development stages?

[Kelly+Manja]

hi all
I have another question. I think I've chosen the right forum but perhaps not.
Manja is about 5 months old now and I've heard that dogs are usually almost fully grown by about 6! But if this is the case I cannot imagine that Manja is going to do so much growing in the next month. He's only about a third of his dad's size now (even though he is the runt).
Can anyone outline the stages of french bulldog growth? For example (on average) when they reach full height, when they start to bulk out and when their heads begin to broaden? I'm just curious becuase Manj is still so tiny :)

[Carolyn]

Kelly....Manja still has a lot of growing to do!!! He is still a pup at six months and you will be amazed at how much he will be changing over the next year! appicon Ferris turned one in January and I think he is finally done growing. The time between six months and a year was remarkable. During these months he put on a lot of weight, size and muscle! By 18 months you should see him in full development.

We used to call Ferris a "pin head" and my husband was really concerned that he would not ever have the nice muscled male bullie head. Well....he finally grew and he has a wonderful head that is proportionate to his body. Roosje can probably give you more detail about the growing stages. Manja will be grow and surprise you! Regards...Carolyn and my very bullie Ferris (and my sweet female Abby). ;)

[gilazno]

I was told by Biggie's breeder that the frenchie body will grow till about 1.5yrs and the head and chest will continue to fill out until about 2 years..seems to be true in Biggie's case:-)

[Kelly+Manja]

thanks guyz

thats quite reassuring. I had no idea they keep growing for so long. feel quite silly now :p
Things happen very suddenly at the moment. Yesterday Manja couldnt get up on the couch without my help. Today he can jump up by himself. Same with the stairs. He's mastered them now, but he looks soooo funny doing it. Like a little rabbit :lol:

[Carolyn]

Kelly...our dogs are just like kids. One day they can't do something and the next day they have it mastered!!! :)

I look forward to a "Manja update" from you six months from now! Sometimes I swear you can see them grow right before your eyes. :D

[sbatease]

Carolyn ,

You're so right. My baby boy is about 13 weeks and everyday I come home he's seems bigger and able to do something else. Over the course I've had him he grown so much and I can't wait for when he really gets going.

[Borgan]

Thanks for that weight chart, R!

At 1.5 years, Luna fluctuates between 23-25 pounds, and anybody who hasn't seen her in a long time will comment, "wow! her head is getting wider!" We don't see it...infact, I can't remember her looking any different than she does today (until I see old pictures).

I guess when you love someone, you really look past all things external!

B.

[frenchiesmom]

hi all
I have another question. I think I've chosen the right forum but perhaps not.
Manja is about 5 months old now and I've heard that dogs are usually almost fully grown by about 6! But if this is the case I cannot imagine that Manja is going to do so much growing in the next month. He's only about a third of his dad's size now (even though he is the runt).
Can anyone outline the stages of french bulldog growth? For example (on average) when they reach full height, when they start to bulk out and when their heads begin to broaden? I'm just curious becuase Manj is still so tiny :)

Basically this is what I have heard also. Except that in the case of the larger breeds which do take longer. So I am glad to know that this is not the case. My frenchies are 4.5 months old and I was wondering this to. Ollie seems to be getting more solid and muscular all the time. But he is the male. The girls seem to be changing at a somewhat slower rate than he is. Though I am assuming they will never be as husky as he is. So I found this iopic very interesting. There is just so much I do not know about frenchies..lol, except I love them to pieces. Thanks all for setting me strait.

frenchiesmom

[Murphy]

how much do your dogs weigh? i have a 7 month old thats only 12lbs

[kwb]

Mia is 15 months old and weighs 19.5 Lbs (19.5 Lbs of pure muscle :D )

She was the runt in her litter. I hope she stays small, it is easier to travel with her.

She did grow a lot between 6 months and a year, but then slowed down.

[Deanna67]

Abby is 8 months and she weights about 13 lbs



how much do your dogs weigh? i have a 7 month old thats only 12lbs

[morriesmom]

Morrie was born on February 2, so that makes him almost 4 and a half months and he weighs 18 lbs (we weighed him several times on both the postage scale and the human scale). He was weighed at the vet's on May 30 and he weighed 14 lbs. so in only 10 days he has gained 4 lbs. :eek: At this rate he will be a big, big boy! He doesn't look fat at all, in fact he doesn't have that stocky Frenchie look. If you look at his gallery pics you will see, but I did make a mistake on the dates, so the last photo was about 15 weeks, not 11. Maybe I should be cutting back a little on his food? He is a picky eater, but I indulge him, so he eats a lot.

[morriesmom]

Oops, I meant 15 weeks instead of 13 weeks.

[Snowblind]

Porthos is 4,5 months and should be about 10,5 kg now so the size of a 6 month old according to Roosjes growth curve. But I am not worried too much. Maybe I should but he is not looking fat. Just... big :P We went to a dog event a few days ago and he is almost the same size as a 6 year old female was :confused: I got nervous just now... Should I be nervous? :rolleyes:

[adora's mom]

I don't think you should worry too much. Adora was 20 lbs (9.2 kg) at 5 months old, and 22.5 lbs (10.2 kg) at 6 months, and is now 23.5 lbs (10.7 kg) at 7 months. She grew very fast the first 4 months of her life, and then slowed down significantly. I don't think she'll get too much bigger, likely around 25 lbs (11.3 kg) when she's fully grown according to our vet's best guess :)

She's is from Russia and I have heard that the European dogs tend to reach their adult weight by 7 months of age and then possibly gain 1-2 lbs (0.5 - 1 kg) after that.

[morriesmom]

Thanks, Lesley, for your post about size. Maybe Morrie's growth will slow down now although I don't care if he gets big - I just don't want him to be overweight with all the health problems that can cause.
Have you noticed other differences between European dogs and American dogs? Do American dogs seem to be stockier, or is that something that just varies from dog to dog regardless of origin?
I'm living in Luxembourg and got Morrie in France (his real name is Maurice). I'll be moving back to Carlsbad, CA next year. Can I contact you for suggestions about vets, play groups etc?

[adora's mom]

Hi Christina - Carlsbad is only about 30 minutes south of us! Please do feel free to contact me. I'm the organizer of a local Frenchie playgroup and we'd love to meet you & Morrie :)

The European-bred Frenchies tend to be a bit bigger (weight & height) and more of an athletic build than the American-bred Frenchies. I'll take either build - they're all perfect! :D

[Ozzy]

my bully 13 mounths old male has 12 kg...and is little bit skinny...I suppose because we walk about 4 km every day...

[franp]

Dari, my brindle girl is 5. She weighs 22-23 pounds..

fran

[ledhed]

I'd be really interested to hear height and length measurements at different ages also. I know the standard calls calls for the distance from the shoulders to tail and height at the shoulders to be the same... I wonder what the true variation is around the standard.... and whether that varies with age.

Napoleon is 4.5 months old and about 15 lbs, and around 11in from the shoulders to tail, around 10 inches in height to the shoulders. But sometimes he looks long for a frenchie... I think he's a bit skinny....

JL

[franp]

Ledhed,
Many Frenchies tend to go thru a "gawky" stage as "teenagers" so do not despair if your boy looks out of balance at times.

I have watched several dogs grow; they were ugly(or as ugly as Frenchies could be) into the most balanced adult dogs. And the judges thought so as well, since they are all finished champions.! appicon

Our dogs tend to grow allot from about 6 months to 10 or so. Then they slow down and growth is fine tuning..