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How fast can a French Bulldog run?

Home » Dog Speed » How fast can a French Bulldog run?

It may never occur to you how fast can French bulldogs run because they really don’t require a lot of exercise and outdoor activities that require running. But how fast can a French Bulldog run?

Being a brachycephalic breed, the French bulldog has shortened skull bones which give their face and nose a pushed-in appearance. Because of this unique bone structure, they are prone to upper airway abnormalities. French bulldogs develop long-term breathing difficulties that impair their ability to exercise or engage in physical activities. In extreme cases, they may also have difficulty eating and sleeping. 

French Bulldog Running Speed

French Bulldogs’ running speed ranges 14-17 miles per hour (22-27 kmh). However, the official record for the fastest French Bulldog is 25.12 mph (40.43 kmh). This is the maximum speed of Winston Bolt during the AKC Coursing Ability Test.

Even though French Bulldogs can’t really do heavy exercises or participate in extremely physical sports, that doesn’t mean, they’d have to live sedentary lives. They’re still dogs and they can still run around and be playful. Some of them can be athletic French bulldogs. They just need activities that require minimal exertion so they don’t lose their breath or pant heavily. 

There’s a video from a French Bulldog Owner who tracked the speed of his Frenchie Claude using a GPS watch and a sports radar device.  

As you can see from the video, Claude is quite the athletic French bulldog that loves to catch sticks. While Frenchies are not the fastest among the small dog breeds, it certainly is not the slowest. It’s safe to say that the Frenchie’s running speed is just right to keep up with humans when they go on a short-distance run.

Fun Activities for French Bulldogs

French bulldogs are great companion dogs. You might be thinking that since Frenchies cannot overexert themselves, there’s a limited number of activities they can engage in. While it’s true that Frenchies should not participate in strenuous exercise, they can still do a lot of the things that active dogs can do. You just need to make the activities appropriate for a brachycephalic breed to avoid injuries and health issues. They still need their daily exercise to stay in shape and prevent obesity. 

1. Dog Brisk Walking with French Bulldog

A short walk is ideal for French bulldogs but frequent outdoor walks in a day are even better. They need about 20 minutes of exercise each day, but instead of doing that in one go, you can do multiple walks in a day. Your Frenchie will love the frequent walks and be thrilled with the constant attention throughout the day. 

What’s great about this is that there’s little risk of overheating because your Frenchie is not overexerting himself. The best time to go for brisk walks are in the morning before 10AM and in the evening after 6AM. Of course, safety is the number one priority, so take him on a safe route away from traffic

2. French Bulldog Dog Obedience Training

Training your Frenchie for obedience sporting event is a great way to give him a mentally and physically stimulating exercise. You can train your Frenchie for obedience trial so that you can enter him in dog obedience competition. This activity allows your dog to learn walking on and off-leash, retrieving, jumping, and demonstrating that he can follow commands. This way, your French bulldog puppy can grow up to become a well-behaved dog whether he is at home or in public places.

3. Dog Rally for the Good Boy Frenchie

Dog Rally challenges you and your Frenchie as you move through a course of numbered signs that display different skills you need to perform together. Think of it as an advanced form of obedience training. Typically, in a rally competition, there are about 10-20 skills to perform but since you’re doing it for fun and at a leisurely pace, you can perform less than 10 skills. This is also a great bonding experience for you and your dog.

4. Dog Agility Course Training for Athletic French Bulldogs

You might think that agility training is too strenuous for a French bulldog. Frenchies are quite intelligent and resilient dogs, they can do agility training as long as you make it safe and appropriate. You can set up an agility course in your backyard and let him go through tunnels and jump through bars. Do it at a leisurely pace and make it as fun as possible. Just do several short sessions with breaks in between.

Precautions for French Bulldogs

Before letting your French bulldog participate in physical activities, it’s important to know his state of health so that you can adjust the level of activities. Your Frenchie must not overexert himself and must not play when the weather is too hot. French bulldogs are at a very high risk of overheating even in warm weather.

So watch out for these symptoms when engaging in outdoor activities.

  • Heavy panting
  • Rapid pulse
  • Vomiting
  • Excessive drooling
  • Diarrhea
  • Extreme thirst
  • Dark red tongue
  • Staggering

If your Frenchie exhibits any of these symptoms, stop the activity immediately. If needed, take him to the vet for proper medical assistance.