What Are the Differences Between Male and Female French Bulldogs?

Of course, male and female French bulldogs or Frenchies are different anatomically. It's easier to see the sex organs in adults and puppies over four months old than in newborns or very young puppies. Knowing all the differences can help you decide if a male or female Frenchie is for you.

Differences in Size and Weight

Males generally grow up to be larger and heavier than females. Males tip the scales at almost thirty pounds while females are daintier and usually are under 28 pounds. If you want to show your male Frenchie, he has to be 28 pounds or lighter or he will be disqualified.

Dogs' heights are measured like horses are officially measured, at the withers (that's the highest part of the shoulder.)

Males usually grow to 13 inches high while females can be as small as 10 inches high. A Frenchie may be an inch or two taller or shorter and still be a pureblood.

Differences in Tendency to Roam

One of the common – and most dangerous – things any dog, including Frenchies, do is to wander away from home. In this day and age of heavy traffic and dog thieves, it's very hard for a lost dog and owner to ever reunite.

Males roam more than females. This is because a male dog is looking for mates all the time while females only look when in season.

Neutering a male dog greatly reduces but does not completely eliminate the desire to go looking for love in all the wrong places.

Differences in Life Expectancy

Recent studies suggest that female dogs live longer than male dogs. If you look through records of the oldest dogs recorded, females appear more often than males. One recent world record holder was an Australian Kelpie named Maggie. She died at the staggering age of 30.

Before neutering became a common practice, male dogs died early due to aggression or getting into fights with other males over females.

Females can avoid a common kind of cancer, breast cancer if they are spayed before they first come into season.

Differences in Marking Behavior

Let's get right to the point – male dogs are obsessed with what's theirs – their territories, their favorite walking paths and the female dogs they consider "theirs."

They are so proud of the stuff that they pee on it to mark the thing as theirs to every other male dog in the world.

Male dogs, and very rarely females, lift their legs when they mark unless their legs hurt, or they do not feel well. Even when neutered, they may mark inside of the home. This behavior can be stopped with patient and persistent training.

Differences in Accepting Other Dogs

If you already have one Frenchie and want another, then your decision as to what gender to get is made for you.

Although exceptions exist, such as Huey and Leon in this incredible video from The Dodo, generally male dogs do not get along with other male dogs and females do not get on well with other females.

Before they were domesticated, dogs lived in packs. Only one male and one female were allowed to breed, so this is why dogs can be hostile to any other dog of the same sex entering their homes. The instinct to be "top dog" has not been bred out of Frenchies.

Differences in Learning Ability

According to Pedigree, Male Frenchie puppies and young dogs tend to be more difficult to train than females. This is not due to males possessing a lower doggy IQ than females. This is because female Frenchie puppy bodies mature faster than males.

What does a faster maturity rate mean for someone trying to train a new dog?

This means the female tends to pay attention to you for longer periods of time than males. Males are still trainable and are just as intelligent, but you may need more patience with them.

Differences in How to Train

You may have heard that female Frenchies are easier to train or teach a new trick than males. In the past, you may even have lived with a seemingly smart female and a seemingly stupid male. Is there any science to back your suspicions that females are easier to train than males?

According to Mercola, Not many studies have been done comparing males and females. The notable exception is one done by the University of Vienna in 2011, where females watched their surroundings (like tennis balls) more than males. The males were too busy sniffing to find tennis balls fascinating.

Differences in the Show Ring

If you plan on showing your Frenchie, keep in mind that females possess a big advantage over males. The breed standard (the imaginary goal all breeders aim for but will likely never achieve) was based on a male French bulldog, not a female.

According to AKC, The breed standard even blatantly states that judges are to be more lenient for females since they are smaller, leaner and less muscled than males.

If you want to show a male Frenchie, he needs to be exceptionally physically in order to have any chance of doing well.

Differences in Smells (Well, Not Really)

It's a common misconception that male dogs smell worse than females. Some Frenchie owners insist their male dogs pass gas more than their females do. No research backs up this claim or that males smell worse overall than females.

It could be that males are often more prone to checking out strange and smelly new objects than females. As a result, the male may come into contact with a stinky object, like a pile of rotting garbage while the female hangs back and sees how all of this will turn out.

In Conclusion – Not Much Difference Between the Sexes

All Frenchies, no matter what their gender, are equal in their ability to give love and companionship.

They all can learn good canine manners and tricks given kind and consistent training. The differences between male and female French bulldogs are often due to human mistakes.

Keep reading: The Different Types of French Bulldogs [COMPLETE LIST]