The French Bulldog. Strutting the world’s catwalks.

Is the French Bulldog the ultimate fashion accessory? They are certainly making waves in the fashion industry, with their own clothing range, designed by Marc Jacobs. They also have a serious A-List of celebrity owners, including Lady Gaga, Hugh Jackman and The Rock.

Whisper it quietly, French Bulldogs aren’t French. To the pain of all of France, their origin is English, Nottingham to be precise. Their breeding later switched to France. They are a rather temperamental breed (like many of their celebrity owners) and don’t take kindly to being scolded, often sulking for hours. For an easy life, always go for positive reinforcement with this over-sensitive canine.

One other thing to avoid: water. Frenchies cannot swim, their heavy bones and thick muscles are just not up to the task. Another reason for their aquatic issues is their squashed facial features, called brachycephaly. Their short snouts mean they have to tilt their faces higher to keep it above water. The conclusion: lounging by the swimming pool with this pooch is a very bad idea indeed. Unless of course you have a proper Marc Jacobs designed dog life jacket!

“What son of a bitch doesn’t like dogs?”

Humphrey Bogart was married to his third wife, Mayo Methot, and living in West Hollywood when this photograph of him resting his head on Cappy the newfoundland was taken. He and Methot were dubbed the “Battling Bogaerts”: drunken fights and shouting matches marked what was a largely unhappy marriage. The couple kept four dogs, numerous cats and cage birds at their home and, when they separated, Bogart took the dogs. After his marriage to Lauren Bacall in 1945, the couple acquired two boxers – Harvey and Babe – who with the pop George accompanied the Bogarts to the super-smart LA suburb of Holmby hills. There, the boxer so disturbed the neighbors with their barking that a group of them lodged a complaint with the City Council, and suggested the dogs have there vocal cords removed. “What son of a bitch doesn’t like dogs?” Raged Bogie. “What kind of monster is he? He ought to be glad he can hear the wonderful sound of dogs barking.”

Water workouts

Swimming increases flexibility and stamina and is excellent for people with joint problems. It’s a gentle way for those who are overweight to begin being more active. Swimming is a great exercise for dogs too, particularly those with joint or bone problems and those that are aging. The water with support your dogs body and enable him to play and become fit with a minimum of stress on creaking joints.

Cooling down your dog

A slow gentle walk with plenty of “sniffs” on the way home is ideal to cool down your dog. You will notice that he will naturally stretch himself as he moves and stop to rest or reduce his activity after a long session. Most dogs love a little massage which can help to reduce muscle tensions and prevent the buildup of waste products in the muscles. Pull his legs gently as you massage – a few minutes is plenty – and as you bend over you will be stretching yourself too. Always offer your dog cold drink or if it’s very hard a splash in the local water hole or sprinkler to bring his body temperature down to safe levels.

Workouts on the wheels

Many dogs are naturals when it comes to accompanying you on your wheels, but it’s important that you take precautions to prevent injury or overexertion. What’s more, some breeds are simply not designed to keep up with a steady quick pace.

Cycling

Cycling is excellent effective, exercise for you burning some 800 calories an hour. However, always start your program slowly building up both distance and speed overtime. Don’t even consider it if your dog is not energetic and extremely fit and always check with your vet first.

Inline skating

Inline skating is a fantastic exercise for you. Not only is it fun, it is an easy way to trim away the pounds and improve your circulation, heart and lungs. Your leg muscles will also get a full workout. What’s more, a fit dog can accompany you and achieve the same benefits.

Avoid cycling, skating or jogging with these breeds

1. Boston terriers
2. Boxers
3. Brussels Griffons
4. Cavalier King Charles Spaniels
5. Chinese Shar-peis
6. English and French bulldongs
7. Japanese chins
8. Lhasa apsos
9. Pekingese
10. Pugs
11. Shih Tzus
12. Staffordshire Bull Terriers

Games to play with your dog outdoor

For agility we would like to remind you for some basic safety tips to avoid injuries:

• Choose a place that provides a safe landing and also offers a non-slip surface. A lawn is ideal.
• Select materials that will not injure your dog – light plastic tubing, wood, PVC bars and fittings are all good bets.
• Anything over which your dog is expected to jump, such as a bar or a hurdle, should be unfixed, but supported so that it displodges on contact. The bases, however, should be stable and unlikely to tip over on contact.
• Make sure you’ve got enough space between obstacles. Jumps require some running space for takeoff and landing – about five strides in advance and four afterward.
• Your dog will need to know the basic commands before being taught to negotiate an agility course. During training, reward your dog with toys or a healthy snack when he completes a task successfully.
• Make sure you don’t push your dog too hard, or force him to do something that he is afraid or reluctant to try. Be patient and work on one activity at a time.

Remember, always start with a simple exercise and increase difficulty as soon as you see your pal is ready for something more ambitious.

Our top 3 outdoor exercises:

1. Fetch and carry. Fetching and retrieving stimulates your dog and allows him to use most of his senses, as well as his muscles.
2. Cone slalom. Set up a series of cones and teach your dog to dribble around them with a “Weave” command. Begin by encouraging him to push the ball upon the command and start the game with his left shoulder nearest to the first obstacle in a short course of cones.
3. Agility games. Jumping, moving on to hurdles, walking in circles, hula hoops, weaving, seesaw, “pause box”, tunnels, time trials.

The perfect first aid kit

There are some things you really must have in house, for all those situations you hope will never happen, but sometimes do.

1. Your vet’s name and phone number. Even if it’s in your phone, make a copy in writing.
2. Absorbent cotton wool.
3. Adhesive and gauze bandages, 5 cm and 10 cm.
4. Gauze swabs, sterile wraps.
5. Cottonwool buds.
6. Sharp-pointed scissors.
7. Thermometer.
8. Forceps: medium-sized, blunt points.
9. 20 ml plastic syringe.
10. Eye drops.
11. Cleansing ear drops.
12. Antiseptic or antibiotic ointment.
13. Antiseptic powder and wash.
14. Rescue cream.
15. Medicinal liquid paraffin.
16. Hydrogen peroxide.

What to do with your four-legged fussy eater?

There are a number of reasons for this. It may be that they don’t like a particular texture or taste. It can also be due to “bad” household habits, like feeding scraps from the table. Or even, that they have some anxiety issues. There are some well-known techniques to get them eating properly again. For example, only putting food down at meal times and then taking it away. Training your dog to eat at a certain time.

Heat exhaustion: if your dog can’t stand the heat…

Some dogs are more prone to heat exhaustion than others. Breeds like Chow Chows and bulldogs are good examples, and many other short-nosed dogs may also be affected.

However, the most common cause for heat exhaustion are humans. Dogs left inside cars with too little ventilation. A sudden change in weather during a longer than expected shopping trip, can be fatal for a dog. The signs of heat stress are mostly obvious: heavy panting, difficulty breathing, a swollen and blue tongue. This is an emergency which requires immediate action. If this ever happens to your dog, try to resuscitate them immediately, even before you bring them to the vet. Otherwise, it might be too late.

The best first aid treatment is plenty of cold water. Ideally, emerge your dog in the bath, or in a cattle trough, if that is nearer by. Especially pay attention to drenching the head and keep doing this till you see signs of easier breathing. Then, you still need to bring your dog to the vet.

The vet may give your dog oxygen and will probably administer an injection to reduce the swelling in the throat. These life-saving measures may take place before the dog gets to the surgery, especially at a dog show, where a vet is always at hand.