How To Train Your French Bulldog Puppy

Bringing home a French Bulldog puppy is exciting, but the first few months are also an important time for training. Consistent routines, positive reinforcement, patience, and realistic expectations can help your puppy begin developing good habits and basic manners. 

I begin introducing my puppies to many everyday experiences before they leave my home, but training needs to continue after your puppy goes home. In this guide, I’ll share practical French Bulldog puppy training tips for house training, crate training, leash training, basic manners, puppy biting, and other common challenges new owners may encounter.

Socialization is an important part of raising a puppy, but it is different from teaching specific behaviors and routines. You can read about the early socialization, enrichment, sound desensitization, and ENS exercises I introduce on my Puppy Socialization, ENS & Early Development page.

If you are still preparing to bring home a puppy, my French Bulldog Adoption Guide also covers what to expect during the first weeks at home and ways to help your puppy adjust.

House training is one of the first things I recommend working on when you bring your French Bulldog puppy home. Young puppies need frequent opportunities to go outside, especially after waking up, eating, drinking, playing, and before settling down for the night.

Take your puppy to the same potty area and give them time to finish. When they eliminate outside, praise them right away and offer a small treat. Using the same area consistently can also help your puppy begin to associate that location with potty time.

Accidents will happen while your puppy is learning. Consistency, supervision, and a predictable routine are much more useful than punishment.

I find that French Bulldogs are generally pretty easy to introduce to a crate. A young puppy may bark, howl, or complain at first, but many settle once they realize it is time to rest. The goal is to teach your puppy that the crate is a safe, comfortable place—not a punishment.

I recommend buying a crate with a divider so you can adjust the space as your French Bulldog puppy grows. When you begin, make the sleeping area only large enough for your puppy to stand up, turn around, and lie down comfortably. Too much extra room may give a puppy enough space to eliminate at one end and sleep at the other, which can work against your house-training routine.

Start with simple bedding that is easy to wash, such as a small towel, rather than an expensive plush bed. Once your puppy is reliably keeping the crate clean, you can upgrade the bedding.

A general rule of thumb I give puppy families during the day is to think in terms of about one hour of crate time for each month of the puppy’s age. For example, a 2-month-old puppy may manage around 2 hours, while a 3-month-old puppy may manage around 3 hours.

I use this as a guideline, not a promise that every puppy can wait that long. Some puppies will need a potty break sooner, especially after eating, drinking, playing, or waking from a nap. Pay attention to your individual puppy rather than trying to make them stay in the crate until a certain amount of time has passed.

Overnight is different. A sleeping puppy may be able to go longer between potty breaks than an active puppy during the day. If your puppy wakes and genuinely needs to go out, take them directly to the potty area, keep the trip quiet and boring, and return them to the crate afterward. This helps reinforce that nighttime is for sleeping, not playing.

My puppies are already accustomed to wearing a collar before they go home, so I recommend starting there. I personally prefer a collar for leash training, although a properly fitted collar or harness can both be used.

Start indoors by attaching a lightweight leash and allowing your puppy to move around while dragging it behind them. The natural movement and occasional light resistance of the leash helps your puppy become accustomed to the feeling of being connected to something. Never leave your puppy unattended while dragging a leash. While supervising, you can occasionally step lightly on the leash so your puppy begins to experience a little resistance before you expect them to follow you.

When you're ready to practice walking, put a handful of very small treats in your pocket and take up the slack in the leash. A young puppy may resist the pressure at first. Instead of pulling the puppy toward you, use a tiny treat to encourage them forward. Ask for just one step toward you to earn the treat.

At first, you may find yourself bent over and walking backward while encouraging your puppy to follow the treat and move with the pressure of the leash. That's okay. French Bulldogs are often very food motivated, and in my experience it usually takes only a few short sessions before the puppy begins happily following along.

Once your puppy is walking with you, stop occasionally and reward them for doing a good job. Keep the first sessions short and positive. At this stage, I am much more interested in teaching the puppy that following me on a leash is easy and rewarding than expecting a perfect walk.

Because my puppies experience Early Neurological Stimulation (ENS) and regular hands-on care from an early age, they are already accustomed to being handled and gently positioned in different ways before they leave my home. You can read more about the early handling and developmental exercises I use on my Puppy Socialization, ENS & Early Development page.

I trim my puppies’ toenails and clean their ears about every 10 days, so having their feet, toes, and ears handled is already familiar to them. I also bathe each puppy two or three times before they go home. In my experience, most French Bulldogs take bathing and grooming in stride when those routines are introduced early and kept positive.

I encourage families to continue the handling routine after their puppy comes home. Touch the feet and toes, look inside the ears, gently handle the mouth, and continue regular bathing and grooming. These simple routines help keep handling familiar instead of waiting until something needs to be done.

Toenail trimming is often the part new owners find the most challenging. My puppies have already had their nails trimmed regularly, so I recommend continuing that routine rather than allowing long periods between trims. With my own dogs, I begin introducing a Dremel for nail care at about 4 months of age, and I use a Dremel to maintain my adult dogs’ nails. Starting gradually and keeping nail care familiar from puppyhood can make the process much easier for both you and your Frenchie.

In my experience, the typical French Bulldog puppy is usually much more interested in chewing things than biting people. Puppies do explore with their mouths, though, and an overly excited puppy may sometimes grab hands, clothing, or other things you don't want them biting.

If your puppy puts their teeth on you, stop the interaction and redirect them to something they are allowed to chew. The goal is to make the appropriate chew more interesting than your hands, clothing, or furniture. If the puppy is overly excited, a short break from the interaction can also give them a chance to settle.

Chewing is a different story. French Bulldogs love to chew. Chair legs, cabinet corners, furniture, and other woodwork can be especially tempting to a puppy. I recommend keeping appropriate chew toys within easy reach so that when you catch your puppy chewing something they shouldn't, you can immediately redirect them to something better. A pet-safe bitter deterrent spray can also be useful on household items you particularly need to protect.

Teething puppies have a strong need to chew, and I believe it is important to give them appropriate outlets for that natural behavior. In my own breeding program, I have traditionally used carefully selected shank bones as one of those options. Because veterinary dental guidance cautions that very hard chews, including bones, can damage teeth, I encourage families to discuss chew choices with their veterinarian and supervise their puppy whenever they are chewing.

In my experience, French Bulldogs are not generally big barkers. Mine are much more likely to bark when they see or hear something unfamiliar. If my Frenchies suddenly start barking, I usually go see what they have found—it may be a toad, a turtle, a strange bug, or something else they have never seen before.

Frenchies may not be big barkers, but they can certainly be talkers. They make all kinds of funny sounds, including grunts, snorts, chortles, yodel-like noises, and of course the snoring French Bulldog owners quickly become familiar with. Learning what is normal for your own Frenchie will help you recognize when they are simply “talking” and when they are actually alerting you to something.

A puppy that barks for attention should not learn that barking immediately brings you back. If you know your puppy's needs have been met, give them an opportunity to settle and give your attention when they are quiet rather than while they are demanding it by barking.

If your French Bulldog puppy is doing a lot of barking because they are restless or bored, give them an appropriate outlet for that energy. Play, training, and other activities can help, and an interactive or treat-dispensing toy can give a puppy something to do when you need them to settle. If your puppy loves to chew, an appropriate chew can also help keep them occupied.

I like to think of it as training the owner first. Your puppy may spend a few weeks in class, but you are the person who will continue teaching and reinforcing those skills every day at home.

Puppy classes also give your French Bulldog valuable experience around new people, puppies, dogs, sounds, and surroundings. That exposure can complement the socialization you continue outside of class and gives your puppy another opportunity to use their brain and experience something new.

If you're looking for additional puppy-training resources, the American Kennel Club offers practical guidance on puppy training and choosing a qualified trainer.

Basic manners are easiest to teach when there are very few distractions. I like to begin in a quiet area where the puppy can concentrate on me and what I am asking. Keep the lessons very short. I would rather practice something two or three times, move on, and come back to it later than keep repeating an exercise until the puppy gets bored.

You don't need to set aside one long period every day for puppy training. In my experience, several very short training sessions throughout the day work much better. You can practice a few repetitions while you're going about your normal routine.

To teach “sit,” I say the word once and gently guide the puppy's hind end toward the floor. As soon as their bottom touches the floor, I reward them with a very small treat.

If the puppy is already comfortable on a leash, I can also use the leash to help guide the puppy's head upward while gently positioning the hind end. Again, I only practice this two or three times before moving on to something else. We can always practice it again later in the day.

I begin name recognition and recall at a very short distance. With the puppy on a leash, I say the puppy's name and gently encourage them toward me. At first, I will reward even one step in my direction. The puppy doesn't have to do everything perfectly before I let them know they made the right choice.

Once the puppy understands the exercise, I can gradually use a longer leash so they have farther to travel to reach me. I still keep the repetitions short—usually two or three at a time—and then move on to something different.

I teach these skills in stages. First, the puppy needs to understand “sit.” Once the puppy can sit reliably, I introduce “wait” or “settle” while holding my hand out flat like a stop sign.

At first, one second is a success. If the puppy remains in place for even that long, I reward them. Once they understand what I am asking, I gradually build the amount of time. Later, I can begin working toward “stay” by asking the puppy to remain in place while I move a very short distance away.

I don't expect a young puppy to go from sitting for one second to holding a long stay. I build on each small success.

For jumping, decide on the cue you want to use, such as “off.” When the puppy jumps on you, calmly remove them from your body and place all four feet back on the floor while using your chosen cue. Repeat it consistently. I don't reward the jumping or the repeated attempts to get my attention. When the puppy finally gives up and keeps four feet on the floor, that's when I reward them.

Consistency matters. If jumping gets attention sometimes but not others, it becomes much harder for the puppy to understand what the family expects.

I don't follow a strict French Bulldog puppy training schedule based on age. Puppies learn at different speeds, and I would rather build on what a puppy understands than move to the next step simply because they have reached a certain age.

Instead, I recommend thinking of puppy training as a progression. Start with the skills that make everyday life easier, then build on those skills as your puppy becomes more confident and understands what you are asking.

You don't have to master one step completely before introducing another. I may work on potty training, crate training, recall, and sit during the same day. The important part is to keep each lesson short, reward small successes, and add difficulty gradually instead of expecting too much too quickly.