05/01/2026
🐾Frenchie Friday topic: Brachycephalic Obstructive Airway Syndrome Part 2: laryngeal collapse and tracheal issues.
The anatomy involved with obstructive airway syndrome is expansive and continuing to become more and more understood as the French Bulldog breed gains popularity. With breed popularity comes more dogs being bred and more people breeding. This has led to a large ethical dilemma within the French Bulldog breeding community because there are many people breeding who are poorly educated on the breed themselves, or see $$ over the quality and health of the dogs they are producing.
As this breed grows in popularity, we have more resources continually becoming available to us so that we can make educated and ethical breeding decisions. There are more options for health testing, a deeper understanding of a Frenchie's anatomical flaws, and more research to educate us on where change is needed. Looking for a breeder that is willing to utilize the resources around them and make a conscious effort to breed better with each generation they produce is important.
There are things to look for outside of the health testing that can also help cue you in on the quality/functionality of a French Bulldog's breathing. I believe that a well-rounded french bulldog is one that exhibits balance. Someone who prioritizes fad coats/coloring and exaggerated characteristics before health testing should be a red flag.
Avoid those who breed exaggerated features such as: overly short/thick stubby necks, excessively flat/wide skull shapes, excessively flat/short muzzles, unnatural ropes (fold above the nose) that obstruct the nostrils, exceptionally short/compact back length and structure. These are some physical features that are commonly associated with a negative impact on airway structures.
Breeding for specific cosmetic characteristics should never take priority over the overall conformation and health of the dog.
There will be dogs who have nice nares and decent muzzle length, but still have an excessively long soft palate.
There are also dogs who have shorter muzzles and necks and are still great breathers. Visual characteristics can help point us in the right direction, but they don’t tell all. Asking a breeder for videos of their breeding dogs can be helpful to assess how loud their breathing is, how well they tolerate exercise and heat, and if they can recover appropriately after being active.