Potty training your puppy:
Fortunately, the French Bulldog is an intelligent breed and house breaking a puppy is normally not an overly difficult or time consuming process. We highly recommend two products which can greatly help in this endeavor and which will expedite the process without the muss and fuss of pee pads or newspaper or having to constantly take your puppy out in the cold.
The first of these products is named the Potty Training Puppy Apartment (PTPA), which is made by Modern Puppies (www.modernpuppies.com - it is listed under our “Great Products” drop-down and you can order this unit from our website and receive a discount). This is a fantastic concept, and we have a couple of these units that we use to crate train and potty train the puppies we hold back to add to our kennel. You can watch their video on our “Great Products” drop-down (or click on the banner later in this section) to see how potty training is accomplished with this product.
for your puppy/dog (although it can also be used outdoors). This fantastic product can be used in conjunction with the Potty Training Puppy Apartment (the small size, which is ample for a Frenchie, will fit inside a large size PTPA and can be used instead of pee pads), or it can be used as a stand alone potty for your companion.
While you are potty training your puppy, you will need to place him/her on top of the Potty Park every couple of hours and coax them to do their business (their video shows how to do this). When they “go” you should praise them lavishly and occasionally give them a treat. In short order they will learn to step up onto the PottyPark when they need to relieve themselves. Because they have to step up to get onto the Potty Park, they will not straddle it (as happens with pee pads or the cheap imitations of this product) and will therefore not get anything on the floor that you will have to clean up.
We believe the PTPA is perfect for French Bulldogs because it not only functions as a kennel (which is a necessity) – but it is so much more! It is a one bedroom and one bathroom home (hence, the name “Potty Training Puppy Apartment). The great thing is that once your puppy is fully trained, you can leave the doors to the kennel open and they will still have access to their bed and their bathroom.
The second product is called the Potty Park which you can also find listed under our “Great Products” drop-down (the price you will receive by clicking on our banner further down on this page or under “Great Products” is deeply discounted and is the best price available for this product). Basically, the Potty Park is an indoor bathroom
Note: Some older dogs take very quickly to the Potty Park, but there are a few who just don’t seem to get the new concept. There is a 30 day guarantee with this product, but this is voided if the pad has been used, even with the scent that they provide to assist in the training. So, basically, if you by this product, it is yours. You should have no problem training a puppy, but with an adult dog, it is a bit of a crap shoot, but with much better odds than you get in Las Vegas. Based on our experiences, we would say most adult dogs will adapt to this concept in a week or two, but a few may never be completely trained. If you are buying this for an adult dog, you have to decide if it is worth the risk.
We believe that at least one, if not both, of these products are absolute must haves for individuals who live in apartments or homes with little or no yard, as well as anyone who lives in an extreme environment, since it is uncomfortable for both owner and puppy/dog to go outside in the cold (or heat) to use the bathroom.
Nearly all dog owners are going to want a kennel for their companion, at least for certain occasions even if they don’t sleep in them, so we believe it makes a lot of sense to get the PTPA and kill two birds with one stone.
The Potty Park can be used in conjunction with the PTPA (instead of using pee pads), and it can also be used as a stand alone potty if you decide that you do not need a kennel, or if you decide you need a potty in an additional room aside from the kennel room.
We recommend watching the attached video if you are interested in learning more about and possibly purchasing a Potty Training Puppy Apartments (PTPA). If you do decide to purchase one, we recommend ordering at least the medium size so that it will fit your Frenchie when he/she is full grown (if space is not problem, we would recommend the large size – 42L x 28W x 31H, especially if you also intend to order a small Potty Park, which will not fit in a medium PTPA).
ADD YOU TUBE VIDEO:
Crate training your puppy:
Of course, there may be those of you that for one reason or another want to use a traditional kennel. In a traditional kennel, you do NOT want your puppy going potty in his/her kennel (it is strictly a bedroom). If you decide to go this route, make sure that the kennel is big enough to fit your Frenchie puppy comfortably when he/she is full grown (up to 30 lbs), but not so big that they can use it as a bathroom as well. If the kennel you purchased for his/her adult size is too big while he/she is a growing puppy, you can section off a part of it making it smaller until he/she graduates to the full size.
If you do decide to use a conventional kennel, we would highly recommend using it in conjunction with the Potty Park, unless you intend to take your puppy/dog outside every few hours to relieve himself/herself.
You can click the banners above (or go to our “Recommended Products” drop-down) to order the Potty Park,
which we believe is a great product, at a deeply discounted price.
The kennel is suppose to be a safe haven in which your puppy feels comfortable and enjoys going into. Make sure he/she associates it with a positive experience and that you do not use it as a form of punishment. Some helpful tips on creating a positive experience when you first introduce your puppy to his/her new kennel is to leave the gate open and put a couple of toys inside – as well as treats. Let your puppy explore his or her new kennel and become familiar with it by being able to enter and exit as desired. Once they get accustomed to it, it will become a safe haven for them and they will go in frequently. Even when you lock them inside their kennel, they will not have any anxiety and will rest comfortably until you let them out.
When your puppy is four or five months of age, he/she should be able to “hold it” all night while sleeping in their traditional kennel; however, until then (while their little bladders and bowels are still developing) you should take him/her out of the kennel to go to the bathroom at least once or twice a night. We recommend using old towels and blankets inside the kennel initially until your pup is completely potty-trained.
Generally, if they have to go potty, they will let you know by starting to whine. When using a traditional kennel, it is ideal to have the kennel in your bedroom or in an area close enough to your bed that you can hear him/her if they awake and need to use the restroom (you could also use a sound monitoring system).
We typically do not let our puppies go outside in our yard until they are around 12 weeks of age (at which time they have had their 3rd set of immunizations) so as not to expose them to our other dogs – since young puppies immune systems are not fully developed. Unless you have multiple dogs like we do, you should be fine letting your puppy out in your yard at a younger age, but we would recommend avoiding any dog parks until your puppy is least 12 weeks of age and has completed his/her 3rd set of immunizations.
Whether you initially take your puppy out to do his/her business in the yard or have him/her do their business on a Potty Park or a pee pad, make sure you praise them when they go potty (where they are suppose to) with words, gestures, and/or treats. If they have an accident, just ignore them – do not punish them. They love to please – and when they make the connection that by going potty in a certain area you are happy and reward them with praise or a treat, they will repeat the activity.
Remember that puppies bladders and bowels are still developing and they need frequent opportunities to relieve themselves throughout the day. Note: Puppies are growing rapidly and need to eat 3 times a day – they tend to defecate within half an hour of eating. You will have best results if you allow your puppy to relieve him/herself every two to three hours during the day and directly after naps, playing, or eating.
