When you’re training a Frenchie puppy, it’s crucial to start with a structured approach that sets the stage for success. You’ll want to establish a consistent routine, use positive reinforcement, and manage the environment effectively, to prevent your French Bulldog puppy from making mistakes.
Each of these steps plays a significant role in shaping your puppy’s behavior and ensuring a smooth training experience. However, navigating common challenges can be tricky. Understanding how to tackle these hurdles could make all the difference in your training journey.
So, what are the specific strategies you can implement to keep your Frenchie engaged and responsive?
In this article we’ll get into what it takes to train a Frenchie puppy, managing the environment to set your puppy up for success, rewarding your pup for doing things you want, and how often you’ll need to train them and get the best behaved pup around.
1. Manage the Environment
Managing the environment is key to training your French Bulldog puppy. Allowing them free run of your house WILL end in tears, trust us!
Puppy-proof your home by securing electrical cords, hazardous materials, and small objects that could be swallowed. This safety tip allows your puppy to explore without anxiety while you train, and there’ll be no chewing cables or on your favorite shoes.
Designate specific areas for sleeping, training and play, you can use a playpen or babygates to help your Frenchie puppy with this. By keeping these spaces consistent, your puppy will begin to associate them with learning and positive reinforcement, and be able to focus on you easily free of distractions.
Eliminating distractions will also help them focus better on you during your sessions, how many times have dog owners said ‘He does GREAT at home’ well that’s because at home is where you practice, but is also generally free of distractions.
You can also think about using other quiet rooms or enclosed yards for introducing new experiences. This way, you can manage some of the external distractions that might interfere with your puppy’s focus, but you’re also gradually increasing the difficulty by changing location.
Management is always the foundation of training – prevent your French Bulldog puppy from getting things wrong, so we can then focus on all the wonderful thing they do right.
2. Reward Your Frenchie Puppy to Reinforce Good Behavior
Dogs do what that they find rewarding, and with positive reinforcement training, you can easily teach your Frenchie puppy to behave in the way that you want to.
Throughout this site you’ll find lots of things you can train your Frenchie puppy to do, and they are all achieved with positive reinforcement training.
When training a puppy, their usual reinforcer will be food, Frenchies are pretty foody in that regard, which makes them easy to train!
But positive reinforcement, doesn’t have to be treats and food based, it’s whatever your dog likes, later on you can switch to play, strokes and even some verbal praise or a smile.
Consistency is key when training a puppy, make sure people use the same cues with your puppy. After all, puppies can’t speak English, but they respond to cues, so they don’t automatically know that ‘come’ and ‘here’ mean the same thing.
It’s also worth testing out what treats your Frenchie likes, this will depend on what their regular daily food is – a dog fed on raw or BARF might find a particular treat hugely reinforcing, but a different dog fed on cold-pressed kibble might like something completely different.
Varying your rewards, whether it’s different treats or verbal praise, also keeps your puppy engaged and eager to learn. Not knowing what reward is coming helps to activate the SEEKING system, and ensures we get a huge dopamine release or rush when training! Stick with the blog there will be more on that!
Why Should You Use Positive Reinforcement Techniques?
Because it’s the most ethical, up to date, and all in all the best way of training dogs! We LOVE our dogs, they are thinking, feeling, sentient beings and the more research that is done, the more we learn about dogs the more we understand about how they feel.
By consistently applying positive reinforcement, you create a clear connection between your pup’s actions and the rewards, making it easier for them to understand what you expect, and what will be rewarded.
Timing is crucial in training; use a word marker to tell your Frenchie puppy ‘yes, you did it right!’ when they do the thing they want, and then always give your rewards immediately after. You can use a clicker for this, but you can also just use a verbal marker like ‘yes’ or ‘good’.
It’s really important to avoid punishment during training your Frenchie puppy. Negative methods can damage the trusting relationship you’re trying to build with your puppy, leading to fear and anxiety. Instead, focus on fostering a positive environment where your Frenchie feels safe and motivated to learn. These little learning machines are keen and eager, and you should enjoy training them too.
Studies show that positive reinforcement is more effective than punishment-based methods, resulting in better learning outcomes and improved behavior in dogs. By prioritizing positive reinforcement, you’ll set your Frenchie up for success and strengthen your bond.
3. Establish a Training Routine and Repeat
Repetition really is the key to success, your Frenchie puppy needs plenty of time to practice and learn things!
Start by setting aside time each day for short training sessions, with a puppy’s short attention span, 1 minute 10 times a day is going to be heaps better than long training sessions, where they get bored or fatigued.
During these sessions, focus on basic cues that are useful for every day life like teaching them their name, ‘sit,’ ‘stay,’ and ‘come,’ using positive reinforcement techniques such as treats and praise.
Repetition is crucial for your puppy’s learning process. The more you practice, the better your puppy will understand what you’re trying to teach them. Incorporate a variety of exercises and skills into your routine to keep things interesting and promote a well-rounded understanding of commands. This not only enhances learning but also strengthens the bond between you and your Frenchie.
A structured training routine helps your puppy recognize cues and commands more quickly, making them adaptable to their environment. How about trying for a minutes training before each of your Frenchie’s puppy meals?
Address Common Training Challenges in French Bulldog Puppies
People say that Frenchies are stubborn, you will not hear that from me! In fact, I find Frenchies the opposite of stubborn, they love to learn, we just have to find what motivates them and put aside our most valuable aside, our time.
However, there are some all too common training challenges you might have with your Frenchie, and to work through this will require patience and consistency, and quite often some professional help.
When you’re training your French bulldog, remember that positive reinforcement is your best friend. Use treats and praise to encourage good habits, making it clear which behaviors you want to see.
Potty training can be one of the most significant challenges you’ll face. Establish a consistent routine for bathroom breaks, and celebrate successes with enthusiasm—this encourages your puppy to repeat the behavior. If accidents happen, don’t punish; instead, redirect and reinforce the desired behavior. Setting up a potty training schedule, and tracker to follow is a great tip to help house train your puppy.
Jumping and excessive barking are also common issues we see in Frenchies. For jumping, teach your Frenchie to sit when greeting people, rewarding calm behavior. For barking, redirect their attention to a toy or command to shift their focus, then find out what the emotional component is that is making them want to bark – are they scared, overexcited, frustrated or feeling something else? Finding out the reason BEHIND any problem behavior is going to help much more than just stopping the behavior in that moment.
Consistency is key. Use the same commands and techniques to avoid confusing your puppy. With time, your French Bulldog puppy will learn what’s expected and develop into a well-behaved companion.
Keep sessions short and engaging to maintain interest, and always focus on building a strong bond through positive interactions.
By managing your environment, rewarding good behavior, and using positive reinforcement, you’ll set your Frenchie puppy up for success.
Establishing a consistent training routine will help reinforce commands and improve focus.
Remember, patience is key, and it’s normal to face challenges along the way. Stay positive and keep sessions fun!
With dedication and love, you’ll raise a well-behaved and happy Frenchie pup that’s a joy to have by your side.
