Ask the French Bulldog Trainer - The Little Frenchie that wouldn’t walk
admin July 7th, 2008
I wonder if you can help, I have a ten and a half week old French bulldog pup. Its not that I have a problem with him, my vet gives him a good rating for his first check, he has to go back in 2 weeks for next jabs. My issue is when I take him out to walk, i get the bulldogedness, no he wont walk, I have a small collar on him (with plenty room) and if I want him to walk i practically have to drag him. I have a lot more experience with boxers, so haven’t encountered this before, he also seem to prefer to poop indoors than out. I realise all this is probably quite normal, however how long can I expect it to last?
We are not doing crate training, he has a open bed, during work hours he is in a large tiled hallway and has plenty space to play with his toys, he is not free fed. A perfect example is today I was at home for lunch for 2 hours as I am every day (we are starting the separation training hence why half a day I am back in the office), I feed him when I got in, 2 hours later despite attempting a walk and playing in his outdoor yard for over an hour he wont poop, however I come back to work for an hour, he’ll poop almost straight away, I don’t punish him for pooping as he’s only a baby and don’t believe in punishment anyway, I am just looking for frenchie specific goals that can be achieved.
In summation, I was hoping to have this under control by the 3rd or 4th month, is this an unreasonable expectation? Also, will he grow into walking and enjoying a walk?
Hope writes -
I’ll certainly try to help - we want to get your little guy off to a good start!
You may not have realized it but you have two entirely separate questions here:
How do I get my puppy to walk on a leash? and
How do I housebreak my puppy?
The second question first: if you’re not crate training, you have a long and miserable task ahead of you. Your puppy will rule your schedule, and you’ll spend a lot of time outside, standing around, waiting until the inevitable finally happens.
I’m not sure why some people are resistant to crate-training. Dogs are, by nature, den animals - most wild canids seek secure shelter in a small space. A crate or cage isn’t a punishment, it’s your puppy’s “room” - someplace to be safe, comfortable and happy. By using a crate, you’re allowing your puppy to be “good” all the time - he has no opporunity to get into mischief. Please rethink your reluctance to try crate training.
Your first question about walking on a leash is actually fairly simple to train. When the puppy is not in its crate (never, ever leave a collar or harness on a dog in a crate), put on its collar or harness. For short periods of time, while you’re paying attention, tie a short string on the collar and play with your puppy, letting it run around with the string trailing. Distract him with a toy or other game if he wants to chew on the string. In time, replace the string with a leash until he’s comfortable and happy with something “hanging” from his collar or harness.
When you go outside with the puppy on collar and leash, let the puppy sit if he wants to. Have the leash very loose - the best way to get a dog to stay where he is is to pull on him to get him to move. As soon as he gets up and moves around, tell him he’s a good boy and give him a treat. You can lure him to you with a treat if you like - praise him whenever he’s in motion. It may take some patience, but he will figure out that it’s fun to go with you. Please don’t drag him along - the more unpleasant the experience, the less he’ll want to go for a walk.
Your puppy is still very, very young. Most puppies have a “fear period” from about eight to 12 weeks. Make sure your little guy has positive experiences during this time and in the future. French Bulldogs may not be the easiest dogs to train, but they certainly are trainable. The more “work” you put in now, the happier you’ll both be in the long run.
-Hope
- French Bulldog Training
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