The French Bulldog is a lively, fun-loving, and intelligent breed, unlike the rest. They are affectionately friendly and are bred to be their owner’s companion. In a way, you can refer to this cute little pet as a distant cousin of the English Bulldog. One of the most charming parts of the French Bulldog's body is unarguably their ears - cocked like a bat’s ears. But the intriguing thing about the French Bulldogs ears is that they all don't look the same; while some may appear floppy, others may be pointing up.
Curiously, this distinction or variation in the appearance of French Bulldog ears provides a source of concern for some Frenchie owners, especially those with floppy ears. Frenchie Shop interacted with some French Bulldog owners and gathered some of their points of concern and questions, most common among them, in order to provide some answers that may be soothing.
Why Does My Frenchie have Floppy Ears?
Almost all French Bulldogs have floppy ears at birth. So, if you noticed that your French Bulldog puppy's ears are floppy you need not worry (you wanted your cutie's ears to be pointing up like a bat's) because it is not peculiar to you, that's how Frenchie's are born.
So, How Long Does it Take a French Bulldog's Ears to Stand Up?
There's no straight-jacket answer to this question. It may take a couple of weeks, and sometimes, you may start seeing the signs of it springing up within days. It would depend on the level and speed of development of each Frenchie. But ideally, your Frenchie's Ear should start standing at 7 weeks old.
My French Bulldog's One Ear is Pointing Up While the Other is Floppy, Is There Something Wrong?
No. There's nothing wrong. When eventually your French Bulldog's ears start standing up, it is not all the time and all Frenchies that both ears rise up at the same time and at the same pace. You might notice that one ear is up and one is down. It could also happen that the following day, the one ear that was down the previous day could be standing up and the one standing up the previous day could go floppy. Sometimes both ears may start going up and in a day or two, both ears or one of them might go down. Also, one ear may be up weeks before the other even starts to show any sign of rising up.
The French Bulldog ears do all sorts of wonky things. As a matter of fact, you should see the tricky rise and fall as an entertaining and interesting process. It is actually entertaining and interesting, and not worrisome.
I Have Multiple French Bulldog Puppies and Some Still Have Floppy Ears While Some Ears are Standing Up Already, Should I Visit the Vets?
There's no cause for alarm. One thing you must know is that each puppy is on his or her own time table, even puppies from the same litter. Some puppy's ear may be perfectly erect at their 4th week while some may take up to 10 weeks.
What Can I Do If My Dog's Ears Don't Stand Up?
Like I said earlier, at the 7th week, your puppy's ears should already have started showing signs of rising up. If you noticed this, it is better to let the ears stand on their own. But, if at that time you haven't noticed any such sign, there are ways you can help your Puppy's ears to stand up.
Use the following techniques:
1. Tape each ear individually with 1.4-inches wide of masking tape.
2. Make sure the ear is kept flat while taping to avoid a wrinkled-looking ear base.
3. Orient ears to the top where they would normally stand erect.
4. Once in the erect position of 11 and 1 O'Clock, tape a connecting bridge from one ear to the other.
5. Leave tape in place for between four to five days, then make a small cut at the base of the tape and gently peel off to remove the tape.
We hope these few answers to some Frequently Asked Questions about French Bulldog ears are helpful to you and will help you achieve the perfect ear shape that you want for your French Bulldog.
You are most welcome to share with us your experience while your Frenchie's ears were beginning to stand, or what challenges you are facing at the moment with them. Cheers!
15 comments
Why does my frenchie have pointed and not round ears?
My frenchie is 3 months old and still have floppy ears, I have read that calcium is going into the teeth whilst teething and that there is nothing to worry about , is this true? Does the masking tape work after 5 days?
I’m looking to purchase a French bulldog however i noticed that the ears aren’t pointed and have a more square like shape. Is this normal?
My boy is almost a year old, his one ear is lazy and the other is fine, though sometimes flops at the tip. Will it eventually go up, as he tends to suffer from constant ear infections in that ear. Or will he always have the lazy ear.
My Frenchie is 15 months and one ear stands up and the other doesn’t… ?