Flint is a French Bulldog bred by Hawbucks French Bulldogs. Hawbucks is striving to develop a healthier and more reliable template for the breed.
In both cases, they are purebred Frenchies. The dog on the left has been bred to meet the current interpretation of breed standards – while the dog on the right has been selected by a breeder who believes that good health is more important than appearance to produce a more moderate dog.
Several days ago, I shared the image on Twitter and my CRUFFA Facebook page, and it’s already been shared thousands of times. Many people think it’s Photoshopped.
Although most people are struck by Arnie’s profile, he is not totally untypical, particularly in the US where a minimum muzzle length is not mandated.
There are still some people who prefer Arnie – or are shocked by Flint’s rather long muzzle. Some have even described Flint as “extreme”.
“To me, that on the left is a French bulldog, and to me it represents what a French bulldog is and what I like about them – the one on the right does not represent what a French bulldog does,” wrote one breeder.
Then here’s the rest:
I would definitely own the right over the left. The right is an example of how the breed should be treated.”
Throughout history, what is considered “good type” changes with fashion. In 1914, this Frenchie was a champion.
Crufts awarded this dog Best of Breed last year.
In addition, this dog, which showed slight improvement, won BOB.
There is no muzzle length on any of the Crufts dogs that is close to the 1/5th of the total head length advocated by the French Bulldog Club of England – nor to the one-sixth required by the FCI standard. Additionally, they are extremely cobby – particularly the 2016 BOB. Their backs have shortened over the years, which has contributed to another Frenchie problem – spinal problems.
It is unfortunate that stenosis – pinched nostrils – is almost ubiquitous among show versions of this breed, increasing respiratory risks.
Recent research shows that breathing difficulties are not correlated with any one physical feature (a range of contributory factors, including neck/chest size, intra-nasal obstruction, stenosis, trachea size, obesity, etc.), but there is no absolute correlation between any one physical feature.
It is, however possible to improve the [extremely brachycephalic] breeds by breeding for open nostrils, longer, narrower heads, less boxy body shapes, and less skin, according to David Sargan from the Cambridge BOAS research team. Fortunately, breeders like Hawbucks are breeding for dogs with longer muzzles, lighter, and more athletic heads with truly open nostrils. It is important that everyone tempted by a French Bulldog obtain a health test as well – and of course, find out if they meet the requirements.
In addition to screening for BOAS, hemivertebrae (HV), cataracts, luxating patellas, and degenerative myelopathy (DM), breeders of the best Frenchies also screen for skin issues and allergies. Besides inbreeding, ask about longevity as well (i.e. at what age dogs in the pedigree died). The French Bulldog Club of England claims Frenchies live for 12-14 years, but this isn’t true. According to Agria insurance data in Sweden, they are the shortest-living breed and their average death age is just five years old, according to the Finnish KC. Despite the possibility that British dogs live longer, they are all from the same stock, so they are unlikely to live much longer.
Here are a few pictures of more moderate Frenchies that I am collecting. The first one is Flint’s mum, Yara.
