French Bulldog Floppy Ears? How Does That Affect Dogs’ Appearance?
Floppy ears are natural ear types where the shape of the ear is loose, soft, and hangs just beside the head. Therefore, it is not a dog breed-specific characteristic. French bulldog floppy ears can be irrelevant to special health or temperament problems related to their ear carriage. While most dominant breed standards are naturally upright ears, there are some dominant breeds with natural floppy ears. In fact, the French Bulldog is a breed that has natural floppy ears. Other breeds include Pug, English Bulldog, pitbull, german shepherd, and Boston Terrier.
French bulldog’s name comes from the country of their origin France and they were initially bred as companion dogs. The breed is now probably the most popular companion breed in America. Frenchies are medium-sized dogs with large heads, short noses, and tightly curled tails. Their medium size body is well proportioned and compact.
The French bulldog has a distinctly rounded skull with very clearly defined eyes. They also have short muzzles (compared to their head size). They have a muscular body that is covered with a short, fine, and smooth coat. Frenchies have thick necks and shoulders. In fact, they are so muscular that they seem to be wearing a corset when looking at their waistline. Their well-developed muscles help them jump in high altitudes or move quickly between different surfaces.
French Bulldog’s ears should be up or down?
The answer is not a simple yes or no. It all depends on what you are trying to achieve with your breeding program and what look you are aiming for in your dogs. The main subject of the French Bulldog breed is his massive body with strong bones, compact and stocky.
The head must be massive in all its parts without any loose skin; the muzzle should be very short, square, and turned up. The eyes are round with an energetic look; The French Bulldog is a dog breed that has come from the crossbreeding of the bulldog and terrier. They are not good swimmers and can drown very easily, therefore it is advisable to keep them away from pools.
Another problem with the dog breed is their ears: this dog’s ear should always be kept clean and dry; because if the dog gets wet, the ear should be dried immediately to avoid ear infection or inflammation. One of the most recognizable characteristics in a dog breed or purebred dog, as defined by dog breed standards, is ear folding.
Not all dog breeds have ear folding, but the ones that do know how important it is to their dog breed standard. The dog ears are made of cartilage and covered by skin and fur so the dog’s ear has a certain amount of flexibility in its shape, but there is only so much shape change possible in dog ears. Due to dog’s ear cartilage flexibility, dog breeders have spent hundreds of years developing dog breeds that represent the specific dog breed standard.
Overview of French Bulldog Ears
The ears of the French bulldog are one of the most distinctive features that make them a special dog breed. The dog has large, round, and erected kinds of ears unlike say the basset hound who has much longer hanging down, floppy ears.
French bulldog comes in two types – cropped or natural.
Natural dog breeds have their ears grown according to their genetic makeup and the dog grows them out of its own. Cropped dog breeds, on the other hand, have a portion of their ears removed surgically for them to achieve that distinct look.
Frenchie natural erect ears give it a proud appearance which is why this dog was bred in the first place. However, dog owners should be aware that dog’s ears need proper care and attention.
Some French bulldog owners claim that a dog’s ears are the barometer of his health. If the dog is sick, then he would typically avoid scratching or rubbing his ears. This could indicate pain to dog owners. Good dog care should be taken into consideration not only for hygiene purposes but also for the dog’s overall ear health and well-being.
French Bulldog Floppy Ears – What does it mean
In the case of French bulldog breed standards require dog’s ears to be set high, with the front of the ear joining the skull at or slightly above eye level. If dog is alert, its ears align with the dog’s line of sight. When dog’s attention is attracted by some sound or movement it will prick up its ears and turn them forward. If dog is tense, dog’s ears will be drawn back slightly.
This is not to say that a Frenchie can’t have ears that flop down and touch his head. As we know, an excessive amount of skin inhibits the ability of brachycephalic breeds to breathe properly. So it’s not surprising that French Bulldogs’ ears sometimes do not stand up as they should. Especially if their owners overfeed them.
A Frenchie puppy can have floppy ears if their parents had them. Frenchies ear down is common if they have any ancestor dog having it. However, it is also very common for French Bulldogs to have an upright position at certain stages of life.
How is ear folding inherited?
The gene that causes French dog folded ears is a simple dominant gene. which means if a folded ear dog gene mates with a straight-eared dog, 100% of their puppy will have folded ears. Ear folding inheritance can be very complex because it depends on the dog’s gender and whether the dog’s parents have ear folding.
The dog standard for dog breeds that have ear folding mentions the dog’s gender because one of the reasons dog breeders know how to determine if a dog will possess ear folding is based on which parent possesses this dog characteristic.
The Folded ear gene causes an autosomal dominant condition. This means that the gene only needs to be passed on from one parent and can be completely expressed in the offspring. Breeds with folded ears have no health problems caused by their ear folding.
The French, like the English, believed that cropped ears were more aesthetically pleasing and thus began to import these naturally occurring bulldogs from England to add diversity of type (and ear) to their own breeding programs.
