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Cuddle time with your french bulldog might be one of your favorite parts of the day. But do they feel the same way about cuddling? Some french bulldogs love to cuddle while others simply want nothing to do with it.
So…
Do French Bulldogs Like To Cuddle:
For the most part, french bulldogs love to cuddle. They were bred for the purposes of being a human companion which instinctively makes them want to be close to their owner. Frenchies also enjoy cuddling because it helps warm them up, makes them feel safe, and it makes them feel happier.
In this post you’ll discover:
- All the health benefits associated with cuddling with your frenchie (there’s a lot of them)
- 6 reasons why french bulldogs like to cuddle
- 5 reasons why your french bulldog may not enjoy cuddling (#2 is most common)
- How to properly cuddle with your frenchie
- And much, much more
Let’s jump right in!
Table of Contents
Do French Bulldogs Like To Be Held?
For the most part, french bulldogs will enjoy being held.
Their feelings about being held will largely depend on their experiences when being held as a puppy.
If when you held them as a young puppy you gave lots of love and affection, there’s a good chance they’ll like being held.
However, if the only times they were picked up and held was because they had done something bad, they may not enjoy being held.
More often than not, frenchies will like being held closely.
How Do French Bulldogs Like To Snuggle?
This may sound silly, but the most important thing to remember is that you’re much bigger than they are.
So when it comes to cuddling & snuggling, you don’t want to wrap your arms around them too tightly.
More often than not this will make them feel constrained and want to break free.
The best way that french bulldogs like to snuggle is by allowing them to approach you.
Sit on the couch and wait for them to come to you.
Let them choose how they’d like to get comfy next to you and ensure you don’t make them feel trapped.
This way they feel in control and are more likely to enjoy their time being close to you.
6 Reasons French Bulldogs Love To Cuddle
1) They Missed You
After a long day of sitting at home alone, waiting for you to come back, they can’t wait to cuddle with you when you get home!
French bulldogs were bred to be human companions which makes them grow an extra special bond with their owners.
Which means as soon as you’re home and sitting down, they want to be snuggled up right next to you.
Also, dog’s don’t have the best understanding of time. They aren’t sure if 15 minutes have passed or 7 hours have passed.
So no matter how much time has actually passed, your pup misses you and is super happy to see you’re back.
2) Body Heat Is The Best Heat
Your frenchie doesn’t like being cold just as much as you do.
Maybe even more than you.
Which makes them want to cuddle up next to you to help them get rid of a chill.
When your frenchie was a young puppy, still with their litter, they would huddle up with their brothers & sisters to warm themselves.
And now that you’re their family and have a wonderful warmth to you, your pup loves to cuddle with you because of how warm and cozy you make them feel.
3) It Makes Them Feel Happier
In 2012 a study was done to assess how interactions between dogs and their owners affected them.
Interestingly, they found that the dogs (as well as their owners) oxytocin levels would rise when they had any physical contact.
**Oxytocin is known as the happiness hormone that makes people feel loving and trusting**
Which means scientifically, cuddling with you makes your frenchie feel happier.
And if everytime they snuggle up close to you, they feel better.
They’re going to want to continue to cuddle.
Probably as much as possible too.
4) Your Scent Is Calming
While after a long day at work you may not feel you smell the best, your pup likely does.
When french bulldogs grow increasingly attached to their owner, something as simple as their owner’s scent can make them feel better/more calm.
Which could be one of the reasons why your frenchie loves to cuddle with you so much.
Your scent makes them feel at home and clears their mind of worries.
5) They’ve Been Trained To Love It
From the moment you brought your frenchie home you’ve probably been cuddling with them.
Everytime they’re embraced by you, you give them love, attention and affection.
Whether that’s in the form of lovingly speaking to them, giving them pats and belly rubs, or kisses.
Since they were a young pup they’ve been showered with cuddles and likely enjoyed every minute of it.
Which means they’ve been trained to love cuddling with you!
It’s simply a habit now.
Whenever you’re sitting or not paying attention to them for long enough, they’ll want to be held or snuggled.
6) To Feel Safe
Given your frenchie sees you as the alpha of their pack (their leader) they feel safe when close to you.
Cuddling with you allows them to put their guard down and relax in the moment.
French bulldogs typically won’t cuddle with a person they don’t feel safe with.
Which means they understand their role in your pack, and that when you’re close by they can relax and know you’ve got them covered.
Feelings of safety can definitely be a reason why your frenchie loves cuddling so much.
5 Possible Reasons a French Bulldog Wouldn’t Enjoy Cuddling
1) Bad Past With Other People
If you adopted your frenchie when they were a little older than a pup, they may have had one, or many, emotionally traumatic experiences.
Which unfortunately means they will find it hard to allow themselves to get physically close to a person again.
Cuddling and being close puts them in a vulnerable position that they may not be comfortable with quite yet.
It can take a lot of time as well as trust for a pup to cuddle if they’ve had a bad past with other people.
It’s important to understand that they don’t have anything against you.
They’ve simply gone through something that makes it hard for them to completely trust people.
However, with enough love and patience, your frenchie could come around and start enjoying all that a good cuddle has to offer.
2) It’s Not For Them
Put simply, all dogs are different.
While french bulldogs have a much higher chance of enjoying cuddling than other breeds, it simply might not be for some frenchies.
Some dogs really enjoy their independence and personal space.
Others would do anything to be tied at your hip the entire day.
It really depends on your pup’s personality.
If your frenchie doesn’t enjoy cuddling it could very well have nothing to do with you and simply be because they don’t enjoy that kind of closeness.
3) Too Much Energy
When french bulldogs have too much energy, the last thing they want to do is sit still and cuddle.
They want to run around and burn off their energy.
And if they have too much energy, they were probably in the middle of something before you grabbed them for a cuddle.
Whether they were in the middle of playing with a toy, running around the house burning off some steam, or following an interesting scent.
If your frenchie was in the middle of something when you decided it was time for a cuddle, this could be why they’re totally uninterested in sitting still with you.
4) Their Age Makes Things Uncomfortable
Certain things may become less desirable for your frenchie to do as they get into their senior years.
They’ll have new aches and pains that they didn’t once have and will likely get uncomfortable easier.
When they were a pup they could sprawl out in the most strange ways and still fall fast asleep. But as they get older their body isn’t as forgiving.
One thing in particular that dogs become much less comfortable with as they age is changes in their temperature.
Being overly warm is much more uncomfortable because it takes them longer to cool off.
Which means cuddling could become something that simply isn’t as enjoyable as it once was, unfortunately.
Maybe they’re starting to feel too warm too quickly, or certain positions activate their aches and pains more easily which makes them uncomfortable.
So it’s no hard feelings if your pup starts to not enjoy cuddling as much when they reach their senior years.
They’re just more picky about what they do and what it takes to keep them comfortable!
5) Not Feeling 100%
Whether it’s an upset stomach, physical injury or an internal health issue, if your frenchie isn’t feeling well they’ll want their space.
Very similar to how when you haven’t been 100% in the past, you likely wanted space as well as some time to get back to yourself.
Which could be the reason your pup isn’t interested in cuddling at the moment.
And it’s best to give them their space if this is the case.
No need to force it.
Once they’re feeling better again they’ll resume to their important position as cuddle buddy.
Top 3 Reasons You Should Cuddle With Your French Bulldog
1) It’s Physically & Mentally Healthy
Many people don’t know how truly beneficial cuddling and having physical contact with their french bulldog really is.
The same study that we mentioned earlier in the ‘It Makes Them Feel Happier’ section talks about some of the associated benefits outside of increased oxytocin.
A few of those benefits are:
- Improved mood in general
- Reduction in cortisol (the stress hormone)
- Heart rate & blood pressure lowered
- Less feelings of anxiety
- Improved immune system
- Reduced aggression
- Increased trust
And that’s not even all of them.
If you could package all these benefits and put them into a pill form they’d be sold out in no time!
It’s truly amazing how cuddling with your french bulldog can help both of you so much in terms of physical & mental health.
2) Strengthens Your Bond
Quality one on one time is super important to solidify and strengthen your bond with your pup.
And sometimes it might be harder to find the time when work gets busy or social events come up.
Which may leave your poor frenchie feeling sad and neglected.
When you make a point of setting aside some time where you and your pup can enjoy some quality cuddles, it’ll only help your relationship grow stronger.
3) Helps You Both Unwind
After both of your long days…
Your frenchies long day of being home alone wishing you were there.
And your long day at work.
It’s nice to finish off the day with a comfortable cuddle with your furry friend.
When life gets busy.
Which it inevitably does at one point or another.
Finding time to sit back and relax with your pup can help you forget about your day-to-day troubles.
And while this is obviously beneficial for your stress levels, it can also help with theirs.
A study done in 2019 found that dogs very much mirror the stress level of their owners.
So if you’re feeling stressed out and anxious because of work or life in general, your pup will match those emotions.
But when you can hit pause on life and cuddle with your pup, you’re helping both of you become less stressed out.
Other posts you might find interesting:
12 Best Beds For French Bulldogs: Beds That Last
11 Reasons Why French Bulldogs Cry & Whine So Much + Tips
16 Interesting Reasons Why French Bulldogs Lick So Much
12 Reasons Why Frenchies Are So Clingy & Needy + Tips
Citations:
Snuggly Science: How Puppies Keep Warm
Whose Scent Does Your Dog Like Most?
Long-term stress levels are synchronized in dogs and their owners
