11 Reasons Why French Bulldogs Are So Hyper + 4 Tips

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Dealing with a hyper french bulldog can be bitter sweet. On the one hand, it can be super cute and funny. On the other hand, it can make them quite the handful. Is it normal for french bulldogs to be so hyper?

Why Are French Bulldogs So Hyper:

French bulldogs are more hyper when they don’t get enough physical exercise on a daily basis. When they sit still for the majority of the day they have too much pent up energy that needs to be expressed which will often result in spurts of hyperactive behavior.

In this post you’ll discover:

11 real reasons why french bulldogs are so hyper
How being hyper can be a sign of good health
4 tips to help reduce how hyper your frenchie is (tip #1 is hands down the best way)
And much, much more

Let’s jump right in.

Table of Contents

11 Real Reasons Why French Bulldogs Are So Hyper

1) Lack Of Exercise

More often than not, when a french bulldog doesn’t get enough daily exercise they’ll act super hyper.

Especially when they’re young.

They have too much pent up energy that isn’t being expressed.

Which results in them behaving super hyper quite often.

Not only does exercise help your frenchie stay fit and healthy, but it helps reduce behavioral problems that might otherwise show up.

When they’re getting a good amount of physical activity each day, they aren’t left with too much pent up, unexpressed energy.

Which means they’ll be a more calm, well-behaved doggo.

2) Their Age

Your frenchies age plays a big role in their hyper behavior.

When they’re just a pup they’ll have what seems like endless energy.

Followed by quick naps to recharge.

If your frenchie is below the age of 2, it’s totally normal for them to act hyper.

You may also notice what’s called the zoomies or FRAPing.

FRAP stands for Frenetic Random Activity Period.

The term speaks for itself.

Randomly, your pup will have an extreme amount of energy to overcome them and they’ll start running around like a maniac.

This is totally normal for puppies.

But if your frenchie is moving into their middle aged years and is still quite hyper, it could be just the way they are.

Some dogs simply take longer to calm down than others.

I remember my childhood pup didn’t really start to calm down until she was 5-7.

She was a wild one. But we missed it when she wasn’t her same rambunctious self.

3) Boredom

If your pup hasn’t received any mental stimulation in a while, they may deal with their boredom by acting super hyper.

In their mind they might be thinking, “If you want the job done right you gotta do it yourself!”

The job in this case is playing.

And if you haven’t played with them in a little while, they may take matters into their own hands and start going crazy.

When they have lots of energy this is way more fun than lying down and being bored!

4) They’re Easily Excited

Your adorable frenchie may simply get excited easily.

Whether it’s when you bring out one of their favorite treats that they don’t get too often, come home after work or if you even utter a word that sounds similar to ‘walk’.

Some dogs simply get excited more easily than others.

Just like how people have different personalities, so can dogs.

One pooch may be more lazy and less-excitable whereas another always want to be go, go, going.

Your frenchie may just be a pup that is hyperactive and has boundless energy.

5) You’ve Encouraged It

Sometimes frenchie parents unknowingly encourage certain behavior that they don’t want to continue to see.

And if you’re finding your pup is super hyper, you may have accidentally been encouraging this behavior since they were a pup.

Since they’re so small and cute, anything they do makes your heart melt.

Which then makes you want to give them a positive reaction.

May that be lovingly talking to them and calling them cute, giving them kisses or giving them a good back scratch.

If whenever they’ve acted hyper in the past, they were given a positive reaction to their behavior, it will make them want to continue that behavior.

6) They Smell Something Yummy

Your frenchie may be one of those dogs that gets super excited by the smell of food.

Whenever their nose catches the smell of something they enjoy, they may be overcome with excitement which makes them start acting hyper.

I’ll never forget how one of my friends’ dogs used to react to getting their favorite treat.

It wasn’t a treat they got often, it was for special occasions, but boy did they love this treat.

As soon as they smelt it you could see them progressively getting more excited and hyper.

Once they were given the treat, they wouldn’t scarf it down.

No, not this doggo.

Instead, they carefully placed it on the floor in front of them.

Then proceeded to do a happy dance.

Jumping around in excitement before eating it.

Cute little weirdo!

7) They’re Matching Your Energy

Dogs are generally really good at assessing what kind of mood you’re in.

They’ll look at your facial expressions, body language and tone of voice to get an idea of how you’re feeling.

So if you come home happy as can be with lots of lively energy, it’s likely rubbing off on your pup!

They see you’re in a happy mood and get excited themselves.

Their favorite person is in a good mood which means they’ll probably get some play time or a good ol’ back scratch.

The same thing can happen if you have a house full of kids.

If your kids are running around being rambunctious, your frenchie will likely want to play and match that energy.

Dogs are very social animals and thoroughly enjoy being around people or animals.

So if your frenchie gets super hyper whenever one of their furry friends comes around to play, it’s completely normal.

Also, your pup likely spends most of their day by themselves, so it makes when they do see someone or another dog all the more exciting.

They’ve had their time to rest during the day, now they want to play and run around with their friends!

9) The Food They Eat

There’s a saying that you’ve probably heard at least once in your life.

You are what you eat!

And while this is usually talking about people, it’s absolutely true for dogs as well.

However, if your frenchie is feeling hyper, this is actually a good sign that they’re eating good quality, nutritious food.

If their body wasn’t absorbing their food’s nutrients well they would be tired and need more rest.

Same goes if they were eating food that simply lacked nutrients.

But in your case, you’re doing such a good job feeding your frenchie food that’s good for them, that they have boundless energy.

Our first tip should help with their hyperactiveness if it’s coming from eating good quality food.

You certainly wouldn’t want to change up their food to something worse quality to reduce their hyperness.

10) Entertaining Themselves

There will be times where you don’t have the energy to play with and entertain your pup.

Which means they may start acting hyper and playing with themselves to burn off some of their energy.

You might notice them crazily running around, picking up and throwing their own toy, or rolling around on their back making a bunch of noises.

It usually doesn’t take much to entertain a frenchie, but when they’re hyper and don’t have a partner to play with, anything will do!

11) Bathroom Breaks Are Their Favorite

Some frenchies start acting hyper right after they go number 2 on their walk.

They start kicking and get super pumped up after they’ve relieved themselves.

It’s funny and quite unexplainable behavior.

Do they just feel so much better after they’ve gone?

Are they happy that they’ve spread their scent?

There’s no way to know for sure.

But one thing is for sure.

Some frenchies do a little hyper happy dance right after they poop.

4 Tips To Help Your French Bulldog Be Less Hyper

1) Increase Physical Activity

Hands down the best way to help your french bulldog be less hyper is to increase their physical activity.

Their hyperness is a sign that the amount of exercise they’re currently getting isn’t enough to burn off their excess energy.

This might mean you’d need to take them for an additional walk, extend how long their current walks are, or include more playtime/fetch in their daily life.

Hyperactive behavior is almost always a response to having too much pent up energy.

And the healthiest way to deal with that energy is with some good old fashion exercise.

2) Don’t Encourage The Behavior

While it’s much easier said than done, not encouraging the behavior can work wonders in stopping it.

Instead of giving them love and attention when they act hyper, simply ignore them.

If their hyper behavior is less because of pent up energy and more because they want your attention, ignoring it should help teach them this isn’t the right way to get your attention.

Instead, when they’re lying down being a good, calm pup, this is when you’d want to give them praise and affection.

That way they’ll slowly learn that being hyper doesn’t get them attention and being calm does.

3) Play Calming Music

The same way that calming music can affect or improve your mood could help with your frenchies hyper behaviour.

Classical music like Mozart or Beethoven have been studied to have a positive effect on babies and they’ve also found it can help calm a dog down!

A study done in 2012 looked at the effect classical music had on dogs that were feeling anxious in kennels.

They found their activity levels, vocalization and body shaking was noticeably reduced when listening to classical music rather than when no music was playing.

And while your pup’s hyper energy may not be nervous energy, the calming effect of the music may help them relax.

4) Take Them To The Vet

If your frenchie is being over the top hyper and you’re not sure why while also having difficulties handling it, it’s never a bad idea to take a trip to the vet.

They may have some treatments or additional tips that can help you with your hyperactive pup.

Other posts you might find interesting:

12 Best Beds For French Bulldogs: Beds That Last

6 Reasons Why Frenchies Lay Like Frogs (Sploot) + Dangers

9 Reasons French Bulldogs Are High Maintenance + 4 Tips

Why Do French Bulldogs Snort & Grunt? The Truth + 4 Tips

Sources:

A hyperactive dog: it must be the diet’s fault!
Behavioral effects of auditory stimulation on kenneled dogs