Although you can see a lot of photos and videos of French Bulldogs swimming on the internet, you must not let that fool you! All bulldogs are generally bad swimmers because they are top heavy and have flat snouts. In other words, they sink very easy and have quite some trouble keeping their noses above the water line and breathing in the water. Off course, like everywhere else, there are some exceptions. Some Frenhies, mostly slim and younger ones, can swim for a while, but the general rule is: NEVER let your French Bulldog around water without a life vest and unattended! Seriously! Even with life vests, they have trouble keeping their charming little noses above the water.
If for some reason you must take your dog near the water, keep him in shallow water and don’t let him out of your sight! There are many tragic stories where the owner had lost his beloved friend just because he looked away for a few moments, while the dog was in the water. Experience says, once Frenchies start sinking, they go all the way. They can’t swim back to surface like some other dogs, so be careful. Our goal is not to alarm you, but to prevent you from going through unnecessary loss of your family pet.
If you have a French Bulldog who loves water and wants to cool off from time to time during the hot summer days, get him a children pool.
There is one more thing you should know if you are planning to take your little friend on a beach and this goes for all dogs: even 10 seconds of slurping sea water can cause health problems, such as dehydration, vomiting and diarrhea, so be careful of that too.
Well, that was about that when it comes to that subject. Once again, there is nothing to worry about, just keep an eye on your Frenchie when near the water and I’m sure you will both have a great time! Better safe than sorry!