipes in cleaning their pet children. They use it to clean them after eating or pooping.

It is also used to keep them clean when it is too cold for their furry babies to have a bath. There are scent-free baby wet wipes available in supermarkets and groceries. Avoid getting it on their eyes though.

Give your Frenchie dry shampoo

Giving your dog dry shampoo is a convenient way to keep your French Bulldog smelling great even after not having a bath. But don't make it a habit.

Dogsnaturallymagazine.com warns pet parents of the negative effect of excessive use of dry shampoo on dogs.

According to their website, dry shampoo is made of clay and starch powders that can restore the shiny skin of your dog, but it will also absorb your Frenchie's natural skin oil.

Clean their body parts respectively

Without a bath, dirt can accumulate in some parts of your French Bulldog's body such as ears, mouth, and tail pocket.

You can keep your baby clean by cleaning these parts regularly, even if you can't bath it. Keeping their ears clean and checked all the time will reduce the risk of ear infection.

Keeping their mouth checked and clean all the time will reduce the risk of your dog developing a stinky doggie breath. As for their tail pocket, you have to clean it every time your Frenchie poop or pee.

Do's and Don'ts When Giving Your French Bulldog a Bath

You don't have to bath your dog every day. According to allaboutfrenchies.com, bathing and shampooing them every day will just remove their skin's natural oil.

However, if you will bath them, here are the do's and don't that you have to know.

Do's

  • Massage your dog's skin slowly with soap or dog shampoo
  • Make sure to use lukewarm water
  • Make sure to dry them properly especially the wrinkled area
  • Check their paws, make sure it is completely dry

Don'ts

  • Avoid getting soap or shampoo in their eyes
  • Avoid getting water, soap or shampoo inside their ear
  • Do not leave them unattended

Don't forget to give your French Bulldog a brush after a bath. Brushing their skin helps in removing some old skin.

Why Can't I Give My French Bulldog A Daily Bath?

In an article published by bluehavenfrenchbulldogs.com, they strongly advise against giving a Frenchie a daily bath.

French Bulldogs are not active dogs. They often play for a while, but they don't run or roll outside like another breed of dogs. They are indoor dogs.

As a pet parent, you can bath your dog daily if you wish but consider these possible effects:

  • It will reduce your dog's natural oil in the skin
  • It is not practical especially if your dog stays indoors all the time
  • Cost for dog shampoo and soap increases
  • Unnecessary waste of time

To sum it up, bathing a French Bulldog more than 5x a year is risky as it can dry their skin according to frenchbulldogowner.com.

How to Give Your Frenchie a General Care?

General care means grooming and that includes bathing. As concluded, you should not give your Frenchie a daily or weekly bath. It is not necessary.

To keep your pet child clean and smelling fresh every day, here are general care tips that you can do.

  • Ear care – use a dog-friendly ear cleaner to remove dirt and debris from your Frenchie's ears
  • Paw care – there are paw balms that you can use to keep your pet's paw clean and dry all day. A Frenchie's paw is susceptible to infection when it stays moist for a long time. Always check your Frenchie's paws for abrasions and cracks too
  • Eye care – after playing for a day, your Frenchie can get tired and their eyes can get tired. It can become teary or moist. Use natural wipes to clean their eyes. Don't leave any moist on their eyes to maintain their look of freshness
  • Nail care – long nails are uncomfortable for your Frenchie. Always check their nails to prevent possible injuries in case they jump on you or anyone
  • Dental care – most pet parents kiss their dogs and even if you don't kiss your Frenchie, it is important to give it good dental care. Brush their teeth once or twice a week to prevent that 'stinking doggie breath'
  • Facial care – indeed! You need to give your Frenchie a facial wash weekly especially their wrinkles. When left moist, it can become a breeding ground for pests that causes infection

French Bulldogs don't require expensive regular hair cut because their hair only needs minimal grooming. You just need to give a brush once a week to keep it shiny and to remove excess or fallen hair.

How to Make Your Frenchie's Bath Easier?

If you got a pup French Bulldog, you are in luck. French Bulldogs are trainable. Train them by showing that you are playing, and they can adapt and learn tricks easily.

This applies if you want to make bathing your Frenchie easier. At first, make it a habit to bath your dog at the same time.

It can become a hobby and your Frenchie will get used to it. Second, teach your Frenchie to stand on a table or wall to make bathing easier.

Should You Give Your French Bulldog A Nice Warm Bath Today?

If your Frenchie has not taken a bath in a month, go ahead and make him feel fresh today. If you just bathed your Frenchie lately, just be sure that his face wrinkles are dry as well as his paws.

There is no need to give him another bath today because French Bulldogs don't need it.