The AKC has just released two very important graphics (for free use and distribution) as reminders to all fur parents. Being that I love all of you, my readers, and thereby also love your frenchies, too, I wanted to share these with you. If you’re in an area with hot summer weather, please remember that french bulldog overheating is a real problem. On top of that, summer also means lawn care and for many of us, the use of chemicals on our lawns that may be poisonous and deadly to our frenchies. Remember how a tiny mushroom cost The Rock his Frenchie? This is the importance of monitoring your yard and ensuring your frenchie’s safety in the hot summer months.
I’m sure to most of you these are common sense no-brainers, but in the interest of the safety of all french bulldogs the world over, please remember the following:
On top of this, I will also remind everyone that french bulldogs suffer from stenotic nares and inherently labored breathing. Like all brachycephalic dog breeds, French Bulldogs have difficulty breathing during hot weather. Furthermore, french bulldogs can easily “overheat” and die from heat exhaustion due to their thick undercoat. Frenchies naturally do better in temperate, cooler climates. Never, ever leave your french bulldog in your car; never, under no circumstances. If the president stops you in the middle of the road and commands you to get out of your car, you better take your frenchie with you.
How to Prevent French Bulldog Overheating
To keep your french bulldog from overheating during the summer months, always provide lots of cool, fresh water to your frenchie. We like to give our french bulldogs ice cubes and they love them. We give them ice cubes even when they’re inside. Outside, we have an arsenal of tools to keep our french bulldogs happy and cool.
- Get a kiddie pool for your french bulldog
- Teach your french bulldog how to swim
- Get your french bulldog a life jacket for swimming
- Get your french bulldog a cooling gel mat to lay on
- Wrap a bandana soaked with ice-cold water around your french bulldog’s neck
- Limit outside play time to 20-30 minute intervals, with breaks inside with the air conditioner or a large box fan running
- Your frenchie will naturally seek cold flooring to lay on, like tile or vinyl. Make sure they have access to non-carpeted areas.
- Mist your french bulldog with a squirt bottle on their belly. Make sure the spray is misty and not a solid jolt of water, or else your french bulldog may think they’re being punished.
- Provide lots and lots of cold, fresh drinking water.
- Give your frenchie ice cubes to suckle and gnaw on.
- Never leave your french bulldog outside on a hot day.
- Never leave your french bulldog in a car unattended.
- Get your World’s Most Effective Frenchie Toothbrush :
Other Tips to Keep Your French Bulldog Safe During the Summer Weather
- Don’t use chemicals to treat your yard. Just mow the grass and keep it clean.
- Store dangerous chemicals, yard tools, and other hazardous materials in a place your french bulldog cannot reach.
- Comb through your yard and pluck any poisonous plants such as “Poke weed”.
- Pluck all mushrooms growing in your yard, no matter if they’re poisonous or not. Mushrooms can be deadly to dogs.
- Don’t use pesticides in your garden or anywhere near areas where your french bulldog plays.
- Monitor your french bulldog while they’re outside playing.
- Monitor everything your french bulldog chews on. Provide toys to chew on instead of sticks and limbs.
I love your site; it has sincerely helped me raise my Frenchie! I do want to ask about the suggestion of giving them ice cubes. My vet told me that ice cubes can damage dogs’ teeth. Is this true? If so, are there other things I can give my dog to munch on to help keep her cool?
We are humbled to hear from you. We are honored to be any kind of resource that we can for french bulldog parents like yourself!
Veterinarians mostly caution against giving dogs ice cubes because of the force dogs use to break ice cubes as they chew on them. Dogs use their pointed molars (1st lower and 4th premolars for most breeds) to chew on things. When you give your baby an ice cube, their natural tendency is to chew it with such force that it breaks the cube, causing their teeth to “snap” together with a large amount of force. In short, it can cause them to break their teeth.
That said, we give our frenchies ice cubes during the warmer months, but we just monitor them and limit how many and how often we give ice cubes to them. Like most things, just keep an eye on it and you’ll be just fine.
Hi Jordan!
Love your website! So many helpful tips! Wanted to get your honest opinion about cooling jackets/vests. Do you use them? If so, what do you recommend? I purchased the Ruffwear Swamp Cooler, but it was too bulky, and didn’t keep my frenchie cool. Anyway, just wanted to know your thoughts.
Amanda
Hey Amanda, thank you for your kind words. I do have a cooling vest that was given to me for my largest male french bulldog. It does seem to work and keep him cooler than he would be without, but I get the sense that he also doesn’t want to play as hard because he’s wearing the vest. He appears to dial back his playfulness when wearing it, which isn’t really a problem, I just feel like he “knows” he has it on, haha. That said, the ones where you can slip in reusable chilled gel packs are great.
hello,
do you recommend using any of the cooling pads they have out on the market ? I have seen a bunch of them with mixed reviews. thanks