French Bulldog puppy care in the first months comes down to a handful of jobs: regular vet visits, the full vaccine and deworming schedule, the right feeding routine, a puppy-proofed home, and extra attention to heat, breathing and weight. This guide walks you through each one, from what to buy before pickup day to when your puppy needs its rabies shot.

Before your puppy comes home

A simple shopping and to-do list:

  • Bed, food and water bowls, and the same puppy food the breeder was using, to start.
  • A harness and leash. For this breed, a harness is better than a collar for walks.
  • A crate or playpen for naps and house training.
  • Chew toys, an enzymatic cleaner for accidents, and soft cloths for wiping face folds.
  • The puppy's records and the parents' health test results. Our French Bulldog puppy paperwork guide explains what to ask for.

Book a vet appointment for the first days at home, and ask about microchipping if the breeder hasn't done it. The Royal Kennel Club recommends microchipping if it is "not already done by the breeder".[7]

Vet visits, vaccines and deworming

Vet visits: the Merck Veterinary Manual recommends checkups every 3 to 4 weeks until about 4 months of age.[1] At the first visit, ask your vet to look at your puppy's nostrils and breathing, heart, kneecaps, eyes and mouth.

Core vaccines: the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) lists distemper, adenovirus and parvovirus as core vaccines, plus rabies where the disease is present. Puppy doses are given every 2 to 4 weeks, with the final dose at 16 weeks of age or older, and a booster at or after 26 weeks.[2] Read more in our guide to distemper in dogs.

Rabies: the CDC advises vaccinating dogs for rabies "according to local laws" and notes that most dogs should not be vaccinated before 12 weeks of age. Schedules vary by product and by state, so your vet will tell you when it is due where you live.[8]

Deworming: the most common way puppies get roundworms is from their mother, through the placenta, before they are born.[9] The Companion Animal Parasite Council (CAPC) recommends deworming from 2 weeks of age and repeating every 2 weeks (2, 4, 6 and 8 weeks), then monthly control. Dog roundworms can infect people, most often children.[3]

Heartworm and fleas: Merck recommends year-round heartworm prevention.[1] Ask your vet which parasite prevention fits your puppy, including fleas and ticks.

French Bulldog puppy feeding schedule

AgeMeals per day[4]
6 to 12 weeks4
3 to 6 months3
6 to 12 months2
Adult1 to 2

Choose a complete and balanced puppy food that meets AAFCO standards.[4] Merck advises weighing your puppy weekly so you can adjust portions, and notes that fast growth from overfeeding is not desirable.[10] For daily amounts, see how much should a French Bulldog eat.

Puppy-proofing your home

Puppies chew everything until about 6 months of age. The Royal Kennel Club lists electrical cords, chemicals, toxic plants, stairs and steep drops, and ponds or pools as the main hazards.[11]

In 2025, the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center recorded more than 376,000 items that pets were exposed to. The top causes were over-the-counter medications and supplements, followed by food and drink, with chocolate also in the top four.[12] Keep pills, purses, trash and snacks out of reach.

If you think your puppy ate something toxic, call your vet, an emergency clinic, or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435 right away.[13] Don't wait for symptoms.

French Bulldog puppy care: breed-specific needs

  • Heat: in a large UK study, French Bulldogs were among the breeds at significantly higher risk of heatstroke.[5] Walk in the cool parts of the day, keep water and shade available, and never leave your puppy in a car. Our heat safety guide lists the emergency signs.
  • Breathing: snoring, snorting and noisy breathing are not "normal" or cute. Cambridge's BOAS research group says they signal a blocked airway.[6] Mention them to your vet. Struggling to breathe, blue or gray gums, or collapse is an emergency: go to a vet now.
  • Weight: extra pounds make breathing and back problems worse. Use part of the daily food as training treats.
  • Skin, folds and ears: the Royal Kennel Club advises daily cleaning of skin folds in flat-faced dogs, and keeping wrinkles dry after drinking as well as after baths.[14] Check ears weekly for smell, redness or discharge.
  • Bathing: bathe only when needed and use a dog shampoo, not a human one, which can irritate the skin.[15] Use lukewarm water in a warm room and dry your puppy thoroughly. We found no official minimum age for a first bath, so ask your vet.
  • Sleep: puppies sleep a lot. That's normal, as long as your puppy is bright and playful when awake.

Training and socialization

Your first weeks together overlap with the puppy socialization window, which closes at about 12 weeks.[16] Start right away with puppy socialization, a potty schedule, and short reward-based training sessions. Our guide on how to potty train a French Bulldog covers the schedule step by step.

Expect nipping and chewing in these months. Keep plenty of chew toys around, swap them in whenever your puppy mouths hands or furniture, and praise it for choosing the toy. Short daily practice of handling paws, ears and face folds also pays off at every future vet visit.

Sources and references

  1. Antinoff N. Routine Health Care of Dogs [Internet]. Merck Veterinary Manual; 2025 Jul [updated 2026 Sep; cited 2026 Nov 3].
  2. WSAVA Vaccination Guidelines Group. 2024 Guidelines for the Vaccination of Dogs and Cats: Executive Summary [Internet]. WSAVA; 2024 [cited 2026 Nov 3].
  3. Companion Animal Parasite Council. Ascarid [Internet]. CAPC Guidelines; [date unknown] [updated 2025 Feb 28; cited 2026 Nov 3].
  4. Antinoff N. Puppy Care [Internet]. Merck Veterinary Manual; 2025 Jul [cited 2026 Nov 3].
  5. Hall EJ, Carter AJ, O'Neill DG. Incidence and risk factors for heat-related illness (heatstroke) in UK dogs under primary veterinary care in 2016. Scientific Reports. 2020;10(1):9128. doi:10.1038/s41598-020-66015-8.
  6. University of Cambridge, Department of Veterinary Medicine. Recognition & Diagnosis [Internet]. Cambridge BOAS Research Group; [date unknown] [cited 2026 Nov 3].
  7. The Royal Kennel Club. Your puppy's first weeks at home [Internet]. The Royal Kennel Club; [date unknown] [cited 2026 Nov 3].
  8. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Information for Veterinarians [Internet]. CDC Rabies; 2024 Jun 20 [updated 2025 Jul 16; cited 2026 Nov 3].
  9. Peregrine AS. Roundworms in Small Animals [Internet]. Merck Veterinary Manual; 2023 Jul [updated 2026 Jul; cited 2026 Nov 3].
  10. Sanderson SL. Feeding Practices in Small Animals [Internet]. Merck Veterinary Manual; 2023 Nov [updated 2024 Oct; cited 2026 Nov 3].
  11. The Royal Kennel Club. The best home environment for your puppy [Internet]. The Royal Kennel Club; [date unknown] [cited 2026 Nov 3].
  12. ASPCA. The Top 10 Toxins of 2025 [Internet]. ASPCA News; 2026 Mar 15 [cited 2026 Nov 3].
  13. ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center. People Foods to Avoid Feeding Your Pets [Internet]. ASPCA; [date unknown] [cited 2026 Nov 3].
  14. The Royal Kennel Club. How to groom my dog? [Internet]. The Royal Kennel Club; [date unknown] [cited 2026 Nov 3].
  15. PDSA. How often should you groom your pet? [Internet]. PDSA; [date unknown] [cited 2026 Nov 3].
  16. Borns-Weil S. Social Behavior of Dogs [Internet]. Merck Veterinary Manual; 2025 Sep [cited 2026 Nov 3].