How much does a French Bulldog cost?

The first thing that comes in to mind for many when they first think of getting a French Bulldog is ‘How much will my French Bulldog cost?’ Of course, the French Bulldog cost often doesn’t extend in their head beyond the initial financial outlay. The purchase price. In this post we’ll look at how the financial side is an ongoing thing and also that there are other prices to consider (which don’t involve money) before you make this important decision.

Adopt older or buy a puppy?

Everyone knows that puppies are cute. Usually, they’re also expensive and there are thousands upon thousand of older dog out there looking for a home. According to NimbleFins Insurance in the UK, the average cost of a French Bulldog puppy is in excess of £3000 or $4000 US. We adopted our first rescue Frenchie for free as she needed rehoming and our current French Bulldog cost us £250.

There are so many animal rescue charities that have French Bulldogs of various ages looking for a new home. Most of them charge a small fee, anywhere between £200-£500. Don’t be fooled into thinking these services are profiting as they usually have huge, ongoing vet fees to keep on top of. If they are a reputable charity they will carry out a home visit and give you an interview to see if you’re a suitable match for one of their dogs. Please consider this option when looking for a dog of any breed.

French Bulldog cost (ongoing.)

It doesn’t matter if you go for a puppy or go for a more mature friend for life, there are several ongoing costs to take into consideration.

Insurance.

Shop around for insurance by using a comparison website and be sure to read the finer details of your policy. You may be thinking that you don’t want to pay for insurance but be warned, vet bills can be expensive for even simple procedures.

The price of French Bulldog insurance in our experience tends to be considerably more than it is for many other breeds. This is mostly because the breed can be prone to health issues. We currently pay just under £400 per year for our dog Kikka at 3 years old. Check your excess and any free feature your insurer might provide. Many now offer free vet Skype calls which you can use if you’re unsure of something. We’ve used these call and they can save you an expensive trip to the vet and/or put your mind at ease when something is bothering you.

Regular treatments.

You might want to think about regular de worming and flea treatment for your dog. This can depend on where you live and is usually done every 3 months or so. It’s not expensive and can be done at home if you wish but it’s still a cost to factor in. If you plan on travelling, you might need vaccinations which again, need to be paid for.

Regular medicine.

If you plan on owning a French Bulldog then you should know that the breed as a whole can be known for ongoing health issues. Allergies are probably most common (check this post and head to the allergies section) and your dog might need daily medication which is usually purchased in monthly packs. These medicines are likely not covered by your insurer so you could easily be paying £30 – £60 per month. Maybe more. Our first Frenchie Luna had severe epilepsy which required two different pills, three times a day. If you think that £500 – £1000+ per year on medication could be too much then it might be worth reconsidering. That’s outside of unexpected trips to the vet.

This is not to say that every Frenchie will suffer from health issues. Many have no problems at all but it is a very real possibility that you need to think about.

Possible surgery.

This is in more extreme cases but I’ve read about lots of French Bulldogs who have breathing issues, spinal problems or soft palate problems when young. These things often require expensive surgery in the thousands. Do you have insurance that covers this? If not, can you afford to pay this?

French Bulldog cost (food.)

Food! Yes your dog needs to eat and if you’re anything like us, you want your dog to eat well. We feed our pooch a combination of Beco, grain free dry food and Veggiedog dry grain free topped with sardines. Like anything else, buying in bulk is cheaper so we usually order a 10-12kg bag each time. On average it probably costs us about £50-£60 per month to feed Kikka. Many Frenchie’s suffer from grain allergies so consider this when buying food.

French Bulldog cost (everything else that isn’t money.)

So now that we have the money thing out of the way, let’s talk about everything else that comes with the package.

Time and patience.

Although your French Bulldog is unlikely to need the same level of exercise as a farmer’s Collie, this doesn’t mean they’re low maintenance. In fact, they’re anything but. In our experience, Frenchies have a real need to be around the action. They demand a lot of your time and don’t like to be alone. Even when we’re doing the most mundane tasks like hanging up the washing, emptying the bins, they’re on your heels. They’re a very curious breed and they always want o know what’s going on.

To leave your dog (any breed) alone for extended periods of time is considered to be animal cruelty. Dogs are not the same as us and they need company. Many dogs can suffer from separation anxiety Although it’s a good idea to train your dog to be able to be left alone for a while without resorting to barking or chewing up the house, it doesn’t mean you should leave them locked up in the house for hours on end. Four hours is widely considered to be the absolute maximum length of time to leave your dog alone. If you can’t take the dog with you and you don’t have someone in the house throughout the day you need to think carefully about this.

The flip side to this curious nature is that they can often be the most affectionate of dogs. Whenever or wherever you sit down you’ll often find that your wee furry friend will want to come and nuzzle in beside you.

French Bulldog cost (training.)

You might be wondering why I wrote ‘patience’ in the sub heading? This is because French Bulldogs can be and will be very stubborn. They’re intelligent and soon figure out ways to manipulate you for treats! Our dog doesn’t like the rain and will do everything in her power to cut a rainy walk short. She’s also not a morning person. You definitely need to have patience with the French Bulldog and a firm attitude when it comes to training. On the plus side, the great thing about their intelligence is that they often learn quick. There are plenty dog training course online or alternatively, you could search for a dog trainer local to you. We were lucky as my partner comes from a dog training background.

>Brain training for dogs online here<<

Zzzzzzzzzzzz….

I suppose the last thing I should mention is that French Bulldogs absolutely love a snooze! Not only do they love a snooze, they love to snore. Loud. To be honest, we find the snoring, and the truffling expeditions in our kitchen quite funny but it’s definitely something to think about. Our dog sleeps downstairs and we’re upstairs so it’s no issue but if you’re planning on having your pooch sleep in the same room, or taking them to a weekend away in a hotel, you probably want to get earplugs.

Don’t be alarmed if you find that your Frenchie spends most of it’s day in bed, especially if you’ve had a long day of exercise that day or the previous day.

To wrap up.

To summarise, you can expect to easily pay in excess of £100 per month to own a French Bulldog and even more if you end up in the unfortunate position of having to pay for daily medicine. The biggest cost that many people forget though is time. Please think carefully. Do you have the free time available to give these dogs the attention that they need in order to give them a happy life? I would also ask you to really give thought to the fact that there are so many homeless dogs out there in shelters that are the perfect pets. Not just French Bulldogs. These guy are often toilet trained and it’s a rewarding feeling to know that you’ve rescued a dog. Especially when you see them come out of their shell and develop a close bond with you.

Thank you for reading as always and should you need to contact us, you can do so with the contact form here.

Kyle

Header image credit: Image by Alexandr Ivanov from Pixabay