Ask the Trainer - Spending time with a new French Bulldog puppy
admin May 27th, 2008
My wife and I really would love to get a Frenchie. We’ve had several dogs over the years and currently have a 15 yr. old Border Collie, so we know that house training can be rough at times.
Our main concern before getting one is whether or not our schedules are satisfactory for this breed. There would be someone home with the dog M-F all day in the summers because my wife teaches high-school, but from Sept. through mid-June the dog would be alone from 8am - 4pm.
Are we just asking for trouble with house training as well as behavioral issues like separation anxiety?
Hope writes -
Just the fact that you thought to ask the question makes you an excellent candidate for French Bulldog companionship!
Frenchies can be a challenge to train - housetraining and everything else. Unlike your Border Collie, who wants to work with you, please you and looks to you for guidance, French Bulldogs do what they want to do, when they want to do it. As a result, you must be more stubborn than your Bulldog, in addition to patient and consistent.
I am a firm advocate of crate training. When I’m away from home my dogs are safe in their crates. When I get a puppy, if I am not actively watching the puppy, it’s in its crate. When the level of trust improves to more than zero, I attach the puppy’s leash to my belt-loop so it can never wander off.
The advantage to this training is that you never give the dog the opportunity to be “bad.” It learns from the very first where his eliminatiion spot is. If you’re consistent until you are absolutely certain that the puppy knows where to do its “business,” housetraining is not a problem. It’s a long procedure, but even Frenchies eventually figure it out.
As far as scheduling - you are right to be concerned. It would be unfair to give the puppy the idea that someone is always going to be around. If you do get a puppy over the summer, you must incorporate your (and your wife’s) absence into its everyday routine. A young pup shouldn’t be left for more than three or four hours before a “potty break,” but he should know that mom and dad aren’t going to be available all day every day. Once the puppy matures, there’s no reason it can’t be left for six to eight hours a day, he or she will nap safely in her crate.
Thank you for asking - and for making sure your decision is right for you and your family!
Hope
- French Bulldog Training
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