Like any puppy or any young animal for that matter, French Bulldogs have more energy when they are younger. It’s a bit of a misconception that, since they are small and have a reputation for not needing as much exercise as other breeds, French Bulldogs don’t have much energy as pups. In fact, they can often have so much energy that it’s difficult for their humans to keep up with them.
Running around the house like mad, tearing things apart and barking so excitedly you think they’re going to have a heart attack are common occurrences when you have a Frenchie as your pet, leading many owners to ask “when is this crazy ball of fur going to calm down?!”.
The good news is that they eventually should calm down and become the tranquil, loveable doggies we all know and adore (although their puppy-fueled energy can be endearing at times).
At What Age do French Bulldogs Calm Down?
Generally, excess excitement in your French Bulldog will gradually decline over time. Many French Bulldog owners notice their dogs begin to calm around 2 to 3 years of age. But it can take until 4 to 5 years of age for bouts of hyperactivity displayed to end.
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.
While that might be bad news for, say, your new slippers or your ability to watch a TV show in peace without being interrupted, it is also a sign of good health. A French Bulldog pup who is running around, getting into trouble, barking up a storm and generally being a pain in the proverbial butt is also a very healthy, happy pup.
The truth is, once they do calm down you might long for the days when they had more energy instead of less. Due to their brachycephalic nature, French Bulldogs won’t need or even want heavy exercise once they hit a certain age.
If you still want to take them out for long, extended walks, they might not be up to the task, so enjoy their craziness now while you can (just keep anything you don’t want to be destroyed locked away from them).
Have you ever noticed how much your French bulldog sleeps after a day of excitement and thought to your self, how many hours is my French bulldog sleeping per day? We wrote an entire post on the subject that’s worth checking out.
If you’re wondering what are the best products to use for your French bulldog, we got you covered. We created a recommended products page which links to every product we personally use for our bulldog.
Are French Bulldogs Calmer than Other Dog Breeds?
If you’ve had French Bulldogs in the past you know that they are both loveable and intelligent. Yes, occasionally you might have one that is a bit more aggressive, but that is a relatively rare occurrence among the breed.
That being said, Frenchies are a bit more boisterous as puppies and, as adults, quite a bit more calm than other dog breeds.
They bark quite a bit less, are very affectionate and sociable and, while they certainly love to play and act crazy, they aren’t what you would call the most energetic of dogs. They can be very patient and calm and, while very aware of what is going on around them, they don’t show it by barking like mad.
6 Reasons Why Your French Bulldog is Hyperactive
Normally, French Bulldogs are sociable, relaxed and low-key, and very good around children. If yours isn’t relatively calm most of the time but instead jumping, barking and running around like a foolish child, they might have an underlying problem causing their hyperactivity. Some are easier than others to solve than others, including;
1 – Boredom
If your pup isn’t getting enough attention and playtime they will start to get bored, and bored dogs, no matter the breed, like to bark to let out their frustration. If you work many hours and your bulldog buddy is home alone all day, they will automatically be more active when you get home because they’re so happy to see you. As it happens with brachycephalic dogs, however, they normally calm down rather quickly because they can’t sustain their heavy breathing.
2 – Fear
When your Frenchie keeps barking or is more active than usual they may be aware of something you aren’t aware of yet, like a prowler. This is a natural reaction in most dog breeds, especially when you consider that they don’t need to hear or see something to be aware of it but can smell it coming thanks to their keen sense of smell.
On the other hand, the occasional French Bulldog is timid and will bark at anything that scares them or agitates them in some way. If that’s your pup you might want to consider giving them a natural product to help them stay calm when, say, a person walks by your house, there are children out playing in the yard or the neighbor’s cat is walking by the window.
3 – Food
If your Frenchie is always riled up, especially around mealtime, it might be that they’re not getting enough food to satisfy their hunger. The reason for this might be that you’re not giving them enough kibble or, in some cases, that they don’t like the kibble you’re feeding them and simply aren’t eating enough of it.
Whatever the reason, if your French Bulldog isn’t getting enough kibble to fill its cute little belly it could be prone to acting out, making a fuss and engaging in what many would describe as ‘overactive behavior. The fact might just be that they’re not overactive, they’re simply still hungry, and that’s their way of telling you that they want more food.
4 – Exercise
Exercise or, more precisely, the lack of exercise can be one reason your French Bulldog is hyperactive.
Dogs that don’t get enough exercise will have more energy stored inside their tiny bodies and, as you might imagine, want to do things to get that energy out. If your French Bulldog is home all day doing very little they will certainly appear to be hyperactive when you get home because they have tons of pent-up energy waiting to spring forth!
Consequently, if you don’t exercise them, they will continue to be hyperactive until they get some sort of energy release. That’s why it’s imperative that, if your Frenchie stays home for a few hours a day by itself, you take them for a walk as soon as you get home, or at least let them take a run out in the yard if yours is fenced in.
5 – Immaturity
Here’s a fact; a puppy is very similar to a human child in that both are hyperactive, immature and silly.
Like a child asking hundreds of questions your French Bulldog puppy will, please forgive the term, hound you, until you give them what they seek; attention. French Bulldogs when younger are just like teenagers, full of spunk, back-talk and wanting to assert themselves, behavior that can seem hyperactive but is more a sign of their age than anything else.
In other words, if you have a French bulldog that’s still a puppy, or even a younger dog of 1, 2, 3 or 4 years, you can expect them to be hyperactive because that’s just what they do.
Training them might help, as well as obedience school if they’re really out of control, but in time this immaturity will pass just like when a human child becomes an adult. (At least most humans.)
6 – Phobias and Cognitive Decline
If your French Bulldog is a rescue dog the chances will be higher that it was abused in some manner (unless it was a puppy when you adopted it). This abuse could have caused some type of phobia to take hold in your furry buddy’s little brain, one that makes it act out in a way that seems like it’s being hyperactive.
Also, as any dog gets older, it’s mental capacity can start to wane and, because of that, it can sometimes bark more, act very odd and do things outside the norm.
Both of these situations require two things; love and compassion. A French Bulldog that’s been abused will carry scars of that abuse but, in a loving home, those scars will likely disappear over time. With a French Bulldog in its golden years.
5 Great techniques to Calm Down Your French Bulldog
If your Frenchie isn’t suffering from a phobia and doesn’t have an underlying health problem that requires professional help then there are certain techniques you can use to help them calm down and stay calmer. Here are 5 of them.
- Exercise can be an easy cure.
- Mental stimulation- Giving your Frenchie tasks to do, like finding something, learning a new trick, and other forms of mental stimulation are a great way to use up some of their excess energy
- Training- If you train your dog every day for a set amount of time they will start to calm down commensurate with how much you train them.
- Change their food. Check to make sure that it’s not loaded with sugars, corn syrup, and empty calories. If it is, change it to something more natural and less sugary.
- Rewards- Using treats to reward your bulldog buddy when they are calm can work, as long as you don’t overdo it.
Can You Train Hyperactivity Out of Your Frech Bulldog?
If you have a hyperactive French Bulldog that’s hyperactive and you’ve tried everything to calm it down you might consider training it to be not hyperactive.
Frankly, most French Bulldogs will not be hyperactive once they reach adulthood so this shouldn’t be a big concern. Plus, if they’re young, you simply need to be patient and wait for them to mature (difficult as that might be sometimes).
In any case, you could try training the hyperactivity out of your Frenchie but, if it’s a constant problem even when they are 5 years or older, seeking help from a veterinarian might be a better choice.
We hope you liked At What Age do French Bulldogs Calm Down (And Tips to Help that Happen) and that it helped you understand your funny-faced fur baby just a bit better.
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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