Our Frenchies can be absolute delights, making us laugh and smile with their adorable nature. Frenchies are also known for being quite vocal, often whining and crying in an effort to communicate. Chances are, if you’re a French bulldog parent, you’ve asked yourself: why does my French Bulldog cry at night?
French bulldogs can be an anxious dog, and they don’t like being apart from their pet parents much. This can cause them to cry at night, especially when they are still getting used to their new home. If you aren’t letting your Frenchie sleep in your bed, they might struggle to feel comfortable sleeping on their own, especially without adequate training and socialization.
Dogs crying can be a point of concern for any dog parent, but knowing why your Frenchie cries can help you find ways to make them more comfortable at night.
Why Does My French Bulldog Cry At Night?
The most likely reason your french bulldog cries at night is because they are feeling anxious. As mentioned, French bulldogs are prone to exhibiting this behavior when they are becoming acclimated to their new home. If they can’t see you or sense your presence, they might get scared thinking they’ve been left alone.
It’s also possible that your Frenchie is crying at night because they want your attention. This plays into the separation anxiety, but could also be their way of telling you that you two need to spend more time together. A Frenchie doesn’t do well in a home where they don’t have humans around often.
You might need to give them some dedicated play time and cuddles before you go to bed.This can help tire them out so they can sleep the night away in peace, but can also offer them a sense of comfort if they have to be home alone for some time due to people being at work or school.
Be sure to take them outside before bed as well, as sometimes they’ll cry if they need to go potty. Most dogs, including Frenchies, won’t want to go to the bathroom where they sleep. They’ll only have an accident if they can’t help it.
Do French Bulldog Puppies Cry More?
Chances are, your Frenchie is going to cry pretty often as a puppy. This is partially because they are still learning how to communicate. They are also still learning to understand what life is like without their mom and other puppies they were raised with. You will have to be incredibly patient with them when they’re young.
One of the hardest aspects of training your Frenchie out of crying at night is trying to avoid giving into them each time they cry. If they know you’ll get up and go to them, they will learn they can just cry and get what they want. It’s really hard to avoid giving in, as you don’t want to end up neglecting your puppy.
A strategy that can help is to take your Frenchie outside when they are crying a lot at night. See if they have to go to the bathroom, as this you don’t want to ignore. If they don’t go to the bathroom, bring them back to bed and go to bed yourself.
This will teach them that their nighttime crying will only get them potty time, so they will learn to only cry when they have to go outside.
Why Does My French Bulldog Cry In Their Crate?
If you’re trying to crate train your pup, it can be disheartening when you hear them cry. They are likely to do this when you first have them in their crate as they don’t like being stuck in there, and don’t want to be without you. You can still crate train them without closing the door if you find they calm down with it still open.
Be sure that the crate is big enough for your French Bulldog to move around in, and it’s filled with comforting things. This can include a soft bed, a couple of toys they seem to love, and even a comfort object such as one of your shirts. Having something with your scent in their crate offers them a sense of security, especially at night.
Having their crate close by where you sleep can also help them feel safer in their crate. This can be tough, but the situation won’t get better if you don’t appease their need for your presence to a certain extent. Try to remember it’ll only be temporary until your Frenchie gets used to your home.
As your French bulldog gets older and acclimates to you and your home, you can consider moving their crate to another area of the home, or setting them up in a bed in your room or just outside of your room. You can choose to let them sleep with you, but there are a few reasons why that might not suit you.
How To Stop French Bulldogs From Crying At Night
You may not be able to eliminate this behavior completely, especially for a while if your Frenchie is new to your home. However, there are ways to mitigate how often your French Bulldog cries during the night above and beyond crate training them.
As mentioned, you should spend some dedicated time with your Frenchie before it’s time for bed. They’ll likely be craving that companionship, especially if you’ve been at work and they’ve been alone for a few hours. These are quite needy dogs, preferring the company of humans over just about anything.
This time should include being fed, a walk, some playing with toys or cuddling together, and a final bathroom break before they climb into bed. They’ll likely go to bed extremely happy to have spent some quality time with you, and they’ll be tired from their physical activity. They might still cry occasionally, but it should subside over time.
Should My French Bulldog Sleep In My Bed?
French bulldogs can be really tough to sleep with in your bed. They can make a lot of noise, take up a lot of space, and they tend to shed and drool. That said, if you can tolerate this, there isn’t any inherent harm in letting them sleep with you if the both of you can manage this comfortably.
Just know that if you let them sleep in your bed, it’s going to be very hard to convince them to sleep somewhere else. They’ll pick you over the most comfortable dog bed you could buy them every time.
Final Thoughts
Constantly worrying and asking yourself why does my French bulldog cry at night can be overwhelming. These dogs can make a lot of noise naturally, so to a certain extent, you’ll get used to the noises over time. You’ll also learn your Frenchie’s nature so you’ll be able to tell the difference between an innocent cry and a concerning cry.
Establishing a nighttime routine for you and your French bulldog will help tremendously in helping them feel more comfortable at night. Just be prepared to deal with more crying than normal when they’re young. As they get older and more comfortable, they’ll still be noisy, but they should be able to sleep calmly at night without crying.
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