How Much Does a French Bulldog Cost?
The French Bulldog, or Frenchie for short, has seen a surge in popularity over the years and is still one of the most sought-after dog breeds today.
If you have done your research, then you will know these adorable dogs can command quite a vast price range.
You can find French bulldog pups on the lower end of $1,000 all the way up to $10,000 and over!
Dog breeders can ask for any price they want, but as a dog parent, you need to know what to look for and what you need to prepare to estimate the cost of a French bulldog.
How Much Does a Frenchie Cost?
If we were to generalize, a French bulldog usually costs around 2K to 2500. This is not taking into account the various determiners such as age, bloodline, pedigree, and coat color.
To get a clearer idea of just how much the French bulldog you have your eye on may cost, we have identified the top influencing factors.
What Impacts the Price of a French Bulldog?
While a breeder can still ask any price they want for their puppies, understanding what can impact their decision will help you identify if the asking price is outrageous. Below are some of the most common price influencers for a French bulldog.
Pedigree
The first consideration is the pedigree of your French bulldog. Being a member of a kennel club such as the AKC (American Kennel Club) in the states is something many breeders advertise.
The pedigree with papers to back it up is sort of like a certification to prove your dog’s breed is recognized and not just a mix of random breeds.
Breeder
The breeder themselves can impact the price of your Frenchie. If they are renowned for breeding show dogs, then of course you can expect exorbitant prices.
What the breeder feeds their puppies to the amount of care and training they provide beforehand will factor into the price as well. More basic breeders just ensure the dog is healthy, but may not provide top-of-the-line foods or any training before sending them off to you.
We know of many more advanced and professional breeders that put the effort into crate training, potty training, and socialization so you get a well-rounded pup. Keep in mind that these efforts put in will cost you.
Bloodline
Then comes the bloodline. While most purebred dogs are much more valuable, hybrid mixed breeds can be much healthier. There are also designer dogs such as the pomksy, which is a mix between a Siberian husky and a pomeranian that can demand very expensive price tags.
For dogs like that, making sure the blood percentages of that generation are correct through DNA tests will be proof of the bloodline.
Purebred dogs will have substantial prices, while ones with a mix of other breeds will see lower costs. We mention the bloodline not because we believe purebreds are superior, but because breeders who breed the purebloods often charge an arm and a leg.
We wouldn’t want you to be paying these outstanding prices only to find out down the line that you didn’t get your money’s worth. While we’re absolutely sure the love for your French bulldog will not diminish, but your anger for the deceptive breeder will surely increase.
We Think You’ll Like: Best Dog Mixes in 2022 (Our Favorite Mixed-Breed Dogs)
Location
This factor doesn’t pertain to the price of the pup but will add to the cost of you bringing the puppy into your home. Many breeders live in farmlands or large acres to have enough room to breed.
Acreage like this doesn’t usually exist in the cities, which means these breeders will be out of the way. You may need to drive to view your French bulldog puppy and even consider flying him out to you. These are all extra costs you need to think about.
Age
Then comes the age of the puppy. Most dog owners prefer bringing home puppies, and the older they get, the less desirable they are. That’s not to say everyone is like that, because there are plenty of dog parents that rescue their fur babies from the shelter at over 1 year old.
For this reason, the older the French bulldog puppy is, the less expensive he will be. The price won’t decrease by a lot, but you can expect anywhere from a couple hundred to even a thousand in price.
Color
We saved the best for last. Perhaps the most obvious determiner of a French bulldog puppy price is its appearance. More specifically, we mean the coat type, color, as well as markings. Certain colors are more popular than others, especially the rarer kinds.
The cream-colored Frenchies are quite common and will be priced lower than all black French bulldog pups with some white markings. One of the rarest is the blue French bulldog puppy, which can command thousands of dollars.
What Other Costs Can You Expect?
As we touched on earlier, the cost isn’t just the puppy itself. There are plenty of other considerations that will add to the final French bulldog price. What else do you need to prepare for? Let’s take a look.
Supplies
Even before you bring home your French bulldog puppy, you have to get your home ready for the new family member. This includes purchasing all your dog will need plus puppy-proofing your home.
Some basic supplies you will need are dog food for bulldogs and water bowls, a collar or two, a harness and leash, an ID tag if there isn’t one on the collar, a dog bed and crate, toys, basic grooming tools, clothes for cold winters, potty training accessories, and tools, the food.
Puppy-proofing your home is comparable to baby-proofing where you should pad sharp corners, and lock drawers and cabinets with dangerous contents you don’t want your dog to get into.
All the above-mentioned accessories are just the basics. As your dog grows in size, you can expect to replace a few of them such as the harness and leash. Since French bulldogs have sensitive skin, you may find that the initial food and shampoo you picked out for your Frenchie don’t sit well with him and the replacement can cost money too.
Once you make that initial investment, the subsequent months will just require replenishing of certain products, which will lessen the cost. Then comes the brand and type of product you choose.
We know plenty of dog owners that give their Frenchie the best of the best, which means that even though they purchase the same supplies, the cost is significantly higher because they pick the top-tier products. You’re looking at hundreds of dollars in difference and maybe even over 1000.
You may not need to get top-of-the-line nail clippers, but dog food is something we tell French bulldog owners to not skimp on. Because Frenchies are not the healthiest dog breed around, the first step to the prevention of health issues is a good diet.
Training
If you are a very experienced dog owner, then training might cost you less. However, we strongly advise training your French bulldog when he’s young. Although you can always teach an old dog new tricks, it becomes more difficult as your French bulldog ages. You don’t have to hire a personal dog trainer, simply enrolling your Frenchie in puppy classes with a group will do.
Being able to play with other dogs around his age will do wonders for his socialization as well.
Training isn’t very expensive, we’re looking at 1-200 for a series of classes, but in case your French bulldog is very misbehaved or suffers from trauma (as some rescues might), then the cost for training will increase. It’s more beneficial for traumatized pups to have 1-on-1 sessions.
Even if the cost isn’t significant, the amount of time you invest into taking your French bulldog to train and the effort you take to be consistent with the training is also an investment.
Vet Visits
Your French bulldogs will be fully vaccinated, neutered, or spayed when you adopt them from the shelter. If you have a newborn pup that you’re adopting from a breeder, then you will most likely be responsible for registering your pup, taking him or her in for the second and third shots, and all other medical procedures your French bulldog may need such as spaying and neutering.
Insurance
Speaking of vet visits, it may also be wise to get your Frenchie some pet insurance. Pet insurance is a great way to keep costs down in case your pet requires a big procedure. Since Frenchies can suffer from a slew of health issues, vet bills for these pups are also higher compared to healthier breeds such as huskies.
Owners of healthier dogs sometimes choose to set money aside just in case their dog requires extensive surgery. This way, the money will still be there if their dogs remain healthy well into old age and do not end up in the pockets of pet insurance companies.
Some pet insurance companies reserve the right to adjust the prices each year as they access the majority of the health of your dog breed. There are mixed feelings as to if insurance is worth it, but in case you want to acquire insurance for your Frenchie, that’s another factor that will run up your French bulldog price.
Grooming
French bulldogs don’t require as much grooming as some larger and more thick-coated breeds, but they still require maintenance. Nail trimming and baths are weekly and monthly procedures, but since your Frenchie is a small breed, you can do much of the grooming on your own.
We still recommend taking them to the professionals just for a good and thoroughly clean every once in a while. It’s not a good idea to constantly bathe your Frenchie, even if they do smell a little because of sensitive skin.
French Bulldog Health Issues
Speaking of sensitive skin and vet bills, it’s important to understand the breed’s health conditions to know what you are potentially in for. A French bulldog is a brachycephalic breed, which means they have short snouts and are prone to respiratory issues. Other dog breeds that suffer from brachycephaly include English bulldogs and pugs.
French Bulldogs do not have the strongest stomachs either. There are lots of Frenchie owners that report higher chances of diarrhea and loose stools.
Since a French bulldog has folds near his face and neck, those folds are susceptible to dermatitis and bacterial infections. In order to prevent this, French bulldog owners need to be extra vigilant when cleaning their dogs and ensure their skin folds are always clean and dry.
Other problems that are not only common in French bulldogs but other breeds as well include hip and elbow dysplasia, ear infections, and eye problems.
All of these issues can’t be helped as they largely hinge on genetics, but you can do your best to prevent your French bulldog from suffering if you invest in the best care and food.
Traveling and Identification
Having a child or fur baby shouldn’t be the end of your social life. You will want to travel with your human family members, and since Frenchies are brachycephalic, many airlines will not allow French bulldogs onboard.
This is not because they are discriminatory, but because flying could potentially be fatal to your pet. Even if the airline does allow your French bulldog to fly, it will also cost you extra to purchase a cargo ticket.
Then there is the constant worry of having your fur baby alone in the cargo hold and wondering if he’s okay. The stress that brings onto your shoulders is really not worth it. The alternative is to ground your French bulldog and look for dog boarding facilities or a dog babysitter.
Either one of these that you choose will add to the French bulldog price.
Depending on where you live, you also need to register, microchip, and maybe even purchase a license for your French bulldog. While it may not be super expensive, it is still an additional cost.
Is It Worth Paying a Premium?
Puppy mill breeders can still charge a premium for their puppies, but that’s less likely the case because a French bulldog will sell much faster at affordable prices.
While we understand that dogs are not a commodity, paying a premium can help filter out irresponsible breeders that may have French bulldog puppies that are not in excellent health. In this sense, you do “get what you pay for”.
The high price, of course, is a sort of guarantee for the well-being of your Frenchie. Not that the breeder will only take good care of a dog you pay high prices for, because no ethical breeder would do that.
The high price is for the breeder’s time and cares to breed their dogs carefully, without inbreeding, and to give the mom and puppies the best of the best care.
As we also mentioned, it also pays for some of the breeder’s efforts to acclimate and train their dogs to learn how to do their business outdoors or to use a pee pad and for creating training. These trainers are also often the ones that take the time to breed out chronic health conditions. So paying a premium for your French bulldog will more likely guarantee you one in better health.
Is paying a premium for your French bulldog a surefire way to guarantee you get the best of the bunch? No.
Paying thousands of dollars won’t protect your dog from poor health, and won’t make him or her extremely well-behaved. Having a well-behaved French bulldog that is in good health is largely dependent on the care and nurture the pup receives in his forever home.
How to Find a Reputable Breeder
You may be wondering how to find a reputable breeder. Let’s look at some red flags to look out for as well as some indications of what a good breeder should provide.
There are sources online from where you can find reputable breeders such as the American Kennel Club or breeder registries. That’s not to say you can’t rely on good old social media to find breeders, but that will require a lot of research, digging, and asking for proof on your part.
A responsible breeder you find online could be registered with a kennel club, so you can ask them for their certification.
Specializes in One or Two Breeds at Most
A responsible and reputable breeder will only breed one or two breeds at the very most. They won’t have every single popular dog breed available at low prices, because they want to give the best care possible to one litter at a time.
Doesn’t Have Puppies All Year Round
If you notice the breeder often has puppies available all throughout the year or has new litter every month, then that’s a scary red flag. One or two litters a year is the hallmark of a good and ethical breeder.
Has a Suitable Space for Puppies
A good breeder should have the necessary facilities to accommodate puppy care, mom care, and housing for the dogs. Their puppies are always clean, warm, well-fed and full of life, and happy. If the breeder is hesitant to let you visit or show you where the dogs are cared for, then that’s another red flag.
Registered or a Member of a Breed Club
The breeder should be a member of a kennel club or breed club, depending on which country you are in. You should be able to look them up or ask them to provide evidence. They will be experts on the breed and able to answer all the questions you may have and be very transparent with their process. They should also be able to tell the potential owner the health issues the puppy may have, the lineage, and anything else pertaining to their dogs.
Have a Contract
There should be a clearly outlined contract with stipulations such as a non-breeding clause and a clause that gives them the first claim to their puppies if you can no longer care for them. You need to feel like the breeder cares about the dog and what happens to the French bulldog even after it leaves their care.
They Don’t Let Puppies Younger than 8 Weeks Leave Their Care
Puppies younger than 8 weeks should not leave the mother as most can still be breastfeeding. If they are taken away from their moms too early, it could be detrimental to their development.
They Want to Know About You
The breeder needs to vet you as well. This ties into their concern for the dog even after it leaves it forever home. They will ask you questions about the environment in which you plan to raise your French bulldog, who lives in the home, if you have a fenced-off yard, etc.
Ethical Breeding Practices
We would suggest monitoring the breeder for a few months before purchasing one of their French bulldogs. They should outline which female is giving birth. Once a female French bulldog has given birth to 5 or 6 litters at most, the breeder should retire the female and not force any more litters. They also shouldn’t breed dogs younger than a year and a half and stop around 5 years old.
The exact timing and number of breeds will vary from French bulldog to a Tibetan mastiff, but the same logic applies – they don’t overbreed and overexert the females.
Health Guarantee
All breeders should provide a health guarantee outlining that they will take back their dog and refund you if the pup arrives unhealthy or sick within a certain time period. As much as it pains us to talk about a puppy as if it were an item, but the breeder will also stipulate replacing the sick pup with a new one.
Offers Lifetime Support
Because an ethical breeder should care about the dogs and want the best for them for the rest of their lives, they will offer all their clients a lifetime of support. This means you should be able to call them and ask them questions about your dog a month after adoption or even 10 years down the line and they will be happy to help.
Extra Tips for Finding the Right Breeder
Shipping
Many sites and experts such as humane societies will say breeders that meet up somewhere to hand the puppy over or shipping the puppy to you is a red flag, but we disagree.
In this day and age where puppies can be bred all over the world and international puppy rescue efforts, puppy shipping is quite common. We even have a few members on our team that have gotten their forever fur babies from different states.
You just need to make sure the dog is treated well and is taken care of on the flight. You should also look into the airline and look at their track record for shipping puppies. There are airlines that fly the dogs in the cargo hold, which is quite common, but there is a special section at the front that is pressurized just like the cabin.
The breeder will make sure the dog is warm during the plane ride and if water is allowed, they should have a hanging water bottle on the side of the crate.
Backyard Breeders
Some backyard breeders mean dogs harm. They could just be French bulldog owners that have gotten together and bred a one-off litter and are looking to sell those puppies.
Because let’s face it, keeping an entire litter is quite a lot of work.
They may be doing this for money, and have no knowledge of how to care for the newborns and the proper precautions to take to ensure their safety and adjustment before heading to their new homes.
This type of breeder may not mean any harm, but their puppies will probably not get the adequate care they need. It’s possible that they are experienced, and their French bulldogs turn out well, but just be a little wary of these breeders.
The price for these French bulldogs will also fall into a wide range and at that point, you’re not paying for pedigree, lineage, or health, but for appearance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are French bulldogs good house dogs?
Yes, we would say the French bulldog is definitely a good house dog. The size of a French bulldog is great for city life as they are a small breed and acclimate well to apartment living.
They are affectionate and friendly dogs that make great pets for families with kids. They do have a high amount of energy so they require lots of playtime and exercise but be sure not to over-expend them because it could trigger respiratory issues.
Why is the French bulldog so expensive?
A French bulldog is so expensive largely due to the demand. They were very popular a few years ago and that popularity has not diminished. The French bulldog price also depends on the breeding. If you have a purebred dog, it’s always pricier than a mixed breed.
The special colors, such as a blue French bulldog, will also command a higher price.
A french bulldog from a reputable breeder will also be more expensive because you aren’t just paying for the French bulldog, but also the care and time the breeder takes to make sure it is well cared for and maybe even some training is involved.
Why you shouldn’t buy a French bulldog?
You shouldn’t get a French bulldog, or any dog for that matter if you cannot dedicate the time, effort, and money needed to care for it. There are different classifications for dog breeds, such as hunting dogs, working dogs, and companion dogs.
The French bulldog falls into the third category of companion dogs. These dogs will need companionship that they often seek from their owners. If you don’t have the time to spare or if you are often away from home, your French bulldog will easily develop separation anxiety.
In general, if you do not have the means, space, time, patience, and money, it may not be the best idea to get a French bulldog.
Should I get a male or female French bulldog?
Whether you get a male or female French bulldog depends on your preference. Just like with human kids, females can be more subdued and males can be more mischievous, but this is just a generalization.
We have met our fair share of crazy female pups and cuddly males. Aside from the temperament, your consideration of getting a male or female French bulldog should be applied to the future.
For example, males mark their territory and can be more difficult to house train. Females have that time of the month that can be quite a hassle. When she gives off her fertile scent, you will need to ward off the males coming after her in every direction.
This problem is easily fixed through spaying, but the procedure is much more complicated than neutering and the recovery time is also longer.
Females can be more clingy and become Velcro dogs and develop separation anxiety. Male French bulldogs can do the same, so it really depends on your dog’s personality.
Conclusion
A French bulldog doesn’t come cheap, and now you know why. Many of the reasons why a French bulldog can be expensive can be applied to almost all other breeds. However, America’s most-loved dog, the Golden Retriever, is a very affordable dog breed despite the demand.
Of course, if you opt to go for a show dog, the price will still be quite significant. Unfortunately, adopting or purchasing your French bulldog through proper channels will end up costing you more, but in the end, you will end up saving quite a bit on healthcare.
Did You Know?
All dogs can swim, right? Wrong! Sure, the Frenchie can splash around and have fun in the water and maybe manage to swim a few feet, but their figure is not ergonomic for the water. If you plan on taking your French bulldog for a dip, we would suggest investing in a life jacket to make sure he can join in all the water fun.
We Think You’ll Like: How Tall is a French Bulldog
Expert Tip
The French bulldog is the epitome of a companion dog if there ever was one. This makes them cuddly, loving, and affectionate, but also very sensitive. Their sensitive nature makes them great service and therapy dogs, but it also gives them thin skin.
They won’t take a scolding lightly, and you may see your French bulldog taking it hard by sulking or moping around the house. If you do scold your French bulldog, make sure you make up with him soon after.
