almost an owner

[daisydoo]

Hello, My name is Megan, and I am so glad to have found this board, I'm very excited to meet you all...but first let me tell you al little about me.

I currently own two dogs, a miniature schnauzer and an olde english Bulldogge. I have wanted a frenchie for ever, and soon, she will finally be here! I have been on my breeders waiting list for about a year now, and I got confirmation just the other day that the litter will be here in about a month...I can't wait! So I am here to get as much info and advice as possible and introduce you to her once she gets here.

Thanks for letting me join your board,
Megan

[jodi51377]

Welcome Megan and congratulations on your upcoming arrival! I have only had Kermit for 3 days now and I am in love. This breed is unlike any other out there. Can't wait to see pictures when she arrives!

[bulldoggin30]

Welcome to the board! As a first-time Frenchie owner myself I don't know what i would do without it. Can't wait to see pics!

[andi]

Great to meet you, Megan and congratulations! You must be so incredibly excited about your new baby!

[Martina]

The next several months will be soooo hard ;) - worthi it, but soooo hard as you wait for your pup to join the family. Can't wait to hear more about the pup you get and all of the fun that comes with bringing a new baby into the family!!

[Laura]

Hi, everyone! I have been reading all the posts about your Frenchies, and have really enjoyed hearing about all the cute things they do and seeing the pictures. I have just joined this board, and I joined so that I could hopefully learn about the care of frenchies.
I am thinking about purchasing a one-year-old white female, and I keep going back and forth with my decision. This is because I have an 8 (soon to be 9)-year-old Boston Terrier female, who is very spoiled. She doesn't really like dogs but does tolerate them.
My daughter-in-law brought the puppy over today to meet my Boston and all went well; but, I'm sure that my dog thought the Frenchie was only here for a visit. Naturally, I fell in love with the Frenchie!! The owner has decided that she can no longer care for her because she has two other Frenchies (one is the mom), and she also raises and shows Afgans.
Can anyone tell me how likely this is to work if I would buy this puppy? :confused: She really likes my Boston, and she seems to be very calm and was very comfortable in my home. I have a pool, which I worry about...I hope she would learn before long not to go near the pool! Also, she panted continuously while here. Is that from being anxious, or do Frenchies pant a lot?
I love all dogs, and this little dog is so cute and friendly and acts a lot like my Boston did when she was a puppy....
Any help anyone can give me would be so welcome!! I also worry about her diet - her owner orders frozen food for her, I believe, but I would rather feed her commercial food.
Thanks so much for any help any of you can give me! Laura :)

[franp]

Hello Laura and welcome..

First I would like to tackle the question of whether your dog will like the new dog? We cannot really tell you...If your dog does not really like other dogs,it does not sound good to start...

As for the pool; Frenchies can not swim..and you MUST be vigilant.. and have a fence..NOT expect your dog to learn not to go into the pool..Because if your dog does fall/go in, it will drown...

When you talk about a frozen diet, I am assuming that you mean Raw...which many of us feed to our dogs.. and IMO is far superior to commercial..In reality, most dogs that eat this way will not eat commercial..Why would you prefer to feed a commercial diet? I am curious..

Frenchies will pant if they are anxious ,as any other dog... or if it is hot...They need air conditioning...It sounds like this dog was anxious...in a new ,strange and stressful situation...

Please do not take my questions to be on the offensive...my interest is for the dog...and its rehoming...You need to think this out very carefully ,for the best interest of your Boston first...and the frenchie...

[Laura]

Hi, Fran - Thanks. Your Frenchie is adorable! How much does he/she weigh?Of course, I realize that you could not know whether or not my dog will eventually like the Frenchie. I do know that she understands that the Frenchie is a puppy and would be kind to her even if she didn't play with her. After I wrote that post I called the owner, who told me that the Frenchie and her sister don't get along well and just tolerate each other. So, that wouldn't be a problem, I guess.
The food she eats is BillJack(sp), and her owner has to special order it. After reading about raw diets on the internet, both pro and con, I decided that I prefer giving her a high-quality commercial dog food just as I give my Boston.
However, if I take the dog, the owner will give me the food she has been feeding her, and then I will gradually introduce the other dogfood. If she doesn't like it, I will certainly switch.
I plan to visit the owner and her dogs tomorrow, so I'll find out much more.
I suppose I shouldn't have written with questions before I knew more about the dog, etc. The panting bothered me because it was constant. The owner said that she does pant more than her other two Frenchies but that
the breeder had told her he had checked with the vet, who said he didn't think there was any serious problem. She said that it doesn't pant when it's resting. Thanks again for writing - I'll keep reading old posts to learn as much as possible about the breed. Laura

[franp]

Good morning Laura,
Dari is 6 1/2 years old..22-23 pounds ,depending on the day..not one ounce of fat..In fact her Dr would prefer that I put some wieght on her...about a pound..IMO, she breathes and moves better slightly underweight..And her breeder is in agreement with me...

Billjac,huh?? From what I understand.. that is not one of the better foods..so if you do decide to purchase this dog...there is an abundance of information about quality commercial food on this site...

Panting allot is not "normal"..and there could be several underlying causes. The most common, besides overwieght is an elongated soft palate...The ONLY way that can be determined is under anesthetic...So, please do not take anyones "assurances" that nothing is wrong...
Look at the dog's nares (nostrils) do they look pinched? this can also be a reason that the dog is panting..not enough air...many times when a dog has palate surgery, the nares are enlarged as well..

This is not an easy breed....Please do extensive research...and then do some more..,.go to www.frogdog.org and read about our breed...Ask questions here..

Our dogs are headstrong; stubborn and dominant... they have a mind all thier own...Most want to be the alpha in the house...

[franp]

Laura,
This dog is being 'resold'? did I read that correctly...that the person who you are talking to got it from a breeder and is now selling it?
Most contracts require that the dog go back to the breeder...for rehoming...

[Laura]

Hi, Fran,
Well, as I said, Dari is a beautiful dog, so whatever you are doing is perfect!
Like you, I think it's better to keep my dog a little under- rather than over-weight.
My Boston had pouches removed from both sides of her larynx and also had her nares enlarged when she was a puppy. That was scary (and expensive!), but she had a wonderful vet and did beautifully and has had no problems since then. He thought it could be an elongated palate when he started to operate. I hadn't thought about the possibility that this Frenchie could have that. She didn't snort, but her constant panting seemed unusual to me.
I understood that this owner also has the mother and sister of this dog. The sire is from another state. She bred her to try to get a male puppy. When it was a female, she gave it to the stud owner, who then sent it back because he said she wasn't good show-quality. Now she owes the man $1500 and that's why she's selling this year-old puppy. Does all that make sense? So - I guess that makes her the breeder, right? I'm a little confused about the whole thing. I really appreciate all the good advice you've given me! I'll think it over very carefully before purchasing this dog. Also, thank you for giving me that website about Frenchies. This Frenchie is very cute and lively - she weighs about 21 pounds, and the owner (breeder) says that she will probably end up weighing about 22 pounds. She is not overweight but looks larger than most Frenchies I've seen - which hasn't been many...

[franp]

Laura,
Yes, I know the "pouches". My mind is not working so well on a Sunday morning:lol: I think they are called Sacules... something akin to tonsils...

Yes this woman is the breeder... does she show?? Most of the time , in my experience the Stud owner takes the pup and that is that..But this woman may not have been either that experienced or the Stud owner drove a harder bargain..Be that as it may.......

The French Bulldog standard is up to 28 pounds... and the girls SHOULD be over 20 at the least... Unfortunately we are seeing more under 20; which is really not desirable..this is NOT a toy breed...

My Dari, yes I think she is perfect...thank you for the compliment...:)

[Laura]

Yes, my Boston had saccules on both sides of her larynx which were filling with mucus. I went to Angell Memorial Hospital to have them removed.
The owner breeds and shows Afgans, and she has the two Frenchies for pets. My son didn't understand how it all happened, but she did say she's selling the female because she needs to pay the stud owner.
You are correct - I do need to think very carefully about all this and do more research. Once again, thanks for your help! Best wishes. Laura :)