So, you have decided you want to buy or adopt a French Bulldog. You may be wondering if a boy frenchie or girl frenchie is right for you. This is a common question from future French Bulldog parents. Let me start by telling you that each frenchie personality is unique just like every human personality is unique. However, I will illuminate some of the common male frenchie personality traits and some common female frenchie personality traits.
The Male Frenchie Personality
In general, male French Bulldogs are more playful. My boy Dozer is absolutely more playful than my two girls. He LOVES his toys, loves to play with all dogs, loves to play with all humans, and gets the zoomies every night. This is not to say that my girls are not playful, because they are! Males just tend to be a little more playful….and a little more mischievous!
Male French Bulldogs are very loving. I heard someone say once that “female frenchies will love you but male frenchies will be IN LOVE with you” and I couldn’t have said it better myself. Everyone in my house will tell you that Dozer is a big ole momma’s boy. There is no denying his love for this frenchie mama.
Males have a higher tendency to roam than females due to their instinct to look for mates. However, this tendency lessens once you get them neutered. Dozer did run from me when he was younger. Thankfully, he no longer does because boy that is a scary thing! One time he shimmied out of his harness and ran down a pitch black trail. Talk about being one scared mama!
In general, males also tend to be more difficult to train. Dozer took significantly longer to potty train than my girls. Part of this may be the gender difference; however, I believe a large part of it is that he was my first frenchie. Therefore, there was a learning curve for mama also. Molly was my second frenchie and I really did not have to potty train her. She just followed Dozers lead!
The Female Frenchie Personality
In general, females tend to be more timid, but also have more attitude and are prone to mood swings. My Molly can be the sweetest little thing you have ever seen one minute and then ten minutes later sound like she wants to rip Harley’s head off. My girls, who are littermates, can get into tiffs every now and then. You can read my earlier blog post on “litter mate syndrome” if you want to learn more about that subject.
Female French Bulldogs are huge cuddlers. They will just melt your heart when they crawl up on your lap, curl up, and start snoring. My boy enjoys his cuddle time also but not nearly as much as my girls. My girls are also lickers where my boy is not. Dozer will give you a kiss every now and then, but the girls will lick you for ten minutes straight if you let them.
What gender should I get if I already have a frenchie?
As I mentioned, not all frenchies are made the same. The way they are raised, genetics, breeding practices, training, and many other factors go into the manifestation of a frenchies personality. However, males tend to fight with males and females tend to fight with females. Dozer has never had any sort of fight, tiff, or any other negative interaction with either of the girls. This does not mean that you will not get an aggressive male and he will not fight with the female. This, like many of the traits mentioned in this post, is a generalization. However, for the most part, if you already have a male frenchie, a female frenchie will be your best bet and if you already have a female frenchie, a male frenchie will be your best bet. This will lead to a lesser likelihood of potential altercations.
Other gender differences
Males are typically larger and have larger heads. Males are also said to be prone to more health issues and this is accurate in my household. I have not had one health issue with my females. However, I would not even want to attempt to add up all my vet bills from my boy. Females also tend to live longer which makes sense if males have more health issues.
For all the small differences between males and females, there are many more similarities. They have loving personalities. They are playful. They are funny. They are loyal. And they love their humans!
Spaying and neutering can and most likely will play a role in the personality differences between males and females evening out the differences in the genders.
No matter which gender you choose, boy or girl, you are going to love your frenchie and they are going to love you! There is no wrong choice here!