If you’re going to take your frenchie near water (of any kind), you must purchase them a fitting life jacket. French bulldogs cannot swim without a life jacket. French bulldogs are top heavy and sink like rocks. Even while watching your french bulldog, they can drown in seconds. So, we’re running the best french bulldog life jacket options for your fur baby. Below, we’ll provide links, images, and information about the Shark Life Vest Jacket. This is our #1 pick for a life jacket for your frenchie. We have chosen this specific brand after testing more than 10 different life jackets on our french bulldog, Auggie. We determined the Shark life vest jacket to be the absolute best based on fit, materials, and overall performance to suspend Frenchie’s 30lbs tubbiness in the water.
Be sure to read our post about swimming with your french bulldog. It’s very important that you understand that french bulldogs can drown and die within seconds if they’re not wearing a life jacket. French bulldogs must be trained to swim. Even then, they must always wear a life jacket and be supervised while playing near water. This is non-negotiable.
If you’re worried the fit of your french bulldog life jacket, jump down below the list to see the sizing chart. After that, make your decision based on those measurements. We use a tailors measuring tape for our frenchies.
Our Pick for the Best French Bulldog Life Jacket
- Shark Life Vest Jacket – The small adjusts perfectly to fit our 30lbs Frenchie pictured above
This is our #1 pick for a french bulldog life jacket. The quality is unbeatable. It can float a 30lb french bulldog no problem. This is the best french bulldog life jacket because it actually has flotation pads beneath the stomach area of the life vest. The other vests do not. Plus, it’s the only life jacket our french bulldog didn’t hate wearing. The price is a little steep, but it’s worth it. You’ll crack up when you see your frenchie plop in the water!
See a french bulldog life jacket being put to use!
French Bulldog Life Jacket Size Chart
If you’re concerned about how a life jacket or life vest will fit your french bulldog, remember that you can always try one size and then return it if it doesn’t fit properly. Amazon has an amazing return policy and free two-day shipping both ways with Amazon Prime. Your frenchie’s life jacket should be snug in fit but not tight. Your frenchie must be able to breathe easily while wearing the life jacket. Dry test the fit then let your frenchie play in the water for a few minutes. After that, adjust as needed.
French Bulldog Life Jacket – Lots and lots of fun and laughs.
Always remember to watch your french bulldog closely while they’re near water and above all else, have fun with your frenchie!
Aren’t they funny looking? Nothing cuter than a french bulldog in a life jacket. Not only is it cute, it’s safe and shows that you’re a diligent owner.
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Thanks so much for this!!! I have a French named Insectasaurus who is active in Lure Coursing, Herding, Barn Hunt, etc (cute videos on YouTube if you want to check him out 🙂 ), & we’ve been interested in adding Dock Diving to his title list, but I’ve been very hesitant to let him actually leap into water, as I’m sure he’d just keep dropping like a stone. Very much looking forward to receiving his Float Coat & giving it a try soon! Thanks again! Tashi
Hey Tashi,
Sounds like you have a very active Frenchie. Do you have any videos of him competing? We’d love to see him! The float coat is truly an amazing product–we were skeptical that it wouldn’t fit our boy well enough to provide him any range of motion while trying to swim, but it worked out great. We hope you enjoy it!
Hi, what size did you get for your Frenchie? My Frenchie is 9 mos old and weighs 28 lbs. he has a 22.5 chest girth. I’m thinking a size Small but not sure.
Thanks.
TJ
Hey Tommy, definitely go with a size Small with those measurements. Your french bulldog is almost precisely the same size as our cream male. It’s very adjustable, so you shouldn’t have any troubles.
Also, did you test the EzyDog DFD? They seem to get the 2nd best reviews next to RuffWear. But now, there are several new options out there like VivaGlory Sports-style PFD, and He&Ha Dog Life jacket that are 1/3rd the cost but well reviewed. If you don’t mind, listing and ranking the 10 PFDs you tested for your Frenchie, that would be awesome.
Thanks.
Hey Tommy, thanks for the suggestion. the EzyDog brand dog floater wasn’t around when we initially started buying them to test out. As far as I remember, we tested the Kong brand PFD, Outward Hound, the He&HA (it looks to have changed over a couple of iterations), and several Chinese-made canine life jackets. I will try to dig out the old photos and add them to this post. I still think RuffWear is the way to go, but I’m always open to change!
Great post – thank you for this info! Our Frenchie is very compact. At 22 pounds, she is 21.25 inches around her chest and 17.5 around her neck. Do you think the XS or S would be best, considering the neck? Thanks for any advice!
Looking for a vest too. Tried the Float Coat in small. He has ~17″ neck, ~23″ girth and weighs ~22lbs. It was too long and had to return. Ruffwear said, due to his girth, their coats would probably not fit. Still searching……
Hey Mark! Sorry about your trouble. I had this issue, too, with one of my frenchies. The Float Coat is definitely slightly longer than I’d like, but overall, I’ve had the most luck with it versus others.
I remember the Outward Hound life vest being slightly shorter, you might try that one.
Thanks! The Ruffwear float coat was top notch. Higher quality. If it was only an inch or two shorter. Will follow-up on your suggestion
No problem, hopefully you find something that works for you soon! Keep me posted.
Our French Bulldog was bred on the small but stocky side. At 3 years of age she weighs 12 – 13 lbs. Her girth is 18inchs. What vest do you recommend and what size?
Pam, that’s a small girl! I’ll bet she’s lovely. I would recommend the XS if you can find one available.
I have a question, Is it just velcro that straps in underneath on the chest/belly? If so, does the velcro seem to hold up pretty well once it gets wet? I can’t see any buckle straps in that picture so just curious 🙂 I have a very wiggly frenchie and am nervous it would come undone.
Thank you!
Our frenchie is also 30 lb. What size did you get for Auggie?