Why NOT to Buy Cheap French Bulldogs

French Bulldogs are more popular than ever: who wouldn’t want a goofy, adorable and loving companion?! We are getting lots of inquiries about our pups every day, and we constantly see that many people are not really familiar with the costs of this breed. Why can’t you buy a quality Frenchie for a couple of hundreds or even thousands and what’s the problem with cheap French Bulldogs? In this article we explain everything!

Frenchies are expensive, and not without reason

There’s no way around it, French Bulldogs are one of the most expensive dog breeds. If you’ve read our Ultimate French Bulldog Price List, you know that a quality Frenchie’s average price from a reputable breeder is around 5,300 USD, but basically anything is possible from 3,500 to 30,000 USD. If you’re thinking that this amount seems excessive for a lap dog, we get it. Many people don’t understand why they should pay thousands more for a Frenchie if they could buy one for let’s say 1,500 USD. That’s the exact reason why we’ve written this article!

Breeding costs of Frenchies

So why do Frenchies cost a lot more than other bully breeds? The first and most important answer is that breeding them is much more difficult and expensive, requiring special methods and practices from breeders. A French Bulldog has a unique anatomy: their narrow hips and short legs make natural mating rather problematic. Because of that, females need to be artificially inseminated with the help of a vet, which is a costly procedure. 

Another challenge is that Frenchie moms shouldn’t deliver their puppies naturally due to their narrow hips and the pups’ big heads, so the breeder needs to have a C-section done on her. That is by far the safest method for both the mom and the pups, and again comes at a considerable cost. 

After the surgery, the mother needs some time to heal so it is the breeder’s sole responsibility to care for the pups in their first few weeks. They need to be fed every three hours and supervised constantly; they cannot be left alone with their mom as she might accidentally roll over and smother them. As you can imagine, this kind of full-time care is time-consuming and expensive.

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As the puppies get bigger and stronger, they need to be regularly checked by a vet to make sure they are developing well and to administer the necessary shots, de-wormers, anti-parasite treatment and microchipping. Health screenings like echocardiograms also need to be performed to ensure the pups are as healthy as possible when they join their new owners. Needless to say, these examinations also come at a considerable cost.

Popularity of Frenchies

The second reason that explains the high prices of Frenchies is the increasing demand for them. During recent years they’ve become more popular than ever, the AKC currently ranking them the 2^nd most popular dog breed in the USA. People simply love them for their unique personality and looks, but such popularity has its downsides as well. A high demand not only means higher prices, but it also attracts people with false intentions who will take any opportunity to get rich. More about that in the next section!

Cheap French Bulldogs: what can a low price tag signal?

Now that you know why Frenchies are so expensive, you probably wonder why you can still see some considerably cheaper offers on the internet, starting from a couple of hundred dollars up to couple of thousands. Let’s see why you shouldn’t be tempted by cheap French Bulldogs!

Online scam

We’ve all heard this so many times: if something seems too good to be true, it probably isn’t! It may sound cliché, but in the case of Frenchie prices that certainly holds true. You wouldn’t believe how many scammers are out there, who use amazing deals to trick people into buying a puppy that doesn’t exist. They know all the tricks to look real: they use photos and videos of puppies from other breeders and they write fake reviews about themselves. 

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Unfortunately, we hear stories from adopters about having been scammed on a regular basis. What makes us even sadder is that some of these scammers are using our brand, name and photos to rip people off! You may think that could never happen to you, but one can never be too careful. Part of our mission is to fight against scammers and educate adopters about how they can recognize false intentions, so please read our article on how to avoid French Bulldog scams. 

Puppy farms

If you think that scammers are horrible, wait until we tell you about puppy farms or puppy mills run by unethical breeders, also known as backyard breeders. They are the ones who saw the increasing demand for French Bulldogs as an opportunity to make money by breeding and selling these pups merely for the profit. Needless to say, most of them have no idea what it takes to breed healthy Frenchies, and what’s even sadder that the vast majority of them doesn’t even care about that! For them, profit always comes first. 

Due to the low selling prices, these breeders can’t afford the best quality food, vet, shots and vitamins for the puppies. They keep the poor babies in tiny places where they are not even able to learn how to run! They don’t do health checks on their dogs before starting to breed them either, resulting in some serious health issues. It’s no secret that French Bulldogs are prone to several health problems like IVDD, hip dysplasia or breathing difficulties, which doesn’t mean that they will be developed for certain. In fact, unethical Frenchie breeders are the reasons why the breed gained a reputation for being unhealthy.

Genetics affect a French Bulldog’s lifespan to a huge degree, and only a trusted and reputable breeder can guarantee that you receive a healthy and strong puppy from a quality bloodline. A breeder like that is extremely selective about the breeding parents; they know the bloodlines for generations and exclude any Frenchie that shows any possibility of carrying a health issue. They always give you a Health Guarantee with their puppies and take responsibility if something goes wrong. An unethical breeder will do none of these things!

So, now you see that you might save money at first by choosing a cheap French Bulldog, but later on you will leave a fortune at the vet, not to mention the stress both you and the puppy will go through!

Always buy from a reputable breeder!

In the previous sections, we tried to present all the dangers that you might face when adopting cheap French Bulldogs. After learning all that, we hope you’ll agree that getting your Frenchie puppy from reputable French Bulldog breeders is the only safe option if you’d like a happy and healthy family member for at least a decade. 

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At this point you might ask, how do you know if you’re choosing a reputable breeder and not an unethical one or even a scammer? Below we’ll share the 3 most important questions from our Ultimate Checklist to choose the right French Bulldog breeder. Always ask yourself and the breeder these before reserving a Frenchie puppy!

1. How does the breeder keep the puppies?

Ask them about how and where the pups spend their days. The first few weeks are essential in the development of a dog: if they are squeezed into small kennels rather than being able to run freely, their muscles won’t grow properly. Also, if they rarely see humans, it’ll be much harder to socialize them later on.

2. How do they talk about the pups?

If a breeder talks about their Frenchies like products, they most probably treat them and think of them as products! 

3. Are they ready to show you the pup via video call?

This is a crucial question. Unethical breeders and scammers try to escape this request and come up with excuses why they can’t show a puppy. You should always be able to see a Frenchie on a video call before reserving them.

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If you’d like to learn more about Frenchies, join our Facebook group called TomKings Frenchie Family to read our Frenchie parents’ experiences!

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Bonnie, the luxurious

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Cashmere, the soft

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Luca, the lucky

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Daniel, the dancer

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Samuel, the superpup

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Rambo, the brave

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Rambo, the brave

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Sandy, the sweet

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Linda, the lovely

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Grant, the gallant

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The article is based on the expert knowledge of the TomKings Puppies team who have been breeding French Bulldogs for 10 years on their farm. All the pictures in the post belong to them and their customers, and show puppies from their breed. Check their available French Bulldog puppies, or if you have any questions or comments let us know below the article.