What is the best age to pick up a French Bulldog puppy? So, you’re ready to become a fur parent of a cute and sweet French Bulldog and you’re 100% certain that you can take on the responsibility.
Before you do, know that you should not pick up a French Bulldog for sale and take it away from its mother until it’s the right age of at least 8 to 9 weeks old.
In this article, we’ll discuss the stages of development of a newborn puppy, and what to expect from this adorable fellow in their first weeks of life.
When Can a French Bulldog Puppy Leave Its Mother Dog?
Let me reiterate this. Before picking up a French Bulldog puppy for sale, it should be at least 8 to 9 weeks of age. As they’re newborn puppies, it still needs the care, nurturing, and weaning from their mother.
Otherwise, your new little fur pal whose breed is known to be emotional might exhibit behavioral problems or worse suffer from health issues. That’s why you shouldn’t take it away from its mother too soon.
Certain cases to separate them earlier should only be if their mother died or have contagious diseases like Canine parvovirus. In such cases, the breeder will need to wean the newborn pup with a special milk formula. Typically, a veterinarian will also get involved in the French Bulldog care.
When you take your new French Bulldog home, you’ll become its mother who will nurture and look after it.
But why is a French Bulldog not ideal for rehoming before eight weeks of age?
When French Bulldog puppies leave their mother? Both dog enthusiasts and breeders recognize that puppies, no matter their breed, should not be separated from their littermates and mothers before eight weeks of age. Many of them would refuse the re-homing of puppies before they reach this age because more likely than not they’ll exhibit behavioral problems, including anxiety, when separated earlier.
The best time to pick up your French Bulldog is at two months old at least to ensure that they’re properly weaned. At this age, they’ll also be a little independent and won’t need nursing. These puppies, as they’re entirely weaned, are ready for solid foods and be with their new family – YOU.
In addition, puppies will have undergone essential developmental stages as they’re growing, something they need for overall well-being.
The crucial three to five weeks are very important for their socialization stage wherein they’re taught French bulldog skills, such as relating to their mother and littermates.
It’s also the time when they learn dog subtleties. Thus, removing them from their mother between three to five weeks might lead to problems, like when interacting with other dogs later, destructiveness, and reactivity to noises, can also surface.
So, if you’re buying a lilac French Bulldog, or a merle french bulldog or a fluffy french bulldog, you should avoid breeders who are trying to sell underage puppies. Also, know there are legal age restrictions depending on the state when a puppy can be offered for sale.
Plus, there’s no reason to separate a puppy away from its mother too early. So, again beware of breeders who are trying to make a quick sale. Choose a responsible and ethical breeder if you’re serious about taking care of a healthy French Bulldog puppy.
What to Expect If You Take Home an 8-Week-Old Puppy
- It will cry and whine because of separation from siblings and mothers.
- It might chew everything they could get their mouth on.
- You’ll have to feed it thrice a day.
- It will seek constant attention and love from you.
- You’ll have to clean up the mess around your home.
Nevertheless, your newfound joy will shower you with love, so it’s going to be fun. However, take your job seriously and be a loving fur parent. Just like a newborn baby, your sweet little puppy needs consistent and gentle care.
A French bulldog puppy, whether it is a lilac French Bulldog or fluffy French Bulldog, does well as a house pet because they are sociable and don’t require a lot of exercise. However, they can be hard to train, so early and proper training is important. It is not a difficult breed to train, though, but you need to use motivation and incorporate games into the training.
Early training is recommended because it can be stubborn even if it is known as a people pleaser. You and your breeder teach it new skills early on to help it form good habits and to ensure it will grow into a good puppy.
In addition, French bulldogs get along well with humans and other pets and often have large personalities, making them lovable, friendly, and entertaining companions. Generally, they are well-tempered and intelligent, too.
The developmental stages of a French Bulldog puppy
At birth
Your French Bulldog puppy, such as a lilac French Bulldog, is blind and deaf and can’t regulate its body temperature. Its eyelids are also closed. As days go by, it will also develop its ability to control its body temperature and sense of sight.
While you might not notice all the milestones that your new little fellow achieves in the first days and weeks of its life, it is important because these will eventually shape its life as well as you’ll develop an understanding of its personality.
Doing so will help you develop a strong bond with your French Bulldog puppy. Understanding it will help you raise and grow a healthy and happy dog, not an aggressive and stubborn adult dog.
First to Fourth Week
During these times, French Bulldog puppies sleep and nurse from their mother, not eating any solid food yet. When it comes to body development, their eyes, nose, and ears start functioning well for them, typically around the third week after birth.
During the first week, their weight will double and their sense of scent and touch will be a bit functional. In the next week, the eyelids and ears will start to open. For their sound, they’ll make cute yelps, barks, and whines.
Puppies, such as a fluffy French Bulldog, are also with their mother at this time and away from many people. They are very sensitive and emotional and separation from their mothers could negatively affect them.
And as I’ve said, French bulldog puppies can exhibit negative characteristics and emotional behavior if they’re separated from their littermates and mother very soon. Doing this can have a long-term impact on them and make them develop to become nasty dogs in their adult doggy hood.
At week three, your breeder will usually give basic training to the French Bulldog puppy. This can involve separate sleeping and play areas.
They may also notice that the puppy is eating their poop at this stage, but it will naturally learn to stop this either naturally or with help from its mother that is going to teach her pups the basics of how to be a dog as well as social skills and respect of their littermates.
The following four to eight weeks
When the puppy is in its fourth week, it may be moving away from the sleeping area and whelping box because it can start exploring and perhaps socializing with humans, siblings, and the world in general.
Your breeder will also have started weaning it from its mother starting from the fourth week.
When at six to eight weeks, breeders will have it vaccinated and then give it boosters every three to four weeks as part of French Bulldog puppy care per the recommendation of a veterinarian.
By the time the French Bulldog is between 16 and 17 weeks old, it has completed its vax and boosters. Some of these important vaccines are parvovirus, distemper, canine adenovirus, and parainfluenza.
A vet may also recommend a bordetella vaccine that is typically done after 13 weeks, while parvovirus around seven weeks. It is then followed by DHPP three to four weeks later. Between four to eight weeks, solid food may be introduced, too, with the puppy’s teeth starting to develop.
French bulldog puppies, such as a lilac French Bulldog, will also start developing emotional intelligence and social skills around four to eight weeks when in their pack in which they learn following a pecking order.
Part of these skills, puppies will start developing their temperaments like the dominant one eating first while the less dominant puppies are more laid back. At this age, they also begin looking beyond their mother.
At eight weeks at least, your breeder might give you a call telling you to pick your French Bulldog puppy after completing some formalities.
The Critical First Days of Your French Bulldog with You
Separating a French Bulldog puppy from its family can be a stressful time for it. It is used to living in a pack and needs its parents to live and survive in its first months. Being taken away from its family for the first time, expect a lot of restlessness, howling, whining, and squealing from it.
While you might be tempted to put it in the garage or basement or any part of your home where it can’t be heard, doing this will just increase its restlessness and anxiety.
Be patient and try to understand it. Instead of isolating it, find a place where it can feel more at home. Among your family members, assign who will play with the puppy for the first few days. Giving it more attention can make it feel relaxed and relieved from the recent separation from its family.
