Artificial Insemination is the preferred method of Insemination for French Bulldogs for the prevention and transmission of sexually transmitted infections. Canines can contract a variety of serious infections that can compromise the health of a stud, dam, or offspring.
Why French Bulldogs Require Artificial Insemination
French Bulldogs bring forward an extra layer of complexity to the breeding process. If you own both the Stud and Dam, you could breed them naturally with less concern about contracting an infection. However, French Bulldogs do not tie very easily due to the unbalanced structure of the breed. From the moment a tie is successful, it takes several minutes for a French Bulldog to transfer the sperm. This is a slow process, unlike what you picture in the human world. It is difficult for a male to support his own weight for this long on his hind legs and also for a female to support the weight of the male. While natural breedings do occur, they are more spontaneous and much less predictable than other breeds. If you want to significantly increase the odds of pregnancy, artificial insemination is your best option.
Challenges of AI
Timing is probably the biggest factor in determining the success of insemination. Because of the absence of social cues from the dogs, you will need to make the best determination for when to breed. The best way to overcome this challenge is by testing progesterone levels. Progesterone is a hormone released by the ovaries that can be measured by a blood test. During a heat cycle, the progesterone levels will spike (LH surge) for around 7-10 days for the average French bulldog, you will need to inseminate within 48 hours of this spike. Every dam is different and we’ve seen some go as high as 15 days.
Veterinarian hours and service offerings are other challenges for a successful AI. We’ve seen many breedings go sideways due to weekend availability. Progesterone levels that should have been evaluated on a Saturday or Sunday, resulted in a too-late of AI and a missed breeding opportunity. Many veterinarians do not offer these types of breeding services either, so you need to have a good plan in place. If you’re working with a breeder that can offer these services for you, the availability is generally going to be much more flexible.
Which type of AI?
There are two common types of Artificial Insemination that occur with French Bulldogs, a Standard AI and a Transcervical AI. With a Standard AI, semen is injected from a syringe with a narrow rod that has been inserted into the vaginal canal. There is a method of doing this and guiding the rod to the correct location. The direction is important, beginning at an upward-facing angle prior to leveling the rod towards the uterus. You should not attempt this yourself without the supervision of a trained professional.
A Transcervical AI is placed more precisely in the uterus using a device equipped with an endoscope (camera). This is required when working with sperm samples that do not have the concentration standards for standard breeding. Frozen semen would be the best example of when this is required. The freezing process will degrade the quality of the sperm, so in any instance when you’re working with a lower sample size a Transcervical AI is preferred (low sperm count, split collection, stored too long, etc).
Artificial Insemination also allows you to improve semen quality by adding an extender to it which allows for it to survive longer. This is part of our standard process when performing an AI. We prepare semen the same way for a side-by-side AI as we do when we are shipping it, you can learn more about our process here.
If you would like to book an Artificial Insemination or learn more about the process, please contact us at staci@blufrenchibles.ca or message us on Instagram or Facebook.
Frequently Asked
The average is 12 days from the first sign of menstrual bleeding, but each dog is different. Progesterone testing will identify the optimal day for insemination.
We can ship chilled semen overnight across North America in a temperature-controlled container. You can learn more about our semen shipping process here.
Yes, they do with some challenges. The structure of the dog makes mating difficult and artificial insemination is the preferred method.
A standard AI from a vet can usually range between $200-600 for each visit when performed by a vet.