How to Crate Train your French Bulldog

One of the most frequently asked questions we get is should we crate train our Frenchie? Our answer, absolutely! I will go over some our recommendations regarding crate training your Frenchie including our recommended duration, crate type and crate size! But first let’s go over the overall benefits of crate training.

Overall Benefits

Most people hesitate with crate training, DON’T! According to the American Kennel Club (AKC):

  • Dogs instinctively seek small spaces for protection and security
  • Useful tool for potty training
  • Provides a safe haven for older dogs
  • Helps calm anxious or hyper dogs down
  • Reduces stress

That is a lot of benefits! For this article specifically, I will focus on crate training benefits for house breaking your French bulldog. I will touch on how long you should keep your Frenchie in a crate, crate size, crate location, and much more!

Overview

So you got a french bulldog puppy, congrats! I won’t lie to you, they’re going to have some accidents in the house while they’re young, but a crate can be a great tool to reduce the amount of cleanups! Another positive is frenchies are companion dogs and want to please their owners. In return, this makes them a fairly easy breed to potty train!

I know some people think a crate is cruel, but a crate to a dog is like a den to a coyote, it’s their own little custom house! And instinctively, dogs do not like to soil where they sleep. Makes sense though, would you? Crating your dog when you are unable to give your dog full attention can help avoid unwanted accidents from happening around the house.

Duration

It may be obvious to most, but puppies have a harder time holding their bladders than adult dogs. Therefore, the amount of time a dog can stay in a crate varies greatly depending on the dog’s age. Listed below is the maximum time allowed for your frenchie to be in a crate depending on its age:

  • 2 to 3 months – Maximum of 1 to 2 hours. Don’t get discourage if you have a lot of accidents to clean up still, they are still young and have a small bladder! But don’t stop crate training, it is important to establish a good routine for your dog to get used to!
  • 3 to 6 months – Maximum of 4 to 6 hours. Some use the one hour per month rule. (i.e. 3 month old equals 3 hours, 4 month equals 4 hours, etc.)
  • 6+ months – Around 6 to 8 hours (typical work day)
  • If you work long days, consider hiring a dog walker, or a drop your dog off at a doggy care!

Crate type

The goldilocks approach! Not too big, not to small, just right! We recommend a 30” metal wire crate. These crates are very durable, economical, and readily available at your local pet store. See some prices from major pet stores for a standard 30” metal crate below.

  • Petco: $34.99
  • Petsmart: $31.99
  • Amazon: $29.99

We suggest getting a crate in which the tray pulls out from the bottom. This will make it much easier to clean up accidents!

Crate Location  

Make sure you place your dog’s crate in a location where they will be comfortable. Your Frenchie should be part of your family, don’t banish them into an isolated room! We recommend placing the crate in a corner of one of the most frequently used rooms in your household. Typically, this would be the family room. If you live in a smaller apartment, your bedroom will work too!

Make the Crate Comfortable

Make sure to get your Frenchie a nice bed or crate pad to go along with their crate. Some important factors to consider when buying a dog bed are listed below:

  • Cleaning difficulty
  • How comfy is it
  • Durability against chewing
  • Sturdiness
  • Cheap Walmart blankets or towels can work too!

As anything in life, starting something new can be scary or stressful! The same goes with your puppy. To help comfort your dog to this new transition, keep the following items in there crate:

  • Chew toy (avoid squeaky ones for your own sanity)
  • Bones or balls
  • T-shirt with your scent

Some other useful tips to try are:

  • Always keep the dog bed/pad clean!
  • If using towels or blankets, replace daily!
  • Always keep the gate open when your dog isn’t using the crate. It is important to make the crate look like an inviting non-threatening place.
  • Give them a treat when they enter the crate. Frenchies are food motivated creatures!

What not to Do!

  • Never force your frenchie into the crate.
  • Don’t leave your French bulldog in the crate for hours on end. Refer to duration section above for time limits.
  • Don’t cave in and let your frenchie out of the crate if they are whining!
  • Don’t punish your Frenchie when they are already inside the crate. This is there safe place remember!
  • Avoid making a big scene when leaving your dog. This may be hard, but hugging and kissing your Frenchie and seeming upset when you leave them is not beneficial to your puppy!

Summary

Crate training is a great option to house break your brand new French bulldog puppy. I promise you, crate training is not inhumane and is one of the best investments you will ever buy for your Frenchie. If you follow our advice detailed in this article, I promise you your dog will eventually learn to like there crate, and learn to do their business outside!

If you have any questions please feel free to reach out to us on our socials or directly at our email beantownfrenchies@gmail.com!

Enjoy your new French bull dog puppy!!!