Recently got a frenchie- worried by everything I am reading!? Advice

[Darklava09]

We recently got a frenchie, DS is 7 now and would enjoy the company and it’s a dog we’ve all looked at and thought would be a good fit for the family. I had read up on websites beforehand and spoke to people who have them.

People had warned me about the stubbornness and destructiveness but said they are good with kids and are generally a good breed to have.

However, I’ve been on forums and all I seem to read from frenchie owners is how much they chew, they can get separation anxiety and their allergies and diet! And how poorly they get! The people who I speak to had never mentioned that there’s was ever poorly or destructive. I feel duped

Any advice? I feel like I have puppy blues and can’t seem to shake the feeling like I’ve made a huge mistake.

I’m worried that because we both work full time that he may get anxiety and might misbehave. However, we sometimes work from home and there is people to let him out on occasions. I also worry that he will chew everything in sight and am stressed that he may be an ill frenchie who sees the vets regularly and worry about the cost of keeping him healthy!! I never realised that their insurance premiums would be so high... we’re getting insurance but can only afford a certain amount so am worried I case something big happens!

I can’t shake the worry! Any positive frenchie parents out there!!

Why do people get dogs like this without any research? 8 hours a day left alone for a puppy? Baffling.

Duped? You didn’t do your due diligence. I’ve never researched this breed but even I know how much hard work they can be. And you don’t get a dog to be company to a child who’s at school all day. I would say hand it back to the breeder but I bet they’re a puppy farmer who wouldn’t insist on this being in the contract. No decent breeder would sell you a puppy if you’re out at work all day and CBA to pay for doggy daycare. Poor fucking dog.

This has to be a wind up. That poor pup :(

It’s NOT a common thing these days to buy a puppy for your/your children’s pleasure basically for a couple of hours a day and the poor little thing, separated from its mummy and siblings gets left alone all day crying and lonely.

Even good dog charities will not sell you a dog if you both work full time. And they are desperate to rehome pets, but they put the animals’ needs first.

You have made a decision based on emotion not common sense. You are actually being cruel. You’ve done no research and haven’t even gotten insurance yet for the breed which i believe is top of the insurers list for things going wrong. I hope it came with insurance from the breeder. The minute something goes wrong you then have a “pre existing condition” and it will cost you more to re-insure with a them and other companies can occasionally refuse to take you at all or make the premiums so high they are unaffordable.

Either take it back to the breeder or get another mid aged dog (a crossbreed housetrained rescue if poss if a charity will sell you one) to keep it company. Oh and get a dog walker. It’s unlikely your pup will housetrain itself. Your house will be covered in shit forever as nobody is around to provide a consistent message of where to do the toilet. Even with the walker. They cost around £12-£15 an hour here with a discount for second dogs. So that’s going to be £75 tops a week for your pup and another £50 for it’s discount fare companion. So that’s around £500-£600 a month. Bet you didn’t factor that in. I recommend you take it back to the breeder and say your circa have changed, and just walk a neighbours dog or go on walkmydoggie or whatever that site is called. Tenner a year membership I think.
Sorry OP, just calling it as I see it.

8 hours is nearly the entire day!

No way a young puppy will cope with that, ANY breed of puppy will get separation anxiety with that amount of time alone I would think.

And as for his nostrils being checked and breathing fine, I highly doubt that.

Wide open nostril nares (which is what I assume the vet meant) are better but the dog is still likely to have restricted breathing ability.

I have yet to meet a Frenchie that doesn't make an audible raspy sound on exercising.

Wolfie makes a good point about decent breeders. Either OP lied to the breeder about how long the dog will be left for or he's come from an irresponsible breeder/ puppy farm meaning he's even more likely to develop health issues,which OP doesn't seem too keen on paying for.

Honestly OP puppy blues is normal but on this occasion I think you really have made a big mistake.

Most breeds will be destructive and badly behaved if left alone all day.

I’m sorry OP but, yes, this has been a naive mistake at best. It’s totally wrong to leave a dog, never mind a puppy, on its own for so long. I’m amazed you could think it was okay! Attitudes like this are one of the reason rescue centres are full. Please take him back to the breeder before you do more damage.

You need to get a dog walker/sitter.

I work full time and am out of the house for 8 hours at least. My 5 month old puppy is on her own for 3 hours then a dog walker comes to sit with her for 2 hours then she's on her own for another 3/4 hours. She is fine with this because it's now routine. I could never leave her for the whole day.

Your pup will never be able to toilet train if you don't have someone there! I would get a dog walker immediately

I have a Frenchie, he's nearly 5 and I got him when he was 2.5 years. Not really experienced any health issues apart from usual dog problems that aren't breed specific, for example ear infections once or twice.

He's very well behaved but is a chewer so make sure things like tv remotes and shoes are out of reach if we go out.

However, I can imagine if he was left for 8 hours alone I would come home to carnage and I wouldn't blame him!

I work full-time but have a dog walker who collects him, walks him and drops him with my retired parents for the rest of the day till I pick him up on the way home.

You can't leave a dog and especially a young one for 8 hours on any sort of regular basis and frankly I wouldn't do it at all. Please think about either not getting the dog, having a better alternative than the odd person popping in ad/hoc, or rehome him sooner rather than later

@Darklava09 I realise you are unlikely to come back to this thread, but please take on board what's been said. I know it's not easy to hear, and it's unfortunately a mistake many people make. A reputable breeder would not have let you have the dog knowing the circumstances it would be moving into, but if the puppy has come from somewhere less reputable (ie a puppy farm) you should hopefully be able to rehome via a specific breed rescue.

Hopefully, if you have managed to find the £££ to buy the puppy, you should be able to find the £££ to fund doggy daycare too. If you want any help or pointers please PM me (I work with dogs.) Good luck!

I have a Frenchie and adore him.
I researched for an excellent breeder and waited 2 years for him. He has a long nose and large nostrils.
He also emigrated with me from NZ to the Uk last year.
Frenchies are not a type of dog that thrives by itself, they need company most of the time, he does not destroy anything and not anymore of a chewer than any other puppy I've ever had.
A dog - any dog can not be left by its self for 8 hours a day, he will be distructive during this time as he is bored and stressed 😩

How could you not find all this out until now? We liked the look of Frenchies but we only read up about them for about 5 minutes before we realised all their potential health problems would be too much.

I think if this is really how you feel and you can't afford the insurance then you should rehome him now, because if you can't afford insurance how will you afford a medical bill for him??

Please, in future do some actual research before you buy a puppy again.

My sister has one, and it does have some health problems, but nothing terrible.
So what’s your plan for starting to leave it? It’s good to build up gradually, starting with just a few minutes.

Leave a PUPPY for 8 hours a day ?
Words fail me

You need daycare for the pup. And you need to be prepared to put in some work.

My boy is eighteen months old. He's a calm, placid breed. I would leave him for four hours maximum - it's just not fair. He has 8.30 - 11am on his own twice a week - the rest of the time he is with one of us or at daycare. Didn't start leaving him for that long until he was eighteen weeks.

FFF why do people like you get dogs?!?
That's why there are so many animals in shelters!!

Oh dear OP.

I think you've made a massive massive mistake.

OP just because lots of people leave their dogs alone all day, it doesn't make it okay.

Lots of people smoke while pregnant. Lots of people cheat on their spouses. Lots of people cheat the welfare system. Still not okay even if it's common.

Also I have no idea how you apparently researched this breed and didn't know about the health issues. I've never owned or known a French Bulldog yet still know about the issues.

I don't normally chime in on threads like these, but you absolutely can't leave a dog alone for 8 hours a day, even a fully trained adult dog. People who have dogs and work full time (like me!) pay dog walkers to come in every single day. You're setting yourself and your new dog up for misery. Please consider not having a dog - get a cat or something more self sufficient. Dogs just can't be left alone for that long, it's cruel.

Please tell us you at least ensured the parents were fully health checked and you got it from a responsible breeder who will take it back and find it a proper home before it becomes another sad statistic at the rescue? (although I doubt it, because no responsible breeder would have sold you one of their pups with your circumstances)

You have royally fucked up here and unfortunately it is the poor pup that will be the one to suffer.

There is no way a responsible breeder would have sold you a puppy knowing you were going to leave it alone that much. No way.

FWIW I have a dog who's breed is know for many of those traits and as a puppy she was extremely hard work. A lot of time and training later, she's a total joy but I really had to put that time in. I would never leave her for 8 hours even as an adult dog who's been trained to be left alone for periods. It wouldn't be fair.

I have a 7 year old frenchie and we extensively researched the breed before getting him from a reputable breeder in order to hopefully minimise any potential health problems. However, despite this he has suffered with IVDD which resolved.

He's never been destructive or suffered separation anxiety when left. He loves his bed and sleeps if we go out. We have kept him on the food the breeders fed him which is Fish for dogs and have never and any problem with that.

He is extremely stubborn but very food orientated so training was possible using food as a reward.

In our experience, frenchies have excellent temperaments, very loving, quite needy, excellent with children and very rarely bark. Insurance is through the roof but they are generally superb dogs.

I'm quite relaxed about dogs but you cannot leave a 10 week old puppy alone for 8 hours. It's cruel.

I have three dogs and i am lucky enough to be able to take them to work with me. If i ever go out for the day without them I pay someone to come and walk them. Poor poor pupper.