Introucing myself and teething issues

[Nicole G]

Hi Everyone,

I'm Nicole. I've had my first Frenchie girl Ella for about three months now. She is the sweetest little baby, so smart and such a doll. She has yet to meet a person she doesn't like.

I got her at eight weeks old. It seemed a little young to me (she was the runt), but the puppies were disappearing quickly and I had already fallen in love with her. What I didn't realize was that she hadn't been with her mom since she was at least seven weeks old. She bonded with me quickly and picked up on training right away. However, she never grew out of the puppy biting/eating everything phase. I've tried everything from making a loud noise and telling her "no" to bitter apple spray. It doesn't seem to do much. When I can't supervise her, she stays in her X-pen because I worry that she's going to annoy the two older dogs in the house, and given that one is a German Shepherd, I don't want anyone to get hurt.

Again, I can't stress enough what a good, sweet girl she is. She's my baby. It's just for her own safety and peace of mind that I worry. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Thank you.

 

[hannah]

What you're doing sounds great. Just have to be consistent. French bulldogs are stubborn.
Just a firm no, and give her something she is able to chew on.
What kind of chew toys do you have? We have teething keys which our frenchies love.
You can even put them in the freezer and when they chew on them its soothing for teething

What you're going through with Ella is totally normal, so don't worry.

And welcome to the forum!

 

[Squishy Walnuts]

Welcome!!

I agree with Hannah. You are doing all the right things but Frenchies are so stubborn they usually take a bit more effort than other dogs when it comes to training. We did the same thing, a firm no and then give the pup a chew toy that they can bite. Wally loved the teething keys as a puppy.

Do you have any pics to share? We love Frenchie pics around here.

 

[Alice Kable]

:smileywelcome: to you and Ella. I agree with the previous posts and she will grow out of this bitey stage!

 

[Nicole G]

Thank you all for the welcome. I figured persistence was the answer, but I just wanted to make sure I wasn't doing something wrong. Teething keys must be a Frenchie thing because Ella also drags them everywhere.

Here are some pictures of her.

 

[hannah]

She is so cutee!!! Yep just keep doing what you're doing

 

[French Bulldog Buzz]

Teething phase can be very frustrating, especially with a Frenchie...But do stay consistent and it will go away!!! This article might help you as well French Bulldog Puppy Teething

 

[davidh]

Welcome to the site and congrats on your new baby. The X-pen is a good idea when you can't supervise her. They will get into everything as you are finding out. Just have plenty of chew toys around (Nylabones and Kongs) Not raw-rides, pig ears, or bully sticks for them, as these can be deadly. Can't wait to see pics of your baby.

 

[WeeDex]

Cute!! Yip, all of the above! I also put toys in the freezer for Dexter to chew. As mentioned above, it can really help.

Dexter is very much a chewer and tugger though - he loves his nylabones and rope toys!

 

[hannah]

Welcome to the site and congrats on your new baby. The X-pen is a good idea when you can't supervise her. They will get into everything as you are finding out. Just have plenty of chew toys around (Nylabones and Kongs) Not raw-rides, pig ears, or bully sticks for them, as these can be deadly. Can't wait to see pics of your baby.

We buy pigs ears and bully sticks for our dogs! We take them away before they get small though so they won't choke.
I know lots of people don't recommend them, but for some dogs can they not be fine to give? As long as they don't chew on them until they disappear all in one sitting and try to swallow?

 

[Jakeyjake]

Welcome Nicole and Ella. She is adorable. I agree with all of the above and that this is typical. She is only 5 months old so this behavior is perfectly normal and she will eventually outgrow it. The x-pen worked for us too when I wasn't able to supervise.

 

[Nicole G]

Thank you all again for the advice. Today we actually had a bit of a breakthrough - when I told her to stop she gave me a guilty look and walked away. However if anyone has any other chew toy ideas I think we could use a few more to keep around.

I do have one more question though: has anyone had any experience with rock and dirt eaters? She has never gotten a rock, but she makes a good try for them! I always joke that I should have named her "Hoover" because I think she's part vacuum.

 

[French Bulldog Buzz]

Thank you all again for the advice. Today we actually had a bit of a breakthrough - when I told her to stop she gave me a guilty look and walked away. However if anyone has any other chew toy ideas I think we could use a few more to keep around.

I do have one more question though: has anyone had any experience with rock and dirt eaters? She has never gotten a rock, but she makes a good try for them! I always joke that I should have named her "Hoover" because I think she's part vacuum.

Hi this is another behaviour when a puppy grows up, this is the way the learn . What many people forget is, in the dog 'REAL' world the mother would teach the pupps each step...So we as the Human 'Parents' have to take this responsibility...Which means in the first month we have to be very vigilant about our Frenchies, and guide them step by step teach and show them their rules and limitations. When you walk now with your new pupp, pay close attention to him. And if she just shows the reaction that she want to pick up something from the floor, than you make your correction signal. So she knows smelling is OK but taking it is not ok...Hope it helps.. I remember my Bushido was a s well like a Hoover, but step by step he loosed it all with the right guidance..

 

[davidh]

[MENTION=1276]hannah[/MENTION] I will not take the chance and give any of mine pig ears or bully sticks. If they chew off a big enough piece and you don't see it, then they can be in trouble. It's not worth their life to me to take the chance.