Want to know the average lifespan of a French Bulldog? You’re in the right place.
As a brand-new dog owner, or someone transitioning from another breed to a Frenchie, it is completely normal to want to know how to care for your dog and how long they will be around.
After all, owning a dog is a huge commitment, and you need to know the ins-and-outs of owning before you dive right in.
Luckily, this mini-guide will let you know how to make your new dog’s life as happy as can be, and give you an estimate of the average lifespan of a French Bulldog.
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What age do French Bulldogs die?
What is the oldest living French Bulldog?
What do French Bulldogs usually die from?
How can you help your Frenchie live longer?
What age do French Bulldogs die?
This is a bit of a strange question… It’s kind of like asking, what age does a human die? The truth is, every French Bulldog will be different depending on their heritage, genetic makeup, lifestyle, and a range of other contributing factors.
In saying that, French Bulldogs live on average for 10 to 12 years, according to the AKC. This is relatively moderate, especially when compared to other small breeds.
What is the oldest living French Bulldog?
Some French Bulldogs can live to be older than the average with records of the oldest Frenchie being a whopping 18 years.
While you should never have unrealistic expectations about the age of your dog, you should do everything you can to give them a long and happy life. How they are cared for can increase their lifespan!
What do French Bulldogs usually die from?
The Institute of Canine Biology reports that French Bulldogs most commonly die from Cancer at 10 years old.
As I’m sure you are aware, French Bulldogs are also predisposed to a range of other health issues, including heat exhaustion, patella luxation, food or environmental allergies, back and spine problems, breathing difficulties, and eye infections.
These conditions won’t necessarily be the cause of a Frenchie’s death, but complications from them can be.
How can you help your Frenchie live longer?
Here are some tips on helping your French Bulldog live a long and happy life as your companion.
Pick a great breeder
Since Frenchie’s are such a popular breed, there are many breeders out there to choose from. Try your best to find a responsible breeder with many references and avoid anything that seems suspicious. Sadly, puppies that come from puppy mills and shady breeders can have more health problems later in life. But as long as you put in a little research, you shouldn’t have a problem picking out a wonderful new companion!
Create a space for your Frenchie
The absolute worst thing you can do to your dog is to put them in a kennel or a crate for twelve hours or more while you’re at work. Frenchie’s are naturally curious animals who need a lot of room to play around. If you just put your dog in a crate while you’re away it can actually decrease their lifespan.
Most dog experts recommend that you devote a room to your new puppy, especially if you plan on being away for more than a few hours at a time. Fill the room with all your Frenchie’s favorite toys, a nice doggie bed, and water to last through the day.
A Frenchie is similar to a small child, which does mean you will have to baby-proof any room that your Frenchie will be in. Also, French Bulldogs love to chew, chew, chew. Make sure all the toys you provide are safe for strong jaws, but of course still fun for your pup!
Learn common hazards
There are dangers to Frenchie’s that also plague other flat-faced dog breeds. One of which is breathing problems. You should learn what to do in case of an emergency, as often you are the only line of defense between your lovable companion and an accident.
Additionally, you need to always monitor your dog near water as they CANNOT swim. Any water over their head is extremely dangerous. But they do love kiddie pools! Make sure when your pup wants to splash around that you make them the center of attention.
Take your Frenchie to the vet
Your Frenchie needs to be taken to the vet regularly. They are prone to certain ailments and should be taken every 3 months to ensure a long and happy life. Every Frenchie needs heartworm and flea treatments, blood panels, and diagnostic tests as regularly as your veterinarian recommends.
Blood panels are especially important so your vet can recommend important vitamins and supplements to keep your little buddy healthy. Keep their health well-monitored so they can live a long, happy life!
Play with your pup
To end on a happier note, your French Bulldog’s lifespan can be significantly improved with a bit of play time each day. That’s right, the best way to make sure your dog is healthy is the same reason you bought your dog in the first place! Your loveable companion just wants to be loved. Play around with them whenever possible.
Wrapping up
Follow these simple guidelines (and do a little more research) and your new friendly Frenchie should live a great life.
Will is the proud co-owner of Frankie, a Female Brindle French Bulldog, with his wife Michelle. We share our Frenchie experiences with the world to help health-conscious French Bulldog owners who want a happy, healthy, and long-living dog.
I would just like to add to this that frenchies CAN swim, I have two that love jumping in and swimming, retrieving sticks and balls it’s there favourite thing to do, so please let your frenchie swim if it wants!
Hi Carrie,
Thanks for checking out the site and leaving a comment…
We would highly recommend that Frenchie owners don’t let their pups swim. As much as there are some cases of Frenchies being able to handle the water, for the most part, it is very dangerous for them. Yes, they love it. Which is part of the problem. Once they swim they will want to continue swimming whenever possible and perhaps even when you’re not around.
The Frenchie stature and breaching capabilities are not made for swimming in most instances and it is a high-risk decision to introduce them to pools or deep bodies of water.
We found a fantastic life vest for our Frenchie, which keeps him safe near bodies of water and allows him to swim along with the other swim-proficient dogs. The vests are sleek and light weight.
As a frenchie and pool owner, we taught our girl first thing how to navigate water. She wears a life vest and swims around an hour a day, she would swim all day if we let her. I do like to make sure she can also swim without a vest. They’re not built to swim well, but they do love it and it’s great exercise that keeps them cool.
Thanks for sharing Angela!
We have a Frenchie and a pool. we have a vest for him. when we put him in the pool he goes right for the edge and wants to get out. Hates the water.
What type are they and where did you get it. We are having trouble finding one for our frenchie
Our Frenchie can “swim” but only for a very short distance (6-8 ft) before his weight begins to pull him down. And with no neck to speak of & his nose only a few inches above water, he doesn’t have far to go . If we are not in the pool with him or anyone else is over, he wears a life vest.
VERY irresponsible to allow Frenchies to swim,without one of the top grade life-jackets. I am in the world of aerodynamics. The basic frame design of a Frenchie is “Inherently Unstable”. The few who can apparently swim can still very easily go outside of the “Enveloppe”. Once the centre of gravity safe-zone is exceeded,the dog will sink like a brick, and very quickly. Frenchies who can “Swim” are propelled by their unquestionable 100% + Inertia. They will inevitably Slow up in the water. No different to Skimming a flat stone over the surface.Maybe 7 times,but it is slowing up on each “Skim” until it cannot be supported by the water,and Sinks immediately.Any pilot will know that you can throttle back the engine/s to Idle. The aircraft will take a considerable time to slow down and for the wings to STALL.The heaviest section will drop down firstly. The pilot can keep flying/(swimming) by putting the nose DOWN and commencing a descent. No need to embelish any further ! We live by the sea and my little girl Frenchie can Float for a while,but she has her life-jacket on without fail. Why would I take the risk? Also look at the tiny diameter of those 4 little paws/Paddles ! My Lab….Different story !
Thanks for sharing Gordon, we 100% agree with you.
Hi my frenchie is 16 years and 8 months old. He has pedigree papers. Just wondering if he may currently be the oldest frenchie. Your reply to this query would be much appreciated as we are finding it difficult to establish this query.
Kind regards
Julie
Hi Julie,
Thanks for commenting! 16 years and 8 months is quite phenomenal for any dog 🙂
I can’t confirm whether your pup is the oldest Frenchie or not sorry, but I’m sure he’s close!
I met a 17 year old Frenchie 10 years ago. Mine is 14 but got diagnosed with Cushings a year ago. We will be lucky and broke (and happy)if he makes It to 15. I’m blairblairsf on instagram.
Julie, you are so lucky! I’m so happy for you that your Frenchie has made it to such ripe old age! 16 years and 8 months is unheard of. My Lilly was a pedigree with papers too, but sadly she only made it to 11 years! I hope that bloodline is being passed on! So happy for you both!
Great site,our boy Winston will be 14 in December and is slowing down big time but all in all is pretty good !!
That’s amazing, thanks for sharing Benjamin!
Great site! I can attest that making your Frenchie the center of your world, will not only make you feel good inside, but your Frenchie will reward you with good behavior, attentiveness, and more love and the strongest bond you can imagine! My Lilly only made it to 11 yo sadly, but she was the sweetest, funniest, best behaved Frenchie that I ever came across! I am of course biased, but everyone commented on her personality and how well behaved she was. Everyone loved her, pets and humans alike! I could feel that she was happy and felt secure in her life and our bond. She told me as her behavior and personality reflected it. It was loud and clear! She was amazing! I cooked her balanced, nutritious homemade meals and cared for her as if she was a human child. She was about as content and well balanced as any pet could be. I found out from the breeder that I adopted her from back in 2006, that at least 2 of her 5 other siblings only lived to be 9 yo. Although making it to 11yo is no great feat, and definitely not what I was hoping for, I am confident that the care I took of her, and the bond that I created with her, not only helped her live longer than her siblings, but her quality of life and the enjoyment she experienced while she was here, was greatly increased by my serious commitment to her health and comfort at all times. I miss her so much and will eventually be the proud daddy of another Frenchie some day, but she’s only been gone a year and I am just not ready yet. My heart still aches over her passing. She was truly my kid! Frenchies are a HUGE commitment, more than any other breed I’ve ever had, so take it seriously when adopting. But, they are completely worth every ounce of your investment! Incredible breed!
Thanks for sharing Dan!
Sorry for your loss. My husband and I got our first Frenchie about 6 months ago. Love, love, love him. He turned one in June. I had a question for someone that has had a Frenchie, maybe you can help us. Our Oliver likes to jump up on the couch and bury his head in between the couch cushions. Sometimes he just sniffs and other times he like to gnaw at the cushion. I tell him no and pick up his head and he just goes back again and again. I have checked to see if there is anything there, but, find nothing. Do you have any suggestions on how to break him of this habit? I have thought about getting his very own soft blanket and put it on the couch for him. He has lots and lots of toys. as well If you have any suggestions, I would love to hear them. Thank You!!
Hey Stephanie,
One thing we have found to work well for eliminating bad habits is to associate those habits with something your pup doesn’t enjoy. For example, if your pup likes being on the couch as soon as they start gnawing at the pillow you could say “No” in a stern voice and then place them on the ground. When you let them back on the couch if they continue to do this then repeat the same punishment until they understand that it is an unacceptable behavior.
It’s important to do this all at the same time, as soon as you see the bad behavior, so they can associate the punishment with the behavior and begin to stop doing it.
Hope that helps!
What a beautiful story. Thank you for sharing!
May Lilly be your guardian angel now.
Dan I’m so happy to read your comment about how you cared for Lilly! I always cringe a little when strangers talk about wanting a Frenchie because they truly are like children and deserve to live the best life possible. When I married my husband he already had Doug, a beautiful brindle frenchie. But he was having some stomach and allergy issues and I immediately got to work finding a fresh whole food balanced diet that ultimately cleared all his health problems. Then we got Darla our 2nd frenchie and my first puppy – and boy has my life changed forever. I became a work from home doggie mommy so I could take care of my children and give them the best life possible. We never leave them for more than 4 hours at a time and even that is rare. Our lives revolve around them and I’m a better happier person because of it.
Dan I’m truly sorry for your loss. It so heartwarming to hear you had such a beautiful loving connection with Lilly, she sounds like one amazing and lucky dog.
Hi Sarah
I have a 6 year old frenchie called Bentley he has really bad allergy issues for about a year and I hate giving him the antibiotics every day. What diet did you give your frenchie with allergies?
My Annie is going strong at 12. Glad to see that they can outlive that “10 – 12 years” statistic I’ve seen.
This has inspired me to take on a 7 yr old frenchie was worried 10/12 age bracket as was thinking poss heartbreak in 3 yrs seeing they can live longer has made me decide to take her on looking forward to years with her she is my first frenchie but have 3 pugs Thank you
That’s great to hear Lynn! All the best with your Frenchie 🙂
Our Frechies name is Jack. We took him in at 2months old when my son could no longer keep him. We love him so much. He will be 12 in April. I found out today that he has a heart issue. Trouble breathing, swollen stomach, cataract and glaucoma in one eye. We are going for an ultrasound on Tuesday to find the reason for the heart issue. They think it may be a tumor. Our hearts are broken but we are prepared to do what we have to for our guy.
Hi Denise,
Sorry to hear about Jack 🙁
All the best, and know that 12 years is a good life for a pup!
My Frenchie doesn’t like people or crying babies. How can I help him?
You might find this article helpful Claire: https://www.dog-training-excellence.com/dog-barks-and-jumps-up-when-holding-crying-baby.html
Hello. I am a new Frenchie owner. I am used to English so she is much different for me. I have enjoyed reading about your babies. My heart aches for the losses. My Millie is 4 months old. She is so incredibly smart. I have had her for 5 weeks and is already bell trained to go potty outside. She has already trained me as well to be her bed. I’m a stay at home dog mom so she is only in a create at night but it is for extra large dogs so in his huge. I do have a couple problems. She eats everything. Bark, rocks, poop. She will give it to me if I tell her to but I can’t get her to stop. Any suggestions?
Hey Summer,
That’s a hard one because you can’t be monitoring her every move. You could try to isolate her from the objects you don’t want her to eat and reward her, with treats, when she drops those things after you ask. A stern ‘No’ is also important so she knows that what she is doing isn’t the right behavior, don’t confuse her with mixed messages.
Our Frenchie ate his poop as a pup (so gross) we got him “poop pills” pills to stop eating poop and they worked like magic. He’ll be 12 in June so I’m not sure if they still exist but they were a lifesaver.
Thanks for sharing Stacey!
It was 1997 when my first Frenchie, sired by an international champion, came to live with me. I’d had other dogs but he was different, particularly in the way he made eye contact and his eagerness to please. Sadly he died as the result of medication prescribed by my vet. He was 10. I was heartbroken. What I learned has benefited my second Frenchie. She is now 16. It’s best if a Frenchie is not your first dog as they need special care. Their eyes are vulnerable, don’t let them poke their faces into stiff branches etc. Don’t over-medicate them. I stopped all shots when my girl was 5, that includes heartworm meds – very toxic and Frenchies shouldn’t be left outside anyway. Don’t neuter or spay until they’ve reached maturity, at least 1 year. Hormones help build strong bodies. Yes they can swim but not for long – many have drown. As the most loving and delightful of dogs they deserve our best.
Thanks for sharing Susanna!
Buddy, my brindle Frenchie, is 11.5 years old. Sleeps a little more but still plays hard. Loves to walk, hangout in the pool, and ride in the car.
Awesome, thanks for sharing Lynn!