Training a Mini French Bulldog

Miniature French Bulldogs, while cute, have garnered the reputation of being smart but stubborn creatures with an aversion to training. It is, however, possible to train the miniature pet, provided you take the time to be consistent, firm and friendly. With some repetition, lots of praise, and a fair amount of patience, you can have a mini French bulldog behaving like a model pet, and maybe even showing off a few tricks too.

  1. Praise

    • Praise is the greatest factor in training your pet. Say the dog's name happily when it acts as you desire. Speak to it in a positive voice as often as possible, reserving your stern voice for when it misbehaves or doesn̵7;t follow your commands. Offer treats and praise when the dog does as you ask.

    Discipline

    • Disciplining your dog does not include striking it. Physical force is counterproductive, and the dog can become aggressive or withdrawn. Instead, speak in a low, firm voice. Do not pet or touch it, and don̵7;t console the dog while you reprimand it. The dog is seeking your praise; if you lavish it with praise it when it does well, the dog will quickly pick up on the difference in your tone and demeanor.

    Be Proactive

    • Mini French bulldogs, like other breeds, don̵7;t learn as well with discipline that comes after the offense has occurred. While you̵7;re trying to train the dog, supervise it closely and prevent misbehavior before it starts. Learn its cues, such as sniffing around on the floor before urinating. When you see it doing this, firmly tell the dog he needs to go outside and lead it out. If you see it heading for an unacceptable object, firmly say ̶0;No,̶1; and take the object away.

    Commands

    • Teach your mini French bulldog single-word commands. Doing so avoids confusing it. For example, if you want the dog to sit, say, ̶0;sit̶1; in a firm voice, while pushing gently on the hind section. Saying, ̶0;Sit down̶1; gives two commands. In addition, avoid repeating yourself. Tell the dog to sit one time and wait for a response. Repeating the command multiple times teaches the dog that it can't get away with ignoring your first several commands.

    Avoid Complex Tricks

    • Avoid teaching the dog more complex tricks, such as shaking hands or begging, until after it has established a good routine with the basics. House training, crate training, walking well on a lead, not jumping up on people and not chewing on household items should be mastered before delving into any other training areas.

    Patience

    • Training a strong-willed dog has its moments of difficulty. But it will learn what̵7;s expected behave accordingly if you have patience, both with your dog and with the training process.