By putting your French bulldogs/Frenchie puppy in a crate you are giving him or her a sense of security and a place they can call their own. French bulldogs actually like having a “den” to cuddle up in. By putting your French bulldogs puppy in a crate while you are gone it will also give you peace of mind knowing that they are in a safe place, away from harm, and not doing any damage to your belongings or themselves.

Crate training will also help with *potty training*. Make sure you put your Frenchie puppy on a regular schedule for meal times and potty breaks and use the crate when you are gone or need your pet to rest. French bulldogs will typically not “go” in their home. They like to keep it clean and will hold it until you can take them outside to eliminate. Remember to always praise your French bulldogs puppy when he or she eliminates in the area you want him/her to outside.

French bulldogs Puppies have very small bladders so they cannot physically hold it for very very long. I would suggest that you take your puppy out every 2-4 hours. As your puppy gets older, naturally they will gain the bladder control and be able to hold it longer. Eventually this time should increase to 8 hours or more.

Another thing to consider when purchasing a crate for your French bulldog puppies is to make sure that you buy a crate big enough to accommodate the full growth of your frenchie. When your Frenchie is a puppy and you are crate training, make sure that the crate has a divider panel. You can adjust the placement of the divider panel so that your Frenchie puppy does not have full use of the crate thus creating the “den” feeling that will make your frenchie feels comfortable and cozy. In this situation the Frenchie will not want to go in its den and will keep the area clean. If you give your French bulldog puppy the full area of the crate it may be too large and your Frenchie puppy will make one area of the crate his potty area and the other area as his sleeping area. Adjust the divider panel so that your French bulldog puppy has enough area to get up and stretch but not enough room to eliminate. I like the Life Stages crate.

Crate training your French bulldog puppy or adult French Bulldog dog is just a smart thing to do for you and your new frenchie baby. It will give you the sense of security and peace knowing that your pet is not getting in harms way while you are away.

Before you start actually using your crate, your frenchie puppy will need to learn that it is a good place to be. Many breeders begin the crate training before the French bulldog puppies leave, if this is the case with your Frenchie pup, still follow the steps below, but expect to have a puppy who just loves being in the crate very quickly.

Take a tasty treat and/or toy. Lure your French bulldog puppy into the crate, praise and make a general big fuss with your French bulldog puppy while they he/she is in the crate, give the treat, have a little game with the toy and then allow your french bulldog puppy to come out of the crate. Do this 2 to 3 time in a row, several times a day. Your Frenchie pup will soon be running into the crate of his own accord, so you can now put a ‘word’ to the crate for your puppy; ‘crate,’ ‘den,’ or ‘bed’ are quite good words to use.

Once your French bulldog puppy is happy in their crate, close the door and leave them in there for a couple of minutes. If you do this when your French bulldog puppy is tired in all they may even lay down for a sleep when you close the door. Keep repeating this, letting the time your French bulldog puppy spends in the crate build up. If your French bulldog puppy cries ignore him. Only open the door when your puppy is quiet and calm. If you do comfort your frenchie baby let him out of the crate if he is letting his displeasure show, he will be very quick to work out that this type of behavior works to get what he wants.

You will soon be able to extend the time your French bulldog puppy is in the crate. Many frenchie pups and frenchies will retreat to their crate (or ‘den’ to their way of thinking) if they want some quiet time. The crate should be your pups own personal space, just for them, somewhere quiet but where they can still see what the rest of their pack (you and your family) are doing.

Never leave a young French bulldog puppy or adult frenchie in a crate for longer periods of time than absolutely necessary. The crate is just a training aid and safe house for your frenchie pup and should never become a total way of life. This is not what crates were ever designed for. Young frenchie pups should be crated or denned for their own safety when they can not be supervised.

See the article on housetraining on how to manage calls of nature with your puppy.

As your French bulldog gets older and more sensible, you will have to crate her or him less and less. You may find that you go several days without using your crate, but it is still a good idea to have your French bulldog go into his crate occasionally so he is happy with it when you do need it. It also gives him a quiet place to retreat when he doesn’t want to be bothered. Many people leave the crates up all the time with the door permanently open and their dogs can go in and out of them as they please.

Happy crate training with your French Bulldog puppy!