Fluffy Merle French Bulldog – Also Known as Long-Haired
If you’re looking for a loyal and soothing friend, the fluffy merle French Bulldog may be the perfect dog for you. You may have seen merle french bulldogs various times, but have you seen a fluffy merle french bulldog in real? Many people question their existence because they only know the short-haired Frenchies. Let us tell you, long-haired merle french bulldogs also exist, also known as fluffy merle french bulldogs.
This article will tell you about their appearance, how they get long hair, shedding frequency, grooming guide, price, and a lot more. Read the complete article to learn about this dog in detail.
The Appearance of Fluffy Merle French Bulldog
Their appearance is a bit different from regular French bulldogs. You can easily tell if the merle French bulldog is fluffy or regular. The fluffy has long hair while the regular is short-haired. This is the only difference in appearance. The rest are all the same. Both have bat-like ears, squashed faces, short snouts, compact bodies, muscular build, and a fine coat with a merle pattern.
Grooming and Cleaning Guide
- Though they have long hair, however, the good thing is that their hair doesn’t get tangled. That’s why their grooming is not difficult. If you brush their hair once or twice a week, it’s enough for them.
- You have to pay special attention to their face. They have wrinkled faces, which can trap moisture in them. That’s why you have to keep their face clean and remove moisture because if you don’t do it, it can cause bacterial infection in their faces. It’s not a difficult job, just take a soft clean cloth and gently wipe in between the wrinkles.
- These dogs don’t require regular bathing. You only have to bathe them after one or two months. Simply, we can say, no more than five times a year, and it’s enough for them. Only give them a bath when you feel it is necessary, like you notice a smell or mud on their skin. Remember, they have natural skin oils which can dry out upon regular bathing, resulting in skin irritation. If you brush their hair once or twice a week, it is enough to keep their coat clean and shiny.
- Don’t forget to clean their ears and cut their nails.
Fluffy Merle French Bulldog Price
These dogs are one of the rarest dogs you’ll get. Both merle and fluffy Frenchies are hard to produce, and how hard will it be to produce the fluffy merle French bulldog? Only breeders know the hardship of producing this dog. That’s why they demand really high, and if you want this rarest dog, you have to pay a really high price. The fluffy merle French bulldog’s price varies between $20000 to $50000, depending upon the breeder.
Note: This price range is the estimate we calculated per our research. However, it can vary from breeder to breeder.
How Do They Get Long Hair?
They are produced as other merle French bulldogs. However, they get long hair due to the long hair gene. There are two types of genes that play a role in the hair’s length, Sh (small hair) and Lh (long hair). However, the Sh is more dominant compared to Lh. What does it mean? It means if the dog carries both Sh and Lh genes, it will have short hair. The dog must carry two copies of long hair (Lh) genes to have visually long hair.
- Sh/sh merle French bulldog: It is a visual short hair merle Frenchie that contains two copies of short hair. All of its offspring will contain the Sh gene.
- Sh/Lh merle French bulldog: this is also a short hair merle Frenchie but contains a long hair gene. It contains one copy of Sh and one of Lh. 50% of its offspring will have the Sh gene, and 50% will have Lh.
- Lh/Lh: it contains two copies of the Lh gene. That’s why it is a visual long hair merle Frenchie, and it will pass the Lh gene to 100% of its offspring.
Let’s explain this process with the help of a diagram.
- If we breed one short hair with the visual long hair merle French bulldog, then all their offspring will be short hair carrying the long hair gene.
- If we breed two long hair carriers with each other, then 25% of their offspring will have short hair, 50% will carry the long hair gene, and 25% will have visually long hair. (please note, the breeding dogs are only the carrier of long hair genes; however, they are visual short hair Frenchies.)
- If we breed the long hair gene carrier with the visual long hair French bulldog, then 50% of their pups will be visual fluffy, and 50% will be only the carrier of the long hair gene.
- If we breed both visual long hair frenchies together, then 100% of their puppies will be visual fluffy.
Do They Shed?
All the dogs shed, and the same is the case with a fluffy merle French bulldog. If you compare the shedding frequency between regular short-haired and this long-haired, there is no difference. Both shed with the same frequency. However, due to long hair, their shedding is more noticeable.
Are Fluffy Merle French Bulldogs Purebred?
If we talk about the normal fluffy French bulldogs, they are 100% purebred. However, the merle Frenchies are not purebred; breeders have formed this merle pattern in them after cross-breeding the French bulldogs with the dogs that carry a merle pattern. Usually, Chihuahua was used to produce a merle pattern in French bulldogs. Even though now you can get a merle Frenchie by breeding both French bulldogs, however, their ancestors were not purebred; that’s why they also can’t be. We only call those dogs purebred whose ancestors are from the same breed for many generations. Just because of this merle color pattern, fluffy merle French bulldogs can’t be purebred.
Final Verdict
A fluffy merle French Bulldog can be a great pet for people who want a loyal and soothing friend. Except for the hair length, there is no difference between these and the standard merle French bulldogs. They have long hair on their coat, while the standard Frenchies have short hair.