French Bulldogs are a very popular dog for a variety of reasons.
They are smart, (somewhat) clean, and extremely loyal to their owners.
Plus, Frenchies aren’t too high maintenance for people who live active lives and don’t need a lot of space, so are great for apartment living.
Just like any dog, you will have to potty train your new puppy. This is one of the hardest parts of the training process because it can be frustrating, for owner and pup alike, and it also gets kind of messy!
French Bulldogs, in particular, are quite a stubborn breed. Once they learn something they will stick with it forever, but that initial learning phase can be a challenge.
Here are some tips to help you potty train your new French Bulldog.
French Bulldog Potty Training Tips
Create a regular schedule
Life can be quite hectic, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t create a schedule in the midst of all of the chaos. Take your puppy out at the same times throughout the day. For example, take them out first thing in the morning, after eating and drinking, after being in their crate or room, and before bed. It’s also important to feed your dog at the same times so they start to create habits… one of which is relieving themselves outside!
Use puppy pee pads
It doesn’t matter how great of a puppy you have or how great of a trainer you are, there will inevitably be an accident during the potty training period. Don’t get upset by planning in advance. Utilize puppy pee pads. These pads will give your puppy a place to pee in case they need to go at a time out of the regular schedule. The pee pads catch the urine so that it doesn’t get into your carpet and floor. This makes clean up much easier, and prevents the odor from penetrating your home!
Keep in mind that Frenchie puppies pee a lot so you might want to get washable pads, so you don’t have to keep running out to the store. The Pet Kindness washable pee pads are absorbent for nighttime use when you can’t bring your puppy outside. Hopefully, you’ll have your sweet little Frenchie housebroken within a few months.
Teach the “Go Potty” command as early as possible
It can be difficult to teach a dog a new command, so you want to start the “go potty” command as early as possible. When your pup starts to do their business, tell them to go potty and praise them when they are done. The goal is to associate the action to the command so that they will perform the action when you say the command.
Looking for more help? Pupford Academy has a top-of-the-line puppy training course to help you out.
Are French Bulldog puppies easy to potty train?
French Bulldogs are not the hardest breed to train, but they’re not the easiest either!
Some Frenchies take up to 8 months to potty train, which can be frustrating for the owner. It’s important you stay persistent and calm throughout the whole process. Your pup isn’t trying to be a nuisance!
Here are some of the challenges that you may notice.
Identifying different signs of having to go
Every dog is unique, just like people. It may take you some time to recognize exactly what actions and sounds are indications that your puppy has to go outside. Look for common indicators, such as barking at the door, pacing, circling, and whining. Not every dog is the same so learn your dog’s unique behaviors.
Negative reinforcement
Most people think that if their puppy has an accident (and they will), the dog should be punished to prevent the behavior from happening again. Unfortunately, this is rarely effective. In fact, it can be counter-productive. Puppies, even smart breeds like French Bulldogs, don’t have very long memories. They don’t understand why they are being scolded. It won’t change any behavior, and it will only make the puppy afraid of you.
Check out this article on Bulldog training if you want to learn more about raising a Frenchie.
Wrap
Your new family member will bring you years of joy and companionship for everyone in your household. Of course, you need to get through the initial training period, and these tips will help you speed up the process!
Frenchies actually have high intelligence and enjoy to be clean. Which means that they aren’t as likely to have an accident once they are trained as some other breeds.
Will is the proud co-owner of Frankie, a Female Brindle French Bulldog, with his wife Michelle. We share our Frenchie experiences with the world to help health-conscious French Bulldog owners who want a happy, healthy, and long-living dog.
We have a foster French Bulldog 7 months old who prefers pottying inside. She receives many opportunities to go out but doesn’t show the usual signs. When taken out, she will just sit but when brought in, she will eliminate. Have never had this before…
Hey Kim,
That sounds tricky! Have you considered getting a grass pad inside to begin transitioning them?
I live in a large one bedroom apartment & I may get a French Bulldog puppy. Initially, my plan was to litter train him using paper or pine pellets & either stick to that plan into his adulthood (allowing him as an adult to roam free in my apartment or house) or eventually take away the litter tray & he would just hold it in (thinking like a year or older) or take away the litter tray & just crate him for 8 hours a day with the hopes that at a year or older he can hold it in okay & sleep. So my question is should I eventually wean him off of the litter box & if so, crate him or don’t (like at a year or older)?
Hey!
Your plan seems like a logical one, whichever way you decide to go. We’re lucky enough to be able to leave Frankie in the apartment for about 8 hours a day by herself. We do, however, leave a fake grass patch for her in the corner so she can go if she needs to. But we find it nice that she can roam the apartment seeing she is by herself all day.
The only other thing to be aware of is some pups chew on things! Frankie doesn’t, luckily, but it’s something to be aware of if you don’t go down the crate path.
Having a really hard time training my Frenchie she’ll pee outside and come in and poop and pees on my bed, help please!
Hi Amber,
How old is your pup? It can take some Frenchies 8-10 months to be fully trained.
It’s not everyone’s favored approach, but have you tried some form of punishment? You could give your pup a timeout, in a closed room or something similar, for 5 minutes if you catch her going to the toilet inside. It needs to be at the exact moment of the issue though, otherwise, the punishment will be ineffective.
A stern ‘No’ command and punishment, or an ushering outside, as soon as she goes to the toilet should start to help over time.
I have a 2 year old who still pees in the house and poos when she’s asleep.
Hi. I’ve done foster/rescue for over 20 yrs. what’s worked in the past for me is to take the a soiled peepee pad and take it outside to a spot so the pup has the scent outside. Once the pup goes outside, you can reward behavior with a treat and/or praise. Keep in mind you are breaking a behavior (peeping in house) so it can take some time. Good luck.
I have a 14 week old Frenchie. She will only “dribble” pee outside. When she comes inside she eliminates fully. She will never poop inside only outside. Any suggestions on how to get her to fully empty her bladder outside? Thanks!
Hi Jennifer,
Unfortunately, it is just about persistence and positive reinforcement. If your pup does pee outside, make sure you reward the behavior with a treat and a positive tone of voice. It may take a while but if you stick to your guns and create a regular schedule for taking her outside to pee, it will eventually come good.
I have a 12 week old puppy and she doesn’t pee or poop outside at all she just plays with the grass! She doesn’t have regular times that she goes even though we have a set feeding schedule. Is there anything I can do?
Hi Becca,
Congrats on the new pup! Lots of fun times ahead 🙂
The best advice is to be patient. 12 weeks is still very young, and most Frenchies would take longer than that to be fully potty trained.
Some can take up to 6-8 months to be completely trained for going outside. We know, not the greatest!
Just stick to best practice and be patient, you’ll get there.
6 months old she will only wee outside if she is absolutely desperate she will wait you out so she can’t do it inside been like this for untire time I take her out every hour regardless and still no luck maybe 1 in 3 are outside bits that’s only because she’s desperate not because she knows to do it out there
Hi there I have a 6 month old frenhie he is so good he pees and poor out side all day but at night he just does it all in the kitchen can u help me in what to do. Thank you
Hi there, thanks for your comment!
Unfortunately, when it comes to potty training, it is all about patience, positive reinforcement, and repetitive habits. Keep persisting.
My frenchie uses the restroom when I take him out but he has the small tiny accidents in the house when he gets scared or excited. For example, if we play or right before I pick him up (he gets scared when I pick him up). Is it normal for a French puppy (he’s 7/8 months) to have these “dribble” accidents?
Hey Anthony, it could be absolutely nothing to worry about and your pup could grow out of it within a few months. But if you’re concerned, it’s always best to talk with your vet. Alternatively, you can chat with a vet online here: https://trk.justanswer.com/SHHq
My frenchie is 4 months old. He does his business outside no problem. Goes to the door and hits the bell with his nose. But the last 2 evenings he does his zoomie around the house and we are finding pee. Even though he knows to go outside. It is just happening once in the evening. Any reason why he might be doing this all of a sudden?
Hey Cristina, Thanks for checking out the website!
There are a number of reasons that could trigger a behavior like this, anxiety or stress is one, for example. Sometimes if you are separated from your pup more than usual or they are getting less stimulation than they need they could do this to act out. If it’s one of these things then it is a fairly easy fix. If you don’t think it’s something like this then you may need to see your vet.
All the best!
I’ve has such a challenge with my frenchie in terms of potty training. She was pretty good about learning the pee pad at 8 weeks and then we went backwards. She’s always done little bits of pee many, many times a day and rarely emptied her bladder. She went into eating her pee pads and newspapers. That set us back quite a bit. Now she’s re-learning the pee pad. It’s tough for us because we live on the 5th floor and work away from home at least 5 hours a day.
Any tips? She’s 17 weeks today. She also likes to eat her poop. We clean up when we see her pooping or as soon as we find it. Crate training has been considered but she pees in her crate, on blankets and had a rough experience with her crate coming home.
Hey Emilia,
Thanks for sharing your challenges. Don’t worry, you’re not alone! 17 weeks isn’t an unusual amount of time for a Frenchie to take to learn. They can be quite stubborn. You may feel like they are never going to get there, then all of sudden it will click. Just be patient, provide positive reinforcement, stay consistent with commands, and they will get there.
If possible, staying at home with them for a week or two could accelerate things so you can set boundaries and create positive habits.
All the best!
My Frenchmen is 16 weeks old and is doing well with toilet training mainly outside a few accidents but not everyday. I crate him at night with a pad for him to wee, he hasn’t popped for a week just weeks. When do I take the pads away from his crate.
Thank you for
Hey Chelle!
There is no perfect timing for this. If you think he’s ready then try it out in a controlled environment, where you are available to clean up any mess. Once you’ve tested it out a few times you can extend the time and then eventually you won’t need them at all!
Good luck!
Hi there, we inherited a Frenchie who just turned 2 and she pees and poops in the house still! I take her out all day and before bed and maybe she pees 2 times. What do I do? She is ruining every rug in the house! I scold her when I catch her and praise with a treat outside. She just stares at me like what? We love her …
Hey Mindy!
That sounds frustrating… It may be worthwhile getting an expert trainer to help you out or chatting with your vet. The only your pup gets the harder it will be to train them.
With that being said, they can still learn habits at 2 years old. Try to avoid the negative scolding, and instead pick her up and place her where she should pee as she is doing it. Positive reinforcement when she does the right thing is always good.
You could also try out an indoor grass mat or pee mat to bridge the training gap. In the end, patience, consistency, and positive reinforcement will get you there!
Our puppy (female) is 8 months old and most of the time she can hold for about 4 hours during the day and 8 hours at night. The Frenchie and my boyfriend have a very good relationship and she is usually behaving well when he’s home. But with me, last month she jumped on the couch and peed on the blanket while looking at me, which was 30 minutes after she went outside. And yesterday I was lying on the couch, she jumped up and peed on the couch right beside my leg while looking at me, which was an hour after we walked. I don’t know what to do with her. Any suggestions why she might be behaving like this when she’s with me?
Oh no! That sounds like a real challenge…
It does sound like she is acting out for some reason. Usually, it’s not a great idea to use punishment or negativity when potty training, but if your pup is already trained and this is misbehavior, then it might be the way to go.
At one point when Frankie was fully trained, about the same age, she would stare straight at us and pee on the bathroom mat after we got home from work. She knew it was wrong, but it was like she was acting out. We found that a timeout immediately at the time of the misbehavior worked well. For us, this was isolating her (in a room, outside, or a pen if you don’t use this for other reasons) for a minute or two after saying a stern ‘No’ directed at the behavior.
It won’t take her long to realize that the behavior is unacceptable.
Good luck!
I have a 7 month old (today) Frenchie who wasn’t trained to go outside because he didn’t have his injections till i got him ( 6 1/2 months old). He has been peeing and pooing on pads as and when he wants.
I have recently started sending him out and i have read all is can read, watched all i can watch about the methods of housebreaking however it isn’t working very well. I live in an apartment in a high rise so i time his pee and poo breaks to every 4 hours. i feed him twice a day at the same time ( without fail) and give him water at the same times as well. He pees fine but pooing is so irregular and he has accidents on his bed. When he is outside, he gets distracted so easily (a little wind or leaf blowing in the distance gets his attention). I make sure I don’t interact with him but he has a habit of chewing on rocks so I take them out of his mouth without saying anything or having any eye contact. When he pees, I use the potty command and praise him tremendously with toilet break only special treats. Our breaks outside can last up to 30/40 mins with no poo in site. P.s. hes been on the same grain free food and used to poo ¾ times a day till I started taking him out. I really need some advice on whether im doing something wrong or whether this is normal. I kind of feel like he resents me taking him out for toilet break however really enjoys it when we go outside for walking purposes and he gets to do what he wants. HELP please I really want him to learn how to go outside and need some sound realistic advice.
Hey Nura,
Have you considered using a grass mat (can be fake grass) inside as a transition? Unfortunately, potty training is not a perfect science, and it requires lots of persistence. Some Frenchies can take 8+ months to be fully house trained, and what you are currently doing sounds like a fairly sound approach. The only thing you could add in is to use a mat which is easier for clean up and use this area to move him whenever he has an accident.
Good luck!
Hi! I have a 7 months old puppy and she does her business outside but I can’t make her to keep it longer than 3 hours, after that she pees inside mostly on the bed.. What can I do to make her understand that she’s only allowed to do it outside? I thought her to ring the bell but she only does it when we are at the door and I gave her treats every time she went potty outside. Please help!
Hey Ingrid,
That sounds tricky! Have you considered getting a grass pad inside to begin transitioning them?
Some Frenchies can take up to 8 months to be completely trained for going outside.
Just stick to best practice and be patient, you’ll get there.
Hi! My puppy has just turned 9 months. She is amazing throughout the day until it comes to potty training at night. She is still pooing on the pad or floor and not going dry all through. We have tried everything and not sure what else we can do. Shouldn’t she be dry all night by now?
Hey Sophie,
It’s hard to put an exact number on the time it takes a pup to be fully potty trained. Each dog is different. Yes, 9 months is on the longer side, and if it concerns you perhaps you could run your tactics by a vet to see if there are any improvements you could make?
There is every chance your pup is feeling the pressure and some of this could be related to psychological (anxiety issues), not necessarily a physical inability.
Hi,
I am preparing to welcome a 9 week old frenchie into my family at the end of this month. Is that too young to start potty training? I understand his bladder will not be able to hold very long so we will use pee pads initially, and I know he won’t be house broken completely for a while, but should I introduce the concept of potty training immediately or give him a little while since he is so young?
Hi Taisia,
Congrats on the new pup! 9 weeks isn’t too young to start potty training, but just be patient and don’t expect miracles.
I am having a hard time training my 5 months Frenchie. I confined him with 2 pee trays for a week to get used to it but then when i placed the pee tray in a big area, he still peed and pooped on the floor instead of going to the pee tray – even though the pee tray had pee pads absorbed with his pee. I don’t know what to do and I am tired of cleaning all the time and waking up at 3am to clean poop. Please help me. It’s my first dog so initially when i got him, I gave him a lot of space but i think i have corrupted him and he is broken now.
Hey Anurag,
It can be challenging to train a Frenchie, so try not to feel disheartened. Some Frenchies can take up to 8-9 months to be fully potty trained.
The most important thing is to maintain consistency, reward the right behavior, and be persistent.
We have a 15 week old Frenchie, how long should he be able to hold urine? How often should we usher him out during the day and at night? We are at the beginning of this process.
Hi Megan,
There is no hard and fast rule for how long a pup can hold, it’s all about incremental gain. You also want to avoid creating a habit of needing to go too much.
Start fairly small with hourly visits, and then slowly build on this and extending the time out.
Hey,
I have a 10 month old Frenchie and he is great at everyone except the most frustrating, toilet training! I seem to struggle a lot with him going outside to the bathroom. I have some amazing days where he will go when I go on schedule to the toilet or when he needs to go outside he will bark at the door. But other days he is horrible! He will do many accidents inside. I also struggle with him through out the night I take him to the bathroom before bed and as soon as we wake up. But he always seems to have accidents inside! This is becoming very frustrating and please if you have any tips that you could give me to break his habit of doing it inside it was be appreciated.
Thanks
Shannon
Hey Shannon,
It’s not everyone’s favored approach, but have you tried some form of punishment? You could give your pup a timeout, in a closed room or something similar, for 5 minutes if you catch him going to the toilet inside. It needs to be at the exact moment of the issue though, otherwise, the punishment will be ineffective.
A stern ‘No’ command and punishment, or an ushering outside, as soon as he goes to the toilet should start to help over time.
I am a mother and this helped me!