Do Sizes Matter???!!!

[marco]

Hi all,
Yesterday we took Gugu (gustave) our 5 months lovely brindle male baby to the dogrun,he loves it. There were two other beautiful frenchies,.and they were twice the size of our lil Gugu!! We asked the owners how old were their dogs,one was 9 and the other one was 7.
We got Gustave from a very reputable breeder,he has 3 generation pedigree,and he is healthy and well trained,..but compared to the other frenchies yesterday he looks like a little puppy that will never grow!! he is very well proportioned and compact. Do those differences in the same breed happen? The previous one that I had in Europe, Gino,was almost the same as Gustave,so I am a little confused,..
Is our baby crossbred with chihuaha!!??:lol:
I will resize the pics of Gustave and post it asap.
thanks, Marco

[quinnybear]

youre baby is only 5 months old. he is still growing. all puppies mature at different rates. he may have a growth spurt and shoot up quick or he may just creep up slowly. rocky and annie have both matured and they are on the small end of the scale. rocky at 23 and annie at 22. now tiger lily is only 5 months old and she is a 14 and a half pound fatty. she is almost as big in body as annie. but she is heavier boned and thicker built. i would guess by looking at her now that she will be bigger than them at maturity. she is very wide accross the chest and shoulders.
its really hard to say what weight they will end up at. rocky and annie have stopped growing in weight, but i still see them getting thicker and more muscular. they are basically still filling out.

[Hudson]

Our male, Tank, is now a year old and weighs 22 lbs. There are many who weigh 10 lbs more and some that just grew larger than that. Personally we like small Frenchies (especially because Tank hates stairs and gets carried a fair amount. When he was a younger puppy Tank was really a lot smaller than other Frenchies so eventually he got bigger but he topped out just where the breeder said he would.

Don

[miss heather]

Stella is 15 months now and 20lbs... so she is at the smaller end of the standard... which is BTW 18-28 lbs...
I've seen many frenchies (often imports - they tend to be larger) that are over the standard... even as big as 35 lbs :eek:

Gustave is just a pup.... he still has a LOT of growing to do...
but you never mentioned how much he does weigh... or how much these other dogs weight either...

[marco]

Thanks for the lovely and very useful replies,Gustave at 5 months is 12lbs.
I keep resizing the baby's pics,but evidently is not working,they always got rejected,.!
I will try to post again some pics of Gugu,.so you can let me know,
thanks again,
Marco

[soniaswang]

Marco,

Sora is 5 and half month old and she weights 13 pounds. I posted a question about my concerns regarding her being smaller than other Frenchies before. At least you know your baby is not alone.
I really hope our babies will catch up eventually. But even if they don't, that's okay. I can always carry her around easily, from a positive perspective. :D
By the way, I did have the vet examine her, just to make sure that she doesn't have any physical problems. I don't mean to scare you, but I did hear that sometimes heart problem can cause slow growth. But I am sure your baby is fine. Just wanted to share this info with you.
Look forward to seeing Gugu's photos!
Sonia

[citygirl]

My five month old was just weighed last Saturday at the vet. Maddie weighs in at 16.25 pounds -- she's as solid as a rock and will eat anything if it's not bigger than she is! Even though she's weighing in at that hefty number, she's not overweight from every measure I've read about (nor does my vet think that she's overweight). I'm able to feel her ribs and looking down on her from above, she does have a distictive "waistline". Maddie's mother was 23 pounds and her dad was 19 pounds. I'm expecting that she'll fall somewhere in that range.

My other (Lexi) 5 1/2 month old is much smaller -- 12 pounds. Lexi was the smallest in her litter of 8 and she's got some digestive problems that we're overcoming. She arrived in mid-February weighing in at 6 pounds, so I'm happy that she's doubled her weight since then. I'd be surprised if she breaks the 20 pound mark when she reaches her full weight.

[soniaswang]

Heather,
I love the puppia harness your Stella had on and have a question about the size. My Sora is about 13 pounds, do you think a S size is large enough for her? Or a M is better? Thanks so much!
Marco, sorry for hijacking your post. :D
Sonia

[imogene]

We are lucky to have other Frenchies in our area (about 40), including Miss Heather's Stella and Melissa's Ellie Mae- and I have been comparing Belzie to them since she was about 4 months. She will be 9 months this week, and from what I can tell physically she seems to be right on track, but a bit shorter (about 3/4 of and inch) than everyone other girls in our group. I was really hoping she would get her full 12" but have accepted her for the cobby, stubbly perfection she is :lol:

[Linnysmommy]

Both of our Frenchies are 20lbs. I like that fact that they are on the smaller size. Lenny is 17 months and Sweetie is 16 months.

[miss heather]

Marco...
Stella was right about that weight at 5 months (she was 9lbs at 17 weeks when we got her), and as I mentioned she's now 20lbs at 15 months... I think Gustave is coming along just perfectly! :)

Heather,
I love the puppia harness your Stella had on and have a question about the size. My Sora is about 13 pounds, do you think a S size is large enough for her? Or a M is better? Thanks so much!
Marco, sorry for hijacking your post. :D
Sonia

Sonia - a small will DEFINITELY BE TOO SMALL!
My new baby Homer (13 weeks - 6.5 lbs) has a size small and he can barely get his head into it! (that's the only part that's not adjustable)...
go for the Medium for sure. ;)

[Pudginald]

my frenchie Pudge is 6 months and weighs in at 16 lbs. his daddy was about 25 and mommy was around 20.

i've heard that russian imports are much larger than the american blood lines. the russians weighing in at around 30ish. that is a big frenchie.

[soniaswang]

Sonia - a small will DEFINITELY BE TOO SMALL!
My new baby Homer (13 weeks - 6.5 lbs) has a size small and he can barely get his head into it! (that's the only part that's not adjustable)...
go for the Medium for sure. ;)[/QUOTE]

Thanks, Heather! I will buy Sora one soon! I've been looking for a good harness and think this might be the one!
Sonia

[imogene]

i've heard that russian imports are much larger than the american blood lines. the russians weighing in at around 30ish. that is a big frenchie.

Not all Russian imports are larger. My Belzie's dame is a Russian import from one of the premier breeders in Russia and she's about 24 lbs, I have also met another male from the same Kennel in Russia and he is a perfect 28 lb male (which is the max weight allowed in a show-able boy). Belzie and the Male share the same great grandmother.

I have also heard that some Australian lines are taller and weigh more, but don't personally know someone with one of these monsters:)

I have seen dogs from European lines that a taller and thinner than I would expect for a true example of the breed. They probably don't meet AKC or CKC standards, but they are all pets, and loved dearly, which is the most important thing.appicon

[marco]

Thanks againg for the useful answers,.my previous dog (God bless his soul)Gino,you can see pic, was imported from Eastern Europe and he was not on the big side. By the way the Vet just told me that gugu's weight is fine, and he is well propportioned and just on the small side,.let's call him "toy french bulldog"
Marco

[L. Cammack]

Hello,

When I read about the size issue, I had to post. My little Bunny (female) only weighs 8 1/2 pounds and she is almost 6 months (May 16) old. Bunny is very small, but she has a big head and chest and seems to be large boned like Frenchie's should be. She is so cute and small--she looks like a minature French Bulldog. Indeed she looks like a very young puppy next to my 7 month old female (Maggie), who weighs 17 pounds. The breeder said Bunny's mother only weighed 15 pounds so I guess there are a few tiny ones out there. I am having Bunny spayed Monday and I am very nervous about putting her "under." Just wanted to let ya'll know, there are a few little ones out there. So long for now---My husband and I and Bunny, Maggie, Abby, Dixie, Little Man and Chico are heading to Arkansas for a weekend camping trip (2 Frenchies and 4 Bostons) (RVing it, of course)

Linda

[phoebesmom]

Hello,

When I read about the size issue, I had to post. My little Bunny (female) only weighs 8 1/2 pounds and she is almost 6 months (May 16) old. Bunny is very small, but she has a big head and chest and seems to be large boned like Frenchie's should be. She is so cute and small--she looks like a minature French Bulldog. Indeed she looks like a very young puppy next to my 7 month old female (Maggie), who weighs 17 pounds. The breeder said Bunny's mother only weighed 15 pounds so I guess there are a few tiny ones out there. I am having Bunny spayed Monday and I am very nervous about putting her "under." Just wanted to let ya'll know, there are a few little ones out there. So long for now---My husband and I and Bunny, Maggie, Abby, Dixie, Little Man and Chico are heading to Arkansas for a weekend camping trip (2 Frenchies and 4 Bostons) (RVing it, of course)

Linda

Bunny sounds adorable! Have a great weekend, and we would love to see pics of the whole gang - hint, hint. :D

[akilupo]

Aki is about 6.5 months and he weighs 24lbs. He is also quite long and he definitely has not grown into his paws yet. It was really weird because he went through a growth spurt of gaining 2lbs a week for 6-8weeks. He was literally growing before my eyes. I really didn't expect him to be this big and I don't think he realizes it either. He can no longer fit under our end table and it drives him crazy that he can't! We have chinchillas and he can't follow them around as much anymore. He may end up bigger than standard, but I have no intention of showing him or breeding him. He has a wonderful temperament and he doesn't have a napolean complex. :) I thought he was only going to be about 25lbs, but I don't think that is going to happen.

[citygirl]

I have a question for those of you with fully grown adults. At what age would you say your dog reached it's mature size and weight? I have a 6 month old female who already weighs 20 pounds. Her father was 19 pounds and the mother was 23 pounds. I'm wondering how much larger she's going to get and how long I should expect her to keep growing.

[Linnysmommy]

Lenny and Sweetie are 20 lbs at 18 months and 17 months. I think that they are done growing as they have not grown in several months.

[imogene]

I have a question for those of you with fully grown adults. At what age would you say your dog reached it's mature size and weight? I have a 6 month old female who already weighs 20 pounds. Her father was 19 pounds and the mother was 23 pounds. I'm wondering how much larger she's going to get and how long I should expect her to keep growing.

I don't have a "full grown" adult yet, but at 10 months Belzie is 90% finished. I am lucky to live in an area with about 40 frenchies - and I have seen them in all stages - from 3 months to 10 years. Belzie is hovering around 20 lbs, and will continue to fill out around the head and shoulders until she is about 2. We only expect her to gain another lb. or two. Personally I think she is perfect right now :) :)

[citygirl]

Gosh, I'm concerned that I'm going to have a huge dog on my hands! At 6 months and 20 pounds I wonder how big she's going to get ultimately.

Lately, she's been putting on about a pound a week. She's not overweight. I can feel her ribs when I put them down over her ribcage.

Should I be concerned?

[lovemyfrenchy]

Seem to have the bigger FB. My female is from de la parure line and she is exactly 28 pnds. When we show, I feed her green beans for a day or two & she weighs 27 1/2 I also find the american breed have a tendency to be smaller. The standard says 28 pounds is the most. I wouldn't be concerned if she healthy and not overweight. Like you said. There is just more frenchie to love.:D

[imogene]

Gosh, I'm concerned that I'm going to have a huge dog on my hands! At 6 months and 20 pounds I wonder how big she's going to get ultimately.

Lately, she's been putting on about a pound a week. She's not overweight. I can feel her ribs when I put them down over her ribcage.

Should I be concerned?

If your not panning on showing then I wouldn't be too concerned. Any dog over 28lbs is a disqualification for show. The AKC FAQ lists the averages for the girls as 18-24 lbs - the typical height is 12" at the shoulder. I am thinking that your girl is probably already that tall if she is already 20 lbs. Of course if you're not showing the only thing important is that your little girl is happy and healthy.

Oh I did notice that Belzie grew rapidly from 5-7 moths. She went from 12 to 18.6 lbs pretty much overnight. At 7.5 months I put her on a BARF diet, and we started making sure to weigh her weekly -She is still growing but much slower. In the last 2.5 months she has been gaining ounces per week not pounds. In last month she only gained about 9 oz. The last time we weighed her she was 19.6 lbs She will be 10 months on Sunday and we are going to weigh her again, but I have a feeling that she is just over 20 lbs

[Martina]

All three of mine are right around 25lbs +/- depending on the day. Tigger, being the boy, usually is around 26lbs, and is the most compact. Gigi has this roley-poley barrel chest and hits right at 25lbs. And Lola is my long thin import who's usually at about 24.5lbs. They are all so close in height that you can't tell without actually measuring - and Gigi & Tigger are about the same length. The girls stopped gaining weight at about 10mos. Their bodies continued to change after that, but it seemed that they reached their current weights then. Tigger didn't stop gaining weight until @ 12/3mos and he's been pretty stable since then.

Yep, I think you're gonna have a big dog (mine seem huge next to the 20-22lb frenchies!!) ... but as long as those dogs are healthy and you're not showing - that's all that matters in my book!!

[citygirl]

Thanks for all the info, everyone. I guess I need to adjust my thinking about how big the Maddie Bean will get when she's full grown. I'd been expecting somewhere in the 20-24 range because of her parent's size. I guess it's still possible that she'll hit the high end of that range. I got a little scared because she was putting on a pound or two a week for about three weeks and if she kept up that pace, she was going to be a whopper of a dog. Even at 20 pounds she's so strong that when she sets her mind to something (like chasing a cat while on leash) I can have a hard time keeping her under control. I'm not planning to show her, so her ultimate size is really irrelevant. However, I didn't want to have a 35 pound dog and that's where it seemed like she was headed.

By the way, I did see a 35 pound FB at the vet's office a few weeks back. We had an appointment and when I pulled into the parking lot there was a woman walking two Frenchies on leash in the grass. I was shocked because the vet had told me that they didn't have any other FB's in the practice. Turns out that the couple who own the dogs had just moved back to town from Germany. They had two - Ike and Betsy. Ike was a year old and he weighed in at 35 pounds. His head was enormous. We exchanged What are the chances that the only other FB's in town were at the vet at the same time as mine?? It was obviously meant to be that we ran into each other.

Thanks for all the input!

Cindy, Maddie & Lexi

[J20]

Stella is 15 months now and 20lbs... so she is at the smaller end of the standard... which is BTW 18-28 lbs...
I've seen many frenchies (often imports - they tend to be larger) that are over the standard... even as big as 35 lbs :eek:

Gustave is just a pup.... he still has a LOT of growing to do...
but you never mentioned how much he does weigh... or how much these other dogs weight either...

just looking a your lovely pictures. I noticed the pink harness that your frenchie had on, where did you get it and who is it made by:)

[wee]

J20, the soft harness is made by puppia. They do have stockists in UK online - I got my carrier from them and love it. Monty is a big boy tho' so not sure if even large is big enough for him...

[miss heather]

yes... both Stella and Homer have Puppia harnesses... they are a Japanese company, so I'm sure there are UK retailers/websites where you can find them...
but I agree that sizing might be an issue as Stella wears a large (although she could probably still squeeze into a medium) and she's only 20lbs and has a (relatively) small frenchie head :p

we also have Buddy Belts for both of them which I adore... their website does not list any UK retailers... but there are many online retailers that I'm sure would ship there... and they have a wider range of sizes (Stella wears a 6 and little Homer's in a 4 for now)... I imagine that either a 6 or 7 would be a good fit ;)

this is what they look like on (although keep in mind that my two have the "fancy" versions which are near impossible to find online... the standards are black, red, pink, tan, and baby blue): appicon

Stella in "eggplant":
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e135/heather1stella/Stella/IMG_4585.jpg
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e135/heather1stella/Stella/IMG_4586.jpg
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e135/heather1stella/Stella/IMG_4589.jpg
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e135/heather1stella/Stella/IMG_4590.jpg

and Homer in "moss" suede:
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e135/heather1stella/Homer/IMG_4594.jpg
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e135/heather1stella/Homer/IMG_4598.jpg
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e135/heather1stella/Homer/IMG_4599.jpg

[bulldoggin30]

Miss Heather your Frenchies are just too cute! I would love to snatch them up for a Frenchie hug!

[nichole]

Well...it's official. George is a freak of nature:lol: He turned a year old on the 6th and weighs a little over 33 lbs, and is about 15 inches tall at the shoulders. His father was pretty large and Hungarian background, bred here in the states. According to my breeder anyway. He didn't think George would get this big! Anyone know of any 40lb Frenchies....I'm worried?

My husband has started calling him Thor.
http://s64.photobucket.com/albums/h170/niccooperman/George/?action=view&current=MrBig.jpg

[Martina]

George is REALLY cute!! That sure was a loooooong time ago that you could bathe him in the bathroom sink, wasn't it :lol: ?!? BTW - that is a very, very cute tushie!

Oh, and mine didn't gain any weight after a year. Their bodies changed, but their weight has stayed pretty stable (+/- a lb depending on day, etc).

[nichole]

:confused: actually...his head is much smaller than the rest of his body...his neck is quite long, as his nose...and legs...need I go on.


I call this one "Naked George after Bath"
http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h170/niccooperman/George/NakedGeorge.jpg

[nichole]

Marcel is to die for in his ruff:cool: Such a perfect young man, you must be very proud.

[virgilprieto]

Our Chantal is also on the smaller end of the spectrum. At 9.5 mos. she tips the scale at 17.5 lbs and stands around 10 in. at the shoulders, but her body type's hefty for a little gal. She's large and muscular around the neck and shoulder areas... Just in "mini" proportions. Although she went through an amazing growth spurt from her fifth to seventh month, her growth rate appears to have tapered down. We were thinking of "pairing her off" with a friend's male frenchie someday but we are now a little bit concerned because our friend's frenchie is of the larger variety. Does anyone out there know if there are any birthing dangers and/or problems when it comes to smaller female frenchies?

[franp]

Virgil

Breeding Frenchbulldogs is a difficult experience for even the most experienced of breeders... The bitches require C-sections for birth and the puppy mortality rate is high...Most breeders use a Vet that is a reproductive specialist for insemnation and birth.. and even then there is a great chance that the mother can die...

Unless you are a Profesional or your Chantal has been a finished champion, why take the chance of possibly loosing her and/or the puppies...

Frenchie puppies require 24 hour care the first 3 weeks of thier lives.. they are very delicate.many times they must be tube feed... or manually stimulated to urinate or defecate...

Please ,PLease think very carefully before you decide to breed your Chantal..

[luvnkitty]

:confused: actually...his head is much smaller than the rest of his body...his neck is quite long, as his nose...and legs...need I go on.


I call this one "Naked George after Bath"
http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h170/niccooperman/George/NakedGeorge.jpg

I love George , he is so cute !
Mia is 18 months now and weighs 34lbs. She is a tad overweight.... I wonder how that happened evilicon . Unfortunatley we just had to switch her to Chicken Soup light. It was either that or give up those biscuits .
It doesn't seem like we overfeed her . She was the biggest in her litter. We new she would be above standard , that works for us because of the cats.

[virgilprieto]

Hi Fran,
Thanks for the information. In fact, I was in touch with Chantal's vet and he gave me pretty much the same information and advice. Surgery is delicate enough as it is and what with her small size, complications could very well develop during childbirth. So, it looks like Chantal won't be tying the knot, so to speak :lol: I do appreciate the advice, Fran, thanks! You've helped us make a wise decision, I believe. I will have to ask my vet for some advice about when the best time would be to have Chantal "fixed", though. She has just gone through her first heat. Any ideas out there?

[franp]

Spay Chantal as soon as you can get an appointment.. Each time your girl goes thru a Heat cycle it increases the chances of her getting mammary cancer..

The statistics: if you spay a bitch before the first heat..the chance of mammary cancer is .05%.If you spay after the first heat it goes up to 5%. Every time she goes into heat the chance of getting cancer goes up exponentially..Then there is the risk of pyometria..

Make sure you tell your Vet not to use ACEPROMEZINE... it can kill your dog..

[virgilprieto]

Thanks for the further information, Fran. The earlier the better seems to be the way to go for surgery. Instead of risking her having birthing problems, we'll adopt a brother or sister for her instead appicon Once again, advice well appreciated, Fran!

[Kelly+Manja]

hey there :)
manja is 3 this december and he is only 9kg (not sure what that is in pounds) which is pretty small compared to most frenchies. He's looks about the size of the little lap dog size frenchies you can find in those old pictures of victorian day women with their lttle frenchies posing in the pictures with them :p I love that he's really small but solid as a rock!

[Hudson]

hey there :)
manja is 3 this december and he is only 9kg (not sure what that is in pounds) which is pretty small compared to most frenchies. He's looks about the size of the little lap dog size frenchies you can find in those old pictures of victorian day women with their lttle frenchies posing in the pictures with them :p I love that he's really small but solid as a rock!

Hi,

9kg is 19.8 lbs.
Our Frenchie, a black masked red male named Tank, is 14 months old and weighed 22lbs at one year. He hasn't really grown since then. Like your dog, Tank is also a small guy and we think it makes for a cute little dog. It is especially convenient because he is afraid of stairs and got carried a lot. I like your dog's colors.

Don

[J20]

Monty is 30lb but he is not at all fat, just buff:eek:
He comes from a show breeder but i think he must of been a throw back:confused:

I can not imagin what he would be like 9lbs lighter just for show him:(

[French lady]

I have 3 frenchies. Sofie is a very small girl, at 4 1/2 years she weighs in at 20 pounds. I have to watch her weigh, because she is so small, she does not run around like the others. (She does not have it in her) In fact, she cannot climb down the stairs because her legs are too short. Toby is in the middle. He is 4 years and stocky at 25 pounds. No fat on him at all. Tucker's father has a Russian and American Registration, so I guess he is 1/2 Russian. At 1 year he stands about 1/2 inch to 1 inch taller than Toby. But the energy level is so different. Tucker will never slow down and must be put in a crate to get him to go to sleep. He is our Wild Child. To tell you the truth, I think I like the bigger dogs.