As French bulldogs continue to grow in popularity, potential pet owners are doing more research on the breed. Choosing a dog by breed alone can be a dicey proposition, and responsible pet owners want to make sure that their dog’s personality and temperament will be a good fit for your lifestyle and your home.

It’s also important to evaluate a dog prior to adoption for their individual temperament and personality as best you can before you make the decision to take them home. Pedigree, age, parent temperament and personality and a host of other factors all play into a dog’s affect and behavior, and there is no way to predict how a dog will react to a potential pet owner specifically when they meet them for the first time.

Taking all that into account, there are certain personality and temperament traits that are common to the breed, and hopefully you will spend the time and energy necessary to find the right Frenchie for you and you for them. Here’s an overview of typical Frenchie temperament and personality traits:

Personality/Temperament Overview

French bulldogs make amiable companions and are among the best companion dogs in the world. Their small size makes them easy to manage behaviorally, and they tend to socialize well around new people and strangers. They also love attention, and Frenchies have a reputation for clowning around and being mischievous to get people to play with them as often as possible.

Their love of companionship also makes them constant cuddlers, and there is nothing they love better than being carried or held while taking part in daily activities or chores. You may also find they don’t take well to kenneling when people are home, and that kenneling overnight is also a non-starter when it comes to Frenchies. They want to be with you whenever you’re around.

An advantage to their love of play also makes it easy to exercise them indoors without needing to take them on long walks or provide space for them to run inside or outside. They will happily play fetch or wrestle with chew toys for hours at a time, and this is generally sufficient to keep them in good health.

Training Temperament

Most Frenchies are not particularly easy to train, as they bore quickly and dislike repetitive activities. If you are going to teach them to respond to basic commands, chunk training sessions up into short amounts of time and change up the routine frequently to prevent them from losing interest.

Regarding house training, most Frenchie owners find it takes roughly six months to teach them to signal you that they need to go outside and do business. Experts recommend they be created to contain “accidents” during this training period.

Common Behavioral Traits

An important trait you will quickly observe with Frenchies is they hate to be alone for long periods of time. They will often act out or chew on toys or whatever else they can get their teeth on as a means of soothing themselves.

If this prolonged isolation is a regular part of their schedule, they may develop separation anxiety and begin barking uncontrollably whenever you are gone (more than likely aggravating your neighbors in the process). If your work schedule keeps you away from home for long hours at a time, your life probably isn’t going to be a good fit for a Frenchie.

Frenchies make wonderful companions and are well suited to a more sedentary lifestyle with owners who either work from home or don’t spend most of their time at work. Prospective Frenchie parents also need to keep in mind they will be adopting a dog that loves cuddles and extended physical contact. If you aren’t the cuddles and snuggles type, you may want to consider another breed. For those prospective parents seeking a companion that does well in apartments and smaller homes, loves to cuddle, and can play indoor games all day long, a French bulldog is a right dog for you.