Are you looking to bring a French Bulldog home or maybe you are worried about your Frenchie’s behavior? In this post, The French Bulldog and Behavior – The Good, Bad & Ugly, we’ll be discussing the good, bad, and ugly of French Bulldogs and their behavior. We’ll also provide tips on dealing with common issues and how to train your dog to be a happy and well-behaved member of your family. So whether you’re new to French Bulldogs or you’ve been dealing with them for years, this post is for you.
What Is A French Bulldog’s Temperament
French Bulldogs are adorable little pint-sized balls of fur love. They are small dogs, very cute, love their owners, are playful, and never lack puppy personalities. Despite the bulldog look, Frenchies are not an aggressive breed. They are incredibly loving.
The French Bulldog breed is one of the most popular and beloved companion dogs in the world, thanks to its laidback, affectionate nature. In fact, the American Kennel Club has French Bulldogs in the top ten list of the most popular dog breeds.
French Bulldog Behavior Problems
However, like all dog breeds, they are not perfect, and you need to be aware of their issues before committing to a Frenchie. Doing a little research before getting any breed of dog is a good idea. All breeds have positives and negatives in their personality, trainability, energy level, and health.
Clingy
French Bulldogs love their owners. This doesn’t sound like a bad thing, but they really love their owners. They just seem to crave human contact. Sometimes, this can be to the point of it being an unhealthy, clingy behavior or obsession. This might not be an issue for some people, but leaving them alone is typically not a good idea if you work or like to travel.
French Bulldogs regularly suffer from separation anxiety and will follow their owner everywhere they go. They’re like a bat ear shadow. If you are not someone who is home most of the time, you might want to consider another dog. Behaviors that tend to be anxiety-related are accidents in the house, chewing, excessive barking, and pacing. None of these are enjoyable dog traits.
Noisy
The French Bulldog breed, like most other dogs, bark. Most people want them to do this so they know someone is coming, but French Bulldogs have their own language. They make a litany of strange noises, from crying to barking, whining, to snorting.
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This toy breed is much louder than one would expect and, by all accounts, not a quiet breed. Some people think the noises a French Bulldog makes are part of its charm. This is a personal preference, but you need to know how loud a Frenchie is before getting one.
Mischievous
For such a small dog, French Bulldogs can get themselves in a lot of trouble in a hurry. They will get into places and do things you, as pet parents, don’t want them to do. Also, mischievousness can go back to separation anxiety. If you aren’t going to watch and focus on your French Bulldog, bad behaviors will follow. You will need to puppy-proof your home and might have to always take extra precautions with cupboards or trash. This will allow them the ability to explore and play freely. They will get into stuff. You’ve been warned.
Begging
Dog owners always have good intentions when it comes to people’s food. You get a new puppy and swear that you won’t feed them from the table this time. Then those big beautiful eyes hit you, and off comes a piece of chicken right into their now very interested mouth.
People, food isn’t healthy for most of the people eating it. It’s also not going to be good for your dog. Some foods can actually kill your dog, so please check this out.
Over time, people’s food can make your dog overweight and lead to other health problems. You only have yourself to blame if your dog begs for food. You have conditioned them to do so.
If you don’t want this behavior, just don’t start by giving them your food. You can also ignore them to help stop the behavior. They will realize begging gets them no food or attention and will eventually stop.
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Chewing
Like most dogs, Frenchies will chew for many reasons. Chewing is just a result of other issues your pooch is having. Stress, boredom, enjoyment, teething, and even separation anxiety are all reasons why dogs chew. A French Bulldog is no different. The chewing won’t stop until the root cause is addressed. French Bulldogs are stubborn, so breaking them of chewing will be difficult, just like any other behavioral issue.
However, giving them a lot of chew toys will divert their attention from something they shouldn’t be chewing. So when you catch them chewing, say a shoe, take the shoe away and replace it with an acceptable chew toy.
Stubborn
This has already been mentioned a couple of times, but it can’t be stressed enough. French Bulldogs are stubborn. As stubbornness is part of the French Bulldog personality, standard training practices might not work as well with this breed. There are noise-making training devices that can be very helpful. Stopping a bad habit might require more than just a stern voice. Noisemakers might be the trick.
Leash Pulling
All dogs have the propensity to pull when on a leash. The outside world is too interesting and exciting for them to control themselves. That doesn’t mean this isn’t something you should work on improving. This is another problematic behavior to stop your stubborn little fur baby. If you allow it, pulling will continue. There are special collars and harnesses designed to help curb pulling. You have to be diligent with this training. Your puppy is excited and happy and wants to smell all of the sights and sounds around them.
Big Jumpers
They aren’t necessarily doing anything wrong when they start to jump up, but dog jumping is typically something you don’t want them to do. Friends, family, neighbors, yourself, nobody likes being jumped upon by an exuberant dog.
The most effective way to deal with this behavior is to not touch them until all four paws touch the ground. When they are, instant praise should follow. Over some time, your pup will learn.
Not Listening
We have already said how stubborn French Bulldogs are. This is just another example. Just so you know, those giant ears work just fine. They choose to ignore you because what you want them to do isn’t what they had in mind.
Frenchies love treats, so using them for training purposes might be very effective. You also need to be patient and consistent. Use verbal and hand commands. Remain calm but assertive.
Remember, yelling the command doesn’t change the understanding of it.
Rough Play
French Bulldog puppies are playful dogs and are a ball of energy. One of their favorite pastimes is playing with balls, which they do pretty enthusiastically. Adults are more dignified and may have short bursts of energy but are known to be more couch potatoes.
If you have multiple dogs, give them some space and enjoy. If not, set boundaries with their people play. When those boundaries are crossed with people or other dogs, they need to be removed from the situation until they calm down. This is not a quick process, especially for the strong-willed French Bulldog.
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Now What?
Now that you’ve discovered some of the behavioral problems a Frenchie can have, you might be wondering how you can curtail them.
As you deal with French Bulldog behavior problems, don’t forget your lil guy might simply be bored. Much like children, when they are bored, there’s time to get into all sorts of trouble. One way to combat this is mental stimulation. Getting out and exploring the world is important to Frenchies.
Also, starting early in the pup’s life with proper training is the best way to teach them good behavior. Early socialization, positive reinforcement, and consistency in your training technique are key aspects of training a French bulldog puppy. An adult dog tends to be harder to train but not impossible.
If you find you’re not able to train your Frenchie, you can always seek the help of a professional dog trainer.
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Take Away
Despite their small stature, a French Bulldog might not be the best option for novice dog owners. Remember that you’re choosing them, so be sure it’s a good fit.
Your little, adorable Frenchie can also have behavioral problems that you’ll need to address; the sooner, the better. So be sure you will commit to taking proper care of this fur baby for the next 10-14 years.
French Bulldogs are an adorable breed of dog with a lot of personality. In this blog, French Bulldog and Behavior, we discussed the good, bad, and ugly of French Bulldogs and their behavior. We also provided tips on dealing with common issues, such as chewing, begging, and jumping. They can be a great addition to any family with the right training and proper socialization.
If you have anything to share about your experiences with this breed or any tips on training them better, please leave a comment below!