With their short and smooth coats, you might think that Frenchies won’t to shed too much hair. Don’t let that fool you; they can still have hair issues! Our own French Bulldog sheds a lot of hair, and you can see a video showing this further down the page. But is it a common trait of this breed? I am going to give you the best overview I can based on real, personal experience and comments from other owners, followed by some solutions.
Do French Bulldogs shed a lot? French bulldogs do shed their hair a lot, more so in the summer months when it’s warmer and their winter coat needs to shed. In winter time their hair gets thicker as they grow a warmer coat, but old hairs will still shed too. Whilst they are short-haired breed, don’t be deceived, they will malt a lot.
The weather certainly plays a part, and you are never going to stop your French bulldog shedding completely. It’s natural for older hairs to fall off, and new ones grow in their place.
I will show you some of the best French Bulldog shedding solutions in a moment, but firstly take a look at this video of Claude, our own Frenchie and how he sheds in the winter and summer months.
Do French bulldogs shed a lot of hair?
Look up online and you will see plenty of websites that tell you Frenchies don’t shed a lot. This isn’t true and I think people think it due to their short-haired nature.
Our experience as owners is completely different. In fact, I surveyed 22 French Bulldog owners that I have spoken to over the last few months to give you a broader idea of what to expect.
I asked the question; does your French Bulldog malt a lot, and what is the different depending on what time of year it is?
Here are the responses:
Is your French Bulldog’s shedding a problem?
17 owners said yes (77%), French Bulldogs do shed a lot or hair and it is a problem, 3 said no (14%), and 2 owners (9%) didn’t really have an opinion!
When is the shedding at its worst?
19 owners said the spring and summer months were the worst (83%). I agree with this, as French Bulldogs do shed more in the summer in our experience. 1 owner said it was more of a problem in the winter (4%), and 3 owners found it problematic all year round (13%).
Claude sheds and malts all the time. Yes, there are certain times of the year when he won’t be as hairy, but overall, he’s shedding his hair a LOT of the time – but it’s definitely worse in the warmer spring and summer months.
To give you an example, at the moment it’s coming into the winter here in the UK. You would think that would mean Claude would not be shedding as much, as surely, he needs his coat in the colder months?
The reality though is quite different.
In the video I shot towards the top of the page you will see exactly how much hair our French bulldog is shedding in different scenarios. I shot parts of the video last winter and then waited until this summer to update it before publishing.
How much do French bulldogs shed?
How much is how much?
If you watched the video above, you will see just how much our Frenchie shed hair onto my car seats over the winter – and then it was a lot worse come summertime.
In this photo below you can see just how much hair comes off with a few brushes with a de-shedding tool. There’s loads of it!
Do French Bulldogs shed all year around?
Yes, French Bulldogs do shed all year around. However, in the warmer months they will start to lose their winter coat, and the shedding will get worse.
Vets say that shedding will occur two or three times a year, depending on where you live and what the climate is like.
Do French bulldogs shed more in the summer?
Yes, French Bulldogs do shed more hair in the summer months. The reason being it’s their body’s way of keeping them cooler. The hair will have got thicker and more excessive when it’s cold as this when they grow a thicker and warmer coat.
Frenchies do not cope well with warm weather at all, so by shedding excess hair it naturally supports the cooling process during summer months.
Do French bulldogs shed a winter coat?
Yes, they do shed their winter coat, and this will start to happen as the weather warms up. I advise you help the process along (and get rid of excess hair) by using shedding tools and stripping combs.
How to properly care for a shedding Frenchie
Frenchies have short and fine coats, with smooth hair that is actually very easy to groom. I advise giving your pup a brush every week, particularly when the shedding starts to happen.
We also bathe Claude every now and again and will then dry him down with a hair dryer. You can see a video of us doing this in our guide to Frenchie bathing.
The bottom line is; you will never stop your Frenchie shedding completely. All dogs that live indoors will always shed hair and they don’t get used to the changing seasons. You will have to accept this, so get something like a shedding tool or a Furminator. It works to remove hair in a manageable way.
Our recommended shedding brush and tool
It also has extremely good reviews on Amazon – you can check the prices here.
An alternative product is called the Furminator (loads of Frenchie owners mentioned this to me).
Handy Hint: Once you’ve removed your Frenchie’s hair with this tool, place it outside. Birds love it and will use it to make line their nests with for a cosy result – much better than plastic!
Other French bulldog shedding solutions
In my video you will have seen the shedding tool in action. This is great way to remove excess hair before it starts to get all over the floor and into your furniture. However, this isn’t going to stop them shedding completely, and isn’t a preventative solution. Here are some more ideas.
Dog grooming gloves could be fun!
Believe it or not, these gloves are designed for grooming your dog rather than any other kind of activity you might think! They look strange, but according to the Amazon reviews they work really well – read what Amazon buyers have said.
If your Frenchie is anything like ours, he would probably treat the glove shedding solution as a massive game. Give them a go and tell me what you think.
Give your dog regular baths and grooming
By regularly grooming your Frenchie – and by that, I mean daily brushing and the occasional bath – you can help to remove any excess fur before it becomes a problem.
Handy Hint: Read this guide to bathing a Frenchie which now includes a video.
Another Frenchie owner I know said this about the drying process and loose hair:
“I find that using a high velocity hair dryer helps to blow even more of the loose coat out so you have longer periods between heavy shedding.”
Use a good coat conditioner with vitamin E
Another way to improve coat health is to use a decent dog coat conditioner. If you bath your Frenchie too often it can lead to some of his essential oils being removed… and unhealthy skin leads to more hair loss.
Breeders recommend a dog conditioner that has vitamin E in it. Use it after bathing and smooth through the coat. Here’s a good shampoo and conditioner product on Amazon that comes with all the essential ingredients.
Handy Hint: If you notice hair loss that isn’t down to shedding then it could be the sign of a possible health problem. Read this guide to Frenchie hair loss which includes some possible causes for bald spots and patches.
Make sure your Frenchie has a good diet
Your dog’s diet can also have an adverse effect on how much hair they shed. If your Frenchie’s hair is in bad condition, it will malt and shed more.
I spoke to my vet a few months back and he said that food rich in Omega 3 (think fish) and some fatty acids can improve coat health. He also said that too much fur shedding can be a symptom of low thyroid. You may want to consider getting your dog checked if this is a concern (here are more health concerns to be aware of).
I also saw this comment on Facebook from a Frenchie owner:
“Is she eating a lot of poultry? Our Frenchie has a slight allergy to poultry which makes him shed way more than usual when he eats beef or fish. Fish is way better.”
We also feed Claude Royal Canin food. They have a specialist French Bulldog variety which is said to improve coat health (and can also help prevent as much farting apparently!).
Another Facebook post said this about Royal Canin:
“We use the Royal Canin for bulldogs and it seems to work really well. Our little Bella sheds but not a ton to the point where I have to vacuum three times a day, I’ve heard bad things about the Blue Buffalo food just be weary and read all the ingredients on it.”
In addition to the fish additions into your Frenchie’s diet, you should also consider a little fruit as an occasional snack. Here’s a list of fruits French Bulldogs can eat which also includes the ones that are dangerous and to be avoided!
Try and shedding supplement with cod liver oil
The best on the market is from Nordic Naturals (view on Amazon).
Here’s what a friend of mine said about this product:
“We bought cod liver oil for dogs from Nordic Naturals. We gave our boy 1 tea spoon a day in his food and it’s worked a treat. After a month he was definitely shedding a lot less than normal.”
Excess shedding could be your female Frenchie coming into heat
We own a male Frenchie, but I read this on Facebook which I thought was really interesting from the owner of a female Frenchie:
“Our gorgeous little girl has just had her first heat 5 weeks ago and shedded loads. It was literally falling out all over the place constantly. She had bald patches on her chest she lost that much fur. She looked terrible but it’s stopped now and has grown back.My friends who also have female Frenchies said there’s do the same. So, I think it’s a coming into season thing.”
This could be something you have to put up with if you have a female. I’ve put together a guide to the French Bulldog heat cycle which will give you some more signs to look out for.
Comments from other owners
During my research and poll (you can see the results of what people said further up the page) I also searched what other owners had said on social media about the subject.
Here are some of the best comments which has some interesting and alternative tips if you want to try to reduce your Frenchie from shedding so much.
“You could try some olive oil in your Frenchie’s food. Just a little if she eats dry or feed her a chunk of liver wurst every few days. Oily meat and liver good for them. Ask for advice from a pet store too.”
“Ours doesn’t shed much at all but she is a brindle. I don’t know if that makes any difference. We always give her treats for her coat and also put either fish or coconut oil in her food. Maybe that would help.”
“Boris the Frenchie doesn’t shed a lot. I think it helps that I bathe him once a week and use a sprayer to rinse the shampoo off. I think that helps wash the loose hair off too.”
“I am an animal science student and we do grooming at our school. We find that rubber curry combs used in circular motions will get rid of the falling out hairs. We also use a coat conditioner spray on my Frenchie’s coat and it keeps them really soft and I find that they shed less when they have it on.”
Conclusion
Frenchies are hypoallergenic (read more) and with 10% of people suffering with allergies, all this hair could present you a problem.
If you are allergic, then you might want to re-consider having a French Bulldog as a pet. There will be a lot of shedding, lots of hair, and lots of sneezing and runny eyes for you.
If you feel you can cope with the hair, then Frenchies make for amazing companions. However, be prepared to deal with it – I hope these notes have given you an idea of what to expect and how you can get a good handle on things.