FRENCH BULLDOG Q&A
That is the ideal that I look for and I penalize dogs that look straight in the rear or over-angulated. What do I see as the biggest challenge in judging the breed? For a new judge who has not owned/bred Frenchies, knowing what to prioritize is really important. The French Bulldog is a head breed and their silhouette is very important. What aspect of the breed do I feel that breeders need to work to improve? Overall quality has really improved; I still see wry bites and, occasionally, dogs with breathing issues. Do I believe that a Frenchie can be too small? I do not have a size preference generally; if I think the dog could be over 28 pounds, then I would call for the scale. The standard mentions that Frenchies can be of medium or small structure. I prefer an adult French Bulldog to be over 18 pounds; anything under this, I feel, is too small. Do I favor more of a “square” dog or one that is “slightly lon- ger than tall”, or what is my preference? I judge to the standard that says all points should be well-distributed and in good rela- tion; the dog should appear well-balanced and in good proportion. In addition to calling for a dog to be compact, it mentions that the front legs should be short and the back legs longer, to elevate the loins above the shoulder. This is another tip to what is the ideal proportion. Anything else I’d like to add? Temperament is very important. Frenchies are companions—shyness or people aggression are things I do not like to see. The Frenchies we are asked to judge at a show are being evaluated as breeding stock, so any hint of breathing prob- lems, stenotic nares, and elongated soft palette really concerns me and I do not reward them. I wish the show superintendents had better scales. Many of them have scales that are basically bathroom scales and are too small to weigh a dog that could be over 28 pounds. What’s the funniest thing I’ve ever experienced at a dog show? I was show chair of a Frenchie National a few years ago. Ten min- utes before the start of judging, we discovered that the batteries on the club scale had gone dead. Fortunately, a nearby gas station sold batteries, so I rushed out, bought, and installed the batteries. Five minutes later, the judge called for the scale. LUIS & PATTY SOSA We live in Madi- sonville, Louisiana,
a wider set of tracks, and the hind legs will make a narrower one. Hence, “double tracking.” You should be able to see the rear legs inside the front when the dog is moving towards you—in a mature dog. I say a “mature” dog because young Frenchies tend to be slow to develop the pear shape until their chest drops and their front widens. This may not fully develop until the dog is 2 or 3 years old. On side gait, you see the epitome of breed type—the topline that makes a Frenchie unique. A Frenchie has to be able to walk for us to consider it in Breed or Group competition. Do I tend to favor Frenchies that are more “Bulldog” or “Ter- rier” in style? Judges need to remember that the Frenchie is not “a little Bulldog.” Yes, they were originally developed from Toy Bull- dogs (with the infusion of other breeds—including some Terriers), hence, you find characteristics of each in the Frenchie. Everything about the Frenchie standard is MODERATION, and that is mod- eration in comparison to the Bulldog. The correct Frenchie will fall between these two extremes. How much importance do I give to ear size, shape, and set? For me, the ear is important, mostly to the effect that it needs to be a bat ear—as anything else disqualifies. I look for an erect ear that is broad at the base and rounded at the top, set high on the head but not too close together. I’m not overly picky as to how “rounded” at the top or how “large,” as long as it is in balance with the dog. I’m more particular about the set, remembering that the ears should not point straight up, but rather be slightly out at 11 and 1 on the clock. Do not evaluate ears on the table. Frenchies have very expressive ears that will move all over. Don’t be fooled by ears that are always tight and straight up. It may look good on the table, but it can also take your eye away from head and topline faults. We would much rather have a smaller ear than an overly large, donkey-like ear. Different lines have slightly different ear sizes and shapes, as well as European dogs have different ear shapes from the American dogs. Don’t get hung up on ears; we have much bigger problems in the breed. How important is the topline in my evaluation of the dog? It’s quite simple: no topline, no Frenchie. The topline is one of the defining characteristics of the breed. It defines the outline, but it is also one of the most difficult characteristics of the Frenchie to breed. This difficulty, and the fact that our standard is not very specific (“a roach back with a slight fall close behind the shoulders”) is probably the reason we find such a plethora of differing toplines in the ring. The Bulldog Standard goes into great detail, describing the correct topline. This description of the Bulldog topline, I feel, is equally applicable to the Frenchie. Do I feel there is a color preference? As long as the dog is not of a disqualifying color, all colors/patterns should be judged equally and as though the breed were colorless. That being said, I feel some judges favor creams; while others favor brindles. As an example, we have over 400 Group Firsts on our creams, and only one Group First on our Brindles. So, although it could be said that we are known for our creams, most of the dogs in our kennel right now are brindles or brindle pieds. Many judges will ignore a very dark dog for fear of rewarding a dog without a trace of brindle, which disqualifies. When in doubt, ask the handler to “show me the brindle.” Do I take front and rear angulation into account when judg- ing? I’ve always felt that the Frenchie Standard was written “by dog people for dog people,” so it is not very descriptive of aspects that would be taken for granted by those in the sport. This allows for a good deal of interpretation by judges, as well as speculation by neophytes. Since everything about our standard describes a mod- erate breed, I want moderate front and rear angulation. Without this angulation, the “free and vigorous” gait called for by our stan- dard cannot be realized. Far too many Frenchies are too straight in
about 30 miles north of New Orleans. Out- side of dogs, Patty likes to cook, garden, and make Frenchies. In addition to photo- graphing dog shows, Luis is a Civil Engineer, and photographs for a
hobby, mostly, with large format film cameras. Luis has been “in dogs” some 42 years, Patty around 32. We’ve both been judging a little over 10 years. Luis judges Working and Non-Sporting as well as some Toys and Hounds; Patty judges Working and some Non-Sporting breeds. How important is gait in my evaluation of the dog during judg- ing? Gait is very important. The standard is very specific: correct gait is double tracking with reach and drive, the action is unre- strained, free, and vigorous. Double tracking in the Frenchie is dif- ferent from “double tracking” in other breeds. Since the Frenchie is a pear-shaped breed, in a mature dog, the front legs will make
SHOWSIGHT MAGAZINE, NOVEMBER 2021 | 241
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