1. We never knowingly breed unhealthy dogs. It's not worth it! Not for our clients who trust us. Not for the future of our program. Not for our reputation.
   
   If we find out later one of our adults is consistently producing unhealthy dogs or traits we remove them from the program.

2. We make sure that we never double on recessive health disorders. We know and plan around both parent's DNA profiles.

3. We are working our way towards OFA's. In the year 2024 we plan to test for spinal, tracheal, hip and patella disorders.
   
   This process is not cheap, but it should help us to minimize as much as possible things like degenerative disc disorders, hip dysplasia, airway issues, and luxating patella's.

   We want to do absolutely everything we can to make sure you don't get stuck with expensive medical bills and your frenchie doesn't have to live in or experience pain.

   
   

1. With each generation we work towards the ideal temperament.
   
   It is important to know that french bulldogs are composed of bulldogs and terriers.
   
   Terriers have more energy to play, but this energy can become nervous, disruptive, or destructive energy if the dog's energy needs are met.
   
   Bulldogs tend to be more gentle and like their rest. Bulldogs can be guilty of lack of interest in play or just wanting to sleep all the time.
   We want a dog in the middle! A dog that can play with you and get excited with you, but not so much that they are bouncing off the walls still when you're ready to rest.

   We strive for an adaptive and tolerant dog that is accepting of strangers and good with children.

2. We only breed non-aggressive dogs. We never keep aggressive dogs in our program! Whether it is toward animals or humans. It is not acceptable and we never want to replicate it.

3. Temperament is environmental and developmental just as much as it is hereditary.

   We socialize all of our puppies starting from the day they are born.

   In the first few weeks we hold them and warm them in our hands and gently stroke them. We let them smell us.

   Once they are able to see and hear, we start exposing them to sounds - all different pitches and volumes. We interact with them in different ways and with different members of our family.

   We make sure to encourage their thinking and problem solving by forcing them to solve problems on their own without intervention.

   As they start to reach the 6-8 week mark they start to see and hear our adult dogs.
   
   They learn manners and are encouraged through their phase of fear.

   We put them in scenarios with other dogs, but we also teach them that it is okay to be alone.

There are two meanings for the word structure in french bulldogs:

First, that a dog that is structural in nature, meaning that when it stands or walks or breathes it is able to do these things with ease, free of pain or undue burden.

Second, it can mean a specific build or body type or the presence or absence of certain features.

While there is a standard that you can find on the AKC website it is important to note that most french bulldog breeders currently do not adhere to this standard.

So where does Bridgetown fall in this spectrum?

1. We realize there are limits to what is achievable while still maintaining the essence of the breed.

2. We strive to be in the upper echelon of functionality while still maintaining the look that frenchies are renowned for.

3. We breed two distinct types of french bulldogs structure.

   (Reference our Vision & Clarity section)

Vision is probably the most important thing you should be looking for when you decide where you will get your french bulldog puppy from.

The Cheshire cat is famous for telling Alice that if she doesn't care where she ends up then it doesn't really matter which direction she goes! This is very true. If you don't know where you're trying to go then any road can take you there. Just don't expect the same results as the breeder who knows exactly what they want and how they will get there!

Aligning your goals with a breeder's vision is the surest way to get exactly what you want when selecting a puppy.

Disclaimer - before I detail our vision, please understand that no matter how hard we try, ultimately God has the last word.

We do our best to learn from our experiences and those of others, but breeding will never be an exact science. It is part science, part art, and a good bit of divine intervention!

Our vision is to have two distinct types of french bulldog - each with seperate and specific properties.

Not only does this give our clients a choice when searching for their perfect french bulldog, but it also gives us a way to mitigate the negative traits of each.

(Read on under Bulldog Forward Frenchies & Small Standards)

The perfect whimsical travel companion and quintessential lap dog. These are your velcro dogs; your extra warm spot on your couch...you can accessorize them and put them in a tote! They know they are special and expect you to acknowledge it!

Mini french bulldogs are not specifically "a thing" and there is a negative connotation within the breeding community because the word "mini" is often used as a marketing ploy to trick buyers wanting smaller french bulldogs into buying runts and unhealthy dogs.

It is of note that the smallest dog in a litter does not always end up being a small dog so there must be intent and lineage behind a breeding to specifically create small dogs reliably.

We do, however, believe it is possible to create dogs that are consistently smaller than what is typical, and even more importantly, that they can be just as healthy as their bigger counterparts!

In fact we've been doing it already!

When we say "standard" we mean it loosely! Unlike the standard, we don't mind fancy colors, but color is never the goal, its just a cool add-on.

We like our small standards a little more compact than what the AKC standard calls for with a little more width in the chest (this does NOT mean bowed legs or oddly angled elbows!)

We like them to have dense well muscled bodies that cushion their movement and protect them from injury.

Typically we strive for the 15-18 pound range, though some dogs may be bigger or smaller than that.

These dogs may tend to have more terrier aspects of their personality, such as a little more energy or may possibly be a little more vocal. They may have slightly higher exercise needs, but thankfully their diminutive size means they get many many more steps in than a larger dog, so for all intents and purposes the exercise needs don't really change much!

We really like our small standards to be as technically perfect as possible.

Over generations certain traits can become too extreme and less functional when breeding for type. This is certainly true when with bulldogs who tend to have more health issues than the terrier side of the french bulldog.

By breeding our small standards to our BFF's on an outcross we can decrease the size and increase the functionality of the BFF while maintaining the majority of it's type.

Think frenchie, but with bigger heads, more wrinkles, shorter legs, and a much thicker and heavier body.

While designed to look regal and stocky, they are are engineered to be sweet and loving.

We work really hard to keep our lines tight to avoid common bulldog flaws like wry

Over generations of breeding for health and flaw mitigation small standards can start to lose thickness, or what breeders refer to as "bone". Head size can suffer and the dogs can become less unique or lose their "wow" factor.

We may outcross with one of our BFF's to bring muscle, body density, and head size back in line with what we expect.

The strong pedigree behind both sides is designed to mitigate misalignment and provide full transparency of the risk and reward of the outcross, which is the biggest benefit to outcrossing in-house.

It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more.