No doubt French Bulldogs are a lovely breed that every dog-loving person would like to own. The French Bulldog has a lot of lovely behavioral traits that it can easily be identified with. On the other hand, there are also some behavioral problems that can make your little pet look more like a problem to solve than a friend to keep. In this article, we will go through a number of French Bulldog behaviors that can make you fall in love with them every single break of the day, and we will also consider some French Bulldog behavioral problems and their causes. Keep reading.
French Bulldog Behaviors that Will Make You Fall In Love With Them
Generally, French Bulldogs are loyal dogs and sweet friends too. They are playful, happy relaxed and lively. French Bulldogs are easy-to-train dogs as they are very smart, thus you can make them what you want them to be - your best pal. The following are some basic French Bulldog behaviors that will make you love them:
- French Bulldog has a Mind of its Own: Frenchies require an authority figure - a strong leader because it tends to persist in whatever he/she wants. Hence, the owner has to be mildly authoritative and ensure that he has the last word. This is important before the dog gets a feeling that you are not firm enough, which make them begin to misbehave.
- French Bulldogs are Loyal and They Respect Their Owner: Even though Frenchies are loyal and respectful, the owner must be able to keep the dog engaged and in check, pay close attention, French Bulldog misbehavior may also be a sign that you are doing something wrong.
- Frenchies are a Curious Breed: They always want to know what happening around them. Why being overly playful, they still pay close attention to their surroundings.
- French Bulldogs are Not Giving to Barking: Frenchies are almost a non-barking dog. They do bark but they rarely do. This is one of the characteristics of Frenchies, which makes them great apartment dogs.
Understanding French Bulldog's Behavioral Problems
Compared to other dogs, French Bulldogs are largely well-behaved as the variety of Behavioral Problems in French Bulldogs are minimal. It must also be noted that what we may regard do behavioral problems may not be problems at all to our pets, they just be normal behaviors for them, but which we find uncomfortable.
For example, the following are some behavioral problems dog owners have identified, but when you try to understand such behaviors, you'll realize they are not misbehaviors at all:
- Barking: Dogs bark because they have something to tell you.
- Digging: Dogs dig because they smell something underneath the ground.
- Chewing: Dogs chew because they are teething and are feeling uncomfortable.
- Chasing: Dogs chase after moving objects because they are following their instincts.
- Aggression: Your Frenchie may become aggressive because he/she wants to protect you.
Causes of French Bulldog Behavioral Problems
While we try to understand some of these "behavioral problems" from the dog's own perspective, there are actually some owner's treatment or attitudes towards their French Bulldogs, which cause, trigger, or fuel these misbehaviors. Let's take a look at some of them:
- Health Issue: Many behaviorists and dog trainers believe that at least 20% of all behavior problems are associated with the Frenchie's health. Your French Bulldog might have been misbehaving because he/she is sick or in pain. If you noticed a sudden change in the behavior of your Frenchie, take him/her to the Vets for an examination.
- Imbalanced Diet: Feeding your dog the wrong food, such as foods that are high in protein, fat or carbs may cause some sort of hyperactivity. Also, sugars, starches among other in dog foods can be a source of behavioral problems in your pet. Whenever you are buying foods for your Frenchie, bear in mind that they need different types of food for different stages of their lives, and try to read the label of the food before you feed him.
- Exercise: Every dog needs a measure of exercise, even though Frenchies don't require much, if he/her doesn't get any at all, it might be a cause of misbehavior of some sort.
- Lack of Leadership: To train a French Bulldog, you must be an alpha leader. Frenchies can be stubborn sometimes, there are times that you must impose your will on them, rather than letting them have their way.
Bottom line, you must understand that all dogs including French Bulldogs develop behavior problems over time, and oftentimes, they are the outcomes of the interaction between a dog and its environment (which includes you), most canine behavioral problems can be controlled if not solved completely.
6 comments
I really wanted to share this article until I saw the alpha line. Alpha theory is debunked and has no scientific basis. Kind, positive reinforcement and boundaries bring a much more effective behavior.