Bringing Home Your New ATOO French Bulldog Puppy
You might be asking yourself WHAT DO I NEED BEFORE I BRING HOME MY NEW FRENCH BULLDOG PUPPY? Well, we have compiled a list of items that we feel would make the transition of a new puppy into the home much easier. Now please note, this page is full of our opinions and personal experiences with the products we use. You understand by utilizing this page you are to take them as suggestions and are making your own decision about what is best for your puppy.
Why this particular list? Because these are the items we use for our own dogs and hope that this page helps aid you in the proper essentials for bringing home your adorable new Frenchie puppy.
- Natural Food
- Vitamins & Supplements
- New Puppy Set Up Area
- Feeding & Watering
- Crate Size For A Frenchie Puppy
- Potty Training A French Bulldog
- French Bulldog Puppy Brain Toys
- French Bulldog Puppy Chew Toys
- Favorite Frenchie Squeaky Toys
- Traveling With Your French Bulldog
- Restrains & ID
- Natural Flea & Tick
- French Bulldog Grooming
- Ear & Skin Care
- Dry Cracked Nose
NATURAL FOOD FOR YOUR NEW PUPPY
I am working on a much more detailed page on feeding but to help you get started some of the best food you can buy for your new puppy to get them started is HONEST KITCHEN. You can order it right off Amazon. The most cost-effective formula is the Whole Grain Chicken Recipe. They do have a variety of formulas for you to try to see which best suits your new puppy.
We use Honest Kitchen as the foundation to wean your new puppy. We use Honest Kitchen in conjunction with a Raw & home prepped & cooked diet for our own dogs so it only makes sense to keep all of our pups on it as well. We are always looking for ways to help the transition of our puppies to their new families in the most healthy way possible. You can order Honest Kitchen right off their website with this link and save $10 or you can order directly from Amazon as well if you are already a prime member.
We also know that most folks are more comfortable feeding a dry kibble so we made sure to include that in our pup’s diets. We feed Muenster Milling Co’s dry kibble dog food. You can order directly from them like we do via their website and use code ATOO35 to can get 35% off!!!
Muenster offers FREE Shipping on orders over $49! Use code ATOO35 at checkout for 35% off!!!
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In all of the company’s 85 plus years of existence, there has been no history of recalls of any of the products that, to me, is evidence of the company’s commitment to top-notch quality. They’ve even eaten the food themselves to prove the quality of their product. It’s a dry kibble I can feed and rest easy at night knowing my dogs are eating quality ingredients from a company that has not had any recalls. To me, that shows a commitment to overall quality.
They also have their foods on Amazon as well for those of you that prefer that route but you CANNOT use the 35% off coupon code on amazon.
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VITAMINS & SUPPLEMENTS
First things first overall health & well being. Yes, an ideal diet of a raw species-appropriate diet and proper ratios is all that your new pup should need, however, most of the real world barely has time to cook for themselves let alone their pets for the long haul. If you are one of those people, KUDOS to you and I want to be like you when I grow up. The goal for our dogs is to have them on perfectly balanced raw foods and nutrition.
Screeech! Now back to the real world of raising a large family, homeschooling, running several businesses and raising our dogs. We supplement just to make sure all of our bases (or at least as many as possible) are covered.
We give these to all of our puppies, adult dogs, and certainly our breeding dogs. With each of our puppies, you will receive a starter pack to get you through the first week until yours arrive in the mail. They are pretty quick to ship so oftentimes, if you have followed the steps prior to getting your puppy home, they will have likely already arrived. You can place your order for your pups by clicking here.
DEDICATED NEW PUPPY SPACE
Let’s start with your new puppy space. Here you will see (click to enlarge the photo on the right) one of the ways we have our puppy spaces set up. This is just one of the ways we set things up. You can see in this photo the far side is smaller and has potty pads. This is to separate the area where the puppies go potty from the space where they eat, play, and sleep. Any type gate or puppy pen with a similar set up specifying a mostly sectioned off area where the potty area vs. sleep/play/eat area will work similarly. I will be adding another updated photo of our more recent spaces using a gate like linked below.
To continue on with the potty training we start here, we encourage a set up including a puppy 8-panel pen like this at home for your new puppy. It provides enough space for a small crate/bed for your pup to rest and feel safe and secure, and gives enough room for a food/water/play area and a potty station.
Another great addition to your puppy’s area for comfort is something like one of these puppy heart beat snugglies. They are so used to snuggling with littermates we have found this really helps easy that transition to make the new move a little easier on your new baby.
BEST BOWLS FOR FOOD & WATER
Bowls might seem simple enough, however, they can also be the cause of quite a bit of stress. For example, the wrong bowl that tips too easily can leave your puppy soaking wet and w/out water at the same time. Plastic bowls can be breeding grounds for bacteria and other nasty germs that can irritate the delicate skin on your french bulldog’s nose.
For a basic approach, the classic stainless steel bowls will do. Simple, cheap, and they get the job done.
A personal favorite of mine is both an elevated feeding & water station that also helps keep spills under control.
FRENCH BULLDOG PUPPY CRATE
The perfect size crate for your new puppy for a while is one like this below. It will give your new puppy a nice cozy sense of comfort and security in their new den. This should provide just enough room for your pup through at least their first year of life. Its price point is also affordable enough that if the need should arise after your Frenchie matures, you can upgrade the size for the adult life of your French Bulldog.
POTTY TRAINING MY FRENCH BULLDOG
Now you might be asking, what about the potty training part? Well, there are several options that we have with small breeds that are just not practical for larger breeds. From the basic most cost-effective cleanest option being a simple litter box method. We use litter boxes with alfalfa pellets that you can find on amazon or any local feed store such as Tractor Supply or Russel’s Feed.
BEST FRENCH BULLDOG PUPPY TOYS
Now, what about puppy playtime? Like with children, puppies need playtime too! There are a few toys that will help to keep your pup stimulated and can be interchanged with one another often to prevent boredom. These are some of my go-to’s as they encourage food motivation and instead of feeding your pup in their bowl all at once to be scarfed down, you can turn it into a game. These allow you to fill them with food or treats and encourage your pup to ‘work’ or ‘play’ for the reward.
FRENCH BULLDOG PUPPY CHEWS
Now that you have a few brain-stimulating toys for your new pup, here are a few good starter chews. I prefer natural chews such as antlers & bully sticks. However, please note that all antlers are not created equal. It’s best to have a few of these for around the house to encourage proper chewing and distract from shoes, furniture, walls, etc.
Some of these sizes may seem too large for your new Frenchie but please remember at the end of the day they are still a bulldog. And bulldogs can do some serious work on chew toys. Plus I have found larger things seem to be more fun for the Frenchies to chew vs. smaller ones and a lot safer too leaving me with less anxiety and great peace of mind. The bigger the chew is the less likely they can swallow it. Giving you plenty of time to notice a chew getting too small so that you can replace it before it becomes a choking hazard.
A GOOD SQUEAKY TOY
Last but surely not least, is there anything greater or more invigorating for a Frenchie than a good old fashioned plush squeaky? Well, not in this house there isn’t. Our French Bulldogs are good with Chickens and our farm Kittens, but Lord All-mighty, you give them a squeaky toy and it’s game over!
TRAVELING WITH YOUR FRENCH BULLDOG
Here are some of my favorite travel companions when hitting the road with our dogs. Especially the first listed, the little booster car seat contraption. It’s super nice for your pup to have their own dedicated space when in the car with you too and it helps to keep them where they are supposed to be.
NATURAL PEST CONTROL FOR YOUR FRENCHIE
We do not use any pesticides or toxins in our home, yard or anywhere around our children. So naturally, we do not use any around our French Bulldogs. A wonderful addition to your home during flea & tick season is a product like Wondercide. Lemongrass & Rosemary happen to be two of my favorite scents but they have others available like Peppermint & Cedarwood.
Not only do they offer convenient little sprays but they have wipes & whole entire yard sprays as well. These are products you do not have to worry about using around your little ones both 2 and 4 legged.
GROOMING FOR YOUR FRENCH BULLDOG
If you have ever owned Bulldogs before you know they are a special breed. Not all things are created equal when it comes to grooming necessities.
You will find their tears tend to stain fairly easy on lighter colored Frenchies pretty quickly. This is where Wrinkle Paste comes in. Another ailment for this breed is a dry nose. This is super easy to combat via a quality nose balm such as Snout Soother. We swear by a good nose balm. Keeping happy ears on a French Bulldog requires regular cleaning. A nice quick cool refreshing way is with Pet MD Dog Ear Cleaner Wipes. These things keep your pup’s ears clean and refreshed.
Last for right now but certainly not least, a quality shampoo! Frenchies tend to be an itchy breed come seasonal allergy time. Sure it has a lot to do with what they eat, but what I have found with ours is they are so low to the ground come spring/summer when all the things are blooming they come into contact with all sorts of itch-inducing plants on the ground. This is where a good anti-itch shampoo comes into play.
FRENCH BULLDOG EAR & SKINCARE
Anyone that knows Frenchies knows they can be a delicate breed. Although I truly feel like it has more and more to do with the junk they put in our pet’s food, and the more we introduce into the environment, nonetheless, it can leave Frenchies with seasonal or food allergies. This means a very itchy and sometimes smelly Frenchie. No one wants that. It’s no fun to feel helpless when your French Bulldog has a case of the itchies. Here are a couple of products to have in your arsenal to combat whatever may arise.
Be it itchy ears from food allergies, a flea or another bug allergy, seasonal allergies from tall itchy grass, weeds or stinging nettle, itchy and or smelly paws, itchy and sometimes smelly ears, etc. The list can go on from a run of the mill accidentally boo boo to full blow bug bite gone awry these products are a must-have for any French Bulldog owner.
DRY CRACKED FRENCH BULLDOG NOSES
We covered this above in the grooming section but this very well deserves it’s own mention in itself because it’s that beneficial to add to your first aid kit and/or frenchie supplies. Their noses especially can easily become dry and cracked. We use these on our Frenchies when I’m too lazy to make my own and they are truly beneficial and stand up to the hype.
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