Are French Bulldogs Loyal? The Truth + 8 Facts Revealed

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When bringing a french bulldog into your home a common question that comes up is about how loyal they are. You want an affectionate, family friendly dog, but are french bulldogs exceptionally loyal to their owners?

Are French Bulldogs Loyal:

French bulldogs were bred to be companion dogs which makes them considerably loyal. Instinctually they want to spend most of their time with their owners and often can get jealous or even protective when another dog or person gets your attention.

In this post you’ll discover:

8 real reasons why french bulldogs are loyal
If french bulldogs can be loyal to more than one person
How to increase how loyal a frenchie is to you
And much, much more

Let’s jump right in.

Table of Contents

Are French Bulldogs Loyal To More Than One Person?

When you have a bunch of different family members, it’s not uncommon to wonder if your frenchie is, or will be, loyal to each person equally.

The honest truth is..

Your french bulldog will likely hold one person a little closer to their heart than the rest.

Now, this doesn’t mean they won’t be loyal to each member of your family.

It simply means your frenchie will likely have a favorite among the family.

Which is usually the person who takes them for walks, feeds them, gives them treats as well as giving them the most attention.

Which makes sense!

If their two most favorite activities (eating and going outside) are done with mostly one person, it’s understandable that they’d be a little closer with that person.

But, that doesn’t mean your frenchie won’t be loyal to the whole family.

They’ll have lots of love to give each person whenever they want to play or have some cuddle time.

8 Reasons French Bulldogs Are Such Loyal Dogs

1) Bred To Be Companions

For all of french bulldogs history, they were bred to be companion dogs.

Their small size has always made them easy to bring along when going places as well as comfortable to have sitting on your lap.

In the 1800’s french bulldogs were owned largely by lace makers where they would sit on their lap as they worked.

The reason many lace workers would have frenchies was for two reasons.

One, their warm body would deter fleas. And two, they provided easy-going companionship.

They’d have no problem sitting in their human’s lap all day while they work.

Then, when lacemaking was disrupted in England and people moved to France, they of course brought their frenchies along.

Which is when they started to become popularized in France.

In France they became well known for accompanying fancy ladies or higher class folks as they dined in cafes.

And eventually french bulldogs made their way to America in the 1900s and have since remained popular.

So because of a french bulldog’s history, they’re naturally very loyal.

For decades they’ve gotten used to always being with their human all day while they worked, or brought along no matter where they went.

Which of course has contributed to them being more clingy and loyal dogs.

2) You’re Their Source Of Water & Food

Everytime they run out of food or water, you’re right there to fill their bowl back up.

Their most basic needs are met by you each and everyday.

Without being fed each day they would of course not be able to live.

Which makes them very loyal to you.

You also give them treats or possibly even scraps of your food here and there which they find delicious.

Bottom line is, everytime you’re feeding and nourishing your pup, you’re increasing their loyalty toward you.

You’re showing you love them by taking care of them and they’ll return the favor with kisses, cuddles, and wanting to be with you as much as possible.

3) You’ve Given Them Training

It may be hard to believe, but your frenchie appreciates structure and training.

Even if they can be stubborn at times, without proper training it can create chaos for your pup.

Dog’s need to know who’s the leader of the pack.

And this doesn’t mean by being overly bossy.

It simply means they know who to listen to and take commands from.

This means when they’re in unfamiliar situations they know who’s in charge and are able to put their minds at ease.

They know you’ll guide them through the situation and are happy to listen.

When you train your frenchie you help them understand you’re the leader of the pack and dogs are naturally loyal to their alpha/leader.

4) Your Attention & Affection Makes Them Happy

Whether it’s a pat on the head, a good belly scratch, a cuddle or even a simple gaze into their eyes, when you pay attention to your frenchie it makes them feel good.

In the most literal sense of the word.

Studies have found that when a dog and their owner interact with one another, it releases oxytocin in your dog’s body (and yours too!).

Oxytocin is known for creating feelings of love and trust in anyone who gains more of it.

So whenever you have any physical contact with your frenchie they’re releasing more oxytocin in their body and creating a stronger bond with you.

Which means the more you stare into your pups eyes, hold them or pet them, the more loyal they’re becoming.

Only a frenchie that’s loyal to you would feel so good after simply being in physical contact with you.

5) They’re More Dependent

As a breed, french bulldogs are more dependent than others.

They’re a brachycephalic breed which means their breathing is labored and they have trouble regulating their temperature.

They’re small which makes getting on and off things more difficult.

And they’re prone to joint and hip pain as they age.

Which means they become more loyal to you out of necessity.

Outside of taking care of their basic needs, your frenchie likely realizes that they need you for many things they do in life.

Which of course makes them more loyal to you.

6) All Great Experiences Are With You

You help your french bulldog experience the world.

Unless you live on a big piece of land, most of their experiences of the outside world are when you’re with them.

Their walks everyday, hikes through forests or other terrain, trips to the dog park, and even games of fetch outside.

These are likely your frenchies favorite experiences and the only times they get to do these things is with you.

That’s why their bum shakes so quickly in excitement whenever you bring out their leash to go outside.

It’s also a time where they get to relieve themselves, burn off the energy they’ve gathered from resting all day, and experience different smells.

Not to mention interacting with other dogs.

It’s safe to say all the best experiences your french bulldog has in their life are experienced with you.

Which makes them extremely loyal to you.

7) Bad Past Relationships

If you adopted your frenchie from a shelter, there’s a possibility they had a negative experience with someone in the past.

Which likely made it challenging for them to warm up to you initially.

But once you’ve gained their trust, they become an amazingly loyal pup.

When you show them unconditional love and give them a forever home it creates an especially strong bond.

Oftentimes dogs that have had bad past relationships develop separation anxiety because their love grows so strong for their new owner (you).

Obviously it isn’t ideal for them to develop separation anxiety, but their loyalty will never come into question.

8) It’s Instinctive

It may be hard to believe but long, long ago your frenchies ancestors were wolves.

And wolves are pack animals that thrive in groups and are afraid of being isolated.

If a wolf was ever to be ostracized from their pack, they wouldn’t be able to survive on their own.

Which over the years has stuck with dogs of all breeds.

They’ve remained very social animals that don’t do well on their own.

While they don’t need to worry about being in a pack for hunting purposes anymore, they still need the stimulation of being a part of a pack.

When a frenchie is isolated for too long their mental health will suffer.

So since you’re the leader of their pack, they’re very loyal to you and want to ensure they keep their spot in your pack.

Sources:

French Bulldog

Oxytocin-Gaze Positive Loop and the Coevolution of Human-Dog Bonds

Psychosocial and Psychophysiological Effects of Human-Animal Interactions: The Possible Role of Oxytocin

The Loyalty Of Dogs