French Bulldogs aren't stubborn — they're selectively motivated. They're intelligent dogs who've been bred to think independently. Unlike gundogs bred to take direction constantly, Frenchies were bred to be companions. They cooperate when it suits them or when the reward is sufficient.

What looks like stubbornness is usually:

• Insufficient motivation (the reward isn't valuable enough)

• Physical discomfort (too hot, too tired, breathing difficulty)

• Lack of understanding (the cue hasn't been taught clearly)

• Adolescent regression (normal developmental phase)

What works: find what motivates your individual dog (some Frenchies are food-motivated, others prefer play or physical contact), keep training sessions short and positive, train in cool conditions, and accept that Frenchies work at their own pace.

What doesn't work: repetition when the dog clearly isn't engaged (creates frustration), assuming the dog is being deliberately defiant (they're not), or using punishment to force compliance (damages the relationship and creates anxiety).

French Bulldogs pull despite their small size because they're stocky, strong, and enthusiastic. They're also brachycephalic, which means pulling creates breathing difficulties. A pulling Frenchie is often a panting, wheezing Frenchie — it's uncomfortable and potentially dangerous.

What works: reward-based loose-lead training in short sessions. Frenchies tire quickly, so practice for 5-10 minutes at a time. Reward heavily for slack lead. Use a well-fitted harness (never a collar for lead walking in brachycephalic breeds — pressure on the neck restricts breathing further). Keep training sessions in cool conditions.

What doesn't work: any aversive tool, particularly check chains or slip leads. These are dangerous for brachycephalic breeds. Extended training sessions (the dog overheats). Expecting quick progress — loose-lead walking takes longer in Frenchies than many breeds because they're less motivated by food rewards and tire easily.

Timescale: expect 6-12 months to build reliable loose-lead walking. Progress is slower than food-motivated breeds but achievable with patience.

French Bulldogs are slower to toilet train than many breeds. Many aren't reliably clean until 6-9 months, significantly later than many breeds. This isn't stupidity. Multiple factors are involved:

Physical factors: Small bladders mean they need to toilet more frequently. Brachycephalic breeds sometimes have lower sphincter tone. Cold or wet weather genuinely distresses them more than robust breeds, making them reluctant to toilet outside.

Motivation factors: Frenchies are less motivated by praise alone than many breeds. The "reward" of toileting outside isn't compelling if they're cold and uncomfortable.

What works: extremely frequent toilet opportunities (every 1-2 hours for young puppies), high-value food rewards immediately after toileting, supervision to prevent indoor accidents, and patience. Indoor toilet options (pee pads, grass patches) can help during bad weather.

What doesn't work: punishment for accidents (creates anxiety without teaching the skill), assuming the dog should "just know" (they don't), or expecting the same progress as more easily trained breeds.

Realistic timescale: 6-9 months for reliability. Some take longer. This is normal for the breed.

French Bulldogs need 30-45 minutes of exercise daily, but it must be carefully managed. Brachycephalic breeds overheat quickly, struggle in warm weather, and can't sustain vigorous exercise.

What works: short walks during cool parts of the day (early morning, evening), indoor enrichment (puzzle toys, scent games, gentle play), swimming under supervision (many Frenchies can't swim due to their build — life jackets essential), and training sessions for mental stimulation.

Critical safety rules: never exercise in high heat (above 20°C is risky), watch for signs of overheating (excessive panting, slowing down, reluctance to move), provide water constantly, and stop immediately if breathing becomes laboured.

What doesn't work: long walks (the dog fatigues and overheats), vigorous exercise (creates breathing difficulties), ball games in warm weather (overheating risk), or assuming the dog will self-regulate (they won't — they'll push themselves to dangerous levels).

In Brighton: early morning beach walks when it's cool, short sessions in shaded parks, indoor activities during summer. Avoid midday exercise year-round.

French Bulldogs are generally good-natured with children, and their small size makes them easy to live with in family homes. They’re affectionate, patient, and typically enjoy being involved in household life. With appropriate supervision and handling, many Frenchies do very well with kids.

Their main consideration is physical build rather than temperament. Frenchies are structurally more delicate than many breeds, with increased risk of back problems, reduced respiratory efficiency, and some joint vulnerability. Because of this, how children handle them matters more than it might with sturdier dogs.

Young children may lift dogs incorrectly, encourage jumping, or engage in rough play. In a Frenchie, these interactions can cause injury, particularly to the spine or joints. This isn’t a behaviour issue—it’s about protecting a dog whose body isn’t designed for impact or awkward handling.

Frenchies can also become breathier when over-excited. During energetic play, especially indoors, they may need breaks to settle and recover. This is manageable with supervision and by recognising when excitement is tipping into discomfort.

Their size is both an advantage and a responsibility. Frenchies won’t knock over children, but they need gentle handling and sensible boundaries.

What works:

• Children are taught not to pick the dog up (lifting by adults only, with full body support).

• Calm, supervised play with regular pauses.

• Raised resting spots where children can stroke gently without crowding.

• Clear retreat spaces the dog can access undisturbed.

What doesn’t:

• Rough play or frequent jumping.

• Allowing excitement to escalate unchecked.

• Assuming good temperament offsets physical limitations.

For families who can supervise interactions and teach respectful handling, French Bulldogs can be affectionate and enjoyable family companions. In homes where close oversight isn’t realistic, a more physically robust breed may be easier to manage.

French Bulldogs generally stay close to their people naturally. However, their recall is typically less reliable than more consistently food-motivated breeds, it’s essential to explore what does motivate them to come back to you when called.

What works: build recall in low-distraction environments, use high-value rewards (which could equally well be food, play or simply praise and affection), practice regularly, and accept that perfect recall isn't realistic for many Frenchies.

Management is essential: use long lines in unfenced areas, don't allow off-lead exercise near roads or hazards, and recognize that Frenchies are vulnerable if they wander (they can't run from danger, they overheat quickly, and they're theft targets).

What doesn't work: expecting gundog-level recall (different genetic wiring), relying solely on food rewards if your dog isn't food-motivated, or allowing off-lead exercise in high-risk environments.

Realistic expectation: adequate recall in familiar, enclosed areas. Variable recall in novel environments. Management always required near hazards.

French Bulldogs are brachycephalic. Their shortened skull structure leads to narrowed nostrils, elongated soft palates, and restricted airways. Snoring, snorting, reverse sneezing, and noisy breathing are common, but common does not mean healthy.

Some dogs have breathing difficulties severe enough to require surgical intervention, such as nostril widening or soft palate correction. These procedures are functional, not cosmetic, and can significantly improve quality of life.

Worsening breathing sounds, difficulty breathing during mild activity, blue gums or tongue, collapse, or inability to sleep lying flat require urgent veterinary attention. Brachycephalic Obstructive Airway Syndrome is widespread in the breed.

French Bulldogs were bred purely as companion dogs, so they can be more sensitive to being left alone than breeds developed for independent work. That said, separation anxiety is not inevitable and is largely shaped by experience rather than breed alone.

Problems tend to arise when a dog is never taught to be alone, or when alone time is introduced suddenly without preparation. Frenchies can learn comfortable independence if alone time is built in gradually and treated as a normal part of daily life.

What helps:

• Introducing short periods of alone time early and increasing them gradually.

• Keeping departures and arrivals low-key.

• Providing safe, low-effort mental enrichment such as food puzzles or scent work.

• Ensuring a cool, well-ventilated environment when the dog is left.

Because Frenchies regulate heat and breathing less efficiently, stress management matters more than in hardier breeds. Overexcitement, anxiety, and overheating can compound one another, so calm routines and appropriate temperature control are essential.

What doesn’t help:

• Punishing behaviour that occurs while the dog was alone.

• Dramatic goodbyes.

• Relying on intense physical exercise to “tire them out” before you leave

• Assuming another dog will prevent separation issues.

Most French Bulldogs can settle alone when independence is taught deliberately and their physical limitations are respected. If signs of true separation anxiety develop, early professional support is important, as stress has greater physical consequences for this breed.

French Bulldogs are structurally compromised. The breeding for extreme brachycephaly (flat faces), large heads, compact bodies, and specific coat colours has created widespread health problems:

Breathing: Brachycephalic Obstructive Airway Syndrome (BOAS) affects the majority of Frenchies to some degree.

Spinal: Hemivertebrae (malformed vertebrae) and intervertebral disc disease are common.

Skin: Skin fold infections, allergies, and dermatitis are prevalent.

Eyes: Shallow eye sockets create injury risk and chronic eye problems.

Reproduction: Most French Bulldogs cannot breed naturally or give birth without caesarean section.

Temperature regulation: They can't cool themselves effectively, making heatstroke risk constant.

These aren't individual bad luck. They're predictable consequences of the breed's structure. Responsible ownership means accepting these realities and providing appropriate care.

French Bulldogs are generally non-aggressive. They're bred as companions and typically love people and other dogs. However, poor socialisation, chronic pain (common in this breed), or fear can create defensive behaviour.

Most aggression seen in Frenchies is fear-based. Small dogs experience the world as more threatening. A Frenchie who feels cornered or frightened may snap defensively.

Resource guarding is also possible, particularly around food or high-value items. When addressed early with modern training methods, it's manageable.

Pain-related aggression is significant in French Bulldogs because chronic health problems are common. A dog snapping when touched might have spinal pain, skin infection, or ear problems. Veterinary assessment is essential before assuming purely behavioural causes.

If your Frenchie shows aggression, consult a qualified behaviourist who understands the breed's health challenges.

French Bulldog socialisation needs to be adapted for their size and physical limits. Sessions should be short, controlled, and focused on quality rather than quantity.

Socialisation works best in brief exposures (often just a few minutes at a time), repeated regularly. Long outings that suit more robust breeds aren’t appropriate and increase the risk of overwhelm or fatigue.

Because Frenchies are small and physically vulnerable, the world can feel disproportionately intense. Distances that feel neutral to larger breeds may be overwhelming, so allowing space from traffic, crowds, and unfamiliar dogs is important. Observing calmly from further away is still valuable socialisation.

Dog socialisation requires particular care. Frenchies are at higher risk of injury and can’t easily escape rough or boisterous play. Prioritise calm, size-appropriate dogs and avoid uncontrolled group settings where mismatches are likely.

Stress and over-arousal undermine socialisation. If a puppy becomes overwhelmed, confidence-building exposure quickly turns counterproductive. Calm observation and early exits are preferable to “pushing through”.

Prioritise:

• A wide range of people and appearances

• Gentle handling and body care

• Calm, controlled indoor environments

• Small, well-matched dogs

• Novel surfaces and everyday sounds at a comfortable distance

Manage carefully:

• Large or excitable dogs

• Busy, chaotic environments

• Extended sessions

• Rough play

Effective socialisation for French Bulldogs is about safe, calm exposure in small doses, not ticking off environments. Short, well-managed experiences produce better long-term confidence than trying to match the intensity or duration used for more physically robust breeds.

Positive reinforcement, adapted to the breed's physical limitations. Reward-based training that builds on what the dog offers naturally: desire for human contact, intelligence, and willingness to cooperate when properly motivated.

Critical adaptations for Frenchies:

• Short training sessions (5-10 minutes maximum)

• Cool environments only (never train in heat)

• Find individually motivating rewards (not all Frenchies are food-motivated)

• Accept slower progress than highly motivated breeds

• Stop immediately if breathing becomes laboured

Consistency matters but must be balanced with the dog's physical capabilities. A Frenchie who's too hot or tired cannot learn effectively.

If you're in Brighton and want professional help, puppy training programmes or teenage dog training can provide structured guidance adapted to brachycephalic breeds' needs.

Temperature sensitivity affecting all training. Every training session must account for overheating risk. This fundamentally limits what's possible and requires constant environmental management.

Lower food motivation than many breeds. Finding sufficient rewards for training takes experimentation. Some Frenchies simply aren't motivated enough by food for reliable training.

Physical limitations affecting play and exercise rewards. Methods that use vigorous play or extended exercise as rewards don't work for brachycephalic breeds.

Slow toilet training. This is normal for the breed and requires realistic expectations and patience.

Structural fragility requiring careful handling. Jumping, rough play, and physical corrections can cause injury.

These challenges don't make Frenchies untrainable. They mean training requires adaptation to physical realities, appropriate methods, and realistic expectations.

Foundation work (toilet training, name recognition, basic handling, settling) begins immediately -ideally around 8 weeks - but temperature and time of day determine when training is possible. Frenchie puppies cannot train outdoors in warm weather or after physical activity until fully cooled. This shapes the training schedule differently than breeds who can train regardless of conditions.

Finding motivation often takes longer than in food-obsessed breeds. Many Frenchies aren't strongly food-motivated. Discovering what rewards work (specific treats, toys, sofa access, brief play) requires experimentation during early weeks. This isn't stubbornness — it's a companion breed that wasn't selected for eager-to-please responsiveness.

Formal cue training can begin around 12-14 weeks, but sessions remain short throughout the dog's life. Frenchies don't build duration the way working breeds do. A 5-minute session at 4 months might only extend to 8-10 minutes at maturity. Physical limitations don't disappear with age.

Adolescence typically runs 6-12 months — less dramatic than high-drive breeds but still brings regression. The "stubborn" narrative often intensifies during this period as the dog becomes more selective about when they'll engage.

Adult Frenchies can start training immediately using the same short-session, temperature-managed approach. They remain capable of learning when training adapts to physical limitations rather than forcing endurance they don't have.

French Bulldogs are intelligent but not always motivated. They learn quickly when properly engaged but work at their own pace. If "easy to train" means a dog who obeys immediately in all situations, then no — Frenchies aren't easy. If it means a dog who responds well to positive reinforcement when training is adapted to their capabilities, then yes.

The challenges aren't intellectual. They're motivational (finding sufficient rewards) and physical (breathing difficulties, heat intolerance, fatigue). Training must be adapted to the breed's realities.

The reputation for being "stubborn" often reflects inappropriate training methods rather than the dog's capability. Frenchies trained with patience, appropriate motivation, and realistic expectations learn reliably.