The French Bulldog is a popular dog that serves as a companion to a lot of people all over the world. It is known for its small size and calm behavior. But when do french bulldogs stop growing?
Frenchies stop growing in height at around 1 year, and in weight at around 2 years. But factors like genetics, diet, health, and exercise can change this. There are a few things you can do to be sure your dog stays in its optimal size.
- The Appearance of a French Bulldog
- French Bulldog Weight Chart (Male and Female)
- Development Stages of Growth
- How to Deal With An Overweight Dog
- Does Neutering/Spaying Affect Your Dog’s Size?
- Have You Noticed Stunted or Accelerated Growth?
- What Constitutes Your Dog’s Growth?
The Appearance of a French Bulldog
The Frenchie is a small muscular pup with a relatively large head compared to its body. Its front legs are shorter than the rear ones. The Frenchie has a non-hypoallergenic coat that is short and smooth and it doesn’t require a lot of grooming. It’s a playful pup but it’s not very high-energy.
How Tall Can It Get?
So how big do Frenchies get in height? Well, all French Bulldogs grow to be of different sizes. The average French Bulldog size when fully grown is around 11-13 inches but some dogs can be smaller or larger than this size.
This is dependent on many factors including genetics. So if you know the parents of your dog, you can guess what size it will grow up to be.
How Heavy Can It Get?
It is important to know what the healthy weight for this dog breed is so you will know when your dog is overweight or underweight. The average weight of a French Bulldog is under 28 pounds.
Keep in mind that female French Bulldogs are usually lighter than male ones.
French Bulldog Weight Chart (Male and Female)
To make it easier and clear, we put the weight values of male and female French Bulldogs in a table, according to their age.
| Age | Average Male Weight | Average Female Weight |
| 3 months | 8.5–12.75 lbs | 7–12 lbs |
| 6 months | 15.5–23.5 lbs | 13.5–22 lbs |
| 7 months | 13–24 lbs | 15–24 lbs |
| 8 months | 17–26 lbs | 16–26 lbs |
| 9 months | 18–28 lbs | 16.5–26.5 lbs |
| 10 months | 19–28.5 lbs | 17–27 lbs |
| 11 months | 19.5–29 lbs | 17–27.5 lbs |
| 1 year | 20–30 lbs | 17.5–28 lbs |
As you might notice, the male Frenchies get heavier than the female ones.
Development Stages of Growth
To understand the growth process of this dog breed, as an addition to the French Bulldog growth chart, we also described all the stages of growth the French Bulldog goes through.
Birth to 3 Weeks
At birth, the Frenchie puppies are still not developed enough. For the first two weeks, they only want to sleep and eat and be near their mom.
After the second week, their hearing and sight develop enough to get some information from their environment. If you are buying a puppy from a breeder, ask the breeder to leave something you’ve worn next to the puppy so it will get used to your scent.
3 Weeks to 4 Weeks
At this point, the average size of a French Bulldog is still quite small, although they will become more active and aware of their environment.
These puppies will want to hang out around their mom more and get scared of new things like people or loud sounds. They still feed of their mom’s milk. But if the mom doesn’t produce enough milk, you should consider giving evaporated milk to your pup.
4 Weeks to 7 Weeks
During these weeks, the puppies want to play and explore more. They should still be around their mother to discipline them when they make mistakes.
The puppies also start to eat solid foods during this period. They still drink their mother’s milk but it’s her responsibility to take care of the weaning.
2 Months to 3 Months
The French Bulldog’s weight gain is still not finished by this period. The 8-week-old French Bulldog size is still increasing. The puppies are still babies but they can start training with their owners.
Obedience training shouldn’t be too harsh because the puppies at this stage are nervous. Basic things like learning to walk with a leash and meeting new people can be done at this stage.
3 Months to 4 Months
The French Bulldog at 3 months old continues to grow and is no longer considered a baby. But they still have much to learn. At this period in time, you should teach your puppy about biting and chewing.
You will need to give firm verbal commands even though the puppy will sometimes act disobediently. Remember to give positive reinforcement when the puppy is well-behaved.
4 Months to 6 Months
According to the French Bulldog growth chart, your puppy will weigh around 13.5-23.5 lbs by the end of this phase. It is important to continue with firm training and get rid of bad behaviors.
The puppy will be teething, so expect a lot of chewing. You should get a chew toy at this point. Consider neutering your dog at this phase as it will bring many benefits once it grows up.
6 Months to 18 Months
This period is considered the “teen stage” for your pup. The French Bulldog at 6 months old gets more active and adventurous, but you will still need to be there as supervision.
Make sure to continue with your training and socialize your pup with other people and dogs. At around the 12-month, or 1-year mark, your French Bulldogs will stop growing.
How to Deal With An Overweight Dog
If your French Bulldog looks overweight and your vet suggests it needs to lose weight, here are a few things you should do.
How to Check Your Dog’s Weight
You should first notice if your dog is overweight. Your dog should have a well-defined waist in a form of an hourglass. Its ribs should be easily palpable and its muscles defined and easily visible. It should also easily scratch its ears.
If your dog doesn’t tick these boxes, it may be overweight. You can weigh it on a scale by itself. If it’s making it difficult, weigh yourself first, and then weigh yourself with the dog. That way you can know how heavy it is.
If your dog’s weight is higher than that of the Frenchie weight chart, then you should take some steps to lower its weight.
Exercise Regularly
Just like humans, dogs also need to spend the energy they get from food. Be sure to give enough exercise to your dog. You can take it on walks or play with it. Try to get at least 1 hour of exercise every day. You can split it into two half-hour exercises. Your Bulldog will bark if it doesn’t get its much-needed exercise.
Improve The Diet
Your dog can gain weight if you don’t watch out for how much food you give it. Try to follow the feeding guidelines on the dog food package and avoid giving it too many snacks or human foods. Try to use a calorie calculator for dogs to be sure you are not giving too much food. Make sure to switch the puppy food to adult food once your pup has grown up as it has more calories.
Does Neutering/Spaying Affect Your Dog’s Size?
Now that we know the average French Bulldog adult weight, can neutering alter it somehow? Well, according to the Pet Nutrition Alliance, it may be connected with obesity. Other side effects can also be noticed. For example, dogs’ testicles turn black after neutering often.
That said, neutering your dog will bring some benefits, like decreasing its aggression. It will also help avoid unwanted pregnancies and it may increase its lifespan. Some French Bulldogs can not have sex naturally and experience problems, so you will also rid them of these problems.
To be sure that you make the right decision about this, talk to your vet.
Have You Noticed Stunted or Accelerated Growth?
You should compare your dog’s weight to the French Bulldogs size chart. If you notice that it’s much higher or lower than the expected numbers, you need to prevent further change in those numbers.
Stunted growth means that your Frenchie has much less weight than it should. This happens because you give too little food to your pup. Some illnesses can also cause this to happen.
Accelerated growth usually means that your Frenchie has much more weight than it should. This is usually because you’ve given it too much food and made it overweight.
Either way, you should talk to your vet and deal with these problems.
What Constitutes Your Dog’s Growth?
Now that we answered the question “when do French Bulldogs stop growing?”, let’s see what constitutes its growth.
Genetics
Just like people, dogs also inherit their traits from their parents. So your Frenchie is likely to grow up to the size that its parents are.
You can ask the breeder to see the parents of your new pup before you adopt it. This way you will know the average size it can grow up to be.
Diet
As we’ve already noted, the food your puppy eats is important for developing its growth. Give it too much and it will get overweight, give it too little and you can stunt its growth.
To be sure your pup is getting the right nutrition, use a puppy formula dog food from Pedigree or Purina. Always give as much food as is suggested on the package.
Exercise
A fully grown Frenchie or a still growing one needs daily exercise. Frenchies should have a muscular developed body, so you need to make sure it gets enough training to obtain that.
As soon as the pup is able to move around and play, encourage exercises and walks to help it become healthy and strong.
Health
Some health problems can lead to a stunt in your puppy’s growth. Parasites like hookworms and ringworms can infect your pup and won’t allow it to get all the nutrients from the food it eats.
You may notice a loss of fur, distended abdomen, diarrhea, and loss of weight. You should contact your vet and get this disease treated on time.
So When Do French Bulldogs Stop Growing?
French Bulldogs stop growing at the age of 1 year, or 12 months. The average size it can get is around 11-13 inches in height, and under 28 pounds in weight. Female French Bulldogs are usually smaller than male French Bulldogs.
We tried to make it easier for you by adding a French Bulldog weight chart by age and gender, so you can see what you can expect to see in your pup.
In order to maintain its optimal weight, we also noted some important factors in your pup’s growth. These include genetics, diet, exercise, and health.
We hope you learned something new about your pup.
FAQ
Why are some French Bulldogs bigger than others?
Some French Bulldogs may be bigger than others due to a few factors. First is the gender, as male Frenchies grow larger than female ones. Another factor is their food intake and exercise.
When do French Bulldogs’ heads get bigger?
Frenchies’ heads start getting bigger during the 6-12 month period. After this, the skull stops growing in size. If you notice the skull getting big after this time it is because of growth in muscle and fat on the face.
When do French Bulldogs calm down?
A full size French Bulldog will not be as calm as a Frenchie adult should. Frenchies calm down at around 2-3 years of age, but some might calm down at 4-5 years of age.