Too many people do not know how to evaluate, analyse or value a Frenchy due to lack of sound criteria, they may know “how” but not “why”.
So, let’s make an inventory of the anatomical reasons for his size and appearance, and why , in the words of Mme. Conmingues, “ A Frenchy should look like a Frenchy, and nothing else”.
The skeletal structure is no different from any other dog, only the proportions of the bones of some dogs show a marked type of shortening. Amongst these we find the Pug, English Bulldog and to a lesser degree the Boston. However these breeds do show typical differences between each other in the skeletal development which mark each one out.
When we examine a bulldog skeleton we see that the first aesthetic impression of this “building” is a very square, compact construction.
Firstly: the joints ( as in all dogs) of the pelvis and shoulders do not fit perfectly, as in the human ball and socket joint. The ball end of the joint is less pronounced and the articulation is kept in place exclusivly by the tendons and muscles. If there is a problem with the muscular locomotive apparatus as a result of illness or fracture then the dog will give a disjointed appearance when he moves, the tendons and muscles no longer maintain the fit of the ball head of the bone into its socket.
In a lighter boned dog this will be less apparent than in our more heavily built Frenchy. Many problems of movement are as a result of lack of proper exercice, the solidity of the hinge mechanism depends very much on a good muscular development.
Let’s look first at two parts of the skeleton that form the limits of the spinal column, the withers and the hips. These are formed by the shoulder blades and the rise of the hips. All impulsive force is based on these two regions.
We see that the bone structure of the former is more solid than that of the latter. The front legs primarily give initial support, the centre of gravity being located over the first third of the body, in the chest area, so the front end bone structure must bear two thirds of the total body weight.
Dogs walk on their “fingers and toes”. Sometimes we find a Frenchy with a depressed articulation of the foot bones, due to bad calcifying, which is reflected in a movement where too much weight is placed on the back legs and the consequent poor posture.
The muscular force cannot be properly transmitted if all the component parts (muscles, tendons, joints etc) are not correct in themselves. This is why it is so necesary that the bony “hinges” be well developed in a heavily built dog, being more susceptible to a bad equilibrium.
The two front limbs are those which support the dog. They should be strong, straight and well grounded. The weight bearing line should extend from the foot at the base and pass through the superior part of the shoulder blade. The latter is a flat, angled bone easily found by feeling the dog.
The back limbs are concerned with propulsion, they support the dog and also transmit movement through the iliac crest. The weight bearing line of the back limbs is vertical and starts in the toes, ascending to terminate a little in front of the joint between the femur and the iliac crest.
The “mirror” construction of the upper part of the limbs gives us the balance and smoothness of the gait owing to the proper sharing of the muscular action by the weight bearing extremities. If the front legs pull more than they push, then the back limbs push more than they pull.
The Frenchy’s weight is borne in a well defined area marked by a trapezium whose longest side is represented by the front legs,which bear two thirds of the weight; and the narrower by the back legs.which support the other third. We can deduce from the stouter front limbs that they not only function as weight bearers, but also have a part to play in movement. The Frenchy is a type of dog which uses all four limbs in its locomotion.
If we observe the skeleton in free movement we see that this natural counterbalance produces a contrary movement in the shoulder blades and the pelvis with a slight twisting of the spinal column about its axis. It is precisely this displacement of the limbs that gives the Frenchy his characteristic swinging gait. All abnormal gaits ( except those produced by defects in the nervous system) are the result of a deficient skeletal structure ( straight stifles, rabbit’s foot etc) or as a result of trauma.
The growth process is often a determining factor. The first 18 months are critical in the development of the correct calcification of the bones and so in the general look of the dog.
Footprints in the sand, snow or wet earth can tell us a great deal about the movement of the dog. If it is normal it will be fluid , the front and back ends will move almost simultaneously. The front and back feet leave the ground a few tenths of a second apart at times. This slight difference allows our solid little Frenchy to maintain his balance. The resulting muscular compensation is reflected in the swinging movement.
To see the video click here. Video property of the AKC. 656 K
A very slow walk is no longer a crossing movement but is rather the displacement of of two limbs on the same side.
When running it is a series of jumps, the two back legs working practically together, pushing the dog forward and leaving the ground noticeably later than the front. The front legs in turn move the body forward at the end of the jump whilst the back legs tuck up under the belly.
"Le Bouledogue français". Emmanuel-P and Anita-L. Gay. Switzerland.1967
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