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How to Potty Train French Bulldog

By Jacquelyn Kennedy
Updated on

Potty training is the most challenging part of owning a French bulldog, and it demands a lot of patience, consistency, and commitment. The training normally takes several weeks, and during this time, your dog might get into accidents in the house, but some tips might help you lessen the house-soiling incidents.

The French bulldog is clean by nature. Thus, it will not take long to teach him these things. There are things that you need to prepare before you can start with the training.

You need toys, an enzymatic cleaner, a treat, a leash, a crate, or a small space in your home. These how-to toilet train French bulldog tips are easy to follow and will help you a lot in keeping your house clean.

Learn More: How to train a puppy!

Best Potty Training Products

Check out these products you can use to potty train a French bulldog:

Things you Need to Know Before Potty Training your French Bulldog

  • Understand your dog’s body language. Observe any signs that will indicate your pet wants to eliminate.
  • French bulldog puppies, go to the potty at regular intervals – when they wake up, after taking naps, after meals, after playing, before and after being crated, and before going to sleep.
  • Take your Frenchies for a walk when he usually does his potty. Walk him around the yard and in the same place where he can release their waste.
  • Praise him after he eliminates at the right spot. You can also give him treats. But you will do this only if does it right. This will make him feel good, and would do the same thing again to get the treat.
  • You can do signal training at a later time. This will help you understand your doggie when he wants to go. It is best to place a bell near the door at his level and teach him to pat it or push it on his way out.
  • Keep your French bulldog under strict vigilance until fully potty trained. It is only the time you can allow him to roam around the house freely.
  • The French bulldog is usually happy to have his own den. Bulldogs are a clean breed by nature. They do not soil the place where they sleep. So he will not release his waste inside the crate.
  • If you live in a building without a backyard and you have a small dog, litter pan training is a good option. You can create a space where your pet can eliminate inside the house.
  • Use positive reinforcements. Never scold him; you will not gain anything from doing that. If you catch them, say no, or freeze, it will startle them and stop pooping.
  • If you keep your French Bulldog alone for more than 4 hours, be prepared to return to a soiled home. Separation anxiety is common in home-alone dogs.
  • You can never avoid accidents while training your French bulldog. But health disorders or medical problems may result in sudden accidents.
  • Keep in mind that potty training normally takes several weeks or even months.

Potty Training your French Bulldog

There are two ways to potty train your French bulldog – Positive Only Training and Respect Training.

1. Positive Only Training

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Positive only training is the latest fad in training your bulldog, it is done by giving your dog something, it could be a toy or food each time he performs the needed behavior, he gets the reward. If your dog refuses to do it, don’t give him the reward; stand and wait for him to do it.

This type of training includes the use of a clicker device. It is a metallic tab that creates a clicking sound when pressed. Clicker training is a type of operant conditioning. This is done by clicking the clicker when your dog performs some desired behavior. Then give him a treat. Thus, the dog will keep in mind that each time he hears the clicking sound, it will bring him food.

2. Respect Training

This type of training will work best as compared to positive-only training. It encourages repeating good behavior. The training involves positive consequences and negative consequences. Dogs will learn from both positive and negative consequences and will behave accordingly.

Letting them know the good and bad through positive and negative consequences is the best way to train your French bulldog. Positive consequences mean he will get a reward from you in the form of treats, praise, games, smiles, and petting. Negative consequences you will correct undesirable behaviors through your hands or voices or with the collar or leash.

I hope I could answer all your questions in this post; if not, comment below, and I’ll get back to you!

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About the author

Jacquelyn Kennedy

PetDT was founded by Jacquelyn Kennedy, a dog lover and pet admirer. She built the website to provide pet owners with information, experiences, and opinions on breeds, temperament, personalities, health, nutrition, products, and care.