French Bulldogs Temperament – outlines
How is French Bulldogs Temperament? Is your Frenchie causing mayhem while you’re gone? Is he behaving poorly lately? Don’t worry anymore! At FrenchBulldogsClub.org you will find the right solutions!
French Bulldogs often referred to as “clown dogs”, have interesting temperament traits that make them the best dogs to have around. Not only they’re funny, but they’re also intelligent, loving, and mischievous guys or gals. You’ll love them from the beginning of your relationship!
However, there are some issues that they may develop in regards to their personality, and maybe you don’t have the right tools to help them. Things like aggression, excessive barking, laziness, begging, and separation anxiety are common to all dogs, French Bulldogs included. If you don’t act immediately with the right countermeasures, these traits may become usual and be present forever in your dog!
In this guide, you’ll find the right tips to:
- Identify your Frenchie’s temperament issues.
- To fix those issues and avoid them from happening again.
- And more interesting tips and facts about their personalities that you must always keep present.
We can ensure you that, after reading this article, you’ll be prepared to live a much happier life with your French Bully. Let’s get right into it!
American Kennel Club
Knowing the way you should expect your Frenchie to behave is key to identifying the different personality issues that may appear with time. French Bulldogs are usually described as:
- Intelligent: Even though they don’t score high in the intelligence of dogs measures, they are incredibly smart. They know what they want and also exactly how to get it. This is why they’re prone to manipulate their owners or may appear rather stubborn.
- Mischievous (young age): If you got a French Bulldog Puppy, you can expect them to be both playful and mischievous (causing mayhem around your house if untrained) and sleepy.
- Lazy: They are among the laziest lapdogs, being very similar in energy levels to their cousins; Pugs.
- Loving and rather clingy: They are eager to please and love being around you. They will love to stick by your side through thick and thin! Still, this may not be convenient for all owners.
- Sociable: Most of the time, they will get along with dogs and humans alike.
Even though there are some variations in French Bulldogs Temperament outlines, like females Frenchies being more calm yet more prone to aggression when bothered, all of them share this basic description at some level. Other variations may appear with age, so young adults, adults, senior, female, spayed, neutered, and Frenchie with their heat will be different somehow.
AVMA – American Veterinary Medical Association
Common issues in French Bulldogs Temperament (and their solutions!)
There are a few personality issues that are common in French Bulldogs. If you don’t pay attention to them, they may become a bigger issue with time. Some of them are:
- Separation Anxiety: Since they love being with you and pleasing you at all times, they will feel extra lonely when you’re gone. It’s important to note that this condition is common in several companionship dogs. Due to that, there are a few options you can try to fix it.
Fix it with: This is usually easier to solve when they’re puppies using crate training. If they’re used to being alone yet entertained in their own space, there won’t be any trouble. Other solutions for adult Frenchies can be separation anxiety toys and treats. Get the right ones from our selected products!
- Aggressiveness: Some French Bulldogs will show aggressive behavior under the right – or wrong – circumstances. Common causes are food guarding (common when they live with other dogs), territoriality, and protectiveness when confronting other dogs or strangers.
Fix it with: There are different solutions to this issue. You must identify the cause first. If they’re injured, annoyed, or don’t want to cooperate in some activity, they may show aggressiveness. Getting your dog some friends help if the issue is with social interactions. French Bulldogs are friendly dogs. Still, if they’re not properly introduced to other humans and pets, there’s no way they won’t feel rather attacked when they do out of the blue. This is easily solved with tons of socialization!
- Laziness: There are some extra lazy Frenchies out there that might need more motivation. Make them used to playing or going out for a walk is hard if they don’t have the right motivation to do it. This causes obesity, which is, well, fatal in extreme cases.
Fix it with: If your dog is on a routine, it’s much easier to get them to adapt to the activities on it. If they do the same things every day, they will push you to do it instead of you pulling them out of the couch. Make activities like daily grooming routines and exercise or playtime a thing of every day.
- Begging: If you’re eating and your pup is around, they will probably stare at you to death until you give them some of what you’re eating. That’s begging for food. They can do this even after their meals!
Fix it with: Dogs don’t have that little bell we humans have that tells us it’s enough, that we can’t eat anymore. Since Frenchies love to eat and the lack of such bells, they will always feel like they’re starving. To avoid this you must ignore them. Maybe they will bark at you or growl, but if you ignore them they will go away. That’s a rule you and every one present must follow!
- Excessive chewing: If you find damaged furniture, shoes, or anything they chewed to death, it’s time to scold some doggy.
Fix it: There are different causes of these issues. Some of the most common ones are separation anxiety, boredom, and excess energy. If they exercise, have some playtime, and are crate trained, this shouldn’t be an issue. If they still chew everything, get them some chewing toys to calm them down!
“Adults must be able to assess potential risks for injury or inappropriate behavior by the dog and the child. Adults should ensure that potentially dangerous situations are avoided, even if this means restricting the dog’s and child’s access to each other at certain times (eg, during birthday parties, the dog is confined to a locked bedroom)“
AVMA – American Veterinary Medical Association
The key to keeping them happy and collaborating
An extra tip to keep them well trained and keep up with their activities is to motivate them with the right things. Some dogs love to go out and will take any opportunity for a walk as a treasure. For French Bulldogs, you will need two things: treats and love. For one thing that’s true to every single Frenchie out there is that they love to eat, and they love you. If you offer them a treat after any activity, they will associate it with feeling good. The same happens if you tell them who’s a good boy or gal after they let you brush their coats. Apply those two and you’ll get them going wherever you want!
Vital tip
Once you get to know your French Bulldog, you’ll learn how to treat him specifically, and those personality traits or things that make him or her unique. For that manner, you must know how to identify when they’re ok, and when they’re not. If you notice any changes in their behavior, there’s something wrong going on. When you live with dogs, it’s easy to notice changes because they are routine!
French Bulldogs Temperament: interactions
Any pet is subject to different interactions every day throughout their lives. The most common ones are:
- Kids and babies: They are a stimulant that your Frenchie will find interesting. It’s important to note that, even though they are not aggressive, you must take the right measures to avoid injuries. This applies both to kids and the dog. Kids are more prone to play rough, and Frenchies love that. You must educate your kids to know how to play with a Frenchie and to limit their contact if the dog incurs in undesired behavior. Supervision is a must!
- Senior people: Frenchies are the perfect companion for senior people. They are calm dogs that don’t require a lot of exercise, and that’s something older people will know how to appreciate.
- Cats: The second most famous pet and dog’s sworn enemies can be a threat to Frenchies. They are interesting to them, and, if Frenchies are not properly socialized, some bad interactions can take place. You must keep an eye on both. Cats have claws, dogs have teeth, and they’re “natural enemies”.
- Other pets: Other pets like parrots have been on the rise. If you know dogs, you’ll know that keeping a bird – or anything that flies or moves fast – next to them is not a good idea in most cases. Turtles are safe because dogs can’t hurt them, still, they bite hard and Frenchies are curious ones. Supervise them!
“A new behavioral problem in a senior dog is usually a result of a medical problem,” – Dr. Reich
AVMA – American Veterinary Medical Association
Frequently Asked Questions – French Bulldogs Temperament
Even though Frenchies are not guarding dogs, all dogs have great hearing and smell sense. If they’re picking up something different with those senses, they will make it obvious through barking and getting the zoomies if they’re excited. If there’s something wrong with them, barking is another way of letting you know. If there’s nothing outside, nothing annoying them, maybe they just need some playtime!
Some French Bulldogs are so smart, that they have a will of their own, and of course, they’d like to pursue it. If that’s in the way of your training, then they will ignore you. That’s why training them is not that easy! Three words can solve it: Tons of treats!
French Bulldogs love air conditioning, shade, and have low energy levels. Still, they love to go outside occasionally. It’s important that they do because they’re prone to get obese. Also, going for a walk is a highly stimulant for dogs, so they benefit from it. This applies to all dogs, even couch-potato Frenchies.
Conclusion
French Bulldogs are amazing dogs. They are highly adaptable to your needs, especially if you apply the right type of training (positive reinforcement) and fixes to their personality issues. This is something you must do every day without exceptions since the slightest approval sign for an undesired behavior may reproduce it in the future.
It’s important to keep in mind that all dogs can have issues and that none of the ones mentioned here are unique to French Bulldogs!
Ultimately, if you want a perfect dog, you need to be a perfect owner!
Does your Frenchie have issues? Let us know if and how you fixed it!
