Can French Bulldogs Swim At All?
I find a lot of people asking me when they see my Frenchie in his life jacket “Can French Bulldogs swim?!” The short answer is No. French Bulldogs cannot swim. They will sink like rocks in a pond. I am 100% serious when I say this, pay close attention: your French Bulldog can drown within seconds if they fall into water above their heads. Get that?
I’ll say it again: French Bulldogs cannot swim on their own. You must watch your French Bulldog like a newborn child when they’re near any kind of water deeper than a few inches. THEY CAN DROWN.
That said, French Bulldogs can be taught how to swim while wearing a well-fitting life jacket or life vest. Note well: this requires 100% constant supervision. You should never, under any circumstances, leave your French Bulldog alone near water or outside on a hot day. You can kill your dog if you leave them alone near water above their head. Read our french bulldog life jacket post for a rundown on your options.
Can French Bulldogs Swim in a Life Jacket or Life Vest?
French bulldogs cannot swim without a life vest and constant supervision!
Yes. French Bulldogs can be taught to swim while wearing an approved and well-fitting life jacket or life vest. It is important to watch your French Bulldog any time they are near water. Never leave your French Bulldog alone near water.
We like this brand for a french bulldog life jacket, they tend to fit pretty well. Note: our 30lbs (ole pork boy) male French Bulldog wears a small.
PetMD recommends actively teaching your Frenchie to swim using “the buddy system”. The buddy system is just swimming with your dog using a ritual approach by praising your pet before, during, and after a swimming session, along with a treat for properly exiting the water. PetMD goes further to suggest that you could actively train your pet to exit a swimming pool or other small body of water as an added safety precaution–using lots of treats along the way, of course. [1]
Woofipedia also suggests that on top of using a life jacket, you should teach your dog to enter and exit the water on their own, helping them along the way. They also suggest practicing swimming in water without currents. [2] This is especially important for French Bulldogs because they do not have a snout to help keep their breathing pathway above even the smallest waves. Their head nearly sits beneath the water, even when wearing a life jacket. Their faces are just too smushed! So, always watch your Frenchie near water or while they’re swimming (with a life jacket) to be sure their heads do not go under.
Can French Bulldogs Swim in a Kiddie pool or Baby pool?
Yes! It’s actually something we preach to everyone who has a French Bulldog. “You have to get one of these little pools.” French Bulldogs can die from overheating. Frenchies love kiddy pools! These little children’s swimming pools are great for French Bulldogs:
My biggest complaint about these cheap plastic pools is that they’re impossible to transport. We travel a lot and love to take our dogs. French Bulldogs can die in just a matter of hours if they’re outside on a hot day. You MUST provide a way for your French Bulldog to cool off while they play outside. These little pools are great but they’re limited to use at home. I found an awesome collapsible pool for dogs on Frenchie Shop that works just as well as these little pools and they’re made for Frenchie-sized dogs, too, so they’re much safer than swimming in creeks, lakes, ponds, or oceans! The best part is that it’s collapsible, so it can be folded up and put in your car when you and are dog are going to play somewhere all day.
So, there you have it! French Bulldogs CANNOT swim on their own. They must have a life jacket or life vest and you MUST watch them or swim with them the ENTIRE TIME they’re near water.
Remember:
“Can French Bulldogs Swim Alone?”
“NEVER! Constant supervision or do not leave your Frenchie near water!”
can french bulldogs swim, french bulldogs water, french bulldog life jacket
Hi Jordan, enjoyed reading your blog. Thank you for providing the information about French bulldogs. I live in Manhattan but at some point in the future I would be interested in getting one when we relocate to Florida. Thanks for the useful information!
Thanks for stopping in and reading, Pete! We truly appreciate it and we’re humbled to hear from other French Bulldog fans like yourself!
We have 2 Frenchies and one hates water but the other one quite likes paddling and whilst I would always watch her near water she has been in deeper water and she can definitely swim!!
It blows my mind how well french bulldog’s can swim sometimes! I’ve seen some French Bulldogs (and Bostons and Pugs) sink like rocks the second they touched the water, then I’ve heard and seen plenty of people tell me that their french bulldog’s are natural swimmers. I guess, like humans, they’re just not all the same.
We love taking our big cream boy swimming. He loves the water and he’ll even fetch if there isn’t a lot of competition. Good to hear from you, Susan. Thanks for reading!
My sister has a french bull dog and I’ve always wondered how she would do in water if I took her to a lake or something. I had no idea that they would sink like rocks like this article mentions. It’s probably not a good idea to bring them on vacation if you are going to be around water.
Hey Jay,
Most breeds that are “short” and “stubby” have difficult swimming by virtue of their physical dimensions. Border Collies and Labradors make incredible swimmers because of their long legs and wide paws. French Bulldogs, Boston Terriers (on the chunkier end of the spectrum), Pugs, English Bulldogs, and other brachycephalic breeds are just too short and stumpy to create adequate lift with their short legs and high body mass ratios.
That said, nearly all of these breeds can be taught to swim with regular training and a good life jacket. Our big ole chunky Auggie loves swimming now!
P.S. Are you a breeder?
Hmm??.
I have a pool and my guy Trigger comes in with me everyday and swims just fine. Now having said that I don’t think I’d let him in the pool by himself.
Hi there, before getting my frenchie boy I read about swimming issues they had. We did go out and buy him a baby pool like many recommended for hot summer days. Well, while out hiking one day, he charged full force into the pond following the other dogs, turns out he swims like a champ! He absolutely loves water and swimming!! He’s 1 1/2 and out swims all his doggy friends.
Mine swims! Would you like to see the videos?
Heck yeah! We love swimming frenchies, they’re hilarious! Hit us up at web@allaboutfrenchies.com
my French bull dog ran away once i was chasing him and he swam about 10 meters at meters depth
That’s awesome! They’re stubborn as hell, but funny!
I’m so glad frenchies are still able to swim as long as we put a doggie life jacket on them. It’d be such a bummer to have to deprive your doggos of playing in the water just because they’re… “not designed for aquatic use”.
“Not designed for aquatic use” just gave me a serious laugh. Thank you, Steven!
Some can swim but to be safe go by the rule if they cannot swim, after wearing a life vest if u feel comfortable u can let it swim while u supervise it and are close enough to jump in and save it if need or close enough in the pool
Also YouTube it if u doubt it
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My Frenchie swims too and she dives! The first time she went into a lake I threw myself in to save her (in winter). She calmly swam over to save me.
I had a French bulldog miniature and it used to swim he passed away of natural death he was old so we got a new one we was comfortable with it we let it outside do you still play out Side . One day my mother said she saw the dog hopping and fell into the pool less than 10 seconds we jumped in and the dog passed away. It didn’t take long he must of died in seconds it was very sad to see a small dog drown like they say it sank like a rock
We have frenchies and one swims for survival only he hates Swimming. Our female loves to swim but we still put a vest on her to make swimming fun and not so strenuous. She also dives in the pool and loves to go down the pool slide. If there is a float matress in the pool she is on it. We just had her AI and she whelped naturally ( vet on call) she had 7 perfect puppies. She is nursing all and all are getting fat. Love our frenchies. Born October 11,2019 4 male 3 female. Had X-ray taken week before due date. Vet called out 6 but I saw 7. Yes 7th is a runt. Getting fat and all quite healthy.
Both our Frenchies are awesome swimmers and don’t require life jackets. They love swimming so much,. They are little champions in the water.😊
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