Many pet owners think that since English bulldogs are often small in size and not very active, they are perfect for smaller apartments and houses. However, once you bring an English bulldog into your family, you soon realize the truth. My English bulldog is a ball of energy. English bulldog puppies are often hyperactive and cannot stay in a single place for a long time.
You might be wondering, do English bulldogs ever calm down? After spending years with my English bulldog, I can now answer this question.
At what age do English bulldogs calm down?
English bulldogs generally remain hyperactive up to the age of 4 to 5 years. During a bulldogs younger years they will still have plenty of energy left after a long walk.
A common way to calm down dogs with excess energy is to provide them with calming chews every so often. I think this calming chew available at Amazon is one of the best.
When they are younger, the best thing to do is to take them for long walks and/or let them play with other dogs. This will help them to expend some of that energy, and help calm them down when you’re back home.
Instead of worrying about the energy levels of your dog, you should take it as a sign of their excellent health. As long as they have plenty of energy and do not rest in one place till the age of 4, you can be sure that your English bulldog is completely fit and fine. It is just the puppy phase, when they are full of energy and therefore will always bother you or play around you to get your attention.
Here’s a video of our little guy not being calm
Are male or female English bulldogs calmer?
Female English bulldogs are often more aggressive while defending their territory. Due to this reason, they are often more active compared to males, but this is generally when they sense a threat that they can become aggressive.
English bulldogs are often known for their watchful gaze and their natural tendency to guard. This tendency is slightly higher in female bulldogs, which makes them slightly more aggressive, vigilant, and active than their brothers.
If you’re wondering what are the best products to use for your English bulldog, we got you covered. We created a recommended products page which links to every product we personally use for our English bulldog, Ollie.
Can you train the hyperactivity out of your bulldog?
Training can be useful when you’re looking to calm your English bulldog. Generally keeping your bulldog active is also a great way to expend it’s energy and calm it down.
Some training techniques to calm your English bulldog:
Use treats
The best way to calm them down is to lure them with a treat. First, you should figure out which treats your dog favors more—not too difficult with bulldogs as they tend to like all treats! Once armed with your treat of choice, you are ready to start with some training exercises:
• When you want the dog to sit, you can hold the treat and let him sniff it. Once he starts sniffing it, it is a good idea to move it towards his head, which will make his nose point upwards and he should automatically sit down, and you can gently push on his rear to encourage the sitting down motion. Make sure you say “sit” every time, so that your dog starts to associate that word with the act of sitting down. You can then reward him with a treat every time he does it right.
• If you want your dog to lie down, you should place the treat near his nose and create an imaginary L from the nose of the dog and on either side of his paws. Your dog will likely follow the motion of your hand with his eyes, and will follow along with his body. When he does lie down, you know what to do: reward him with a treat! As with the sit command, make sure you’re saying “lie”, “down”, or “lie down” every time, so that your dog understands the command.
Puppies, like children, can have pretty short attention spans, so each of these training sessions shouldn’t last more than ten minutes. The key is to be patient and understand that it will likely take a few sessions before your English bulldog learns these commands.
Establish your leadership
It’s important to establish who the leader of the pack is when you bring your puppy home, so that he learns to respect and listen to you. Yes, it can be hard to be stern when you’re staring at those adorable puppy eyes, but if you’re not firm from the start, your bulldog is going to take you for a ride. Here are a few tips you can use to show your bulldog who is boss:
• Use a firm, strong voice but not an angry one.
• Be consistent with your training.
• Reward your dog with toys or treats when he/she follows the commands.
• Never use violence
Are English bulldogs calmer than other breeds?
Bulldogs are known for their calm, sedate behavior, so the short answer is yes, English bulldogs are generally calmer than most other dog breeds. However, you might not see this calm behavior until after your bulldog matures, which usually happens around age 4. Before that, your bulldog will likely be quite active, full of that puppy energy and inquisitiveness.
Your bulldog’s behavior and personality also depends on how your bring him or her up. If you let them run wild and encourage their excited bursts of energy all the time, they might continue to behave badly even when they are older. It is best to nip this behavior in the bud at an early age, by training them and establishing your role as the pack leader.
So, if you’re wondering when do English bulldogs calm down, the answer is after reaching the age of 4 to 5 years. Till that time, you will have to get accustomed to that ball of energy, and try and teach it to calm down and channel that energy to learn some new tricks and skills.
This puppy phase does not last very long, so enjoy it while you can! Yes, it might seem like a lot of work, but it’s all worth it at the end of the day when you get to sit back and enjoy snuggles from your little bundle of wrinkles.
Here are some of my favorite Dog and Bulldog Products
Thank you for reading this article. I hope you found it helpful for your dog and bulldog questions. Here are some products I like that I hope you’ll also find helpful. These are affiliate links, and I am compensated for referring traffic. But in all honesty, these are the exact product that I use or recommend to everyone.
Food For Bulldogs: Royal Canin Bulldog was the dog food our breeder recommended for our bulldog with a bit of canned pumpkin added for each meal to give a bit of extra fiber
Poo Bags: For poo bags we use Greener Walker poop bags. We have used them for over a year without having a single leak. Also, these bags are made to be friendlier for the environment.
Wrinkle Cleaning Wipes: We use Huggies natural care fragrance free baby wipes to clean out our bulldog’s wrinkles. They are good for sensitive skin which bulldogs are known to have.
Durable Dog Bed: I can’t begin to tell you how many dog beds we have gone through as many fall apart over time. Without a doubt, the most durable one I have found is PetFusion Ultimate Dog Bed. I love this dog bed because it has an outer liner which can be replaced if it gets too beat up.
To see all our most up-to-date product recommendations, check out this resource that I made for you!
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