Archive for the 'French Bulldog Training' Category

Ask the Frenchie Trainer - Bully Boy French Bulldog

gollygear July 17th, 2008

I have a 10 month old neutered male Frenchie who is aggressive with other
dogs. He lives with a 7 year old spayed English bulldog, a 3 year old
neutered male Boston terrier and his spayed sister. The only dog he attacks
is Hannah the English bulldog.

He also attended daycare one day a week for
3 weeks and attacked a different dog each week until I removed him from the
class. The dogs don’t even have to be looking at him but you know when he
is going to do this unacceptable behaviour. He stands still, stares never
taking his eyes off of the other dog and then lunges at them growling and
biting. Even if you try to divert his attention to something else or pull
him back he is determined to get them regardless.

With humans he is very sweet and affectionate but I am not sure what to do with him. His siblings don’t have this aggressive trait. I don’t want to give up on him but he
certainly stresses the household with his behaviour.

Do you have any  suggestions, they would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Hope writes -

Dog aggression is one of the issues that’s difficult, but crucial, to cure.

Because your boy seems to target a specific dog, you can closely monitor interactions between the two. You say that you are able to discern when he’s about to fire up. When you see that “look in his eyes,” intervene immediately to distract him. I understand that you have tried, but it seems a more interruptive distraction is necessary. When you see him go into the stare, try dropping a heavy book, a pot, or other loud, non-breakable item on the floor. When he turns to look, praise him for a “good watch” and get him to walk away from the other dog.

When he’s calm, teach him the “leave it” command. Without any distractions (including the other dogs around) sit in a chair with a pile of treats close at hand. Give them to him, one at a time, saying “Take it” with each one. After a few “take its” hide a treat in the same hand, saying “leave it.” He may try to get it by sniffing, pawing, nibbling or licking. As soon as he looks away from the hand with the treat, say “good leave it!” and hand him a different treat. It may take a while, but a secure “leave it” will apply to anything - icky stuff on the ground, bunnies, other dogs, etc.

If you are unable to control the aggression, do seek professional help from a trainer in your area. It doesn’t sound like your boy is incorrigible, just in need of discipline and control. For recommendations in your area, do ask your veterinarian, local groomers, or go to http://www.apdt.com for the Association of Pet Dog Trainers for a referral in your area. Please do interview trainers carefully, and ask if it’s possible to get references and see them in action.

Best of luck.
Hope

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Ask the Frenchie Trainer - Multiple French Bulldogs?

admin July 9th, 2008

I have 2 male frenchies 4 and 5 years old. Can I introduce a new female puppy into the family? (also a frenchie).

Hope writes -

One Frenchie is good, two is better and a whole pack - best of all!

Actually, I can’t really tell from the sparse information you provide whether another dog would be a good idea. Among the questions you should consider before adding a girl puppy to the mix are:

How do the boys get along with each other? Are there rivalries already in place?
How well trained are the boys? Will they teach a puppy bad habits?
How do the boys react to other dogs?
Are the boys protective of their territory? their food? their toys?
Are they healthy and fit?
What are their personalities like? Are they pretty easy-going? grumpy? short-tempered?
Do they play rough? How would you protect a puppy from their romping?
Do you have space for another dog?
Do you have time to spend training another dog?

Consider all the pros and cons. If another dog is right for your family - enjoy!
-Hope

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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

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Ask the French Bulldog Trainer - When to start training?

gollygear July 5th, 2008

Hi, my question is: How early should you start training your french bulldog puppy? We’re getting our french bulldog soon (next week!) and were thinking about doing some private sessions at home as well as a puppy class as well. However, we weren’t sure if 8-9 weeks was too young.

Thanks!

Hope writes -

A new puppy! Congratulations!
Puppies are sponges. Like all other babies, they start learning from the moment they’re born. When the pup becomes yours, you automatically become its teacher. Your objective is to make sure it learns what you want it to know.
When you call your pup by its name - reward it for coming. Never, ever punish your dog for coming to you. The converse is also an absolute: never call your dog to punish or correct it.
Praise your dog for appropriate behavior - when he potties outside, when he chews on a toy instead of your fingers, when he sits. Name the good behavior while you do this “good go potty,” “good sit,” etc.
A puppy class is good for socialization and fundamentals. It’s also good to have a trainer right there who will answer all your questions and give immediate feedback, knowing you and your puppy. Please do your research on the class - observe before you bring your dog and make sure that the environment is safe your your little one.
Unless this is your first dog and you’re looking for help with basics: housebreaking, chewing, jumping, socialization, etc., there’s not much point to a private trainer at this age. Puppies are notorious for being brilliant in obedience, until it all falls out of their heads when they hit adolescence.
I would let your puppy be a puppy; teach the basics, including “sit and accept praise,” “come,” “sit,” “down,” walking nicely on lead, and the all-important “leave it.” It’s enough of a lesson plan for now. Babies have a limited attention span and Frenchies aren’t crazy about repetitive drills. There are some dogs who will endlessly “practise” a behavior, Frenchies aren’t among them. Training sessions for a puppy should be a couple of minutes, a few times a day, not counting the continuous training of daily life.
You can always add on and pursue further training - no dog is too old to learn new tricks. As always, when you are researching trainers and classes, don’t be shy about checking them out. You are your puppy’s advocate. Never allow anyone to do anything with your pup that you’re not comfortable with - and don’t let them convince you to, either.
Good luck with the baby!
-Hope

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Ask the Frenchie Trainer - Suddenly Agressive French Bulldog

admin July 1st, 2008

Note: this question was from the comments on another post. Please DO NOT post your questions in the comments section! We do not regularly check them, and chances are your question will go unanswered. Email your question to us directly, as noted above.

Does any one knows how to retrain my Frenchie female Tuffy who suddenly all over became very aggressive against the other fem Boston Terrier that we have? Tuffy is 18mo old and the other girl is 6yrs old.

Hope writes -

Without more information, I’m sorry to say that we can’t do more than suggest you find help in your area.

Do have your Frenchie checked by a veterinarian. If she’s in pain for some reason, it could cause her to be unusually grumpy and short-tempered.

If she checks out okay, please seek help from a professional trainer. Dog aggression should be addressed quickly and steps taken to correct it. You may find a referral from the Association of Pet Dog Trainers: http://apdt.com/

-Hope

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