How to Prepare a French Bulldog for a Baby?

Dogs have amazing noses that can detect and remember scents long after the time when they were exposed to it. When a woman is pregnant, the hormones that come into play may alter her body scent and your Frenchie is sure to pick up on that. 

While it may not be surprising, it is incredibly fascinating that your French bulldog can tell when you are pregnant, sometimes even before you know. Now, they might not be able to specifically detect pregnancy but they can tell that something is different. They can’t just place their paw on it. 

If you’d like to know how they do it, what triggers this awareness and how to prepare a French bulldog for a baby, scroll down for an interesting read. 

How Can Your Frenchie Dog Tell That You Are Pregnant? 

The bond between human beings and dogs is something of a wonder. Your French Bulldog tunes in to you in order to understand your wishes and your commands. You watch your Frenchie dog closely and can tell when they need to pee or when they just want to be held. 

This connection is the main reason why Frenchies can tell when you’re pregnant. Of course, it also has to do with other things like how dogs have 60 times as many smell receptors as humans and 40 times as much brainpower dedicated to smell. This allows them to be able to differentiate between 30,000 to 100,000 aromas. 

Due to the mind-blowing fact  that a huge part of a dog’s brain is devoted to analyzing scents, they are able to pick up different scents resulting from chemical changes, cancer, drugs, bombs, a woman’s menstrual cycle, and even pregnancy. Some other things that alert them when you’re pregnant include:

• Your Frenchie smells changes in your body scent: This has already been heavily dwelt upon. You can run but you can’t hide, your Frenchie will literally smell you out. 
• Your French Bulldog sees changes in your body physique: French bulldogs are intelligent creatures. They notice when you put on weight and your stomach begins to get round. But apart from this, they are creatures of habit who memorize every routine. Your constant or frequent urination is not on the schedule. Your Frenchie will also notice when you no longer walk in the fast strides you used to walk in. 
• Your Frenchie dog feelsChanges in mood and behavior: As a dog owner, you may have noticed that your dog can read your mood. He knows when you’re down and tries to cheer you up. He knows when you’re happy and joins in the celebration. Sometimes your Frenchie can even sing along with you. So, it is unavoidable that your dog will sense your mood swings and changes. 
• Your change triggers your Frenchie’s change: Naturally, when a woman is pregnant, the changes that occur affect everyone in the home. And that does not exclude your furry Frenchie companion. Depending on the Frenchie’s personality, the emotional changes of the pregnant woman may trigger increased affection and protection for the pregnant woman. 

Although, we can tell for a fact that your French bulldog knows when you’re pregnant, it is difficult to tell when exactly a dog senses pregnancy. 

Must-Do Tips to Prepare Your Dog for a New Baby

Bringing a new baby into a home with a dog can be stressful, but Mikkel Becker has some good news: With precautions and training, your dog can safely and happily cohabitate with a newborn. Here's her best advice on teaching proper manners and purchasing safety items.

How to Prepare a French Bulldog for a Baby? 

Bringing a baby home is a joyous and beautiful occasion. However, if you bring your baby home without properly sensitizing your Frenchie to changes that are about to occur, the results may not be pleasant. 

In situations such as these, you do not just rip the bandage off, you give your French bulldog time to adjust. The key to having your baby and dog get along is planning months ahead of your due date. 

Before the baby arrives, several adjustments should have taken place. This is in order to get your Frenchie used to the fact that things have changed. The first thing is to revisit your obedience classes. These classes will include obeying the sit, stay, don’t jump, and coming when called commands.

If your Frenchie has never really been around children before, try to expose them. Take your Frenchie to the park and see how he reacts to babies from a distance. You could also ask your friends who are moms if you and your dog can walk near their kids in strollers. These passive activities will gradually introduce your dog to the sight and sound of kids.  

Three to Four Months Before Your Due Date begin to prepare your Frenchie

By this time, you should begin to actively prepare your Frenchie for the arrival of the baby. It may seem a little cuckoo, but get a doll and treat it like an infant. Carry it around at home, put it in the baby carrier, set up the crib and the swing and put the doll in them. 

By this time, everything should have already been set up because you want the French bulldog to become familiar with all the baby items now, not when your actual baby is in them. Introduce your Frenchie to baby lotion and baby powder. Let him sniff and adjust to the smells. 

Practice walking your Frenchie and the doll in your future baby’s stroller. Yes, your neighbors might stare but this activity will help your Frenchie get used to the stroller. Remember to not loop the leash onto the stroller handle because if your Frenchie sees a squirrel or another dog, he might get excited and jerk the leash. This is dangerous when there’s a baby in the stroller. 

If your dog is a puller it is advisable to start training your French Bulldog to walk properly with the Health Harness. Attach the leash to your French Bulldog harness on the front D ring and train your dog to walk beside you instead of pulling. This simple dog training tool will be extremely helpful when your baby arrives.

Limit the Time for Playing with your French Bulldog \ limit the Attention You Give your Frenchie

Reduce the amount of time you play with your Frenchie. This is so that they are used to having less of your time before the baby arrives. You can teach your dog to spend time with toys alone and be more independant. Invest in a variety of new toys to occupy your Frenchie’s attention. If your Frenchie is sleeping in your bed, and you want them to transition out of the bed it is time for that to change. All these must be done before the baby arrives, so that your Frenchie will not associate these “unpleasant” changes with your baby. 

Play Recordings of Babies to your Frenchie dog

Babies cry, yell and shriek a lot. These sounds can startle your Frenchie since they are unfamiliar. You can get them used to it by playing recordings of babies crying and increasing the sound gradually. 

When Your Baby Is Home do this with your French Bulldog

While you’re still in the hospital, pick a cloth your baby wore earlier in the day and ask someone to take it home to your Frenchie dog. Do this a day before you come home, this is so that your dog can get used to the scent of your baby before he or she even arrives. 

The first day you bring your baby home, give your Frenchie time to adjust to seeing you with the baby. Your French Bulldog should be relaxed and know to not try and jump on you. After this initial meeting, the next step is allowing him to approach you and the baby. It is good to keep the leash on to avoid any accidents. If your Frenchie does well, reward so that your French Bulldog can attribute behaving well around the baby to treats. 

If your Frenchie is behaving very well, increase the amount of time he or she spends with the baby. The key to helping your Frenchie and your baby get along is to strike a good balance between the two. Do not let your Frenchie feel neglected or unloved. 

Teach both Frenchie and your baby to respect each other’s space from day one. If you do not want your Frenchie in the nursery, use a baby gates to create boundries. And when your baby starts crawling, keep him or her away from your dog’s space. 

Never leave a baby and a dog alone unsupervised. Even if your Frenchie is the most obedient and calm canine ever. You can not tell how he or she would react if your baby suddenly grabs hold of your Frenchie's nose and doesn’t let go. 

If you notice any weird eye contact between your Frenchie and your baby or if your Frenchie keeps pacing and growling, it may mean that your Frenchie is uncomfortable around your baby. You can handle it on your own or you can choose to seek out professional help.

More Helpful information on the French Bulldog dog breed

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