Effective Ways to Stop Your French Bulldog from Barking

It can be such an annoying experience to have to deal with constant barking from any dog. Your dog, your neighbor's dog, or even the dog down the street.

Dogs bark for various reasons and it can cause a disturbance for many people. If your french bulldog is constantly barking or making a fuss about something, read on to find out how you can solve this.

What makes your french bulldog bark? Honestly, there's never one specific reason why any dog decides to constantly bark at something.

This means that there's also no one specific way to go about fixing this situation or no specific way to make the dog stop barking.

It can be very frustrating to try to live peacefully and quietly with this going on. Even if you happen to fix the situation, it can still be a challenge to try to prevent it from happening again.

First, you should understand that your french bulldog will bark no matter what, and all dogs will have something or find something to bark about.

Therefore, the first thing you need to do is try to understand why your french bulldog is barking in the first place. Then, you can take certain steps to try to stop it.

8 Reasons Why Your French Bulldog Might Be Barking

Most of the time, dogs are barking because they know that it will scare off whatever it thinks is trying to threaten it.

It also barks to ease itself of stress or get some type of attention from the owner. Or, it could be barking to release some type of frustration.

1- Trying to Get Attention or Demand Something

Your french bulldog might be barking because it wants to get your attention. It probably thinks that it will get something in return if it barks. It probably wants food, some type of toy, or it wants to get outside to play or urinate.

2- Territorial Barking

This usually happens when a person or another animal is coming into the same area that your french bulldog is in. If your dog is claiming this area as its own, it will bark at the thing that is coming into that space in an effort to get them to leave.

3- Barking to Play

When your french bulldog is playing or having fun, it might begin to bark. This just means that it is having a good time. It is similar to how people laugh or make comments while they are doing something fun.

4- Fearful Barking

This might happen if your french bulldog is startled by something or notices that something is trying to frighten it.

This can be anything from loud noise, something dropping onto the floor, or it can happen if someone is yelling at the dog or trying to scold it for something.

This type of bark can also be tricky to identify. This is because sometimes the dog is trying to get some type of threat away and will bark to scare it off. Sometimes it is also trying to bark at a threat because it is actually wanting to distance itself from the situation.

5- Frustration-Related Barking

if the dog cannot reach something, is irritated by something or is upset because it doesn't have access to it, it might bark in an effort to release its frustration.

6- Barking out of Boredom

Some dogs bark when they are bored because they want to soothe themselves. This kind of bark will sound like the dog is repeating the same thing over and over.

7- Excited Barking

When the dog is being fed, noticing that it is about to go outside, noticing you coming home from work or anything else positive, it will bark to show that it is happy or excited about whatever is going on.

8- Barking to Avoid Separation

When your dog notices that you are going to be leaving, it will start to bark at you. This can be easily mistaken for a sign of separation anxiety.

However, that's not always the case. This is a situation where the dog is simply distressed and this situation is much milder than a true instance of separation anxiety.

How Can You Keep Your French Bulldog from Barking?

Now that you've learned about all of the reasons why a dog might be barking, it is now time to learn about the steps you can take to eliminate this behavior as much as possible. Keep in mind that progression takes time and a lot of patience. Nothing can be solved overnight.

Putting a certain type of training together depending on your dog's reasoning for barking will make it easier for you to limit it and prevent it from happening in the future.

Here are a few tips that you can consider. These are pretty easy to do but they will require you to be dedicated and consistent.

WebMD suggests that shouting at your dog will make it much worse because it thinks that you are making noise for the same reason it is making noise.

Close the Windows and Block the View

If your french bulldog is constantly barking at something in an effort to claim its territory, the first thing you can to limit this is to block the dog's view of whatever it is trying to claim.

For example, if it is an area outside, shut the doors and close the blinds, or take the dog to another room.

If you don't want the entire area to be blocked off, just block enough of it off so that the dog cannot see. You can purchase some type of film to put over the window or door and put enough up to the point where the dog's eye height ends.

As time goes on and you see that it is less and less interested in the area, you can gradually take it off.

Purchase Activity Toys

There are certain dog toys out there that can help dogs that are seeking attention or trying to demand something by barking.

It also helps dogs that are barking out of boredom or barking because they are being separated from you somehow. Dogs that do this will greatly benefit from having a busy toy available to them.

Busy toys are usually made of hard rubber and automatically dispense bones or other treats and are the perfect way to keep any dog distracted for a while.

It will also keep the dog happy. You can use this when you are busy with something and need your french bulldog to be quiet.

Purchase a White Noise Device

 This is best for the dogs that bark because they are afraid or they want to claim and protect their territory. Use this machine, as its constant repetitive sound will cover up any noises that might trigger the dog and make it bark.

This can be anything from cars passing by to hearing other people converse in the background.

According to Science Direct, improving the dog's environment will help it become more comfortable with being calm and relaxed.

Chemical Treatments

You can also try purchasing a diffuser machine or device that can release chemicals that smell like female dogs. This will help the dog calm down quickly.

This is best for dogs that are barking because they are under some sort of stress. Your french bulldog will most likely change its behavior in a matter of minutes after you activate this device.

It is also important to remember that this type of treatment has to be prescribed. They are affordable and very effective. Talk to your vet to get more information about this method.

Teach the Dog to be Quiet

There are different commands that you can learn and practice with your dog. This method is best for dogs that are territorial and dogs that bark at sounds that they are alarmed by.

Most dogs will eventually stop barking at whatever it is bothered by, but sometimes we want them to stop barking immediately.

When you see that your dog is barking at something, put a bone or another type of treat in your palm. Approach your dog and put your hand in front of the dog's nose but not close enough to where it can grab it and eat it. It will probably stop barking by the time you do this.

Once this happens, make a gesture or sound that means the dog should be quiet. You can say "quiet" or "hush" or do anything else that can signal the dog to be silent. After this, give the dog the treat.

Continue to do this time and time again until you don't need to put anything in front of its nose. Once you get to that point, the dog will understand that it needs to be quiet if it wants to get a treat. 

The American Kennel Club suggests that you use treats that are small and soft so that the dog can eat them fast.

Ignore the Barking

This is best for dogs that bark in an effort to get attention from you. It is also best for dogs that are barking because they are playing with someone or they are frustrated. When dogs bark, they are trying to get your acknowledgment. 

When the dog starts to bark, you can turn away and completely tune it out by busying yourself with another activity. Try going out of the room or doing anything else while the dog tries to get your attention.

This can also be applied to frustration related barking. If your french bulldog is barking because it can't get to a ball and you retrieve the ball for it, you are teaching it that as long as it pouts and fusses, it will get what it wants.

 Think of this as a child having a fit because it isn't getting attention or it can't get something that it wants. If you give in to this behavior, the child will become spoiled and you will soon begin to be in their control instead of the other way around.

Wait for the dog to calm down and be quiet. Once that happens, you can give it attention and/or whatever it is barking about.

 Exercise with the Dog More Often

When you exercise with your dog, it will most likely tire it out. This will prevent the dog from using so much energy to look for predators or find something to bark about. It will also prevent it from trying to get your attention so often, as exercising with it will probably be enough. 

Try fetching with your dog, walking it around the park or neighborhood. According to the Oxford Academic, exercising with your dog can increase blood flow and improve its health.

This study also suggests that exercising with your dog and spending more time with it will decrease depression in dog owners.

This proves that spending more time with your dog this way is actually a win-win situation. It will greatly benefit both of you and if your dog is more connected to you, it will become more comfortable and might not bark so often.

Reward the Dog for Being Silent

This is a great technique for all types of dogs that bark for all reasons. It is similar to the other tips mentioned earlier, except this time you are rewarding the dog for being silent in general, not just when you want it to stop barking.

When the dog is being silent on any day and you give it a treat, it will realize what is going on when you give it nothing while it is barking.

This helps it become familiar with the way that you respond to its behavior. Even though treats are mentioned often in this guide, don't overload your dog with treats.

When you are giving it something as a reward for good behavior, only give it a couple of treats at a time. Avoid rewarding your dog multiple times a day, as this can develop bad habits.

Consider watching this video to get a better idea of how you can train your french bulldog to stop barking so much. This in-depth guide can also apply to dogs of other breeds.