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If you are thinking of showing your French bulldog then you will have bought the puppy from a reputable breeder who has strived to raise show dogs and whose puppies come from winning show dogs. The breeder will have given you advice when choosing your puppy and the puppy will have all the appropriate papers needed for showing. There are certain criteria which the show dog must posses in order to become a champion and these are set out as follows:

General appearance – the body should be sturdy, compact and solid with good bone, the coat should be short, smooth and good overall balance is essential.

Characteristics – full of courage with clown like qualities, the ears should be bat like and the tail should be short but not docked.

Temperament – deeply affectionate and intelligent.

Head and skull – the head should be square, large and broad while being in proportion to the dogs size, skull should be almost flat between the ears with a domed forehead. Loose skin around the muzzle should form symmetrical wrinkles with the muzzle being broad, deep and set well back. The muscles of the cheeks should be well developed with black nose and lips. The lower jaw should be deep, square, broad and slightly undershot; the nose should be extremely short and black with clear nostrils. The lips should be thick and meet in the centre.

Eyes – the eyes should be dark in colour and match, they should be moderate in size, round and be neither sunken nor prominent. They should be set wide apart and low down in the skull.

Ears – the ears should be bat like and of medium size, they should be wide at the base and round at the top. The should be carried upright and not too close together.

Mouth – slightly under shot with teeth that are round and regular, the tongue must not protrude.

Neck – the neck should be powerful with loose skin at the throat, it should be well arched and thick without being too short.

Forequarters – the legs should be set wide apart, straight boned, strong, muscular and short.

Body – short, muscular and well rounded with deep wide brisket, wide at the shoulders and narrowing at the loins, the ribs should be well sprung.

Hind quarters – the legs should be strong, muscular and longer than the forelegs, the loins should be raised above shoulders.

Feet – small and compact.

Tail – short but undocked, thick at the root while tapering to the tip.

Coat – fine, smooth, short and close.

Colour – brindle, pied or fawn.

Size – ideal weight for dogs is 28lb, bitches should be 24lb.