11 Reasons Why French Bulldogs Cry & Whine So Much + Tips

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Your french bulldog is a big crier. It seems like no matter what you do, they always find a reason to cry and whine.

What’s going on? Is it normal for french bulldogs to cry so much or is something wrong?

Why Do French Bulldogs Cry So Much:

French bulldogs cry to an excessive extent because it’s become a learned behavior. Unintentionally, they’ve learned that crying gets them what they want which makes them want to continue whining and crying. It could also be because they’re feeling anxious, overly excited or bored.

In this post you’ll discover:

11 real reasons why french bulldogs cry so much
When their whining and crying is something to worry about
4 tips to help reduce how much your frenchie cries (tip #1 is extremely effective!)
And much, much more

Let’s jump right in.

Table of Contents

11 Reasons Why French Bulldogs Cry & Whine So Much

1) They Want Your Attention

Likely to be the most common reason for your frenchie to whine or cry so much is because they want more of your attention.

Unknowingly, you might have trained them that crying is exactly how to get your attention.

If in the past whenever they’ve cried out to you, you came running over to give them love or attention, they’ll want to keep doing it.

Which means they’ve picked up on a pattern and now have a habit of crying a lot in an attempt to get attention whenever they want it.

2) They Need Something From You

Sometimes your pup will cry to let you know they need something from you.

Which is actually very helpful!

It could be that they need to be let outside before they have an accident, or because their food or water bowl is empty so they’re reminding you to fill it.

Situations like these are simply them communicating with you through a whine or cry.

A study found that dogs’ intelligence was likely on par with a 2-year old human baby.

Which means even though they can’t speak English, they can still communicate with you to let you know when they need something.

Some pups may whimper, some may bark, others will sit at the backyard door, and others will cry.

3) Frenchie Jealousy

If for most of your frenchies life they were the sole beneficiary of your attention, they likely won’t handle other dogs/people getting your attention very well.

They don’t like seeing someone else get your attention which makes them act like a big baby.

Obviously they’re still #1 in your heart, but seeing you give someone else attention makes them question it.

4) Over-Excitement

Often when a frenchie is so overcome with excitement, they react by making all kinds of sounds, one of which is a cry/whine.

It could be when you get home after work and they’re super excited that you’re now home.

Or if you were away for a few days and finally have returned.

They may also get overly excited when they get a new toy or when around a new dog/puppy.

An example of this that always goes viral on Instagram or Facebook is when a family member comes home after being away for many months.

The dog is so excited that one of their favorite people is home again that they jump all over the place, give tons of kisses and start whining or whimpering in excitement.

5) Something Is Scaring Them

If your frenchie is in a situation that is scaring them, it’s quite common for them to react by crying or whining.

It could be the loud sound of thunder or fireworks or even when an unfamiliar guest comes over that they aren’t sure about yet.

When french bulldogs don’t feel safe, they will often make it known by crying.

6) They’re In Pain

Just like when any animal is in pain, your frenchie might have a physical injury or underlying health issue causing them pain which makes them whine & cry.

It’s possible that they have something bothering them that you’re not completely aware of yet.

So it’s a good idea to watch them more closely if you’re noticing them crying more lately.

Do they cry when standing up? When jumping off or on the couch? Or when climbing up and down the stairs?

If you notice them crying more after certain movements they likely have some form of injury that should be looked at.

7) Bored Doggo

A bored doggo is an attention craving doggo.

If they’re lying on the floor for too long without any engagement or playtime, they may let out a big whine to let you know they’re BORED!

They spent all day resting and preparing themselves for you to come home and still they’re not being played with.

So, they let you know how they’re feeling by crying.

They want to play fetch, tug-of-war, or go outside for some quality 1-on-1 time with their favorite person.

8) Frenchies Are Vocal Breeds

Whether it’s making grunts and groans, snorts or snores, or cries and whines, french bulldogs can be quite vocal.

They make all kinds of interesting sounds throughout the day, and crying is certainly one of them.

They like to make their presence known as well as be the center of attention in most rooms.

So you may just have a little drama king/queen on your hands that’s crying so much because they want the spotlight.

9) They Really Don’t Like Being Alone

If you notice your frenchie cries excessively whenever you’re about to leave home, and for long periods after you’ve left, they may have separation anxiety.

It could be less severe and they’re simply sad that you’re leaving because it means they’ll have to be alone.

But if you also notice any destructive or excessive behavior like overly licking themselves, barking, howling or pacing, they may have separation anxiety.

10) They’re Cold

Your frenchie is probably anywhere between 16-24 pounds with very little fat on them.

Which makes them less able to handle colder temperatures.

They also don’t have a super thick coat that many other dog breeds have to keep them warm in the winter time.

So if it’s starting to get cold where you live, your pup may be crying more simply because they caught and chill and need warming up.

11) Frenchies Can Sense How You’re Feeling

If you’ve been feeling particularly low lately, this could be causing your frenchie to whine and cry more.

Studies have shown that dogs are actually able to smell their owners emotions which then affects their own emotions.

If you’re feeling blue, your pup can pick up on this through scent and it makes them feel blue too!

Also, outside of being able to smell your emotions, if you’ve been stressed out recently, this can rub off on your pup as well.

Which could be another reason for their increased crying/whining.

4 Tips To Help Get Your French Bulldog To Stop Crying & Whining So Much

1) Don’t Encourage The Behavior

Whenever your frenchie whines for no good reason, do your best not to encourage the behavior.

Which usually means flat out ignoring them.

This is much easier said than done…

But it truly is the best way to get them to stop whining and crying so often for attention.

When they let out a whine or cry to let you know they need to go outside or they need more water, it’s very helpful.

But when they stare at you and cry simply because they want your attention, they’ve created a bad habit.

And it’s usually because they’ve found whenever they whine long enough, eventually it makes you interact with them.

Which makes them want to continue doing the behavior.

Because it works.

So the best thing you can do is ignore their whines, whimpers and cries when they’ve been let out, have a full bowl of food & water, and aren’t injured in any way.

The better you become at not encouraging the behavior the sooner they should stop.

2) Downplay Greetings & Goodbyes

Greetings and goodbyes are two common events that can make a frenchie feel strong emotions.

Both extreme happiness/excitement as well as extreme sadness.

Which is usually because their owner makes them feel extra special after coming home and has a predictable ‘I’m about to leave’ routine.

To help your frenchie not get overly excited when you come home and not overly sad when you leave, there’s a couple things you can do.

First, hold off giving your pup attention until you’ve got yourself situated after coming home.

That means hanging up your jacket, maybe going to the bathroom, changing into more comfortable clothes, whatever it is for you.

Once you’re finished getting settled in after coming home, then give your frenchie love and attention.

This will help stop them from getting overly excited and crying as soon as you walk through the door.

When it comes to leaving, do your best to make it unexpected that you’re leaving.

Without even knowing it, you probably do the same 3-5 things every time before you leave the house.

Grab your keys and jacket, check yourself out in the mirror (just me?), put your shoes on, give your pup a kiss and tell them you’ll be home soon, then you’re off.

And your smart little frenchie has likely picked up on this pattern and gets themselves all worked up when they see you starting the pattern.

Because they know it means they’ll soon be all alone.

If instead sometimes when you grabbed your keys you went and did the laundry.

Or, put on your jacket and unloaded the dishwasher.

These types of things break your pattern and make it so your pup isn’t able to get themselves so worked up about you leaving.

Which means they won’t be as sad when they realize you’re not home.

3) Help Them Get Used To What’s Bothering Them

If you’re able to find the trigger that’s causing most of their crying & whining behavior, help desensitize them to it.

This can be in the form of tip #2.

Or it can be putting them in a controlled, safe environment with their trigger to help them overcome the fear or anxiety it’s causing them to feel.

This will absolutely take time as well as patience.

But the best way to get used to something is to increase the amount of time they’re around it.

Soon it will just be another ‘thing’ they encounter in their day-to-day life.

4) Have a Vet Take a Look At Them

If after checking out our 11 reasons you’re still not sure why your frenchie is crying so much, or you think it could be because of pain, a veterinarian should take a look at them.

While it could simply be that they crave a lot of attention…

It could also be an underlying health issue that’s causing them pain or discomfort.

And it’s better to have a vet look at them to determine if they need treatment or if nothing’s wrong and it’s simply a learned behavior.

Other posts you might find interesting:

12 Best Beds For French Bulldogs: Beds That Last

Why Do French Bulldogs Eyes Water? 8 Causes + Helpful Tips

8 Reasons Why French Bulldogs Eat Everything + 4 Tips

16 Interesting Reasons Why French Bulldogs Lick So Much