Is your French bulldog (nicknamed Frenchie) barking a lot and causing a lot of ruckuses? If so, do you want to know the tips and tricks to stop them from barking a lot?
Quietly commanding with a reward system, staying calm, getting them used to strangers or unfamiliar things, keeping your dog in good physical condition, and getting a veteran’s help are all the things you can do to stop your French bulldog from barking.
While there are a lot of methods to stop your dog from barking at random things and people, we’ll only be focusing on the morally sound tips and tricks to train your dog to reduce spontaneous barking. This article covers all the ways you can adopt and practice to stop French bulldogs from barking.
How to Stop French Bulldogs from Barking
To stop your French bulldog from barking incessantly at the most random of sights, first, you need to find out the cause of their barking, or a trigger you can identify. If it’s medical reasons, you should consult a veterinarian. For any other reasons there are some things you can do to cease your dog’s uncontrollable barking and calm them down:
1. Find out the motivation: there’s always a reason a dog starts barking, you just need to figure out what that reason is and what is it that they want so that you can give it to them to stop the barking. Removing the motivation can take away their need to stop barking and they’ll stop.
2. Teach him ‘quiet’ commands: practice saying ‘quiet’ often with your dog so that they know what to do whenever they hear the command. To practice, wait till they cease their shouting for 2 seconds and then say ‘quiet’ so that they know which activities they should do.
You don’t have to be very rigid with instilling the command into your pet’s minds, dogs are intelligent creatures and learn commands quickly with a little bit of repetition. Use a firm voice and hand gestures so that your dog can recognize the command better, for more instructions, watch this.
3. Use a reward system: to give incentive for your dog to follow the command, reward them with doggy treats, toys or a praise like ‘good boy’ after they follow a command correctly. After saying the command, give your dog some time to stop barking before you reward them.
Verbal praise should be practiced often if not always, and doggy treats rewarded occasionally. The reward system is only for when your dog succeeds in understanding and executing the command you give them.
4. Remain calm: we understand how pressuring it can be when your dog is incessantly barking in public, and garnering unwanted attention from people around you. This kind of attention can make pet owners anxious, and more prone to getting frustrated.
In this situation, the most important thing is to remain calm, as getting angry or frustrated will only channel that emotion onto your bulldog, making them bark even more. Dogs mirror their owner’s emotions, so if you’re calm, your dog will replicate your emotion as their own, and they’ll stop barking.
5. Don’t shout: never under any circumstances, should you shout at your pet for barking uncontrollably. It will not only channel your aggression onto your pet, but will also ruin their mental health by scaring them. A scared dog is even harder to train to stop barking. Use a soft and firm tone, no yelling or shouting.
6. Ignore your dog’s barking: occasionally, ignoring your dog’s barking can be a useful tool for getting them to stop barking. This especially works for French bulldogs with attention-seeking tendencies. By not giving them the attention they want when they’re barking, they can be trained to stop doing so.
Bear in mind that this method is only to be used occasionally, lest your dog develops withdrawal symptoms, attention deficiency, separation or abandonment anxiety.
7. Desensitize your dog’s stimulus: after you’ve identified the trigger that offset your dog’s barking, try to remove the trigger from their sights or get them used to the trigger by letting it stay in their sights for longer periods of time.
If the trigger is a thing, try to show it to them again so that they get used to it. If it’s a person, introduce them to your dog so that they become more familiar.
8. Keep your dog in good physical condition: sometimes your French bulldog may be barking because they’re bored. The best possible solution to this is to take them out for exercise or a walk. This way they’ll release their pent up energy and they won’t be so inclined to bark without a reason anymore.
9. Consult professionals: if all of the aforementioned don’t work, chances are there’s a medical reason why your dog is barking constantly. Consult your local vet or dog trainer to find out the exact reason and get them medical help.
Why is my French bulldog barking?
Your French bulldog may be barking for a handful of reasons ranging from medical, to mental, or auditory and visual distortions. Identifying the reason or trigger is the first step to stopping your French bulldog from barking, which include but not limited to:
· Barking for attention
· Displaying protective tendencies towards their owners
· Barking because they’re hungry
· Territorial tendencies (over food, toys)
· Reacting out of fear or anxiety
· Barking at other dogs, people, or things unfamiliar to the dog
· Barking because of loneliness
· Due to change of environment (being out in public parks)
· Due to some internal pain or discomfort
If your dog is barking for food, attention, or for toys, never give it to them immediately. According to Happy French Bulldog, this will only fortify the behavior that if they bark loudly enough, they’ll get whatever they want.
Instead, as aforementioned, wait for a bit and between the 2 seconds that they quiet down, command them to stay quiet. Then reward your dog with treats so they know what they’ll have to do to get rewarded, for future references.
Sometimes your dog may be barking because they feel protective over their owners or their belongings. This can be when a person not familiar to your dog comes to meet or greet you, triggering your dog’s protective tendencies, making them bark out in fear that danger is near.
If another dog comes near your French bulldog, that may also trigger their stimulus, making them more aggressive and competitive. Which resultantly makes them bark uncontrollably.
If you’re in the habit of leaving your dog at home alone for longer periods of time, this can be the cause of them developing abandonment issues and separation anxiety, resulting in them barking a lot whenever left alone in the house. Simultaneously, your dog may also start barking when faced with an unfamiliar environment like a park.
If it’s not either of the above-mentioned reasons, chances are your dog is trying you tell you he’s in pain and facing medical discomfort.
What things or people do French bulldogs bark at?
French bulldogs are rational canines; they don’t just start barking at anything they see. However, there are certain things or people that spook them, enough for them to act out aggressively by barking.
According to a survey conducted by French Bulldog Owner, the most popular signals for your French bulldog’s barking are:
· Babies or toddlers
· Moving cars and other vehicles, especially motorbikes
· Cats, horses, dogs, and other animals
· Guests or occasional visitors
· Deliverymen and courier services
· New and unfamiliar people
· Dark surroundings
· Harsh sounds such as TV or radio
· Their owners
· Doorbells or knocks
· Noisy environments (public parks)
Now you know what triggers your French bulldog’s barking fits and can better understand their stimuli. Even though only 14% of French bulldog owners reported that their pets bark a lot, around 83% said that theirs don’t do so that often, according to French Bulldog owners. So there’s always a reason why they lash out.
What precautions to take to reduce your French bulldog’s barking?
To reduce your French bulldog’s barking fits, you can also take precautions to ensure they don’t get spooked or triggered into doing so. Now that we’ve identified all the things and people your dog could possibly bark at, it’s now your job to keep your Frenchie away from those triggers.
Every French bulldog behaves differently. First, observe and note down your dog’s behavior when presented with different situations and faced with different things or people (the likes of the list mentioned above). By doing this you’ll find out why your dog keeps barking and can take measures on how to prevent it.
You could also install a camera on your dog’s collar (if they have one) or at various places within your house. This would give you more perspective and simultaneously be a more convenient mode of observation.
Conclusion
As a French bulldog owner, by now you’ll know of all the possible triggers to your dog’s stimuli and can take precautions and measures to stop your French bulldog from barking, along with the tips and tricks to ensure they bark less often in the future.