What occurs in the first 9 weeks of my Frenchie’s life before he/she is turned over to me?
Potty training your puppy:
Fortunately, the French Bulldog is an intelligent breed and house breaking a puppy is normally not an overly difficult or time consuming process. We highly recommend a product which can greatly help in this endeavor and which will expedite the process without the muss and fuss of pee pads or newspaper or having to constantly take your puppy out in the cold.
The product is named the Potty Training Puppy Apartment (PTPA), which is made by Modern Puppies (www.modernpuppies.com – it is listed under our “Great Products” drop-down and you can order this unit from our website and receive a discount). This is a fantastic concept, and we have a couple of these units that we use to crate train and potty train the puppies we hold back to add to our kennel. You can watch their video on our “Great Products” drop-down (or click on the banner later in this section) to see how potty training is accomplished with this product.
We believe the PTPA is perfect for French Bulldogs because it not only functions as a kennel (which is a necessity), but it is so much more! It is a one bedroom and one bathroom home (hence, the name “Potty Training Puppy Apartment). The great thing is that once your puppy is fully trained, you can leave the doors to the kennel open and they will still have access to their bed and their bathroom.
We believe that this product is an absolute must have for individuals who live in apartments or homes with little or no yard, as well as anyone who lives in an extreme environment, since it is uncomfortable for both owner and puppy/dog to go outside in the cold (or heat) to use the bathroom.
Nearly all dog owners are going to want a kennel for their companion, at least for certain occasions even if they don’t sleep in them, so we believe it makes a lot of sense to get the PTPA and kill two birds with one stone.
We recommend watching the attached video if you are interested in learning more about and possibly purchasing a Potty Training Puppy Apartments (PTPA). You can use our discount code (DL84401) to get a 5% reduction on the price. If you do decide to purchase one, we recommend ordering at least the medium size so that it will fit your Frenchie when he/she is full grown (if space is not problem, we would recommend the large size – 42L x 28W x 31H.
Potty Training Puppy Apartment
Save 5% with coupon code: DL84401
Crate training your puppy:
Of course, there may be those of you that for one reason or another want to use a traditional kennel. In a traditional kennel, you do NOT want your puppy going potty in his/her kennel (it is strictly a bedroom). If you decide to go this route, make sure that the kennel is big enough to fit your Frenchie puppy comfortably when he/she is full grown (up to 30 lbs), but not so big that they can use it as a bathroom as well. If the kennel you purchased for his/her adult size is too big while he/she is a growing puppy, you can section off a part of it making it smaller until he/she grows into the full size kennel.
The kennel is suppose to be a safe haven in which your puppy feels comfortable and into which he/she enjoys going. Make sure he/she associates it with a positive experience and that you do not use it as a form of punishment. Some helpful tips on creating a positive experience when you first introduce your puppy to his/her new kennel is to leave the gate open and put a couple of toys inside – as well as treats. Let your puppy explore his or her new kennel and become familiar with it by being able to enter and exit as desired. Once they get accustomed to it, it will become a safe haven for them and they will go in frequently. Even when you lock them inside their kennel, they will not have any anxiety and will rest comfortably until you let them out.
When your puppy is four or five months of age, he/she should be able to “hold it” all night while sleeping in their traditional kennel; however, until then (while their little bladders and bowels are still developing) you should take him/her out of the kennel to go to the bathroom at least once or twice a night. We recommend using old towels and blankets inside the kennel initially until your pup is completely potty-trained.
Generally, if they have to go potty, they will let you know by starting to whine. When using a traditional kennel, it is ideal to have the kennel in your bedroom or in an area close enough to your bed that you can hear him/her if they awake and need to use the restroom (you could also use a sound monitoring system).
We typically do not let our puppies go outside in our yard until they are around 12 weeks of age (at which time they have had their 3rd DAPP & last immunization) so as not to expose them to our other dogs, since young puppies immune systems are not fully developed. Unless you have multiple dogs like we do, you should be fine letting your puppy out in your yard at a younger age (probably at 9 weeks when you receive your puppy is OK), but we would recommend avoiding any dog parks until your puppy is least 12 weeks of age and has completed his/her 3rd & last DAPP vaccination and 2nd Bordetella vaccination.
Whether you initially take your puppy out to do his/her business in the yard or have him/her do their business on a Potty Park or a pee pad, make sure you praise them when they go potty (where they are suppose to) with words, gestures, and/or treats. If they have an accident, just ignore them; do not punish them. They love to please, and, when they make the connection that by going potty in a certain area you are happy and reward them with praise or a treat, they will repeat the activity.
Remember that puppies bladders and bowels are still developing and they need frequent opportunities to relieve themselves throughout the day. Note: Puppies are growing rapidly and need to eat 3 times a day; they tend to defecate within half an hour of eating. You will have best results if you allow your puppy to relieve him/herself every two to three hours during the day and directly after naps, playing, or eating.
