In search of a new forever best friend? Not sure what puppy breed works best for you and your family? We’re giving you a deeper dive into popular dog breeds, from a puppy trainer’s perspective, to help you make this incredibly life-changing decision!
Quickly rising in the popularity ranks to spot number two, the French bulldog or more commonly known for their nickname Frenchie is a bundle of cute, silliness, and affection! This compact, low-activity, lap companion is a perfect fit for puppy parents that like a relaxed lifestyle!
How do you know if the French Bulldog is the right fit for you and your family? We’re offering you a puppy trainer’s take on this breed, from their personalities, care needs, and of course, training advice to help you raise a wonderful adult dog!
A Brief Background on French Bulldogs!
What’s in a name? When it comes to French Bulldogs, not where they originally come from! These pups actually made their way over to France from England and were actually Toy Bulldogs. During the mid 1800s, lacemakers from Nottingham, England traveled to Paris bringing along their toy bulldogs and cross-breeding them with bull-baiting bulldogs to gain those tall erect bat ears Frenchies have today! Soon, their popularity in France spread as more Parisian women introduced these pups a staple into city, cafe-culture.
What are French Bulldog Breed Characteristics?
French Bulldogs have short snouts, round adorable bodies and short legs, square-shaped faces but the most undeniably French Bulldog quality...the bat ears! Although these characteristics breed standard, French Bulldogs come in a variety of colorings including white, cream, tan, grey, black, brown, blue, multi-color, fawn, brindle, merle, lilac, and combinations of each of these!
What are French Bulldog Personalities like?
There’s never a dull moment for a French Bulldog puppy owner! These pups have silly personalities, love to play, and can settle right up next to your lap. Unlike the common yappy small dog stereotype, Frenchies are quite affectionate and even-tempered.
They love their human families, seek companionship, and enjoy playing with their people. If you were looking for a pup that was thrill-seeking and had a protective quality to their nature, French Bulldogs are far more content with a walk, quick game of tug-of-way or fetch, and would probably rather play with new people and dogs than be protective. While they are relatively easy-going, they can have a bit of a stubborn streak so be prepared with obedience training and to coax your Frenchie with some treats!
What is a French Bulldog’s Ideal Living Environment?
Much like their early days, French Bulldogs are a great choice for puppy parents living in urban, city environments like apartment buildings. Frenchies, while they love to play, are what is known as a brachycephalic breed. Due to their short snouts and flat faces, they do best in temperature-controlled homes as they can’t handle the heat. High activity can cause them to overheat and they will have difficulty panting to cool off.
While the idea of letting your French Bulldog puppy cool off in water seems right, no swimming for these pups. Their small stature and short snouts simply aren’t built for swimming. If you live somewhere with a pool or close to a lake, be mindful of your Frenchie, and even keep a protective float or vest on them!
All in all, a home that provides space in a room to play, or walks around the neighborhood or in a park are just what Frenchies need to burn off their energy and keep entertained!
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How to Care for Your French Bulldog!
French Bulldogs, like many short-snouted dogs, can suffer from respiratory issues such as wheezing, snoring, and over-heating in warmer temperatures. As a Frenchie parent, ensure your puppy doesn’t over-exert themselves and has excess to a temperature-controlled living setup!
While their short coats are generally low-maintenance, French Bulldogs can suffer from eye infections and infections in the folds of their skin. Keeping their eyes clean, regular brushing with a rubber glove, and making sure their skin is completely dry after bathing can significantly help prevent these issues!
When you first bring home your new French Bulldog puppy, set up an initial visit with your veterinarian to discuss French Bulldog breed nutritional needs, preventive care, and schedule their vaccinations!
Puppy Trainer’s Advice for Raising a Well-behaved French Bulldog!
Thanks to their adorable looks, French Bulldogs receive a lot of affection from their humans. Nevertheless, just because of their cuteness and small stature, doesn’t mean they don’t need structure and good manners too!
1. Basic Obedience and Tricks
French Bulldogs are fun and easy-to-train breed! However, some Frenchie parents may find bouts of stubbornness such as refusing to take another step on a walk or not coming when called! If you start to experience this with your Frenchie puppy, try to keep them on a leash while under supervision at home to have them follow you and start to establish leadership.
Provide your puppy with foundational basic obedience and reciprocate with positive reinforcement through food and praise, you’ll find that your French Bulldog puppy will enjoy puppy training with you and be far more willing to listen!
Since these pups love a good playtime session, teaching them some fun tricks is a great way to keep them engaged while still working on listening and following your lead!
2. Potty Train Right Away
With the right consistency and patience, all puppies can be potty trained! Some French Bulldog puppies may take a bit longer to master pottying in a specific spot so start from the very first day your puppy comes home! Pick a designated spot, start bringing your puppy there every time they have to go potty, and supervise them at home, or crate them at night to prevent accidents!
For more help potty training your French Bulldog puppy, head over to our “Puppyhood Made Easy for New Owners: Create a Puppy Potty Schedule!” blog for tips, a sample schedule, and troubleshooting advice!
3. Crate Train Your Frenchie
Aside from helping with potty training, your puppy’s crate will help provide structure at home. As companion dogs, French Bulldogs can develop separation anxiety so establishing crate times during the day and at night will help your puppy start to feel comfortable being alone and boost their level of confidence.
For help crate training your French Bulldog puppy, head over to our “Step-By-Step Guide to Crate Training Your Puppy!” blog for tips, crate recommendations, and troubleshooting advice!
4. Create a Daily Puppy Schedule for Your Frenchie
Lastly, with any puppy, your French Bulldog puppy will benefit greatly from a daily puppy schedule! Set times for feeding, play, puppy training, and sleep will provide your puppy with routine and structure, encouraging good behaviors and fewer chances of your puppy developing bad habits. A daily schedule also makes certain things such as potty times far more predictable for you and helps to speed up the potty training process. Lastly, a set routine creates a well-adjusted puppy that will grow up confident, healthy, and happy!
One of the best things about a daily puppy schedule is that you can establish one that aligns with your own! Do you need help setting up your puppy’s daily schedule? Check out our blog “Create a Daily Schedule for Your Puppy!” for our sample to help you get started!
5. Teach them "Drop-It!"
With those wide mouths, it's super beneficial to get control of your Frenchie's mouth right away. One of the fastest (and most fun!) ways to do this is by playing tug and teaching them to release the toy with Drop-It, on-demand. For tips on how to teach Drop-It, check out our blog “Puppyhood Made Easy for New Owners: How to Play with Your Puppy Pt. 1”
Did you recently bring home a French Bulldog puppy? Are you still planning and not sure what breed fits your lifestyle? Let us know in the comments! We’re available to answer questions live every Wednesday at 1 pm PT on @thepuppyacademy Instagram.