Don’t underestimate the lap dog

One of the reasons my boyfriend, Jarryd, and I decided to get a French bulldog is because frenchies are lap dogs, they don’t require as much exercise as other breeds. However, this doesn’t mean that we let Bruno sleep all day. We try to take Bruno to the dog park every day to get him running around with his friends for at least an hour (the longest we’ve stayed at the dog park was 2 and a half hours); on the days we’re not able to take him to the park, we will take him out on walks around the neighborhood. However, walking alone is not enough for Bruno to exert his daily energy so Jarryd would include sessions of rough housing and wrestling with Bruno before bedtime. It may not seem like it but Bruno is an active dog when he wants to be.

Bruno used to hate going out on walks as a puppy

Bruno loves running around with his friends

It is important to Jarryd and me that Bruno gets his daily exercise. We’ve always been very cautious of Bruno’s weight and chunky figure ever since he was a puppy. French bulldogs can develop health conditions if they are overweight. I’ve learned that overweight frenchies can develop swelling in the abdomen and labored breathing; they can also develop joint problems making it painful for them to move around. Knowing that, we are careful of how much food and exercise Bruno is getting.

We can always tell whenever Bruno is starting to gain a little extra weight (it is usually when we get lazy about taking him out to exercise or we are giving more treats than usual). When this happens, we would tell ourselves to shape up and make time to take him out to exercise and cut back on his treats. It’s okay to fall out of your routine, as long as you realize it and get back on track. A healthy dog is a happy dog!   

On the side note, I found this hilarious tumblr account called fat acceptance frenchie; it's nothing related to French bulldogs but the memes created are so funny. click here if you want a good laugh. Here's a sneak peek