How much does a French Bulldog puppy cost?
French Bulldog prices are set by each breeder, and in UK research the breed is among the dogs most often born by caesarean section, which shapes what a litter costs to raise. French Bulldog puppies listed on Puppy Connection right now are priced from $2,000 to $3,600.
The sections below cover what sits behind a Frenchie's price, which colors the breed standard accepts, and what to check before you hand over a deposit.
Why does delivery matter to a Frenchie's price?
Caesarean delivery is the norm for this breed in the research. When UK breed club members reported on their litters, more than 80 percent of French Bulldog litters had been delivered that way, putting the Frenchie in the top three with the Boston Terrier and the Bulldog. A caesarean is a veterinary surgery, and its cost falls on the breeder before any puppy is listed. AKC also notes that flat-faced breeds like the Frenchie are more sensitive to anesthesia.
Does color change what a Frenchie is worth?
Listings may name a Frenchie's color, and it is worth knowing what the breed standard says before you pay extra for one. The AKC standard accepts white, cream and fawn, from light fawn to red fawn, in any combination, with brindle, piebald, black masks, black shadings and white markings as the allowed patterns.
The same standard names colors that disqualify a French Bulldog from the show ring, and that list includes blue, blue fawn, liver, merle, solid black, black and tan, and black and white. A blue or merle Frenchie is a dog outside the breed standard, so a higher price for one of those colors is buying something the standard does not reward.
Merle carries a health question of its own, because when two merle dogs are bred together some puppies inherit two copies. In a study of merle dogs tested for hearing, a quarter of those double merles were deaf in one or both ears, against under four percent of single merles. If a listing is merle, ask about the colors of both parents.
The standard also asks for a short, smooth coat and disqualifies any other coat, so a long-coated or fluffy Frenchie also sits outside it.
What health testing should the parents have?
The national breed club recommends patella, hip, cardiac and eye evaluations for breeding dogs. AKC adds that Frenchies can have breathing problems, do poorly in heat and humidity, and sometimes have eye conditions such as cherry eye, juvenile cataracts or entropion. Ask the breeder which of the club's recommended exams each parent has had.
What comes home with the puppy?
All 6 listings here come with AKC registration. Each listing says what that puppy goes home with.
Compare listings on what they include as well as the price, since vet exams, vaccinations, a microchip and a written guarantee all vary from breeder to breeder. Ask what any guarantee covers and how long it lasts.
How do deposits work?
Breeders who take a deposit ask $500 to $600 to hold a puppy. Any deposit terms are agreed between you and the breeder, so ask what it holds and whether it is refundable.
Ask whether the deposit is refundable and what it holds. Federal Trade Commission advice is to treat a demand for gift cards, payment apps, crypto or a wire transfer as the mark of a scam, and to pay by credit card when you can.
What should you ask a French Bulldog breeder?
Ask what colors both parents are and whether either is merle. Ask which of the club's recommended health exams each parent has had and whether you can see the results. Ask whether the litter was born by caesarean section, how the mother recovered, and when the puppy can go home.
See French Bulldog puppies
Frenchie breeders post their own puppies on Puppy Connection. Open any listing to see that breeder's price and contact them directly.