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.

While you might have in mind the exact breed of puppy you want many people have to make this decision when thinking of buying a puppy, there are so many different breeds to choose from each possessing qualities of their own. However there is also another option available when buying a puppy and this is buying a mixed breed puppy.

A mixed breed puppy can be just as beautiful as a pure bred and they are just as intelligent, a mixed breed is a mixture of two different breeds of dog somewhere down the line. Depending on if it is a first generation mixed, for example the mother could be a Labrador and the father a German Shepard then the puppy could look very similar to either of its parents and have the traits associated with both.

If the mix breed has both parents who are themselves a mixed breed then the puppy will still have the genes of the original two purebreds only they will be more recessive. If you just want a puppy for a pet and companion then it really doesn’t matter if you choose a mixed breed, if however you want the puppy for show then of course you will have no choice but to choose a purebred.

The purebred dog

One of the benefits of having a purebred dog is that you will know exactly what it’s going to look like when the puppy grows into an adult dog and you will know how big it will get. All purebreds have predictable physical characteristics that don’t vary much, if you want a certain size dog, with a particular coat length and colour then you will be able to choose a breed matching those characteristics.

Purebred dogs will also have to some extent a predictable temperament, if you are looking for a friendly dog with lots of energy then choose a breed which are know for this character. On the downside the purebred dog is generally more prone to disease and ailments than the mixed breed; this is mainly down to genetics in the breeding. Certain breeds are prone to certain diseases and illnesses; also in certain breeds the incidence of defects is extremely high.

The mixed breed dog

Most times its not possible to predict what a mixed breed puppy will turn out like, of course if the owner of the mother of the puppies has a purebred dog and she knows that the father of the puppies is a purebred dog then you will have a general idea of the size of the puppies and to some extent what they will look like. Most puppies however come from a long line of mixed breed and there will be no way of determining what the puppies will look like or how big they can grow to.

However a mixed breed dog can be just as loving and make just as good a pet as any of the purebred dogs do, just because the puppy is of mixed breed doesn’t make it inferior in any way, of course you wont be able to show the dog, though sometimes county fairs will have a special section in shows for mixed breed dogs. This however is strictly for fun and is usually for the cutest puppy, ugliest dog e.t.c. it is really just a matter of preference when choosing to go for a purebred or mixed breed.