If you’ve followed Young Woofians for a while you’ll know that we love all types of furry friend but today we wanted to showcase some of our favourites: Frenchies and Bulldogs (including English, French and American Bulldogs). Over the last 2 years we have been lucky that we got to know so many of these adorable pups because they are particularly prone to eye stains because of the excess folds of flesh around their faces.

This is partly because, unfortunately Brachycephalic (those dogs with shorter skulls than typical) breeds including French Bulldogs, Pugs, English bulldogs, mastiff breeds and Boston terriers are particularly prone to this condition. It is thought this is because of the way their tear ducts have developed, where they can be crooked or narrow. This means it will require much more love and care to keep the fur around their eyes and muzzle clean and stain free especially if they have a light or white coloured fur – luckily, they make up for this by looking super adorable at all times!

Often these tear stains, caused by excess tearing or the left over porphyins on the skin reacting to the air (read more about the science of tear stains here) can make your Frenchie or your Bulldog look sadder than they actually are and we’ve had a few clients tell us that sometimes, the most severe dog tear stains can even make it look like their dog’s eyes are bleeding (due to the reddy/brown colour).

Generally these are a cosmetic issue and nothing to worry about – they don’t cause your dog any pain or discomfort – but if you are worried you should always get your dog checked by a vet to ensure there is no infections or other underlying health issues.

Both Frenchies and Bulldogs – and other breeds such as bull terriers, dachshunds, dalmatians and pugs – have gorgeous silky, smooth, short fur which requires some extra special treatment and attention. Our top grooming tips for these types of coats are:

BRUSHING: Brush once a week using anything from a grooming mitt to a bristle brush.

WASHING: Was only as and when needed and use a strengthening shampoo.

DRYING: Always use a towel to dry off as much as you can then you can finish off with a dryer

Of course, if your Frenchie or Bulldog does suffer from tear stains you need to make sure that you are keeping the area completely dry – making sure to mop up any excess fluid as soon as it appears – and then apply the Happy Tears treatment in a way that is specifically designed for those short, smooth coats – by working the powder into the stain using a bamboo finger wipe to really coat all of the fur and allow the powder to do it’s job at the deepest level

Unfortunately it can take a bit longer with Frenchies or Bulldogs to remove the tear stain marking completely and – as always – you will still need to carry out maintenance treatments regularly but if you stick with it we promise your sad looking pooch will be a cheery chappy in no time!

As ever, if you have any questions about how to apply Happy Tears or other staining problems that your dog has, please don’t hesitate to get in touch, we’d be happy to help.

Read more about Young Woofians, check out our reviews & testimonials or shop the range.