Are Frenchies difficult to train?
Because French Bulldogs are so people oriented and want so much to please, we have found that they are fairly easy to train. They can be a little stubborn, but so can just about every other breed. If you make training into games for your Frenchie, he or she will want to play all the time.
From an intelligence standpoint, French Bulldogs do quite well compared with the non-sporting breeds and they are the most intelligent among the bulldog breeds. According to the charts, they are about mid-range on the list which includes all breeds.
The bottom line is that these are quite intelligent little dogs who want to please, so if you do your part with your Frenchie, he or she will respond and learn well.
This includes house training. One thing we have learned is that the bigger the dog, the easier it is to house train them. This may have just as much, if not more, to do with our actions and efforts as it does with the dog’s ability to learn. Little dogs make little messes, about which we may not get all that excited. However, we all get very excited about a big dog’s big mess and we make sure we fix the problem fast.
French Bulldogs fall in the middle. They are not a big dog, but they are not a tiny dog breed either, so their messes are something to be avoided. Fortunately, Frenchie puppies (and generally Frenchie adults) are quite easy to potty train. We speak at length about how we recommend potty training your Frenchie under “New Owner FAQs”, “What is the best way to potty train / kennel train my Frenchie puppy?” You can also potty train your puppy in conjunction with crate training, about which we also speak in the prior mentioned section.
Based on our experiences, we do not think it is absolutely necessary to attend obedience school with your Frenchie, unless you intend on entering him or her into competitions, although it can make training quicker and more effective. Fortunately, there are lots of self help books and pamphlets available which will work just fine, so long as you take the time to work with your new bundle of joy. One thing we have learned through decades of dog ownership is that a reasonably well trained dog is a lot more fun to have around than one which is not disciplined.
