French Bulldog Care

Part Four

This part will cover 5 basic tricks to teach your new puppy. French bulldogs can be stubborn but they are pretty easy to train. You should not begin formal training until they are around 6 months old.

For a young French bulldog puppy, have training sessions be about 5 minutes long, and make sure your french bulldog is not tired, hungry, or distracted. You will eventually increase the time as your Frenchie grows older. Do 3 to 5 training sessions a day.

Tricks in this section: Come, Heel, Sit, Stay, Lay Down. + Introducing the "no" command.

Come:

It is best to begin training in a quiet, indoor area.

Squat down, and with your arms wide, say "come." If he/she begins to move towards you, give her lots of praise and attention. When she gets close, DO NOT grab her, instead pet her, give her a small treat, and lots of praise and attention. If he/she refuses to come, put on the leash and slowly bring him/her to the spot where you called him/her, giving lots of praise the entire time. Do not scold him/her for any mistakes.

Heel:

With your puppy standing next to you, hold the leash in your left hand and their favorite squeaky toy in your right. Move your right arm so the toy is in front of and slightly above your Frenchie. When your Frenchie's attention is on the toy, say the word "heel" and begin to slowly walk forward. Give your puppy lots of attention if he/she is responding correctly and walking beside you while looking at the toy. If your Frenchie gets distracted, simply squeak the toy. Continue to give him/her lots of praise, especially if they look up at you. After about 20 or 30 seconds, give your Frenchie the toy and play with them for a bit. After that try to repeat the process. Slowly increase the time you walk together and after a while stop using the toy.

Sit:

Holding a treat, sit down in front of your Frenchie.

Say the word "sit" and slowly bring the food over their head. If your puppy backs up instead of sitting, put your other hand on their bum and slowly push him/her into a sitting position. After he/she sits, give him/her the treat and lots of praise.

Stay: (only after teaching your dog "sit")

Have your Frenchie sit on your left side, with the leash very loose. Face your Frenchie, and hold up your hand and say "Stay." Take a couple steps back, and after a few seconds, say "Ok!" or whatever your "release" word is and give your Frenchie lots of praise and a treat. If your Frenchie moved before you said Ok, quietly repeat the process, but instead use a hand signal for sit since it is best they only learn one command at a time. After your puppy learns to stay, increase the distance over time. Make sure to give lots of praise each time!

Lay Down:

Have your Frenchie sit on your left side (just as he/she did for "stay"). Put your hand on his/her shoulders with a treat in your other hand in front of his/her face. Say "down" and slowly lower the treat to the floor between his/her paws, then pull it straight away, in an "L" shape. (if this doesn't work, you can also try gently scooping his/her legs out until he/she is laying down.) Once your Frenchie is laying down, give him/her lots of praise and a treat.

Introducing the "no" command

Have a treat in one hand, and show it to your Frenchie. After he/she sees it, say the word "no" firmly and close your fist around the treat. After your puppy gives up on getting the treat, give her lots of praise and give her a treat from your OTHER hand. Repeat this a few times a day.

After your puppy learns the command pretty well, don't give praise the second he/she turns away. After she looks at you, give lots of praise and offer the treat. (having her look at you may take an extra long time to learn.) Gradually increase the time your Frenchie has to keep eye contact with you.

Eventually, you can practice with the treat on the floor. After he/she is able to obey the command, try it in a busy area, such as when you are taking him/her out for a walk. Slowly exchange the treats for praise.

Tip: Although it is not listed here, a good trick to teach your Frenchie at a young age is "roll over" otherwise they will not be able to do it when they are older.