French BulldogNon-Sporting Group

Built for French Bulldog breeders

Run a Frenchie Program as Seriously as You Breed One

Frenchies mean small litters, progesterone-timed AI, planned C-sections, and deposits big enough that nobody wants them tracked in a text thread. Whelpify gives your program a real website, one organized waitlist, and deposits and balances through your own Stripe account, with no marketplace cut.

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Typical litter2to 4 pupsSmall litters, so every puppy is spoken for fast

AKC popularity#1The most registered breed in the US in recent years

Core clearances4Hips, patellas, heart, eyes on each parent

WhelpingC-sectionMost Frenchie litters arrive by planned surgery

About the breed

The Most Popular Dog in America, and the Most Expensive to Breed Well

The French Bulldog descends from toy Bulldogs carried to France by English lace workers in the 1800s, where the bat ear and the compact, muscular frame were fixed. Today it tops the AKC registration rankings, and demand for healthy, well-bred puppies is higher than any breeder can meet.

That demand comes with a buyer base that has done its homework. Families arrive asking about breathing, spines, and colors, and many already know that blue, lilac, and merle are outside the AKC standard while brindle, fawn, cream, and pied are the classic coats. They expect clearances, a contract, and a breeder who will answer questions for the life of the dog.

The breed is also expensive to produce. Most matings are by artificial insemination, most litters arrive by planned C-section, and litters are small. Add the breed's known risks, brachycephalic airway syndrome, hemivertebrae, patellar luxation, and inherited eye and cardiac disease, and a Frenchie program is a business that lives on careful records and clear communication.

Breeding Frenchies today

What the Market Looks Like Right Now

Honest context for planning a litter. These are the ranges we see on public listings and in parent club guidance; your region, your lines, and your reputation move them.

Typical pet price$3,500 to $7,500Commonly several thousand dollars for standard colors from cleared parents. Non-standard colors are often advertised higher, and buyers will ask about them.

Litter size2 to 4Singletons happen. Small litters mean each puppy carries a large share of the program's cost and attention.

Gestation63 daysFrom ovulation. Progesterone timing is close to universal in Frenchie programs because most breedings are by AI.

Deposit norms$500 to $1,000Often higher for a specific puppy. Usually non-refundable, applied to the balance, with the balance due before go-home.

Waitlist lengthA litter or moreBecause litters are small, families commonly wait for a specific pairing rather than a calendar date.

What buyers ask firstBreathingCan the parents breathe, exercise, and sleep quietly, then spines, patellas, and whether the colors are standard.

Whelping Notes for Frenchies

Plan the C-section backwards from ovulation, not from the breeding date. Accurate progesterone timing is what tells your vet which day the puppies are ready, and a day early or late matters.
Newborn Frenchies cannot regulate their temperature well and the dam is recovering from surgery. Round-the-clock supervision for the first week or two is normal, so build the rest of your schedule around it.
Weigh every puppy daily. With only two or three in a litter, a few ounces lost is a big percentage, and the numbers will flag trouble before behavior does.
Be ready to talk about BOAS, heat, and exercise with every family. Buyers who are told plainly what a flat face means tend to be the ones who keep the dog safe in July.

Why Frenchie breeders pick Whelpify

High Stakes Per Puppy, Every One of Them on the Record

Three things Frenchie breeders spend the most time on, and how Whelpify handles each one out of the box.

01 / Timing

Heat, Progesterone, AI, Due Date

Log each girl's heats and Whelpify learns her rhythm, shows where she is in her cycle, and reminds you before the next one so the progesterone draws and the semen order are not a scramble. Create the litter from the pairing while it is still expected, announce it early, and the puppy records, offers, and balance requests all build off that one litter.

Day 1Heat logged, reminder fired two weeks earlier

Day 8 to 12Progesterone draws, fertile window estimate

Day 12AI with chilled semen, litter created from the pairing

Day 63Planned C-section, puppies added as they arrive

Week 8Balances due, go-home, contracts signed

02 / Deposits

Four-Figure Deposits, Tied to a Puppy and a Family

Offer a specific puppy to a specific family with a response window, collect the deposit through your own Stripe account the moment they accept, or send an invoice for Zelle or a check and mark it paid. The balance request goes out on the date you choose, and every dollar sits on the puppy's record with a receipt.

NThe Nakamuras$1,000 paid · Jun 4

RCR. Castellano$1,000 paid · Jun 6

WFWhitfield family$1,000 paid · Jun 9

RCR. Castellanobalance $4,500 · Jul 28

03 / Clearances

Hips, Patellas, Heart, Eyes, Spine and DNA, in One Place

Attach OFA results, DNA panels, BOAS grading, and spine radiograph notes to each sire and dam once. Every litter and puppy page shows the parents' screening beside their photos and pedigree, so the breathing and back questions are answered before the first message arrives.

OFA hipsFair

OFA patellasNormal

CardiacNormal

Eyes (CAER)Normal

JHC / HUU / DMClear

Spine filmsOn file

Health testing

The Screening a Flat-Faced Breed Deserves

The French Bull Dog Club of America and OFA's CHIC program center on four evaluations for the breed: hips, patellas, heart, and eyes. Most serious programs add DNA panels, spine radiographs, and an honest look at breathing, because those are the questions buyers ask.

CHIC issues a number when a French Bulldog has the required results on file with OFA. Listing it on a parent's page is the shortest way to say "we did the work," and it is the first thing an educated Frenchie buyer looks for.

Each dog record has a health section for results, registry numbers, and uploaded certificates. The public parent page shows what you choose to publish, and every puppy from that pairing links back to it.

Hips

OFA evaluation at 24 months or older (or PennHIP). Frenchie hips grade lower as a breed than most, so context on the parent page helps.

Patellas

OFA patellar luxation evaluation by a veterinarian, graded Normal or by luxation grade. A common finding in the breed and worth screening every generation.

Heart

Cardiac evaluation recorded with OFA, ideally by a board-certified cardiologist, screening for congenital defects such as pulmonic stenosis.

Eyes

Annual exam by a board-certified veterinary ophthalmologist recorded through the OFA eye certification registry, watching for cataracts, entropion, and cherry eye history.

DNA Panels

Commonly juvenile hereditary cataracts (JHC), hyperuricosuria (HUU), degenerative myelopathy (DM), and canine multifocal retinopathy (CMR1). Carriers can be bred responsibly to clear partners.

Spine and Breathing

Radiographs for hemivertebrae and other vertebral malformations, plus BOAS awareness or formal functional grading. Neither is a CHIC requirement, but both are what buyers are really asking about.

Everything under the hood

Set Up the Way a Frenchie Program Runs

The full platform is included on every plan. Here is how the pieces map to a French Bulldog breeder's week.

Your Own Stripe, Not a Marketplace Cut

Deposits and balances go straight to your bank account, with Apple Pay and payment links for families who want to pay from their phone. Prefer Zelle or a check for the big balances? Send an invoice and mark it paid.

Heat Cycles Tracked, Not Guessed

Record each girl's heats and Whelpify learns her personal cycle length, shows a timeline, estimates the fertile window, and emails you before the next one is due.

Applications That Ask the Frenchie Questions

Air conditioning, stairs, summer plans, experience with a brachycephalic dog, and a follow-up question about color expectations that only shows when it applies.

Clearances Where Buyers Look for Them

Health results, registry numbers, and certificates live on each dog's profile and appear on every litter and puppy page that descends from it.

Contracts Signed Before the Balance Clears

Your purchase agreement, health guarantee, and spay/neuter terms become signable forms attached to each family's file, with signed copies on both sides.

One Thread Per Family, Not Five Apps

Families with an account can message you from your site, you can drop a specific puppy into the thread as a card, and offers and updates show up there automatically.

How a Frenchie program actually runs

Small Litters, Big Numbers, and Nothing Left to Chance

The rhythm of a French Bulldog program is particular. These are the numbers the workflow is shaped around.

Typical litter

2to 4 pups

Every puppy gets its own page, status, weights, and deposit record from birth.

Breeding method

AI· progesterone timed

Heat tracking and the litter record keep the calendar honest from the first draw.

Whelping

plannedC-section

The litter is created as expected, announced early, and tracked from birth to go-home on one record.

Health focus

OFA· DNA · spine

Core clearances attach to parents and appear on every puppy page automatically.

Deposit strategy

per-pup· $500 to $1,000

Offers with a response window, automatic balance requests, and receipts for every payment.

Update cadence

weekly

Weigh-ins, photos, and litter page updates are what keep a family calm through an eight-week wait.

French Bulldog FAQ

Questions We Get From French Bulldog Breeders

Can I show OFA, DNA, and BOAS results for each parent on my French Bulldog website?

Yes. Each dog record has a health section where you enter results and registry numbers and upload certificates. What you publish appears on that dog's public page and on every litter and puppy page that descends from it.

Frenchie deposits are large. How does Whelpify handle them?

You offer a specific puppy to a specific family with a response deadline, and the deposit is collected the moment they accept, by card through your own Stripe account or by an invoice for Zelle, Venmo, PayPal, Cash App, or check that you mark paid. The balance is requested on the date you choose, and every payment sits on the puppy's record with a receipt. Whelpify takes no cut of your sales.

Can I track my girls' heat cycles and plan AI timing in Whelpify?

Yes. Record each heat and Whelpify builds a cycle timeline, estimates the fertile window, learns her personal cycle length over time, and emails you about two weeks before the next heat is due. Progesterone results and the vet's timing are still your call; the tracker keeps the calendar in front of you.

Can families ask for a color or sex in advance?

They can state a preference on your application (for example, a fawn female), and those preferences are used to notify matching families when a puppy becomes available. With litters of two to four, that list is what tells you who gets the call. Final matching is always yours.

What does a Frenchie litter page look like for buyers?

The litter gets an announcement page you can publish before the puppies arrive, with the parents, their clearances and three-generation pedigree, and every puppy with photos, current weight, price, and status. As you update the dashboard, the page updates.

I breed French Bulldogs alongside another breed. Does that work?

Yes. Every dog, litter, puppy, and waitlist entry is tagged by breed, and your website presents each breed cleanly. Multi-breed programs are supported on every plan.

30-day free trial

Set Up Your French Bulldog Program the Way You Actually Run It

Every plan starts with a 30-day free trial and includes the full platform. Most breeders have a site up in an afternoon.

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