French bulldogs are companions that are full of life and enjoy having fun, and they flourish when they are kept properly busy. When they are not sleeping away the days, we, as loving owners of French Bulldogs, wish to give them with entertaining activities that are beneficial to both their health and their intellect. Keeping your French bulldog happy and engaged for hours at a time is the subject of this article, which details inventive ideas.
Contents
- 1 How to Entertain a French Bulldog
- 2 Physical Activities
- 3 Brain Games
- 4 Games With Friends
- 5 Independent Play
- 6
- 7 10 Things French Bulldogs Like to Do for Fun
- 8
- 8.1 1. Splashing in Kiddie Pools
- 8.2 2. Wrestling with Canine Siblings
- 8.3 3. Burrowing Under Blankets
- 8.4 4. Getting the Zoomies
- 8.5 5. Shredding Cardboard Boxes
- 8.6 6. Chasing Sprinklers
- 8.7 7. Lounging in New Spots
- 8.8 8. Meeting New Friends
- 8.9 9. Riding Along Car Adventures
- 8.10 10. Unearthing Backyard Treasures
- 9 Frequently Asked Questions
- 10 Conclusion
How to Entertain a French Bulldog
To best entertain our Frenchies, we first have to understand some key considerations about the breed.
Exercise Requirements
- As a brachycephalic breed, Frenchies have lower exercise needs and overheating risk with extensive activity in heat or humidity.
- Puppies under 1 year should only have short, positive play sessions to protect joints.
- Adults need 30-40 minutes of activity daily – with 10-15 minutes rigorous play plus shorter walks and training sessions.
Temperamental Considerations
- French bulldogs thrive on human interaction and can become destructive if left alone for long periods without distraction.
- They excel at rallying spurts of energy between naps. Mental stimulation helps prevent boredom chewing or barking.
- Frenchies should always be supervised when playing due to risk for injuries from jumping.
Keeping these unique traits in mind, we can customize entertainment enriching our French bulldog’s life.
Physical Activities
Frenchies love expending bouts of energy with their favorite people. Engage your pup’s body and bond through these physical games.
Games of Fetch
In addition to reinforcing return, playing fetch appeals to the natural need to pursue something. Choose toys made of soft rubber balls or ropes that are thrown around the ground for small distances rather than high launches that could result in falls. Try to keep intense retrieve exercises for brachy breeds to no more than ten to fifteen minutes.
Flirt Pole Fun
This pole attachment with rope lure and toy excels exercising Frenchies in backyards. They’ll joyfully leap and dive for the dangling “prey” while you stand safely holding the pole. Great for pups that can’t have intense fetch due to respiratory issues.
Backyard Agility
Set up a small agility course in your backyard using obstacles like tunnels, weave poles and hurdles set to low heights suitable for bulldogs. Running through courses entertains athletic Frenchies while you two bond.
Indoor Hide-And-Seek
Let your French bulldog watch as you hide their favorite toy somewhere inside then encourage them to seek it out using scent cues saying “Find it!” Rewarding their discovery maintains focus, smells and problem-solving abilities.
Brain Games
Activities stimulating your French bulldog’s mind prove very tiring in a good way! Rotate through these puzzles and training games.
Snuffle Mats
These textured mats hide kibble inside woven fabric forcing pups to sniff and forage using their nose to uncover food. Mimicking natural behaviors for sustenance while tiring them mentally.
LickiMat Treat Puzzles
Spread peanut butter, pumpkin purée or wet food onto these silicone mats with deep grooves. As dogs lick every last morsel out, it keeps them productively occupied for a good chunk of time while satisfying their tastebuds!
Kibble-Dispensing Toys
Toys like the Kong or Bob-A-Lot have internal chambers or holes where you stuff dry kibble inside. As dogs roll and nudge the toys around, pieces randomly dispense keeping them entertained and rewarded by the noise, movement and food.
Training Sessions
Reviewing commands, tricks and safety behaviors through 5-10 minute training sessions taps into your French bulldog’s mental capacity. Keep things upbeat using favorite treats and praise. Mentally tiring as they concentrate!
Games With Friends
We know our Frenchies love nothing more than hanging with their favorite people. Bring family and friends in on the fun too!
Bulldog Playdates
If your socialized Frenchie enjoys other calm dogs, set up small playdates with trusted gentle pups up for wrestling, chasing and play bows! Supervise closely to prevent injuries. An exhausted happy pup afterward!
Dress Up Runway
Allow friends and kids to take turns dressing your tolerant Frenchie up in fun outfits and costumes then have a mock fashion runway show to display their looks as you all giggle. Keep clothing loose and breathable of course!
Musical Sitters
With multiple friends over, turn on music then pass your leashed Frenchie to sit/settle with each person when it stops. Helps adapt to new people while working on impulse control. Reward calm behavior.
Backyard Photo Shoot
Recruit a friend into photographing your Frenchie outdoors doing their favorite activities like digging holes, pouncing through bushes after toys, or posing proudly; then print a cute calendar or collage of the shots!
Independent Play
While we wish we could directly engage our Frenchies all day, leaving enriching entertainment helps beat boredom when alone. Rotate independent toys avoiding habituation.
Food-Dispensing Toys
These toys motivate pups working to uncover kibble or treats out of puzzle toys, much like foraging. The mental and physical engagement makes dogs view isolation more positively. Clean toys thoroughly.
Chew Toys
Durable chew toys like benebones provide appropriate chewing outlets curbing destruction and anxiety when left alone. Supervise initial use noting safety.
Plush Toys
While squeaky toys pose gut obstruction risks if consumed, some soft snuggly toys comfort pups while you’re away. Present a few special “lovey toys” in rotations to maintain novelty and avoid protective resource guarding.
Moving Toys
Battery-powered moving toys that zoom around like Hexbugs or Tail Teaser balls appeal to a dog’s prey drive keeping them occupied for hours batting toys around solo. Ensure toys are size appropriate.
Music/TV
Some dogs relax better with background noise. Try leaving the TV or radio on tuned to calm stations when departing to provide soothing company. Through trial and error find what music genre or shows your Frenchie prefers.
Here’s a helpful summary table of creative ways entertaining French bulldogs when you’re present and away:
| Together Play | Independent Play |
|---|---|
| Fetch games | Food-Puzzles/Toys |
| Flirt Pole | Appropriate Chews |
| Backyard Agility | Plush Toys |
| Indoor Hide-N-Seek | Moving Robot Toys |
| Snuffle Mats | Calm Music/TV |
| LickiMat Puzzles | |
| Kibble-Dispensing Toys | |
| Training Games | |
| Playdates | |
| Dress Up Runway | |
| Musical Sitters | |
| Photo Shoots |
10 Things French Bulldogs Like to Do for Fun
Frenchies sure know how to have a good time! When they’re not snoozing the days away, French bulldogs love engaging in playful activities entertaining their curious minds and bodies. We’re sharing 10 pawsome things these silly pups genuinely enjoy doing for kicks beyond typical games of fetch or dress up. Get ready for some amusing Frenchie-style fun!
1. Splashing in Kiddie Pools
Bust out the kiddie pool during summer for your swim-loving Frenchie! These adorable flat-faced pups enjoy trotting through shallow water and sometimes even laying down for a soak if it’s hot. Just supervise closely ensuring they don’t accidentally inhale water with those smushy faces. Watching them paddle around happily chasing pool toys for treats provides endless joy.
2. Wrestling with Canine Siblings
Few things delight French bulldogs more than roughhousing with other friendly pups. If you have multiple dogs at home, you’ll surely notice your Frenchie instigating rowdy wrestling matches with canine siblings. They’ll humorously snarf and play bow circling another pup before soliciting them to tussle and chase them in circles for sport. These are dogs that know how to have harmless fun with fervent playfulness!
3. Burrowing Under Blankets
Frenchies lean into their natural denning instincts by burrowing themselves under plush blankets on cushy beds or sofas when given the chance. Seeing your pup repeatedly tunnel headfirst under a blanket to enter their cozy safe haven gives the silliest giggles. Folding down covers to make “bulldog burritos” enclosing them into a bundled nest is another beloved snoozy pastime as well.
4. Getting the Zoomies
Every Frenchie parent has experienced their pup abruptly getting wild “zoomies” energy bursts racing and looping laps around areas at top speeds seemingly out of nowhere. Finding creative zoom route outlets helps prevent accidental wall crashes! Open up space guiding their infectious enthusiasm or let them trot zippy circles on grass. Zoomies are simply sheer excitement needing expression.
5. Shredding Cardboard Boxes
French bulldogs often love investigating and gleefully destroying cardboard boxes despite their small stature. The satisfaction tearing cardboard to bits with paws and mouths taps into innate tendencies. Outlet this desire positively by leaving cardboard scratch box toys around for supervised shredding entertainment. It beats demolishing deliveries!
6. Chasing Sprinklers
As Frenchies romp during potty breaks or play sessions outdoors in sunny weather, set up lawn sprinklers introducing spurting water streams for them to ecstatically chase after. Barking and bowing in merry attempts capturing the water jet burst provides the most carefree summer sight! This engaging outdoor activity delights even lazy pups into frolicking fun if heat allows energy.
7. Lounging in New Spots
French bulldogs boast heaps of comical personality, nowhere more evident than proudly plopping themselves smack into the middle of any household happenings no matter how inconvenient the location! From parking on keyboard trays to climbing precariously into bathroom sinks for a steamy spa lounging session, discovering silly new napping locations brings Frenchie joy.
8. Meeting New Friends
Despite those intimidating smushed mug appearances, Frenchies are extremely sociable souls that relish meeting new human pals for extra doting attention and affection. Your bulldog will jovially approach guests sniffing feet and begging for butt scratches from visitors. Showing off their signature silly behaviors and tricks captivates fans eager seeing Frenchies “in action” beyond photos.
9. Riding Along Car Adventures
Car ride excursions always count as a wildly fun occasion for French bulldogs that rarely meets a stranger. These compact pups adapt well to being chauffeured around town for errands or en route traveling to exciting destinations. Enjoying new sights and smells from safety of backseats (with restraints) keeps bulldogs superbly entertained while preventing boredom.
10. Unearthing Backyard Treasures
Lastly, the simple joy of investigating outdoors allows Frenchies tapping into their scenthound ancestry. A fenced backyard is prime real estate letting French bulldogs patrol “their territory” nosing through grass and bushes tracking scents left from neighborhood critters. Finding rabbit holes to excitedly snort down or dirt patches for furious digging makes their day.
Let’s recap the 10 pawsome things bringing silly Frenchie fun:
| # | Frenchie-Approved Fun |
|---|---|
| 1 | Splashing in Kiddie Pools |
| 2 | Wrestling Canine Siblings |
| 3 | Burrowing Under Covers |
| 4 | Zooming With the Zoomies |
| 5 | Shredding Cardboard Boxes |
| 6 | Chasing Sprinklers |
| 7 | Lounging in New Spots |
| 8 | Meeting New Friends |
| 9 | Riding Car Adventures |
| 10 | Unearthing Backyard Treasures |
So next time you notice your French bulldog looking for trouble from boredom, engage their energetic enthusiastic spirit with these 10 amusing activities our readers adore! Just remember to always supervise play and prevent overheating. Now go have blast with your cute canine cohorts. Race you to the kiddie pool!
Frequently Asked Questions
What toys do French bulldogs like best?
Preferred Frenchie toys tend to have multiple stimulating elements like food motivation, noisemakers, erratic movements and textures promoting engagement. Plush, rope, rubber chew toys, treat balls and snuffle mats rank among top toys. Always supervise playtime!
How can I stimulate my French bulldog puppy?
Beyond short, positive training sessions, occupy Frenchie puppies with soft toys promoting gentle chewing, rubber teethers, lick mats with mild smearable foods and snuffle mat introduction. Avoid high impact exercise before 1 year old to protect developing joints. Focus on mental stimulation.
Why does my French bulldog destroy things when I leave?
Excessive chewing, barking or destructive behavior when left signals separation anxiety and boredom in many French bulldogs prone to attachment issues being alone. Providing distraction with enriching food toys, chews, calming music and maintained exercise routine prevents acting out.
What games can I play indoors with my French bulldog?
Great indoor games include short fetch down halls, hide-and-seek play finding stashed toys, musical sitters taking turns on people’s laps, indoor playgrounds with tunnels, lick mat puzzles, snuffle mat foraging games and short positive training sessions with praise and treats! Shake things up daily.
Conclusion
Hopefully this game plan gave you ample entertainment inspiration keeping your darling Frenchie happily occupied whether you’re actively playing together or out for awhile! Cleverly tapping into the athletic, social and mental stimulation needs of French bulldogs ultimately nurtures their health and your special bond even further. Stay attentive adjusting activities based on age, mobility and temperament. Most importantly, have fun!