Are French Bulldog’s Born with Tails?

Undocked French Bulldog puppies with the kennel You Winnie Some Frenchies

The short answer is no French Bulldogs are born with a naturally docked tail. There is a decent chance your French Bulldog’s nub was not altered.

The longer answer is sometimes even purebred French Bulldog puppies have short tails. Breed standard is under a 2 inch tail. It is not uncommon for breeders to dock tails that they suspect will be longer than 2 inches as an adult. An altered tail does not disqualify a French Bulldog in show as long as the tail is under 2 inches in length.

Some breeders are secretive about their French Bulldog’s “throwing tails”. There is absolutely nothing to be ashamed of and you are not alone. Our female, Winnie, produces tails in each of her litters. I’ve left a litter undocked in the past and I’ve also docked litters in the past.

Many health conscious breeders actually prefer a small tail or bump of some sort on their French Bulldogs to ensure the dog’s vertebrae was completed. Here is some more information on that issue from a vet’s perspective: Spinal Hemivertebra Vertebral Abnormalities in Bulldogs (vet4bulldog.com)