Bringing in a new family member (a second French Bulldog, a cat or a newborn baby) is a big joy and excitement for all of you. However, remember that for your older puppy it’s also a threat of losing your love and attention. Read our step-by-step tips from our experts in the next series of our mini-training course.
Introducing your second Frenchie
Having two Frenchies in your family is always better than one, they can play and have fun with each other. But unless the new pup is very young, you’ll need to be cautious when you bring in the second French Bulldog.
Anybody would be irritated by the idea of having competition, and Frenchies are no different. If you miss these steps, the older puppy will want to protect their territory and might fight with the new pup.
Choose a neutral place for the first meeting
You can easily avoid it by making them meet at a neutral place. It can be a nearby park or even the place in front of the house. Avoid making them meet in your garden or in the house.
Your second pup is normally in a carrying bag, first put down this bag close to your first Frenchie. He or she will be intrigued by the newcomer, and will have the chance to get used to the new smells.
Make sure to keep them both on leash or none of them. Look at their behavior, if your first puppy is happy, you can let the new one out of the box.
Monitor how their ‘friendship’ progresses and stay alerted to step in if the older puppy gets irritated. They normally don’t offend young pups, but in some cases, the second pup’s behavior provocates the old Frenchie.
Subscribe to our weekly blog newsletter:
An other source of conflict is when the baby wants to play a lot with the older puppy. In this case, tell the baby to stop, and leave the older dog alone.
Do the same if you see them fighting, be very consistent with stopping them from that.
Introducing a newborn baby to your Frenchie
Frenchies are very friendly with children and babies, still, follow these easy steps when you have a newborn baby in the family.
Don’t keep the baby away from your pup, but let him or her smell the child. He or she will get used to the smells, and they will love each other forever.
If a child comes to visit your family, always ask them not to hug your puppy too tight, and to avoid screaming and unexpected gestures.
Introducing a cat to your Frenchie
Fortunately, French Bulldogs get along with cats easily, read our article if you’d like to know how they can become best friends. Just like when you introduce a new dog, make them meet in a neutral place. Let them smell each other as a start.
There are three key elements of success when you introduce them to each other.
- Do it gradually.
- Be patient
- Monitor as things progress.
Whoever the newcomer is, you always have better control over your older pup, so monitor and manage them first.
Read here our general tips to follow for successful Frenchie training.
The article was written based on the experience of the TomKings Puppies Team. TomKings Puppies have been breeding French Bulldogs for 10 years on their farm. All the pictures in the post belong to them and show a puppy from their breed. Check their available puppies here, or if you have any questions or comments let us know below the article.
12 thoughts on “How to introduce a new family member to your Frenchie”
I have a 7.5 year old French bullldog Barney who has the most loveliest kind nature and it’s been just him and me at home as my daughter moved out a year ago
I’ve been thinking a lot about getting another male frenchie a puppy but I’m concerned about how Barney will react to him if he had to share my attention what is your experience of this or do you have any advice for or against
Apart from the extra love and joy a second Frenchie will give you, they also entertain each other and play with each other; they never get bored which eventually makes your life a lot easier. Raising two Frenchies doesn’t mean double cost or energy versus raising one as you already have many of the equipment and arrangements for one. Your lifestyle will not change dramatically after adopting your second puppy.
Please send an enquiry or an e-mail to us 🙂
Is it okay to have two of the opposite sex French bulldogs live together? I have a 2 year male & I’m looking on getting a puppy female frenchie next but I’m afraid how my older frenchie will react to her.
Hi John! If you don’t want to breed you puppies, we recommend getting the same gender, but if you your male puppy is neutered already, there won’t be any problem with getting a girl either. If you use the above info in practice, all will work out well I’m sure. 🙂
Hello,
We have a 1 year old Spayed female and will be getting a brand new Male. We will get him fixed when appropriate. Anything to look out for or problems you forsee? Thanks!
Hi Joe,
If your female is spayed, there will be no problem at all (even if you don’t get your male fixed). If you follow our guidelines for introducing the puppies to each other, they will be best friends in no time. 🙂 We have seen very sweet examples for a female and male friendship, they are so adorable when snuggling close to each other.
Hi I have a 3 year old French bulldog who has been spayed I am getting g a 9 week male frenchie how should I introduce them as Bella can be protective but does like other dogs not all mind
Hi Julie,
It is important to choose a neutral place for introducing them to each other. It is also a good idea to use a leash at their first meeting.
We have a four month old make Frenchie and want to add another mail that is three months old. Do you think two males will get along
Hi Amy,
I’m sure if you follow the recommendations in the article, there will be no problem. 🙂 We have also sent you an email with further tips. 🙂
Hello we have a 2 yr old male who has food agression. And once in awhile he gets possessive of his toys. We would like to get a girl how do we treat them besides meeting in a neutral area and feeding them seperately … thanks for your input!
Hi Kim,
I would suggest training him before getting a new puppy. You can do it on your own or ask for a professional trainer. I would suggest reading these articles which can help you in his training:
https://tomkingskennel.com/french-bulldog-food-aggression/
https://tomkingskennel.com/how-can-you-become-your-frenchies-pack-leader/