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So you’ve started to notice a rather unpleasant smell coming from your french bulldog. Or, no matter how often you clean them, they seem to always have some sort of stink coming from them. What gives? Is it normal for french bulldogs to stink or is something wrong?
Why Do French Bulldogs Smell Bad:
French bulldogs have an increased likelihood of smelling bad. This is because they’re a brachycephalic breed which makes them swallow air and pass gas more often. They’re also more prone to skin fold dermatitis and are among the group of dog breeds more likely to have impacted anal glands.
In this post you’ll discover:
- 8 real reasons why french bulldogs tend to smell
- How to prevent a smell that only 7% of all dog owners know about
- 7 tips to help stop your frenchies stink (not many people know about tip #2!)
- And much, much more
Let’s dive right in.
Table of Contents
Top 8 Reasons Why French Bulldogs Smell Bad
1) SFD
SFD stands for skin fold dermatitis and french bulldogs are quite prone to it.
Unfortunately what makes your frenchie incredibly cute might also be causing them to smell.
When the skin folds on their face as well as their body aren’t regularly cleaned, bacteria will grow.
This is because moisture gets trapped in their folds and creates an ideal breeding ground for bacteria.
Which then creates an off-putting smell.
If their skin folds aren’t cleaned and enough friction takes place, it can also create an open wound on their skin.
Which could then result in an infection, creating an even worse smell.
If it’s been a while since you gave your frenchies folds a good cleaning, this could be why they stink.
2) Gassy
French bulldogs are notorious for being quite gassy.
They seem to fart much more than other breeds.
Which is mostly for two reasons.
One, they tend to have more sensitive stomachs.
Which means certain foods don’t sit well with them, creating more gas in their stomach that needs to be released.
And two, they swallow a lot of air when eating which contributes to their gassiness.
Because they’re a brachycephalic breed (short-headed/flat-faced) they have breathing troubles in general.
So when it comes to eating, they aren’t able to breath easily through their nose which means they use their mouth.
And as they swallow their food, air goes with it.
Which makes them fart more and be more stinky than other breeds.
Related Reading: 11 Reasons Why Your Frenchie Farts So Much + Helpful Tips
3) Infrequent Bathing & Brushing Schedule
When french bulldogs don’t have a regular bathing and grooming schedule, they’re more likely to smell bad.
Regular bathing and brushing help make sure their skin and coat is in the best shape possible.
Many people wait until their frenchie is giving off a noticeably unpleasant smell before getting them in the tub.
Which is understandable because some french bulldogs absolutely hate baths.
But, if you want to keep your pup from smelling bad, making sure they’re bathed at least every 2-3 months is key.
When it comes to brushing you’ll want to brush them everyday.
Or at least 4 times a week.
Lots of dirt and debris gets caught in their coat throughout their day-to-day adventures.
And the only way to keep their coat from beginning to smell because of this, is to brush them often.
Important note: While it’s important to bathe your pup every 2-3 months to keep their smelliness under control, you don’t want to bathe them too often either. Bathing them every week or every other week would be too much for their sensitive skin to handle. Which would do more harm than good.
Related Reading: Top 12 Best Shampoos For French Bulldogs | Full Bathing Guide
4) Yeast Infection
Most yeast infections will show up on your frenchies paws or in their ears.
Which can sometimes produce a cheese or popcorn scent.
If you also notice your pup scratching at their ears or nibbling on their paws and that they’re red, they could have a yeast infection.
Thankfully yeast infections are too hard to treat.
You can take them to the vet and have them prescribe a shampoo or medication to help bring their skin back to normal.
5) Gorilla Fart Breath
If your frenchies breath smells like a gorilla fart, they likely haven’t had their teeth brushed in a long time.
(my dad used to say my breath smelt like a gorilla fart in the morning if I got close to him before brushing my teeth, gotta respect the honesty I guess)
Unfortunately, many people don’t pay too much attention when it comes to their dog’s oral hygiene.
A study done by Ipsos found that just 7% of dog owners brush their dog’s teeth daily.
And only 10% of people brushed their dog’s teeth once a week!
While you might think it’s silly to brush your dog’s teeth, it’s extremely important in order to maintain their oral health.
Just like if you weren’t to brush your teeth for weeks or months at a time, not only would your breath stink, but you’d likely have inflamed gums or infections.
So if your frenchies breath smells noticeably bad, they’ve probably got an oral health issue.
Side note: Over 80% of dogs will develop some form of periodontal (gum) disease by age 2. Which can be avoided with regular brushing.
Related Reading: 17 Best Teeth Cleaning Products for Dogs
6) Unexpressed Anal Glands
Does your french bulldog have a rather ‘fishy’ smell?
If their anal glands/sacs are impacted or unexpressed they may start to produce a fish-like smell.
The American Kennel Club says if you also see your pup scooting their bum on the ground as well as the fishy smell, it’s likely their anal glands are imacted.
Properly functioning anal glands will release a fluid after each one of your frenchies poops.
Interestingly, this is a way for your pup to communicate with other dogs.
I don’t know about you but I’m glad people communicate verbally…
When their anal sacs aren’t properly releasing this fluid it will harden and produce this fishy smell.
And it’s more common in small as well as overweight dogs.
You can take your frenchie to the vet to have them expressed and get rid of the irritation as well as smell.
7) Their Hang-Out Spot Needs Washing
Unfortunately, your frenchie is only as clean as their belongings are!
If you give your pup a nice bath, massage their skin and coat with dog shampoo, dry them off completely only to have them rest on a smelly bed…
They’ll stink far sooner than you’d like.
Whether it’s their dog bed or a favorite spot on your couch where they rest.
These places will likely stink from frequent use.
Also, while their toys aren’t necessarily a hang-out spot, they’re something they often play with/put in their mouth which should be cleaned often.
Anywhere or anything your pup uses on a consistent basis should be cleaned regularly to help prevent them from smelling bad.
Related Reading: Top 12 Best Beds For French Bulldogs
8) They Like Rolling Around In Interesting Smells
Your frenchie has a much more powerful sense of smell than you do.
Studies have found the area of their brain that processes smells is 40 times larger than yours and mine!
Which means they largely experience this world through their nose.
And when they find an interesting smell, they want to follow it and probably roll around in it.
Whether it’s another dog’s scent or a wild animal’s poop, scents you wouldn’t want to be near, they want to explore.
So if your frenchie often stinks, they may be finding and rolling around in as many interesting smells they can find.
7 Ways To Limit Your French Bulldogs Stink (Or Completely Stop It)
1) Regularly Clean Their Folds
As a french bulldog owner you have an added responsibility of having to clean their skin folds.
Their adorably wrinkly face comes with a price!
Without regular cleaning, their skin folds can easily collect moisture and bacteria that lead to off-putting smells.
Not to mention food can get trapped in the skin folds on their face as well.
Just like you’d wipe a baby’s face with a cloth after every meal, it would be a good idea to get in the habit of doing this for your frenchie.
2) Slow Down Their Eating
If you slow down your frenchies ability to eat, they’ll swallow less air.
And when they swallow less air, they won’t be clearing rooms because of their farts nearly as often.
Fortunately there are bowls that are designed to slow down a dog’s ability to inhale their food.
This Outward Hound Slow Feeder Dog Bowl is one of the best you can find on amazon.
It blocks their ability to gobble down too much food too quickly which should help your frenchie not swallow as much air.
3) Higher Quality Food
If your french bulldog has a poor quality diet, not only could it affect their stomach, but it’ll affect their skin and coat.
Unfortunately, many dog foods that are on the more affordable side are filled with grain-based ingredients.
Which leaves out lots of nutrients your pup needs to maintain a healthy body.
If their diet is bad, more often than not, they’ll be a smelly dog.
Try switching them to a meat-based dog food or even a hypoallergenic dog food if their stomach is super sensitive.
Testing higher quality dog foods should help improve your frenchies overall smell.
4) Introduce Frequent Oral Care
A sure fire way to keep french bulldogs from having breath that smells horrible is to roll up your sleeves and brush their teeth.
The more frequent the better.
Of course, many people aren’t super interested in adding brushing their dogs teeth to their list of things to do…
But it’s the best way to keep their teeth and mouth healthy.
Fortunately, there are a couple other ways to improve their oral health as well.
While these shouldn’t be used instead of tooth brushing, they’re much better than no oral care at all.
And those things are dental treats & water additives.
The best dental chews are Dentastix or Greenies.
And one of the better water additives is this Fresh Dental Water Additive.
These help clean their teeth without any extra effort from you.
5) Create a Bathing Schedule
Proactive bathing instead of reactive bathing is a great way to keep your frenchie smelling fresh.
If you wait until their stink becomes unbearable, you’ll always have periods throughout the year where they really stink.
If you make sure to bathe them every 2-3 months, as well as when they roll around in something smelly, they’ll be much better smelling throughout the year.
Related Reading: 12 Best Shampoos For French Bulldogs | Full Bathing Guide
6) Wash Their Belongings
Of course, what’s the use in a good bath if they just lie down on their dirty bed right after!
That would be like having a shower then putting back on the dirty clothes you were wearing before.
A little silly if you’re wanting to improve your smell.
Be sure to give their bed, hang out spots, and even toys a good cleaning every week or two.
This will make sure all your efforts to keep your pup clean are well worth it.
7) See Your Veterinarian
Sometimes a french bulldog’s bad smell is caused by something more serious.
Like if an infection wasn’t noticed and treated early enough or if their oral health has gotten to a bad place.
In this case, it’s never a bad idea to take them to see their vet.
Some smells simply won’t go away unless they’ve received treatment or medication.
Other posts you might find interesting:
Top 15 Best Harnesses For French Bulldogs
8 Reasons Why French Bulldogs Itch So Much + Helpful Tips
12 Reasons Why Frenchies Are So Clingy & Needy + Tips
9 Reasons Why French Bulldogs Look Sad & Depressed + Tips
Citations:
Skin Fold Dermatitis (Intertrigo) in Dogs
Dog Ear Infections: Symptoms, Causes, Treatment, and Prevention