Breeding Frenchies - How Many Puppies Can a French Bulldog Have?
| Table Of Contents |
| How Many Puppies Do French Bulldogs Have In a Litter? |
| How Many Litters Can Frenchies Have In a Lifetime? |
| What Limits The Frenchie’s Ability To Reproduce? |
The unique charm of French Bulldogs has made them one of the social media’s most beloved breeds. Indeed, they have inspired an entire fashion industry of French Bulldog clothing, accessories, and even jewelry. That popularity has made an already expensive breed even more valuable. But why do Frenchies cost so much in the first place? The answer lies in their limited ability to reproduce.
How Many Puppies Do French Bulldogs Have In a Litter?
The average French Bulldog litter consists of 3 puppies. Although some have successfully carried and birthed up to 7 pups, that happens very rarely. In comparison, the average Golden Retriever produces 8 puppies in a litter. The Frenchie’s litter size is small even compared to similarly-sized dogs. Beagles, for example, typically give birth to 6 puppies at a time while pugs produce 5 pups in an average litter.
How Many Litters Can Frenchies Have In a Lifetime?
The Frenchie Brunch wearing the Zebra Dog Bomber Jacket.
The French Bulldog doesn’t just have smaller litters, but also fewer births. Frenchies typically carry up to 4 litters in their lifetime. At 3 puppies per litter, this means a female Frenchie can only safely produce 12 puppies until they’re considered too old to carry.
Although their average life expectancy is around 12 years old, they can only breed safely between 2 and 8 years old. The most reputable French Bulldog breeders inseminate their females only once every two years to give the dogs’ bodies enough time to recover. That limitation affects the number of Frenchie puppies born each year, which directly impacts the value of the breed.
What Limits The Frenchie’s Ability To Reproduce?
Canadian Moto French Bulldogs wearing Frenchie harnesses.
French Bulldogs have difficulty reproducing in large numbers because of their physical conformation. Although organizations like the American Kennel Club and the French Bull Dog Club of America see to it that breed standards are upheld, even the healthiest Frenchies will have trouble breeding naturally and copiously.
One of the biggest reproductive concerns in French Bulldogs is their narrow hips. Although that’s part of what makes them look adorable in Frenchie clothing, that feature makes it difficult for them to mate naturally. So, they’re often bred through artificial insemination.
French Bulldogs also have trouble birthing naturally. The large heads that are so often perfectly adorned with Frenchie jewelry make a caesarean section necessary. Natural birth is often too difficult for the female, and there’s always a risk of pups getting stuck or injured in the birth canal.
Additionally, the French Bulldog is among the brachycephalic breeds that have breathing issues simply because of their short muzzles and flat faces. Because of this and the way their bodies are built, pregnancy and birthing can be too stressful on their bodies and could become fatal.
The limited number of puppies a Frenchie can produce in her lifetime is one of the biggest reasons why this breed is so expensive. And because fewer puppies mean an even smaller probability of producing rare-colored French Bulldogs, the value of specific pedigrees are even higher. For most of us, that cost means settling for getting our Frenchie fix on social media where canine celebrities provide endless joy as they show off the latest in French Bulldog fashion.