When Do French Bulldog Ears Stand Up? What to Do If They Don't?

The bat ears of French Bulldogs look very distinct on them, but Frenchies are not born with their ears like that. In fact, the ears of French Bulldogs go through different developmental stages until they reach this look.

This means that new Frenchies owners are always asking the same question:

When do french bulldog ears stand up? French Bulldog ears usually stand up between the ages of 5 and 15 weeks, sometimes they perk up later, but not earlier, and not necessarily both together. Frenchies’ ears may go down again when they’re teething, but 90% of French Bulldog puppies will have both ears fully erect by the age of 8 months

The important thing to understand is that their ears go through a process, and this process takes time and needs you to be patient. Not all French Bulldogs will follow the same timeline, and some will have issues that may prevent their ears from developing.

To understand what could be preventing your Bulldog’s ears from going up and how you can help them and ‘fix’ it, keep reading and I’ll cover all of it.

When Do French Bulldog Ears Stand up?

Your French Bulldog should have fully developed ears by the age of 8 months old or once they’re done teething. The ears of your Frenchie go through several developmental stages as following:

Frenchie Age	Stage
Up to 3 weeks old	Their ears are closed when they are born, they start to open up within 3 weeks
5 to 15 weeks old	Their ears will start to perk up and stand up
15 weeks to 8 months	Their ears may go down again and turn floppy due to the teething process
After 8 months	Their ears should stand up if it went down and stay up after that

As you can see, your French Bulldog’s ears may go down during their teething period or later on in their life, but why?

Why Did My French Bulldog Ears Go Down?

French Bulldog ears often go down during the teething period but they usually stand up again after the teething is done or by the age of 8 months. French Bulldogs’ ears can also go down due to a developmental problem, a genetic issue, or an injury.

To understand why your French Bulldogs’ ears go down, you will need to do a bit of investigating. If their ears went down but then their adult teeth start showing, then it probably went down because they were teething.

If they are an adult, their ears going down is more likely caused by an injury and you will need to get them checked, and if everything is fine, you will need to talk to your breeder if you’ve gotten your dog from one to find out if their parents had the same problem.

But what if their ears never went up?

My French Bulldog Ears Never Went Up?!

Estimates claim that 90% of French Bullogs’ ears will never go up and spend all their lives with floppy ears. These dogs are still perfectly healthy and lead completely normal lives for a French Bulldog, but their ears are never strong enough to stand up or stay up even with methods like taping or calcium supplements or injections.

You may be one o those lucky 10%, or your dog may have an issue that is preventing their ears from standing up. Go through the same steps explained in the previous section to isolate the cause and fix it if possible.

What Does Teething Have to Do With French Bulldogs’ Floppy Ears?

You may have noticed that we connected their ears going down with teething, but what does their teething coming on has to do with their ears? Let me explain.

Your French bulldogs’ ears standing up is caused by the ear cartilage, which needs calcium to do that. During the teething process, their body will redirect its supply of calcium to the teething process so the cartilage usually gets weaker which leads to their ears going down.

There are more causes to floppy ears and a few solutions you can try that I explain in great detail in my post on French Bulldog floppy ears here, I think you will find it very useful so please do check it out.

How Long Does it take for Frenchies’ ears to stand up?

The general consensus is that French Bulldogs’ ears should be fully up by the time they are 8 months old, but most French Bulldog puppies will actually have their ears standing up by the time you pick them up (when they are around 8 weeks old).

If you are asking how long does it take for Frenchies’ ears to stand up after you’ve taped them or used other correction methods, the answer could be anything from 5 days to a couple of months depending on many factors like the dog’s age, health, and diet.

Can French Bulldogs have one ear standing up and one floppy ear?

it’s perfectly normal for your French Bulldog to have one ear standing up and another ear that’s down and floppy. They may not stay this way for long, but the development can go either way. It’s more likely that the floppy ear is going to stand up than it is for the erect ear to go down as the dog ages.

You can always check with your vet if your dog needs calcium supplements or even calcium injections.

3 Easy Ways to Help Your French Bulldogs’ Ears Stand Up

There are three easy ways to help your French Bulldogs’ ears stand up. Notice how I didn’t say “fix their ears”? That’s because nothing is wrong with floppy ears, and I even think they look cuter on them, but if you are looking to help their ears stand up and get the signature bat ear look, here are three ways that will work

Add Calcium-Rich Foods to Their Diet

Foods like yogurt, goat cheese, and cottage cheese are rich in calcium and are okay for French Bulldogs to eat. This added calcium to your dog’s diet can actually help their ear cartilage get stronger and stand up.

I did some research and found no actual scientific data on the topic (probably because it’s too niche), but a vet has previously told me that even if it can’t help as much as we want it to, any help is good and it can’t harm anyway.

You can start with just one spoon of yogurt added to their dinner, but watch closely how they react to it the next day as some dogs can have varying degrees of lactose intolerant and this may trigger an allergy response.

Some of the symptoms to watch out for are obvious like vomiting and diarrhea, but others are less obvious like rashes, losing appetite, or becoming lethargic. Speaking of rashes, make sure to take a minute to learn about the causes and solutions to rashes in French Bulldogs here.

I also have another guide on hives in French Bulldogs here, and you should check out as well because, unlike what most people think, hives and rashes are not the same.

Consult your vet about Calcium injections or supplements

If your French Bulldog is older than 8 months and one or both of his ears are not erect, you should take him to the vet to have them checked out. The vet may recommend Calcium injections or supplements to the dog.

Please don’t give your dog over-the-counter calcium supplements on your own without consulting with your vet.

Instead, you can give them joint supplements that can help them get stronger bones and joints overall and this can help with their ears without the risks of side effects that calcium supplements can have.

My own vet recommended these two for my dogs, and I think you can try them out as well:

Cosequin Maximum Strength Joint Supplement Plus MSM

It will help strengthen their joints, so it will make things like running and climbing stairs easier for them. They are made in the US, and they are available in chicken flavor which my dogs seem to just LOVE.

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Alternatively, you can get

First Light Hemp Chews + Glucosamine for Dogs Hip & Joint

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These supplements can help with your dog’s hip and joint health overall, which is a problem for French Bulldogs that make it difficult for them to climb stairs, run, and make even simple movements painful for them when they get into their golden years.

I have a separate guide on French Bulldogs’ difficulties with stairs and how to train them here, it’s definitely worth the 5 minutes of your time you’re going to spend reading it and can spare your Frenchie a lot of effort and even pain.

Taping their ears (step-by-step guide)

I personally have not done it, and I’ll explain why. My Frenchies ears didn’t go up until they were around 13 or 14 months, I believe, because I didn’t really care much for it to take note of when exactly it happened.

I don’t think this is necessary, and I don’t think French Bulldogs’ floppy ears look bad, on the contrary, I think they are rather adorable.

Anyway, here is how you can tape their ears to help them stand up:

Use masking tape to tape around each ear (individually, of course)
Keep their ear level while taping and ensure to maintain the distance from a crinkled looking ear base
Arrange their ears to the top where they would stand erect
Once erect, make a bridge with tape between the ears. It’s recommended to make sure the ears are correct in the 11 and 1 oclock
Leave the tape on their ears for a minuimum of five days.
After this time passes, make a little cut at the base of the tape and tenderly strip it off to remove it.

Here is a simple video that shows how to do it:

Why French Bulldog’s Floppy Ears are fine – or even better

Floppy ears on French Bulldogs are not that bad, and instead, they can actually be better for their health. Since floppy ears cover the ear canal, they won’t be as exposed to mites, dust, and insects as erect ears might be.

This means that they are less likely to suffer from ear infections and other ear-related health issues later on.

Plus, they actually look adorable once you get used to them, and will definitely make your Frenchie stand out from the crowd anywhere they go.

Conclusion of French Bulldogs Ears Standing up

Most French Bulldog puppies will have erect ears by the time they are separated from their mothers at the age of 8 weeks old, but this is not guaranteed. There is no exact timeline on when French Bulldog ears will stand up, but most experts agree that they should be fully erect by the time the dog is 8 months old.

When Do French Bulldog Ears Stand Up? What to Do If They Don’t?