Outdoor activities that develop your Frenchie’s skills

Many French bulldog owners love this breed because they are easy to keep indoors. Frenchies naturally do not need as much space as large dog breeds, but they love to play the same way. They are playful and funny, but from time to time, they can get bored indoors. Therefore, it’s a good idea to take your pup outdoors to have some fun! We know that not all of you have a private backyard, so we’ve collected a few games to play with your dog at a public park, a dog run, or at the beach.

Why is it essential for your French bulldog to play outdoors?

The younger your pup is, the more essential it is to be exposed to different stimuli to develop his motor skills, muscle strength, and overall health. Pups that are active in their early months generally continue to be more active as they age. Playing outside is fun, exciting, and significant for your pup’s learning and development. Being outdoors gives indoor dogs plenty to explore. They’ll embrace the freedom and space the outdoors gives them to bark, jump, run around, hop and skip. Being outside is an exciting sensory experience for young puppies. 

Play with a ball 

The easiest way to develop your Frenchie’s motor skills and focus is to play with a ball. First, try to teach him to follow the ball. This is a great activity for the whole family to play, especially if you find a quiet park. Ask every member to spread out (at least 20 feet from one another) and toss the ball to a random person. Your dog has to follow the ball and every time he comes, reward him with praise and treats.

Fetch and Frisbee

Once he knows how to follow a ball, you can try to teach him to fetch it. This is an old but gold game. To teach your dog to fetch, you will need a few toys and some treats. Some dogs are ball lovers, while others prefer plush toys, so it’s good to have an array of toys available. If your Frenchie is still a baby, you can roll the ball along the ground to avoid any injuries. Once he mastered fetch, you can level up and play frisbee with a special dig disc. We don’t recommend human frisbees as they are made of hard plastic that can cause injury when hitting your dog.

Hide and Seek

If you take your dog to a park with many trees and bushes, you can try to play hide and seek. Ask your walker partner to hold the dog while you find a good hiding spot. Now start calling your dog, and he needs to seek you only by following your voice. When he finds you, reward him with some tasty treats. This game greatly develops his hearing and nasal skills. 

Follow your nose

If you’d like to develop your Frenchie’s nasal skills even further, you can play “Follow your nose”. This is a pretty easy game with some tasty rewards at the end. First, ask someone to hold your pup while you prepare the game. Now tie your pup’s favorite snack to a string and start pulling it on a random trail. You can walk back and forth or in zig-zags, walk around a tree, etc. Don’t forget to leave a treat at the end of the trail! Now you can release your dog and let him find the treat by only using his nose! 

Treasure hunt

The ultimate skill development is a fun and exciting treasure hunt arranged especially for your Frenchie! You can play this game indoors and outdoors as well. It’s like an Easter treasure hunt, except you’ll have to hide a few (3-4) treats instead of chocolate and candies. Put them in easy reach, like under a bush or by a tree. If possible, do not let your Frenchie watch you while you hide the treats as they are very smart and will remember all the hiding spots. First, only use a space to spread the treats as the size of your living room. Later, when your Frenchie becomes better and better, you can extend the potential treasure area. 

Feel free to join our TomKings Frenchie Family Facebook group for further useful tips!

The article is based on the expert knowledge of the TomKings Puppies team who have been breeding French Bulldogs for 10 years on their farm. All the pictures in the post belong to them and show puppies from their breed, and their farm. Check their available puppies here, or if you have any questions or comments let us know below the article.