If you are in the market for a fabulous French bulldog, you might have encountered a waitlist at your breeder of choice. Why is there a waitlist?
There are three main reasons: Frenchies are very popular right now, Frenchies have small litters, and mothers should only have one litter per year.
Further, some potential French bulldog owners want a specific color puppy, which can make the waitlist longer.
So how many puppies do Frenchies have? According to All About Frenchies, the average French bulldog litter contains approximately three to five puppies.
The most common size litter is two to four puppies, with larger litters, such as five to seven puppies, being uncommon. French bulldogs could have a maximum of seven puppies, however, this is extremely rare.
Why is French Bulldog litters so small?
Brachycephalic dogs often have smaller litters than other breeds of dogs in general. According to K9 of Mine, small breed dogs also have smaller litters than larger breeds of dogs. Between their short sniffers and small stature, their litters are guaranteed to be small.
While it is the goal of most puppy mill breeders to produce larger litters to obtain more puppies to sell, good breeders will not be discouraged by small litters.
According to What the Frenchie, the smaller a litter is, the better it is for the mother dog. Due to their compact bodies and narrow hips, carrying fewer puppies means that their risk for complications decreases.
Are French Bulldogs expensive to breed?
Yes, French bulldogs are expensive to breed. According to French Bulldog Owner, French bulldogs are artificially inseminated and require caesarean sections to deliver their puppies. Both of these procedures are expensive.
Having healthy dogs to breed is crucial to making the next generation of puppies more healthy than their parents.
As such, breeders must purchase carefully bred French bulldogs to ensure that they will be breeding healthy dogs. This is an expensive investment.
Further, French bulldogs are expensive to own in general. Dr. Patty Khuly for Vet Street says they are genetically prone to many health issues, such as skin issues, ear issues, spinal issues, and respiratory issues.
French Bulldog Pregnancies
A French bulldog's pregnancy lasts approximately sixty-three days. Good breeders will likely only breed their female dogs approximately four litters in their lifetime to ensure that they have a good quality of life.
If potential Frenchie parent learns that their potential puppy's mother has been bred excessively, this should be a red flag.
What factors contribute to a mother's litter size?
There are several factors that affect how many puppies may be in a mother's litter:
- Breed: Larger breeds of dogs produce larger litters than smaller breeds of dogs, simply because of their sizes.
- Size: No matter what breed a dog is, the larger the dog is, the more puppies the dog will have. This means that dogs of the same breed who are different sizes can have a different number of puppies in their litters.
- Age: Dogs are most able to bear healthy litters between the ages of two and five.
- Health: Healthy dogs have a greater ability to carry larger and healthier litters of puppies. If a mother is not healthy, her litters will be smaller and less healthy; this is frequently seen in puppy mills.
- Nutrition: Mothers who are given good, healthy nutrition to eat usually have healthier, larger litters.
- Genes: The bigger and broader a mother dog's family tree is, the larger the litter she bears will be. Puppy mills have small gene pools, and as a result, their mothers have smaller, less healthy litters.
- Parental Genetics: The genetics of the mother dog and the father dog may contribute to the size of the litter the mother is able to bear.
The Price of Popularity
Whenever a breed of the dog becomes popular, there are always people who choose to breed them purely for profit.
According to ASPCA, Potential French Bulldog owners must carefully research the breeder they choose to purchase their puppy from to avoid supporting a puppy mill.
Frenchies who live in a puppy mill experience poor treatment, such as:
- Frenchie mamas in the making will be subjected to many Caesarean sections with little recovery time between pregnancies.
- Puppy mill Frenchies live in cruel and unsanitary conditions.
- Puppy mill parents do not receive any preventive or medically necessary veterinary care, other than what is required to produce more puppies. As a result, the mother dogs and the father dogs suffer from many medical conditions, and each subsequent litter produces fewer and less healthy puppies.
- French bulldogs who are bred in puppy mills receive no affection or socialization.
The French bulldogs who live in a puppy mill will be subjected to these deplorable conditions due to the greed of the breeder.
They want to breed as many puppies as possible while spending the least amount of money necessary to breed them to increase their profits in a shorter period of time.
Where to find a breeder
When looking for a French Bulldog breeder, potential puppy parents should carefully consider where they find their puppy.
Certain sources are utilized by professional breeders, who breed the dogs for the love of the breed, and others are used by individuals who are purely focused on profit, not the health and welfare of French bulldogs.
The following websites are recommended to find a responsible French Bulldog breeder:
Considerations to make before purchasing a Frenchie puppy from a breeder
Before deciding to purchase a puppy from a breeder, potential puppy parents should make a few considerations:
- Since French Bulldog puppies generally cost between $2,500 to $5,000, the initial purchase price is an investment. After that purchase price, will you have money in savings to address medical issues as they arise? Or do you plan on getting a dog insurance plan?
- Does the breeder appear to truly care about the welfare of the puppies? For example, are they asking questions about where the puppy will live, and making sure that you are familiar with the breed? Are the mother and the puppies living in clean conditions, inside the breeder's home?
- If you are renting your property, are you allowed to have a dog?
- Do you have enough time to spend with your Frenchie?
Health and Welfare Concerns
Frenchie mamas in the making cannot deliver their puppies naturally. This means that every time they have a litter they must have a caesarean section to deliver their puppies.
According to VCA Animal Hospitals, a Caesarean section is considered to be major surgery. Breeders must be aware of the physical toll a Caesarean section takes on the mother dog, and carefully plan each litter to allow the mother enough time to recover. A good breeder will not breed their French Bulldog more than once a year.
Ethical Concerns
According to Dr. Sarah Wooten, French bulldogs have been engineered by people. These dogs cannot breed naturally, and sadly, French bulldogs have genetic predispositions to serious health concerns.
Is it ethical to breed dogs who are likely to have serious health issues and cannot breed or give birth naturally? These are serious considerations, as they can impact the quality of your Frenchie's life.
Summary
French bulldogs usually have three to five puppies in a litter, with the average litter containing two to four puppies. A large litter for a French bulldog is five to seven puppies, but these are very rarely seen.
According to WashingtonPost, Due to their genetic tendency to have serious health issues, and that the mothers must have Caesarean sections to have the puppies delivered, breeders and potential pet parents must consider the ethics of breeding French bulldogs.
As a freelance pet writer and blogger, Shannon is passionate about crafting knowledge-based, science-supported articles that foster healthy bonds of love and respect between people and animals. But her first and very most important job is as a dog auntie and cockatiel, tortoise, and box turtle mama.
