The Frenchton: All About this Breed

Reviewed and approved by the biologist Samuel Sanchez

Written by Laura Morales Negrin

Last update: 18 November, 2023

The Frenchton inherits many of the wonderful qualities of its two parent breeds: the Boston Terrier and the French Bulldog. It’s a loyal and affectionate dog that wins the affection of everyone who gets to know one.

These dogs can also be referred to as froston, frenchbo, or faux frenchbo, although these aren’t such common names for them. We invite you to discover all the main characteristics of this dog.

Origin of the Frenchton dog

The emergence of the breed is usually pinpointed to the early nineties in the United States. The aim was to get a dog of that was a cross between the French Bulldog and the Boston Terrier but one which didn’t suffer from their congenital problems.

The Frenchton gained quite a reputation from its inception, becoming very popular practically all over the world. Even so, to this day it hasn’t officially obtained the recognition of its breed.

Frenchton characteristics

The Frenchton is a small dog, measuring between 33 and 40 centimeters at the withers (between 1 and 1.3 feet). Their weight can vary between 5.8 and 11 kilos (13 – 24 pounds), although, contrary to what happens with other breeds, females aren’t always smaller than males.

This is because between specimens there can be a lot of variability depending on the dominant genetics of the parents. So much so that the largest of them can be classified as medium dogs.

In any case, the body of this dog is robust and compact, and its legs are short, but wide. The head is very reminiscent of the breeds it has been crossed with, inheriting from them the flat snout.

It has dark eyes, as well as a beautiful black nose. As for their ears, whether they’re drooping or erect will depend on the genes that predominate the most. For example, if the Frenchton has more genetics of the French Bulldog than the Boston Terrier, it usually has erect ears.

Frenchton fur

The coat of this dog is short, but with a certain density. It’s smooth and hard to the touch, but very shiny and silky if cared for well. As for the colors of the coat, it can be very varied depending on the specimen, both in shades and patterns.

Among the most frequent colors, brown, white, black and cream stand out. They can be combined in any way between them, the most common being a two-color coat.

Temperament

Frenchton puppies are very energetic and must be taught to channel so much energy through games and walks. If not, they can tend to start to bite our belongings and furniture.

Both as children and when they grow up, these dogs show a lot of attention and affection towards their guardians, being quite social with people and other animals. This greatly facilitates their integration into any family.

In addition, they‘re quite calm and don’t bark too much. Of course, this is true as long as it’s a balanced dog that’s trained well and given everything it needs – physical exercise and mental stimulation with games.

However, being so affectionate can cause this animal certain dependency problems. For this reason, it’s not good for it to be alone for very long periods of time. Therefore, it isn’t an appropriate pet for those who aren’t at home all day.

Frenchton care

One of the main points to be careful with regarding the Frenchton is its diet. As in all cases, they should have a balanced diet, adapted to its size and to each stage of life.

On the other hand, special emphasis must be placed on its exercise. It’s essential that the dog walks every day to keep fit. However, as it’s a brachiocephalic dog, it has very frequent breathing problems. This means that the exercise to be carried out should always be moderate to avoid suffocation. In addition, you shouldn’t go out at the hottest times of the day.

Hygiene

Brushing this dog’s hair should be carried out 2 to 3 times a week. As for baths, these aren’t necessary more than once a month or month and a half, unless the animal has become too dirty.

It’s important to check and clean these dogs’ ears to remove any wax and ensure that infections don’t arise. In turn, you have to take care of the Frenchton’s nails, cutting them when they get very long.

One way to know when the time has come to cut them is when we hear them touch the ground while the dog is walking. If they don’t do a lot of exercise, this dog may not wear down its nails enough, and its owner is responsible for looking after them.

Breed training

When training a Frenchton, two main aspects must be taken into account. On the one hand, it’s a very intelligent and active dog, characteristics that favor its learning. However, it also gets somewhat restless and fidgety with new things and can get tired and distracted when doing them.

Therefore, it’s very important to be persistent and use positive reinforcement and rewards during your training. For this to work, rewards must be more attractive than whatever is distracting it.

Health and disease

As mentioned at the beginning, the purpose of this breed was to get a dog with the characteristics of its parents, but a healthier one. Although this is achieved in most specimens, not all diseases are 100% prevented. Among the most common conditions are those related to the respiratory system, such as the following:

• Brachycephalic airway syndrome
• Cleft palate
• Hypoplastic trachea

In addition to this, Frenchtons have a certain tendency to be overweight. Therefore, and as they shouldn’t do intense exercise, controlling their diet is of vital importance.

These dogs also inherit some eye diseases from their parents, such as conjunctivitis, dry eye, cataracts, cherry eye or glaucoma. Finally, dental diseases are quite common in this breed, so tooth brushing should be carried out frequently to control the accumulation of tartar and infections.

The Frenchton as a pet

The Frenchton is a great pet due to everything we’ve mentioned in this article. Due to its good temperament, living with one is not at all problematic, and it gets along well with all members of the family, including other pets.

In addition, as it isn’t a very large or energetic dog, it can adapt to any type of home. Of course, we mustn’t forget that it shouldn’t be left alone for long periods of time.

If you take care of the Frenchton as it deserves, you’ll be able to enjoy this faithful friend for a long time, as its life expectancy ranges from 12 to 15 years. To do this, you must offer it the attention it requires at home and take it to see a veterinary professional on a regular basis to ensure that it remains healthy.