How much exercise does a French Bulldog need?

As a rule, a French Bulldog needs to be exercised twice a day for several hours. This should ideally be done in the woods or where he can easily run without a leash. The French Bulldog needs to be exercised physically and mentally enough. Since this dog breed is not particularly well suited to jogging and cycling, it needs all the more long walks.

Your pet needs daily exercise. In addition, your dog can run around in the garden or go to a fenced exercise area.

Your dog needs to go outside at least twice a day.

French bulldogs need a lot of exercise every day.

Beyond that, you can decide according to your dog whether you go more often and how long your rounds will be.

Walking – When does the dog need to go out?

The question of how often a dog should go out depends crucially on its individual needs. Some dog breeds need a lot of exercise due to their special urge to move, while others are content with smaller rounds. 

When a dog needs to go outside is also very individual. Decisive factors include cleanliness and walk training. 

As a rule of thumb, however, dogs can last five to six hours before the next business is due. 

Dogs need several hours of exercise and exercise a day.

This also tells you how often a dog should go out every day. According to this, you should plan at least four to five rounds per day.

Ideally, you should schedule your dog’s walks so that he does not have to go out at night. In this context, it is important that the most urgent walk is in the morning. The walk after getting up must be integrated into the daily schedule. 

As a rule, a routine rhythm is established after a certain time, so that the morning round takes place at 6:00 a.m. every day, for example.

Dogs make themselves known when they have to go out

Normally, every dog makes itself known as soon as it has to go out. However, this only applies to dogs that have already completed their cleanliness training. It is not yet to be expected from puppies. As soon as the intervals between rounds become too long, dogs start whining, possibly barking, are restless and otherwise draw attention to themselves. 

Some dogs may scratch at the door, others may put the leash at their master’s feet. Pay attention to how your dog makes itself known and don’t let it get that far in the first place.

Your dog will be in better health if you react before your dog even contacts you.

If you are going to be away for a long time and your dog has to wait for you at home, find out here how long your dog can be left alone.

Whether young or old – all dogs need to go out. 

Puppies and seniors need more exercise

A puppy stays with the breeder until at least 8 weeks. At least with a good breeder. After that, you can take your dog with you.

Once you have arrived at your new home, the first few weeks are especially important. During this time, you must pay special attention to the walks. Everything needs to be explored, from traffic to the forest.

Experience shows that puppies need more walks than adult dogs. Until they are truly house-trained, it is recommended that you take your fur friend out at least every two hours. 

This way puppies learn that they have to do their business outdoors and not indoors. 

The amount of time between each round can be extended individually over time. In addition to puppies, seniors also need to go outside more often. 

Your dog is getting old and counts as a senior dog if your dog is over 12 years old.

With age, dogs get difficulties to control their urge for a longer period of time. It’s a good idea to cater to your dog’s individual needs.

You could take your dog out more often, but for shorter periods.

If the dog doesn’t go outside – What can happen?

If your dog doesn’t get out enough, it will sooner or later do its business indoors. 

However, what is much more decisive and to the dog’s disadvantage – lack of exercise leads to considerable limitations. Dogs that do not get out or only get out too rarely are often overweight, which has an impact on their health. 

In addition, in such cases dogs tend to behave destructively, for example by destroying things or starting to go berserk. 

If your dog gets too little exercise, it can quickly lead to obesity and depression.

Among other things, shoes or furniture may be chewed up. Furthermore, the lack of exercise leads to aggression towards people and other animals in the long run.

Some dogs start to withdraw because they are not stimulated enough physically and mentally. In this case, the behaviour resembles a typical depression. 

Other dogs, on the other hand, become hyperactive. Finally, the muscles of the affected dog can stiffen, which leads to considerable pain. Further illnesses of the four-legged friend are also possible due to lack of exercise and too few walks. 

For example, bladder or kidney diseases can occur due to continuous stopping.

To prevent this from happening to your four-legged friend, make sure he gets enough exercise!

If you don’t have enough time, you can look for someone who will walk your dog for a small fee.

Typical breed characteristics of the French Bulldog

  •     Character: active, affectionate, patient
  •     Size: up to 35 cm (in both sexes)
  •     Weight: 8 to 14 kilograms
  •     Colours: fawn, pied, black/white
  •     Life expectancy: 10 to 15 years

French Bulldogs are also popular for television because of their charming appearance and great patience. In the films Titanic or Armageddon, this lovable dog breed makes its appearances. 

But also many celebrities like Lady Gaga, Leonardo Di Caprio are passionate owners of French Bulldogs. 

The French Bulldog is an absolute family dog and is wonderful with children.

French Bulldogs owe their popularity especially to their cute appearance and their loyalty. 

With a size of up to 35 cm and a maximum weight of 14 kilograms, the French Bulldog is very compact and massive.  

Typical diseases of this breed are respiratory problems, joint diseases, herniated discs, thyroid diseases.

Care and upbringing

The French Bulldog is very undemanding when it comes to grooming and a small daily grooming is sufficient. 

The dog’s claws should not be neglected. Because of the little exercise, the claws cannot be filed down so quickly and must be checked monthly by the owner. 

The French Bulldog needs strict training so that the dog also recognises it as an alpha dog. Find out more here: What to do if the dog does not listen to its name?

Too much sporting activity is not good for this breed of dog because of its shortness of breath, so daily exercise should be reduced to normal walks. Likewise, the French Bulldog is not one of the true lifeguards and should be kept away from water. 

Especially in high temperatures, the robust dogs get very big respiratory problems and should rather stay in the shade. 

Has another dog been to these flowers before? 

Who is the French Bulldog suitable for?

The French Bulldog is not a big problem even for dog novices. 

Especially families with children will enjoy this quite trusting and lovable dog. 

With its very patient manner coupled with its cute appearance, it is one of the most popular dogs in the wide world.

Due to his shortness of breath, he is not the perfect jogging or cycling partner and prefers to settle for short walks through the park around the corner. You can also keep your French Bulldog busy at home.

Especially in summer, there should always be a shady spot for the French Bulldog.

Here we have summarized our most popular articles in a great overview: