French Bulldogs are cuddly and love to bond with their owners like any other dog breed. Unfortunately, most people think that Frenchies are too bulky and heavy to carry. However, that is not the case. If held right, your Bulldog will be comfortable, and so will you.
French Bulldogs are incredible dogs that love snuggles and would love to explore the world while in their owners’ arms. As a first-time Frenchie parent, it may feel awkward to pick up and hold your Bulldog. This is normal and is an experience a lot of owners go through.
The perfect recipe for holding your bulldog right is to make them comfortable and hold them properly. So here’s the perfect guide to help you pick up and hold a French Bulldog.
How to Properly Pick Up a French Bulldog
French bulldogs love the attention you give them when you cuddle and spend time with them. Therefore, you can trust that they don’t mind you picking them up.
Do French Bulldogs like to be picked up? Most French Bulldogs absolutely do like to be picked up as they love attention and affection. However, it is important to read the cues your Frenchie is giving you. If they don’t want to be picked up don’t force it. Be sure to follow the instructions below to pick them up in the safest manner possible.
However, you need to do this right to provide a comfortable environment for them. Here are a few pointers to help you pick up your Frenchie correctly.
Start With a Verbal Cue
Verbal cues are significant indicators for your French Bulldog for what is about to happen. Therefore train your Frenchie to expect lifts by saying something each time before you pick them up. Your verbal cue could be as simple as “up” or “lift”.
Keep your verbal cue simple and stick to one phrase each time to make it easier for your Bulldog to associate it with being picked up.
Place Your Dominant Hand Under the Front Legs
After your verbal cue, place your dominant and stronger hand under the front paws and ensure that your hand rests on the chest. Doing this will help you create more support for your Bulldog’s neck.
Use Your Other Hand to Cradle Their Backside
Take your other arm and wrap it around your Frenchies backside, supporting the legs and weight. Most people associate this with picking up a baby since it is pretty similar. Ensure that you do this right and secure your Bulldog to avoid chances of them falling off.
Lift Them Gently
Once you have securely held your Bulldog, you need to lift them gently to get you both comfortable with the process. After lifting your Bulldog, cradle them the same way you would a child to get them comfortable and relaxed.
Once your Bulldog is comfortable in your arms, lift them slowly upwards with confidence and composure. This is a great way to assure your Bulldog that you know what you’re doing and that it is the right way to lift them.
When you successfully pick up your Frenchie, they will be more receptive and inclined to enjoy you picking them up. Remember, you need to be confident, relaxed, and follow the steps to ensure that you pick up your Frenchie right and build trust.
Holding Your French Bulldog – How To Hold a French Bulldog
After picking up your French Bulldog, you need to keep it comfortable to foster a bonding experience. Holding your Frenchie will help you do this and let it get more comfortable with you.
The goal of picking up your Bulldog is to hold it comfortably for a while and give it the snuggly attention it requires. When holding your Bulldog, you can leave it in your arms or place it on your lap.
However, remember that switching positions requires you to be gentle and support your Bulldog to avoid accidents. Going slow with your dog will help it ease into different holding positions.
How to Pick Up and Hold an Aggressive French Bulldog
When dealing with an aggressive Bulldog, accidents may be more prevalent since they will not be cooperative with your approach. If you can start housetraining your puppy and tame it’s aggressive tendencies, it will be easier for you to pick and hold it.
However, if you are yet to train it, avoid picking and holding it all together and just play with your Frenchie. Doing this will help you avoid an incident where your Bulldog slips from your arms because of its restlessness.
A great way to pick and hold an aggressive French Bulldog when needed is to ensure their feet are secure. Your priority should be to trap the legs in your laps to help avoid sudden movements.
Doing this is a great strategy, especially when you need to take your Frenchie for Vet appointments. However, you should aim to avoid picking up an aggressive Bulldog until you successfully train it.
How Not to Pick Up a French Bulldog
We’ve seen that providing comfort to your French Bulldog is essential to helping you pick and hold it. Therefore, you should always aim to pick up your Frenchie correctly and avoid some mistakes that may seem harmless.
There’s a right way to pick up your French Bulldog, and there is also a wrong way. The most common ways not to pick up your Frenchie include;
By Their Scruffs
Dogs tend to pick up their puppies by their scruffs and move with them with ease. When most people see this, it seems like something right, and they follow suit. However, picking up a Frenchie by its scruff can be painful.
However, you can get away with picking up a puppy by its scruffs but not an adult Frenchie. Avoiding this practice will help you ensure that your French Bulldog experiences what is comfortable and relaxing.
Using a Collar
French Bulldogs are pretty sensitive in their necks and backs, so most people forego using collars. This is because if your Bulldog constantly tugs on the collar, it puts pressure on its neck and back and could result in some health conditions.
Therefore, picking up your Frenchie using their collar should not be a viable option. It is dangerous since it cuts off the air supply and strangles your dog. In addition, you may damage your Frenchie’s trachea and leave it with devastating health issues when this happens.
By Their Tails
Picking up a dog by its tail is something children would not find wrong and may do it often. Thankfully, most Frenchie have very short tails so it is less of a concern but you should still teach your children not to pull on their tail. Therefore, you need to teach your kids how to pick up and hold a bulldog correctly. Additionally, keep an eye on them to ensure they don’t pick your puppy by their tail anymore.
Picking up a Frenchie by its tail can lead to dislocation and pain due to tampering with the muscle and nerves. The pain and dislocation may lead to difficulties in movement and the ability to relieve itself.
By Their Legs or Underarms
Lifting a French Bulldog by its legs or underarms can lead to dislocation, muscle problems, and mess with its ligaments. Therefore, you need to avoid picking up your Frenchie by their legs, which is common when dealing with other dogs.
However, for French Bulldogs, this can be very painful, and since it won’t be comfortable, the chances of you dropping it are high. So you’ll end up causing a lot of harm to your Frenchie in the long run.
Final Thoughts on How to Pick Up and Hold a French Bulldog
Picking up and holding your French Bulldog is easy, especially when you implement the proper steps to help it relax. First, provide a safe space by picking up your Frenchie correctly each time to help it get comfortable and start looking forward to such moments.
Then ensure that you gently switch holding positions to find what feels comfortable for you. With this, you’ll be set to start your cuddling and bonding moments with your Frenchie and provide all the love and attention it desires.
