9 Reasons Why French Bulldogs Scream (Dangers + Tips)

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French bulldogs make all kinds of unique noises and their scream is certainly no exception. This odd sound usually makes you laugh but also wonder, why do french bulldogs scream?

Well, let’s get to the bottom of this, shall we?

Why Do French Bulldogs Scream:

French bulldogs scream because they have obstructed airways. They’re a brachycephalic breed which means they have a flatter face and extra skin around their nose, mouth and throat. This causes them to have more narrow airways which contribute to them making many unique sounds.

In this post you’ll discover:

4 of the most common reasons why french bulldogs scream
5 less common reasons that your frenchie might scream
4 tips to help reduce how much your french bulldog screams (Tip #2 is the most effective!)
And much, much more

Let’s jump right in.

Table of Contents

Top 4 Reasons Why French Bulldogs Scream

1) Overly Excited

When your frenchie gets excited they probably do a few things.

Some wiggle their bum super fast, some will jump on or paw at you, some cry with excitement, and others will scream.

Because french bulldogs have narrowed, and sometimes even deformed, windpipes they’re able to make high pitch squealing sounds that sound like screams.

Just like how when people want to whistle they need to purse their lips into a small hole in order to make a high pitch sound.

A frenchies throat is more narrow which makes them able to produce a high pitch scream whenever they get worked up.

So whether it’s you’re coming home after work, about to take them for a walk, or you have their favorite treat/toy in your hand, you might hear your frenchie scream when feeling overly excited.

2) Anxiety

If your frenchie is feeling anxious this could also cause them to scream.

Many times when a dog has feelings of anxiety they will do certain things excessively.

Some of those things aren’t very obvious that they could be signs of anxiety, such as, licking, itching, panting, pacing, drooling, etc.

But others are much more easily recognized like excessive barking, howling, whining, as well as screaming.

If your frenchie had a traumatic experience when they were younger, it could be the reason why they have high levels of anxiety and are screaming.

However, even big recent life changes can cause a french bulldog to develop anxiety or even separation anxiety.

Those things are:

A change in schedule – Your schedule may have recently changed which makes your frenchies schedule change.
A change in where they live – This could come from moving to a new home (adopted from a shelter) or moving with your family to a new location.
A change in household members – If someone new has recently started living with you full time or a family member passed recently (canine or person).

Each of these things can be challenging for your frenchie to deal with which makes them feel anxious.

And if your pup is screaming more often lately, this could be their way of expressing their anxious feelings.

3) Boredom

When dogs, and people for that matter, are bored, they tend to get super creative in how they find ways to curb their boredom.

If your pup hasn’t gotten their daily play session yet or has been feeling neglected recently, they may scream to cope with their boredom.

Almost like a way to call out for someone, anyone, to come play with them or entertain them.

4) Wanting Attention

The last most common reason why your french bulldog screams is because they want your attention.

At some point in the past when they screamed it got your attention.

You either went over to them, gave them some pats or kisses, picked them up and held them, or started lovingly talking to them.

All of which are exactly the kind of attention your pup wants.

Which means they’ve learned that screaming is one way to get mom/dad’s attention.

And they’ll continue to do it as long as it works.

5 Less Common Reasons Why French Bulldogs Scream

1) They’re In Pain

If your poor frenchie is in pain, this could be why they’re screaming.

Many dogs will let out a loud cry or shriek if the pain is extreme enough.

You may have heard it if you have accidentally stepped on their paw, or when they lie in an awkward position that bends them the wrong way and ends up hurting themself.

With french bulldogs, it’s more common to hear a scream if they’re in pain.

Of course they’ll still whine, whimper or cry if the pain isn’t too extreme.

But if it takes them by surprise they’ll likely let out a scream.

Which sounds different from other dogs because of their narrowed windpipes.

2) They’re Afraid

When a french bulldog is afraid, just like people sometimes do, they’ll let out a scream.

This could be from hearing loud noises like construction, thunder, sirens or loud music.

Or it could be they’re physically afraid of another dog around or a person.

If your frenchie is feeling intimidated or afraid in a situation, they may let out an involuntary scream.

3) Nightmare Or Exciting Dream

Chances are you’ve seen a video somewhere online of a dog having an intense dream.

Or you’ve experienced it in your own home.

Just like our dreams can feel very life-like, it appears that so can dogs.

So if your pup is having a nightmare where something scary is happening, they might let out a scream.

Or if they’re super excited dreaming about it raining their favorite treats and toys, they may scream from excitement.

4) CCD

CCD is Canine Cognitive Dysfunction which is essentially the dog version of dementia.

As dogs get older they have an increased chance of getting CCD and becoming confused more often.

Which can cause your pup to have troubles remembering where they are or what they’re doing.

And this may cause them to scream because they’re feeling disoriented.

5) Seizures

Seizures are where your dog loses control of their body, stiffens up and starts having convulsions.

This is one of the most unpleasant things you can watch a loved one do.

But while it’s happening, they don’t have control over their body.

Which means they might scream as they’re going through this episode.

Seizures themselves aren’t life-threatening, but are an indicator something is going on with your pup.

So it’s best to take your french bulldog to the vet to have them looked at if they’ve had a seizure.

4 Tips To Help Your French Bulldog Not Scream As Often

1) Do Your Best Not To Over Excite Them

As excited as your french bulldog is to see you when you get home, I’m sure you’re just as excited to see them.

And in all this excitement you might accidentally get your pup a little too riled up which makes them scream.

If you don’t mind their screaming from over excitement then you don’t really need to change anything.

But if you’re worried about how worked up they’re getting you’ll have to adjust how you come home.

Being more calm yourself as you walk through the door can help your frenchie behave more calm as well.

Instead of talking to them in a high pitched baby voice, try a lower, more calm tone of voice to help reduce how excited they are.

It’s almost impossible for them not to get super excited when you come home after a long day, but you can definitely help take their excitement down a notch.

2) Find Their Trigger

When you’ve found the trigger behind what’s causing your frenchie to scream, you are better able to reduce their exposure to the trigger and help them not scream as often.

When it comes to excitement and fear, these are much easier to identify what the trigger is.

But with anxiety driven screaming, it can be much more difficult to pinpoint what exactly is causing them to react this way.

It can take time to understand what’s making them feel anxious and even more time to help them overcome it.

Sometimes it’s best to consult with a behavioral specialist when it comes to helping a pup overcome anxiety.

3) Give Them More Exercise

More often than not, a french bulldog with too much pent up energy will try many different things to get your attention or curb their boredom.

Screaming is definitely one of them.

A simple way to help make sure your frenchie doesn’t have too much energy at any given time is to give them more daily exercise.

You can do this by simply making their existing walks a little longer, adding another walk to their day, or making sure to make time for a thorough play session.

Not only will this tire them out and make them less likely to scream for attention, but it’ll help them breathe more efficiently.

Since your frenchie already has genetic troubles breathing, the more they exercise, the better they’ll get at bringing their heart rate down when excited which will calm their breathing and make them less likely to scream.