French bulldogs are such lovely, chubby, and cuddly breeds of dog that most dog lovers adopt them to get a good companion in them. When they grow up they carry a grumpy and sometimes vicious look but that does not mean that they are not friendly-natured.
But the problem arises at the time of their training session. Being calm and quiet-natured, this breed of dog usually does not make the training job easy for their owners. At different stages of life, bulldogs act differently but the training session should start mostly from the puppy stage, without a few exceptions.
According to the professional dog trainers, managing the French bulldogs is a different kind of experience than managing other breeds.
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Are bulldogs easy to train?
French bulldogs are very different in nature, especially when it comes to training. They are sweethearts and love to be with their owners but that does not make them many obedient dogs at the time of training. They are not very compliant at the time of the training session. Rather they show some stubbornness when they are given orders.
The training technique of the bulldogs should be different than that of other dogs as they need to be managed with patience and also care with attention.
How can you discipline a bulldog?
Building trust with the dog and bond with it is the first step of training the French bulldogs or any other breed of dogs. Also, the system should start early as that will make the dog more flexible at a young age.
French bulldogs are intelligent breeds of dogs and they are quite independent thinkers. You have to make yourself the master and convince the dog to be the one who shall follow the order and not the other way round. The behavior of the trainer or owner should be correct to make the dog understand the equation with their humans.
How long does it take to train the bulldog puppy?
You should start training the French bulldog puppy at the age of 2-3 months and it will be properly trained if you guide it for the next 4 to 6 months. The tie span should be used thoroughly and there should not be many gaps between the training sessions. The continuity of the process should be the key to keep the dog well disciplined and well trained.
French bulldogs are individualistic dogs and some of them can take longer to get trained than others. So it can be a year even, to be trained for them in some cases.
Are male French bulldogs better than females when trained?
Usually, male French bulldogs have been seen to be more friendly and jovial in nature. They are more caring and fun-loving when they are around kids. As their nature is more malleable, they can be trained faster and in a better way than the female French bulldogs.
How smart are French bulldogs in a matter of training?
We call the dogs smart on basis of their grasping ability of the training context. When compared in the intelligence ranking, they can be placed at 58. They are not good at obedience and also their ability to follow the direction is low. When they are given some new commands, they perform them after at least 80 tries and for the first time, they act accordingly to the command for only 25% or less.
Does the French bulldog have the peeing habit in the house?
This problem can be managed with proper toilet training if it is done by the puppy French bulldogs. But when a matured bulldog does the same, then it can be the issue of urinary tract infection, and the situation should not be taken lightly, and the vet needs to be contacted immediately.
How lazy are French bulldogs when it comes to training?
French bulldogs are not much energy and they love to stay quiet, not jumping around everywhere in the house. When it comes to training, they need to be strict with, doing physical exercises and other sports activities. Though if taken outside, they love to spend time walking or playing.
Can you train your French bulldog to not bite?
French bulldogs, like many other breeds of dogs, usually bite when they are very young and their teeth are coming up. The itchy and irritated feeling in their gums makes them bite anything and everything that they find around. Also at this time, they try to bite the finger or clothes of the master. They can be given proper direction and teething toys to overcome this phase.
When they become adults, then also if it continues to bite, it will be a problematic behavior and that needs serious attention. You have to make the French bulldog understand that it is not a good habit to bite and that should be treated with some measure against it.
What should be the goals of the training session of French bulldogs?
French bulldogs need to be trained about different matters at different ages. According to some professional dog trainers, the training should begin at the age of 2 months.
Socializing
The primary level of the training of French bulldogs should be based on socializing with the other dogs. Though bulldogs love to stay near their humans, they are not equally friendly with other unknown dogs of other breeds.
It should be done with methods to socialize with the dogs, and not just keeping the French bulldog with other dogs for some time. The trainer or the owner needs to check the acceptance level of the bulldog with the other dogs in close contact.
Treats should be given after they meet every new and unknown person and do not show irritation or avoidance. This will be a positive action from your side and it will give the dog a good vibe about the new people and new creatures around it.
Grooming
Bulldogs need proper grooming once and often. Their layered skin and wrinkles are the cause of various skin problems like infections and itching. Also cleaning the ears, eyes, brushing the teeth, and clipping the nails are some of the important aspects of grooming.
The dog needs to be patient and cooperate with the professional groomer or the owner, whoever is present, while the grooming session will continue. Most of the French bulldogs do not like the grooming session at the early stage, and that can be handled by giving the dog some treat or toy to keep it busy.
Chewing the right thing
This is a simple and basic strategy that the owner needs to follow when the French bulldog is at its early stage. They often try to bite off anything and everything, including the fabric or the furniture. You need to offer it some good quality rubber toy like bone or something else, which will be attractive to them.
If there are some particular things around them, they will not generally try to chew off shoes, mats, or carpets. However, if you find them still chewing some household item, offer them the toy and surely it will be diverted to that one.
Basic commands
This training should be done when the bulldog becomes at least 6 months old. There are some preliminary commands like run, sit, come, fetch, etc. which they can start learning at this age. You need to offer the French bulldog some treats to keep it motivated and also make it interested in the learning process.
Bulldogs usually are stubborn creatures, so when you need them to leave something that is not supposed to be chewed or bitten, and then you can ask them to drop that item. This is most probably the hardest command to follow at the beginning, as they have held it because they have found it attractive. So that item needs to be traded with other things like a favorite toy or some harmless treats.
Do not try to grab it from its mouth as that will worsen the situation and the dog will become more and more obstinate. Also, the item can get damaged by tugging and grabbing.
Toilet training
This is a whole episode in itself. All the trained French bulldogs know where they should go if they need to eliminate. But to begin with, you have to take the puppy to the toilet area once every hour, meticulously to make it understand that this is the only place where they can poop or pee.
Also, you need to take the bulldog to the toilet before going to sleep and this will be your first task after it wakes up.
The potty training is necessary not only to keep the nuisance limited, also it will allow you to take the dog to anyone’s house or in Dog Park, without bothering about any accident. Also, do not punish the dog or shout at it after it makes any mistake in the potty training schedule. The right way of training with a little bit of patience will make the dog learn the potty habits within a month successfully.
Exercising
As French bulldogs tend to become overweight, it is necessary for them to stay on diet and also do some exercise. Obesity is a harmful state where the dog can be sick for numerous reasons, all sourced from the extra weights.
As French bulldogs are brachycephalic, most of them suffer from various respiratory diseases. That is also a reason to be in good shape, as extra weight adds up to respiratory problems even more. So take your French bulldog for a walk of at least 30 minutes or if it is hot outside, make it work out inside the home for an hour.
When going for an outdoor walk, you should carry water and food for your French bulldog, as it definitely needs water after getting exhausted. Food can give it some energy after a tiring workout session.
Conclusion:
Bulldogs are not famous for their temperament at the time of training. They act stubbornly and often they do not follow the commands of their owner. But after a proper grooming and training session, and also with the mature age, they become more sociable. Though the puppy bulldogs often scare away other dogs at any gathering, the grown-up ones do not get repelled by the presence of other unknown dog breeds.
