Ask a Vet

Tips on Training a French Bulldog

By Jacquelyn Kennedy
Updated on

There are lots of people who want to have a French bulldog as their pet because they don’t need a huge amount of exercise and can live as a house pet.

However, training a French bulldog can be difficult as they have a stubborn streak. The French bulldog character is child-like, they are courageous but playful and affectionate. They love to be liked and always want to be the center of attraction.

The French Bulldog is known to be persistent and perverse at times. Training them is a challenging task, and you might have a problem teaching them how to act on commands. You need to be patient and persistent.

There are some people who succeed in crate training this type of dog. French bulldog may have a hard time focusing on the activity, and may get sidetracked easily, it is important for them to comply with the basic commands, and puppy courses are the best ways to teach them to socialize. You should train them at an early age to overcome these bad habits.

Things You Need to Know

Train-bulldog-02

French Bulldog needs to be taken on long walks every day. Allowing them to run freely in a fenced lawn is not enough to please their instinct to stroll. You need to know that you should not expose them to high levels of heat since they have a low-level muzzle. They might experience difficulty in breathing if exposed to high temperature.

Make sure that your French bulldog will not work too hard during summer as this could lead to dehydration or heatstroke. Enough shade and water are important all the time, but most especially during hot weather.

Proper Socialization

This type of dog is very lovable. However, they can be unfriendly sometimes to new people and may become violent to other dogs. Thus, socializing them at the early age is important. Introduce him to all the people in your house as well as to other dogs. It is best that you do this before your little bulldog reaches its 14 weeks old. When introducing him to other people, do not force him. Simply take him near to the person you want him to meet and if he approaches them with confidence, give him some treats as his reward and let the new person give him the treats. In case he becomes cautious, wait for him to calm down.

Potty Training

Just like most small dogs, French Bulldog can be hard to potty train. If you cannot handle him, place him in a crate. If not, have him in the same room with you tied to your belt loop if needed.

Give him food at the same time every day so you can anticipate when he needs to go and lead him out of the door that you want him to use. Praise him and give him treats for going outside. Repeat the same steps every hour or each time your dog needs to go out. If he resists, put him back in the crate and let him stay there longer.

Your supervision is very vital in toilet training. There are certain things that young puppies do when they need to relieve themselves. Normally, they start to sniff the ground a lot as they constantly move , usually in a circle, searching for the perfect spot. Until your puppy is well-trained, accompany him as he goes outside to praise him for relieving at the right spot. Each time he does this, don’t forget to give him a treat or praise him. This is the best way to toilet train your Frenchie.

House Training

Train-bulldog

The house training should be the priority of most dog owners. It should the first on your list of training tasks for your Frenchie. This training will focus on how you will communicate with your Frenchie effectively. Start at the early age of your Frenchie. Teach him which behaviors are allowed and which are not inside the house. It is important that he knows what he can do inside. You need to set household rules and your Frenchie should learn to follow them.

Training a French bulldog is a challenge. You don’t have to shout or yell at them. All you need to do is teach them the right things to do and give them treats or praise them every time they do it on their own.

I hope that I was able to answer all your questions in this post, if not, just comment down below and I’ll get back to you!

If you liked this post, please do share it with your friends on social media!

Photo of author
About the author

Jacquelyn Kennedy

PetDT was founded by Jacquelyn Kennedy, a dog lover and pet admirer. She built the website to provide pet owners with information, experiences, and opinions on breeds, temperament, personalities, health, nutrition, products, and care.