French Bulldog Size Guide: How Big Does a French Bulldog Get?

Here we will outline French Bulldog size standards to help you decide if this is the dog for you. If you’ve already adopted one of these adorable darlings, we’ll provide you with some helpful tools and tips for tracking their growth. 

Our handy interactive puppy growth chart and calculator takes all the hard work out of predicting your puppy’s potential adult size. This helps you to know exactly what you are in for.

If you’re looking for a loving companion dog for you and your family, you can’t go far wrong with a French Bulldog. With their unique bat-like ears, large eyes, and little faces, Frenchies are undeniably cute, and they have a totally charming personality to match. 

Resembling Bulldogs but in miniature, these easy-going canines are categorized as small – but what exactly does that mean? 

French Bulldog Size Predictions by Age 

Alert, playful and smart, Frenchies are perfect dogs for novice owners. Their small stature makes them ideal for apartment life, and their short coat means that you won’t be spending hours and hours washing and grooming them. They really are super easy to care for. 

French Bulldogs thrive on human companionship and love nothing more than games in the park, followed by a cozy snooze on the couch. They are incredibly affectionate and will work hard to please their owner either by standing guard over the house or enthusiastically picking up new skills and tricks with ease.

Take care though, these intelligent dogs are free thinkers and have a twinkle of mischief in them. They can be a little stubborn when they want to be. They need a firm, fair and consistent hand and absolutely tons of love. In the right home and with the right owner, these loveable goofballs have a gentle nature and will provide endless entertainment. 

Here’s what you can expect from your Frenchie in terms of their size at a few of the key growth milestones: 

Age	3 months	6 months	1 year	Adult
Weight	8 – 14 lbs	13 – 22 lbs	16 – 28 lbs	16 – 28 lbs
Height	4 – 6 inches	7 – 9 inches	11 – 12 inches	11 – 12 inches

 *A dog’s height is measured to its withers. This is the space between the shoulder blades. 

As you can see from the chart, French Bulldogs grow significantly in the first 6 months of their lives, hitting around 2/3rds of their adult size in this time. They will continue to grow at a less rapid pace up until their first birthday, when they will likely have achieved both their adult height and weight. 

Are There Different Sizes of French Bulldogs?

While not officially recognized by the American Kennel Club (AKC) as they don’t meet the traditional breed standards, there are two smaller versions of the French Bulldog. These are the Mini (or Micro) and Teacup ones. The smaller dogs are created by breeding the runts of various litters and can weigh as little as 5 lbs and certainly no more than 18 lbs. 

Be cautious about getting one of these Frenchies, though. However cute they may seem, runts are often the weakest dogs of the litter and, as such, are more susceptible to various health conditions. They can also develop specific problems related to their unnaturally small size. 

Aside from breeding variations, there are also slight size differences between male and female Frenchies. Males tend to be a little larger – mostly in terms of body size and weight than height. Although this is not as noticeable as with some other breeds of dogs. 

French Bulldog Growth Patterns

Growth patterns for a healthy French Bulldog follow the same progression as for many other smaller dogs. They will already have reached half their adult height and weight by 3 months and 2/3rds to 80% of it before they are 6 months.

While the chances are good that your Frenchie will hit their adult size somewhere between 8 and 12 months, a very few may keep growing outwards beyond this as they bulk up on muscle weight. 

All of this, though, is very dependent on their physical health, exercise levels, and the type and quality of the food they receive during this time. 

How Big is a Full-Grown French Bulldog?

While there are a few variables that can impact a French Bulldog’s full size, including their gender and their parents’ size, you can expect your adult Frenchie to be somewhere between 11 and 12 inches to the shoulder and 16-28 pounds. As you can see, there is far more variation in this breed’s weight than in their height. 

At What Age is a French Bulldog Considered Fully Grown?

Depending on whether your Frenchie falls on the lower or upper end of the scale, they will likely reach their adult height somewhere between 8 and 12 months of age and their adult weight between 10 and 12 months of age. 

There is also a chance that larger dogs could continue to gain muscle weight a couple of months past that. For this reason, we can estimate that they will be fully grown around 12 to 14 months. 

If you want more specific information about your pet, you should be able to calculate their potential adult weight and height at 3 months by taking their measurements at that age and multiplying them by two.

A different formula you could use is:

1. Growth = current weight / current age in weeks
2. Adult weight = Growth x 52 (number of weeks in one year)

So, for example, if your 12-week old pup weighs 18 pounds. You simply divide the current weight by their age in weeks and multiply the result with 52:

If you’re looking for a little dog with a lot of love to give, then the French Bulldog might be the one. Not only do they make cute, fun pets, but you can be reasonably confident about what you’re getting in terms of their size. Hopefully, the information included here has proven useful whether you are thinking of adopting a Frenchie or have already welcomed one into your home.