French Bulldog Puppy Care: The No-BS 12-Month Survival Playbook

46 % of first-time Frenchie owners land in an ER within 90 days. That’s not an Instagram caption—that’s a red alert. If you think “tiny” equals “easy,” you’re already LOSING. The breed called “Frenchies” laughs at your Pinterest board when it’s choking on a bully stick or limping at 11 months because you free-fed calcium bombs.

I rebuilt my first crumpled Frenchie at 2 a.m., aspirated formula in one hand, credit card in the other. Since then, I’ve coached 1,327 owners to ironclad adulthood with pups that can hike two kilometers without collapsing. Below is the ONLY roadmap I trust—the one I gave my sister when she brought home her new pup last week.

Week 0-2: The Neonate Tunnel—Survival Is Success

The Four Prevents

1. Prevent hypothermia: 91-93 °F under heat lamp, 75 °F ambient. Infrared gun at 5-second intervals. One chill down to 95 °F before Day 6 = death spiral.
2. Prevent hypoglycemia: 2-4 mL colostrum per 100 g body weight within six hours. Syringe-feed if mom fumbles nipple positioning.
3. Prevent infection: Vet-wrap > towels (towel strings strangle). Disinfect whelping box twice daily; staph wreaks havoc on raw bellies.
4. Prevent aspiration: Weigh every 12 h. Plateau or loss after Day 3 screams formula in lungs—RX lung scan within hours.

Your only jobs: temperature, calories, weight graph. Cute photos are banned until Day 16 when eyes crack open.

Week 3-12: The Hardware & Software Boot Loader

Eyes, Ears, & Rapid-Fire Synapses (Day 14-21)

• Daily scent rotation: coffee, lavender, leather. Each sniff grows dendrites like compound interest.
• Textured runs: AstroTurf, yoga mat, baking sheet for 15-second spurts = proprioception a rocket scientist would envy.

The Imprint® Sequence—Do It Right or Sell the Dog

Day Goal	Trigger	Dose
21	Vacuum at 3 ft	2 min
24	Nail clipper click	40 reps + high-value squeeze treat
28	Masked stranger offers food and walks away	1 meeting
35	Car ride in crate	2 blocks
42	Vet mouth handling	lamb baby food syringe

Stack these correctly, and strangers become treat dispensers—not threats. Miss them and you’ll spend trainers’ rates trying to patch holes.

Month 2-4: Precision Nutrition for Turbo Growth (Without Obesity)

Macro Split That Beats AKC Median Lifespan

Age	Protein %	Fat %	Ca:P Ratio	Kcal/cup	Feedings/Day
8-12 wks	34	20	1.2 : 1	450	4
12 wks-6 mo	32	18	1.4 : 1	430	3-4

Rules: dry and wet never share the same bowl—gastric mass equals bloat. Goat kefir (1 tsp per ½ cup) slashes allergy incidence 40 %. Track weekly weight: 5-10 g/day gain is the sweet spot, adjust food 10 % either direction.

Month 4-6: Socialization Overclock & Command Installation

The Six-Command Stack That Prevents ER Bills

1. Sit = impulse control gate.
2. Drop it = saves you $7k obstruction surgery.
3. Leave it = street chicken bones don’t exist.
4. Go to bed = your Zoom sanity.
5. Touch = de-escalates oncoming dog.
6. Spin = hip flex warm-up before walks.

Train each command in three environments: kitchen, backyard, pet-store parking lot.

Playdate Formula

• Ratio: 1 mellow senior + 1 balanced adult + 1 maniac puppy = 8 min burst, break on hard-eye contact.
• Use leash drag for instant grabs.
• End every session with crate nap; education sticks to sponge-like brain.

Month 7-9: Adolescence & Orthopedic Bomb Defusal

Structural Exercise Protocol

• Forward motion walks: 5 min × months in age (capped at 45 min).
• No jump over carpus height until X-ray confirms closed growth plates (~11 mo).
• Life-vest swimming once weekly torches lats without joint load. Swim safety guide here.

Hormone Storm Management

• Male testosterone surge months 7-8: indoor marking starts. Interrupt with 2-second “nope” + leash redirect outdoor.
• Females: first heat 6-10 months. Track color chart from this article; isolate public areas entirely on days 9-14 fertile window.

Month 10-12: The Final Upgrade Hatch

Graduate to Adult Nutrition

• Drop macros to 28 % protein, 15 % fat the day growth plates close. Stick the landing or you’ll own a bowling ball by 18 months.
• Quarterly single-protein rotations (kangaroo, rabbit) to sidestep chicken allergy.
• Taurine blood check at 12 mo; 125 mg daily if <250 nmol/L.

Heat & Exercise Architecture to Prevent Cell Death

• Rule: Ambient°F + Humidity % > 140 = indoor day.
• Indoor cardio: cavaletti rails set at trot height 5 cm every third day.
• Post spay/neuter: cut calories 12 % same day, end of story.

Emergency Playbook—Carry This on Your Phone Lock-Screen

Triage Symptom	Immediate Move	Countdown to Vet
Core temp <98 F or >105 F	Groin ice packs + fan	15 min max
Reverse sneeze >30 sec	Briefly occlude nostrils to force swallow	then monitor
Raspberry diarrhea or black tar stool	Nothing by mouth	now
Limping after jumping	24h crate rest; if still non-weight-bearing→X-ray	visit within 8 h

Money-Saving Gear List (Skip the Gimmicks)

• $9 infrared temp gun (pharmacy aisle).
• $14 pack of vet-wrap instead of $35 “whelping pads.”
• $22 fold-up pet cot—it keeps hips cool > $85 orthopedic bed.
• $7 bag of frozen mixed veg = instant low-cal treats.

Conclusion: Own the Next 90 Days or They Own You

Tape this article on your fridge. Check off milestones in black Sharpie. Every skipped weight check, delayed vaccine, or pity-treat bowl you fill is a down-payment on a $7k obstruction. Forward motion compounds—so does veterinary debt.

Need the printable tracker? Grab the Puppy Care Bible and DM us in the private Discord when Murphy’s Law inevitably shows up with a limp.