In keeping your modern life in line with your desire to keep a pet at home, potty training is a critical part of keeping your peace of mind. When it comes to training cute Frenchies, there are some specific considerations to give attention to.
Unlike other dogs, because of their size, potty training Frenchies often require more engagement on the part of the owner. From the point of scheduling to monitoring the practice of the dog as he adjusts to this regular activity of the day that he is supposed to do on his own.
But before we answer the question are French bulldogs easy to potty train, it is best to know more about your pet first. To understand French bulldogs well, it might help to know a few more details about their history.
French Bulldogs: From the Beginning
French Bulldogs have been around for about 2000 years now. This means that they have been around since the 1800s. They were first bred in Paris, France, where they were first discovered as a dog breed when Toy Bulldogs from England were bred with local ratters or stray dogs in Paris.
Over the years, French Bulldogs have slowly risen in the ranks of most popular dog breeds. This has led to the reputation and popularity this breed of dogs has now.
When French Bulldogs were first bred, they were first used for sporting reasons, specifically, in bull-baiting which is a deadly blood sport for these dogs.
This sport however was banned in the year 1835 in England which left a lot of Bulldogs with no use. Thankfully, after the ban of bull-baiting, French Bulldogs were bred to be a breed of companion dogs.
Over the years since then, Bulldogs have been bred with other small dog breeds such as terriers to reduce their weight and size. Then they were also bred with local ratter dogs from the slums of England in the years 1850 to 1860. According to studies, these dogs weighed around 16-25 pounds in those years.
The exploitation of French Bulldogs in the Past
In the years 1860, the number of Bulldogs in England has decreased due to significant exploits of specialist dog exporters. Another reason for the decrease of French Bulldogs in England is the displacement of lace workers due to the Industrial Revolution.
These displaced workers brought a large variety of dogs with them as they settled in Normandy from their previous location in Nottingham.
The name of French Bulldogs we’re first given to the breed in the same year, 1860. We’re given the name Bouledogue Francais. Now, we know why these cute Frenchies are specifically fashionable- after all, they hail from the most fashionable region in the world.
They became incredibly popular thanks to their fashion capabilities making them highly sought after by women from the elite society, artists, writers, and various fashion designers. According to various historical records, artists such as Edgar Degas and Toulouse-Lautrec featured French Bulldogs in a few of their popular paintings. All in all, French Bulldogs were bred with Toy Bulldogs from England, local ratters from the slums of Paris, and Terriers. The result of all these breeds is the French Bulldog we see today.
Bringing French Bulldogs to America
Throughout history, Bulldogs have been extremely popular especially in the western parts of Europe. In the years 1885, French Bulldogs have been imported by an American-based breeding program.
They’ve already been importing bulldogs from Europe in the past, but it wasn’t until the mentioned year that they were imported to start a breeding program. Since then, Bulldogs have been present in dog shows including the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in 1896. In those years, French Bulldogs in America were highly sought after by women from the elite society who showcased and displayed them as fashionable and friendly companions.
A few years after, in 1906, the French Bulldogs were recognized to be the fifth most popular breed of dogs in America due to their small and fairly lightweight body, fashion capabilities, and friendly nature.
In those years, French Bulldogs have been owned by very popular and influential families such as the Rockefeller family and J.P. Morgan Family.
In the same timeframe, French Bulldogs have been continuously recognized by high societies as very fashionable dogs and have also been given their breed club.
As it could be recalled from the previous sections of this post, the new Bulldog breed first arrived in England in the year 1883. The breed did not receive much support from already existing dog breeders in the country.
A Brief History Recap
The French did not want this new Bulldog Breed to crossbreed with their pre-existing stock due to the new breed not meeting the breed standards that were in place at the time of its arrival. In the year 1905, the Kennel Club decided to formally separate French Bulldogs from its counterpart; the Miniature Bulldog or former Toy Bulldog. This was then that the Bouledogue Francais was formally named by the Kennel Club as the French Bulldog in the year 1912.
From the 1800s to the 2000s, French Bulldogs have speedily climbed the ranks as a popular companion for humans. Right now, this is the main reason why French bulldog breeds are expensive and are often considered as a mark of social status especially among celebrities. The more pure the breed is, the better.
Potty Train Your French Bulldog Today
If you have adopted, or bought, or rescued a French bulldog, you would need to train it for its regular potty schedule. Like in feeding or in other forms of discipline that you put in effect for your Frenchie, this particular form of training requires time, patience, and consistency.
Nonetheless, this training process need not be too stressful as you may think it would be.
Here are some tips and facts you may consider to make sure you have a successful potty training session with your Frenchie at home:
FIRST: French bulldog puppies have small bladders
Given their size, it is just right to confirm that this small pocket dog has a small bladder and cannot contain itself for a long time. The base time a French bulldog can contain himself would be between two to three hours.
As for puppies, there is a possibility that he would go every thirty minutes to an hour especially because he has not gained control of his body yet, aside from the fact that there may be some issues of emotional unsettlement in the mix.
This means that even when a French bulldog has already been potty-trained, you still cannot leave him alone at home and expect that when you return home, everything would be fine. Expect the worst if you do not leave your French bulldog to go to someone who might look after him while you are away.
If you do not have the option of finding someone you trust to look after your pet, then you might want to opt to set up an accessible location for your Frenchie where he can go to the bathroom such as an exercise pen with puppy pee pads. This way, even when you are away and they make a mess at home, you would not need to worry so much about having to look for the areas where they peed. The pee pads are effective enough to keep the floor dry for several hours.
SECOND: French Bulldog Puppies can be Trained in as Early as Three Weeks
Never forget that French bulldogs are smart dog breeds. It often relies on your patience and your strategy to identify with your pet and provide him with ease of time as he is being potty-trained.
Starting early with potty training would benefit you and your pet and give you a chance to enjoy peaceful days ahead.
Some pee pads have a plastic lining in the bottom to avoid leaking. When you choose the pee pad to use, consider the make of your floor and how fast you can respond to the need to clean up the area.
THIRD: Puppy Pee Pads Help
Puppy pee pads are readily available in pet shops and some supermarkets and convenience stores. Using pee pads for training gives you the option to just leave your dog around and teach him to go to the pee pad when he feels the urge to pee. There are pee pads that are thick enough to catch even poo especially if you’re training just a young French bulldog pup.
This does not mean though that you will just leave the pee pads all over the place.
You will still need to encourage your French bulldog to do his business on the pee pads. Make sure you tap on your dog every two hours to go and do his business even when he might not feel like it. This will set the time and the potty schedule regularly. Regularity will make it easier for you and your dog to manage the schedule of his potty business and lessen the stress around this issue.
Other Factors to Consider During the Training
During the first days of training, get your French Bulldog to settle on the Puppy Pee Pads The key to getting your French bulldog puppy to get used to a proper potty attitude is to take him as often as possible to the pee pad during the first days of training. Do not be frustrated if many times, your dog does not pee even a little.
The way the dog begins to understand the process pays a lot even when he does not get it at first. During the first times, you can encourage the pup to get to the puppy peed pad every 15 minutes for the sake of aiding him to settle and recognize the role of the pee pad.
- Timer work in keeping a tab of the times you go and encourage your puppy to pee. If you have a lot to do and cannot keep a tab of the time, it would be great to use a timer with a sound that your dog can also hear. As the timer sounds alarm, your dog may also be able to get it that it is time to go to the puppy pad.
Experienced French puppy owners found it effective to use loud timers- not too loud- just enough to get the attention of the puppy. At first, the alarms do not work as expected; nonetheless, through repetitive practice, they begin to recognize the meaning of the sound that they hear.
- Your French Bulldog needs to go potty every time he wakes up.
Every time your French bulldog wakes up from a nap or a long night’s sleep, it is most likely that he needs to go potty. Be aware of this and be sure to train your dog to recognize this need as well. Perhaps you would need to do this with your French bulldog a few times before he gets the hang of it. Be patient, you’ll get there sooner with enough time and practice.
- Get to know your dog better. While you are potty-training your dog you will find it easier to understand your dog better. A part of this would be reading through the body language of your Frenchie. You will certainly see some signs every time your puppy feels that he needs to go pee or poo. The more time you spend with your dog during the training period, instead of just leaving him behind to go through the process on his own, will certainly teach you so much about your puppy and how you can connect better with him and ease out the stress not only during the potty-training sessions but during all other training procedures that you would go through with your dog.
- Try Leash Training When Consistent Monitoring is not Possible. While it is true that it is best to leave your French bulldog wandering around the house so he can begin to settle in the place and learn the specific places where he is supposed to poo, pee, eat, sleep or play, not all French bulldog have the time nor do they have the capacity to monitor their pups with full consistency. In this case, it may help to use a house leash. Take note though that the leash you are going to use should not be too short nor should it be too long.
Too short of a leash can result in the discomfort of feeling too confined within a specific space. This can result in your dog developing undesirable attitudes which include aggression and the feeling of unsettlement.
On the other hand, putting your dog on a very long leash may cause different accidents around the house. Just the right length of a leash will keep your dog steady and within the right space even when you get out of the house. Take note though that when using a leash, you ought to give your dog some free time-meaning a time of the day when he would not be on a leash.
You ought to keep him on a leash only when you are away and you cannot monitor his actions accordingly. When you are around, make sure you release him from the leash, play with him, and let him settle around the house so that he will feel at home. This will also help him settle in with you and follow your command especially when it comes to effective potty training.
- Try Crate Training. If you do not want to put your French bulldog on a leash, you may want to take the option to train your dog to use a crate. When using a crate, make sure that this space would mean comfort for your dog. When potty training your pet French Bulldog, you need to teach him when to get in and out of the crate. When using a crate as your puppy’s comfort zone in the house, you ought to also show him where to go to the potty. Spend at least the first days closely monitoring your puppy to make sure you understand the markers that serve as a sign that your dog needs to go pee or poo and get out of the crate to do his business.
- Use an exercise pen. IF you want to give your pet French bulldog a much larger space to run around in, you may want to pick an exercise pen as an option. During the potty training sessions, you might want to designate a specific corner within the exercise pen where your dog can pee or poo when he needs to. Before leaving him on his own, make sure that you have established in him that he needs to go to that designated area when he feels that he needs to do his job.
- When in an apartment, use an adjustable wire crate. As mentioned earlier, French bulldogs have become even more popular to apartment dwellers in the city who want to own a pet but do not have enough space for bigger dogs. Given space and the environment, teaching your pet French bulldog to keep it clean is an essential part of hygiene and perhaps even a requirement specified by your landlord.
Often, apartment dwellers who own French bulldogs as a pet use adjustable wire crate to train their dogs. These little spaces of comfort for the little dog will not only serve as a form of protection and stability for your pet, but they can also help keep your dog in place while you are not around to monitor them.
- Potty Training a French bulldog in the winter. In the winter, there is no way you should train your French bulldog to potty outside. To make sure you are going to have successful training even when inside the house during a cold winter, you might want to use an artificial grass bathroom mat. These mats serve as an alternative to the outside environment. Those who have tried this approach realized that having artificial grass in the bathroom made an easier transition for their dogs to know where they are supposed to poo and pee around the house- they immediately recognize the artificial grass and assumes that this is where they ought to go do their business as they do outside.
In all cases, remember to not punish your French bulldog when he accidentally pees or poos on a different area apart from the designated one. Calmly teach him that this should not be done the next time. Instead of hitting or shouting at the dog, which will of course terrify him, it is better to use hand signals and show him a serious face. Look straight into the eyes of your dog and make him realize that he has done something bad and that it should not be done again.
In this case, even response to accidents should be consistent. This will teach your dog to differentiate reward from reprimand. Give him a pat on the head or a few treats as a form of reward when he has done a good job during the training. This will make it easier for him to stick to the pattern of directions that you are giving him.
Key Takeaways
Potty training a French bulldog need not be stressful at all. These cute dog breeds have so much up to their sleeve that they are smart enough to follow through the rules that you set in motion at home.
Nonetheless, the key factors you should consider when trying to potty train your French bulldog include consistency and calmness. With this in mind, you ought to understand that your presence during the whole training is critical to the development of the connection that you share with your dog.
When you share a good relationship with your French bulldog, this could be immediately seen through his actions, his attitude, and the way he responds to your commands. Punishing your dog with hitting and shouting does not get you or your dog anywhere. Treat your dog as you would a child; make him feel comfortable and secure and he will surely make sure that every effort and time is worth your while.
