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Whether you’re concerned about the health of your french bulldog’s spine or wanting to get rid of their bad jumping behavior (or both) the solution is simple… If you know the right way to get them to stop.
And unknowingly, many people accidentally encourage their french bulldog’s jumping.
So how exactly do you stop your french bulldog from jumping? Put simply, you have to ignore their jumping behavior and reward an alternative behavior. The major challenge with stopping jumping behavior (whether it’s on furniture or on people) is getting everyone in the family on the same page. Without this it creates confusion making it impossible to stop.
In this post you’ll discover:
- Why french bulldogs jump on people
- Why french bulldogs jump on furniture (couches, sofas, beds, etc.)
- The dangers of frequent jumping for french bulldogs
- Simple steps to stop your french bulldog from continuing to jump on furniture and/or people
- And much more
Let’s jump right in.
Table of Contents
Why Do French Bulldogs Jump Up On People?
French bulldogs jump on people because of excitement and never learning that their jumping behavior is bad.
Many people accidentally reward their french bulldog’s jumping by talking to them, petting them or picking them up.
What they don’t realize is this is actually encouraging them to continue doing it.
Even if they’re telling them not to do it.
Any sort of engagement or interaction they get when jumping on you or other people is teaching them this behavior gets them attention.
Which of course then makes jumping up on people something they want to keep doing so they can continue getting attention.
Why Do French Bulldogs Jump On Your Couch, Sofa Or Bed?
There are a few reasons for this, the first being that they’re simply excited and want to be up high where they can see everything going on.
This is especially true if you often sit on your couch or bed with them so they see this as a way of getting closer to you.
Another reason may be that they’re trying to get your attention.
French bulldogs are very people oriented dogs and love nothing more than being around their favorite humans.
So if they think jumping up on the couch or bed will get them more of your attention then that’s likely what they’ll do.
The last reason is that they could be doing it out of boredom or for exercise.
If your frenchie isn’t getting enough mental or physical stimulation they may start acting out in undesirable ways, such as jumping on furniture, to release their pent up energy.
Why Is It Bad For French Bulldogs To Jump?
Jumping on people is bad for obvious reasons that are undesirable for any dog breed.
They can accidentally scratch the person they’re jumping on, get their clothes dirty if their paws aren’t clean or scare people who aren’t dog-friendly.
However, jumping is particularly bad for french bulldogs because of their increased risk of getting injured.
Which is caused by their genetic make-up.
Unfortunately, french bulldogs are more likely to get hip/elbow dysplasia or IVDD (Intervertebral Disc Disease).
The more they jump and put added strain on two of their legs, the more likely these physical conditions are to develop.
Which means frequent jumping isn’t just bad for the person they’re jumping on or the condition of the furniture they’re jumping on.
It’s also not great for your frenchie’s overall wellbeing if done too often.
How To Stop Your French Bulldog From Jumping On People
In order to successfully get your french bulldog to stop jumping on people, everyone has to be on the same page.
No one can be okay with them jumping otherwise it’ll be too confusing for them to learn what’s okay and what isn’t.
Even with guests you have to be firm with what you’re trying to teach your pup.
Let’s jump into the first step to getting your frenchie to stop jumping on people.
1) Ignore – Don’t Reward
When your pup jumps on you or someone else, the best thing to do is ignore them.
Don’t push them off of you, don’t yell at them, and don’t give them any attention whatsoever.
While you might think telling them no, or telling them what they’re doing is bad is the right thing to do, it’s unfortunately only teaching them that jumping up gets attention.
Which is why the best thing to do is ignore them.
Ignoring clearly shows your frenchie that jumping gets them absolutely no attention (which is the opposite of what they want).
The second they stop jumping and all four paws are on the ground, that’s when you give them the attention they’re looking for.
Say “good boy/girl” in a happy voice, give them a treat, and give them some pets.
Doing this will let them know that being calm with all four paws on the ground is what gets them the attention they want.
While jumping up and putting their paws on you is what gets them ignored.
What To Do If Your Frenchie Gets Uncontrollably Excited:
If your french bulldog has a really hard time calming themselves down when people come into your home you’ll want to find a place to tether them to.
Tie their leash to something sturdy in your home and attach them to the other end before opening the door.
They’ll likely go crazy with excitement no different than they would before except now they can’t interact with what’s exciting them.
Which will likely make them behave overly excited for longer than usual.
But it’s important not to give in and to wait until they’ve calmed down to let your guest go see them.
*Side note: It’s best to first do this a few times with people who know what you’re trying to do so they’re on the same page and expect your pup to have troubles settling down.
Once they’ve settled you both can go over and give your pup praise and treats for being calm.
2) Train New Greeting Behaviors
You also want to train your french bulldog some new greeting behaviors so they have something else to do when someone comes over instead of jumping.
Have everyone in your house (or whoever your dog is around most often) practice these behaviors with your pup so they get used to doing them.
Some examples of new greeting behaviors are:
- Sitting
- Laying down
- Giving paw
- Four on the floor (could be standing or sitting, as long as their paws stay on the floor)
Choose whichever one(s) you want to teach your pup.
Then whenever someone enters your home, have them do the behavior before they say hi or give them any attention.
When they do it successfully, have treats on hand to give to them while praising their new greeting behavior.
Doing this will show your frenchie that the only way they’re going to get attention is if they do the behavior you’ve asked of them.
Not by jumping up.
It might take some time for your pup to catch on but eventually, with enough practice, they’ll start doing the behaviors without even being asked.
3) Make Sure Everyone Is On The Same Page
One of the more difficult aspects of this (and any training) is ensuring that everyone’s on the same page.
You can’t train a certain behavior one day and have someone not reinforce it the next day.
Or worse, teach them the behavior you’re trying to train out of your frenchie is okay or good.
Which means whether it’s other family members or when you have guests over to your home, they need to understand what you’re trying to accomplish with your pup.
While some people might be perfectly okay with your french bulldog jumping on them, they need to follow these steps as well.
Ignore, give the new greeting command and wait for your frenchie to listen to give them attention.
Ensuring everyone is on the same page with what you’re trying to accomplish with your pup is key to successfully getting them to stop jumping.
4) Other Things To Help
There are a few other things you can do to help your french bulldog stop jumping that don’t necessarily fall into the “stop jumping training” category.
And that’s ensuring they’re getting enough physical and mental stimulation throughout the day.
A tired pup is a well-behaved pup.
If they have too much energy they’ll be more likely to act out in ways you don’t want them too, like jumping.
Make sure they’re getting plenty of exercise whether that’s through walks, fetch, playing at the dog park or whatever else they enjoy that gets their energy out.
In addition to more physical activity, giving them more training in general and puzzle dog toys can help give them the mental stimulation they need.
If your frenchie is bored they’ll find ways to entertain themselves, and more often than not that means acting out in ways you’d wish they wouldn’t.
How To Stop Your French Bulldog From Jumping On Furniture
Again, you need to create a new rule that everyone in your family agrees to enforce.
And that’s no french bulldogs on the furniture (bed, couch, sofa, etc.) unless they’re on it with someone.
If they’re allowed up when some people are home but not when others are home it’ll just confuse them and they won’t learn to stop.
The most important thing to keep in mind is that it’s for their own health, safety and to keep them around as long as possible.
Now let’s jump into the simple steps to stop your french bulldog from jumping on furniture.
1) Block
If your couch has 2 cushions you’ll want to have 2 big objects (boxes, chairs, etc.) sitting on the cushions when no one’s using the couch.
This way it’s impossible for your french bulldog to jump up even when they want to.
When you want to use the couch, simply move one of the objects while keeping the other object on the other couch cushion.
Now the only way they can get up on the couch to cuddle with you or simply spend time close to you is if you pick them up and put them on your lap.
*The same goes for your bed or other furniture your pup has been jumping up on*
2) Call Them Over
Now you want them to see that they aren’t able to get up by themselves by calling them over.
They might even get a little frustrated and bark or whine in the beginning because they’re used to being able to get up with you whenever they feel like it.
Once your frenchie settles down and sits nicely by your feet you can pick them up, put them on your lap and praise/give them treats for waiting for you to pick them up.
3) Get Up And Put Blockade In Your Place
Once you’ve had enough of your cuddle session or need to get up and do something else, simply put the object back on the couch in your place.
This ensures your french bulldog doesn’t feel like they can get up on the couch when you’re not already sitting on it.
You have to repeat this process of keeping them blocked from jumping up and only allowing them up when it’s with you for several days, maybe even weeks.
Once you feel they’re losing interest in jumping on your couch or bed you can start slowly removing the objects blocking them until it’s freely accessible again.
If you see them jump up, put the objects to block them back for a little while longer.
Eventually they’ll learn that being up on the furniture without a person is a no-no.
Which stops them from jumping up on the couch whether you’re around or not.
Final Thoughts
By following the steps above you’ll eventually get your french bulldog to stop jumping on people & furniture.
Remember to be patient, consistent, and make sure everyone’s on the same page as you to make this training successful.
Other posts you might find interesting:
12 Best Beds For French Bulldogs: Beds That Last
Ultimate French Bulldog Walking Guide: 26 Things To Know