The French Bulldog is a typical small size dog-like. Small powerful dog, short, stocky in all its proportions, short-haired, with a snub nose, standing ears and with a naturally short tail. He must have the appearance of an active animal, intelligent, very muscular with a compact structure and a solid bone structure. The dogs like to learn and are very active. Especially when they are outside they can run deliciously. It is a real city dog ​​and adapts well to living in an apartment.

He is active, courageous, stubborn and has a hardened character. It is a good watchdog. He is very affectionate and sensitive. A pleasant company that demands a lot of attention and affection. He is a clown among the dogs and has many ‘facial expressions’ and radiance of great inner wisdom.

The origin of the breed.

The question of when, how, why and where the French Bulldog originated can not be said with absolute certainty. Probably the English Bulldog has played a role in it. There are several lectures on the history of the breed. When after 1820 dog fights became less popular and the bulldog was only kept as a house dog, they started to cross with other, smaller breeds, possibly terriers. This resulted in a smaller, muscular dog, which could be kept easier in the workers’ homes of the craftsmen in the Nottingham region, where many lace workers lived. The dogs thus bred, also called Toy Bulldogs, had tip ears. As more and more machines took over the manual work (industrial revolution), the lace workers and other workers from the area around Notingham had to look for work elsewhere. Many settled in the northwest corner of France around Calais and they took their dogs with them. Through further selection and crossings with, among others, terriers, the dogs would have received a standing ear. These dogs were introduced in England and were immediately popular and they were soon recognized as a French Bulldog by the Kennel Club. Others suspect that the clownish appearance of the puppies brought to France caused them to quickly become popular in France, especially because of their bat ears, also called tulip ears. By carefully breeding and re-crossing, the basis arose from which the present French Bulldog originated. The Pug and the Belgian Griffon would also have contributed to this. Especially the introduction in Paris became a step towards further publicity in the rest of the world, especially America and England. Another opinion was proclaimed by a famous dog expert from the beginning of this century. This Paul Megnin supported another theory, namely that at the butchers, who were located at the halls of Paris, there had always been doggies. Around 1870 these dogs were replaced by so-called Terrier-Boules, not to be confused with Bullterriers. They were small, muscular dogs with cut ears and tail, the head of which already showed the features of the current French Bulldog and they were used as rat catchers. By crossing with Toy Bulldogs and possibly also Pugs, around 1870 the French Bulldog would have arisen. You see that little is known about the history of creation with absolute certainty. The final result is what counts for us the most today: the French Bulldog.

The further development of the breed.

In the working-class districts of Paris around 1870 there were found breeders and breeders of the breed. Ordinary people of modest origin, who compared their breeding products. More and more effort was being made to perfect the overall picture and an association was even established. In 1888 the first standard was drawn up and interest in the breed grew steadily. Were first the ladies of light manners who purchase these dogs because of their special appearance; Once they were admitted to exhibitions, the bourgeoisie and the nobility also fell under the spell of the cheerful frills. They became the companion animals of prominent figures such as King Edward the Seventh, Mistinguette and some Grand Dukes at the Russian court. From 1888 the French Bulldog really got into fashion and especially the English and Americans showed a lot of interest and that is why the development went very fast. One of the dogs that caused furore as a breeding dog was “Rabot de Beaubourg” and he passed on the bat ears to his offspring. It took until 1898 before the breed was officially recognized, partly because of Baron Carayon de la Tour, who was one of the first aristocrats to have a French Bulldog and showed himself publicly. Also a certain Gordon Benett, an American who was chairman of the French Bulldog Club in France, made a big contribution. Especially the Americans and the English showed a lot of interest, but each for their own version of the French Bulldog. Both these strom in each had their own breed standard with clear differences, especially clearly visible on the ears. Especially the influence of wealthy American fanciers, the dog originated, as he is described in the breed standard. This breed standard was recognized in 1898, mainly because several influential persons acted as wheelbarrows. This breed standard has remained the same for many years, subject to any minor changes, but was updated in 1948 by the French club and by the Societé Centrale Canine and the F.C.I. good. Recently, some changes have been made again. For example, the color fawn is now also allowed, a color that until recently was a disqualifying error on mainland Europe, but was permitted in England and America. After the Second World War, countries such as England, Germany and more recently also the Netherlands gained an increasingly important influence on the perfection of the racial image.